Video - Girls Choir at Dr. Ya Ha Lay Lay Lah's Church

This video is of the girls and young women who live at Dr. Ya Ha Lay Lay Lah's congregation's orphanage/hostel singing during the November 17 Sunday morning worship service in which Dr. Lennart Bostrom and I participated.

A Decent Internet Connection!

I've checked out of the KBTS Guest House and into the Panda Hotel where I will enjoy a single room for one night before other folks from the ABC International Ministries/Judson Bicentennial group I'm joining begin arriving. Much has changed since I stayed in this same hotel for a week about five years ago.  At that time one could only connect to the internet though a single PC by the front desk. The internet was so slow and censored her at the time that I never was able to retrieve my email.  Now I have high speed, broadband wifi in my room.  Of course, the room costs approximately what one week's stay cost five years ago!

As I have some free time and access to a decent internet connection, I will upload a couple of videos from my travel to date. Here is a short video of the students at the Taungoo Bible School singing during the morning worship service at which I was the guest preacher.

Update --- Nov. 27 - 29

Here's some of what I've been doing for the last several days.  On Wednesday morning, the Karen Baptist Theological Seminary dedicated a new four-story academic building named in honor a beloved former professor, Dr. Mooler.  At the dedication, Tabernacle's Brando and Ma Pyo Sancrown, who are visiting Yangon  from Thailand, and I were reunited.

With Brand, Ma Pyo in front of new KBTS academic building.

On the evening of the 26th and all day on the 27th we attended the Karen Baptist Conventions Centennial Meeting at the newly built Yangon Baptist Association meeting hall.  The hall seats over 3000 and was filled to overflowing!  The opening ceremony included a brass band, the beating of the traditional Karen drum, and blowing of water buffalo horns.

Blowing the buffalo horn at the KBC Meeting opening ceremony.

At the morning worship service on the 27th I was honored to bring greetings from Tabernacle Baptist Church and the ABC/USA Burma Refugee Taskforce.

Bringing greetings at KBC Centennial Meeting.

For lunch on the 27th the Sancrowns took Duane and Marcia Binkley, and me to the restaurant atop a 20 story building in downtown Yangon that offered a panoramic vista of the city and delicious Burmese and western cuisine.

The KBC Meeting also afforded me the opportunity to reconnect with several friends I haven't seen in several years.

With fellow EBTS/Palmer Seminary alum Sonny Dongpongpee and his wife.
Sonny is now the General Secretary Karen Baptist Convention of Thailand.

With Pi Sharon, an American missionary to the Karen whom
I first met in 2008.

The Binkleys, the Bostroms, and I spent all day Friday (Nov. 29) doing some Yangon site-seeing.  We visited Aung San Suu Kyi's home (we could see it through the gate!), her National Democratic Party's headquarters, and her father's home. Her father was General Aung San - a Burmese World War II hero and leader in the effort to win Burmese independence from Britain.  After lunch at a traditionl Myanmar restaurant, we visited the National Museum, which includes natural history, fine arts, cultural anthropology, and historical artifacts. (Sadly, no cameras are permitted!)

We concluded  the day with a visit to the Shedagon, the iconic Buddhist pagoda which stands at the center of Yangon.

Ancient Bagan

Very early on the morning of Monday, November 25 the Bostroms and I arose for the 6:00 a.m. flight from Yangon to Bagan.  The airport was soon filled with tourists waiting for flights to Bagan, Mandalay, and other destinations around Yangon.  Since the government eased state control of almost all aspects of life and opened its boarders to the outside world a couple years ago, Myanmar has become a hot tourist destination.
Also, several brand new small airlines have been formed to offer flights around the country to the growing number of foreigners. We flew on Air KBZ, a two year old airline started by one the country's banks.  We flew to Bagan on a new turboprop 68 passenger flight.  I don't believe a single Myanmar citizen was a passenger. Rather, the airplane was filled with Americans, Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean tourists.

We had a great two days and one night in Bagan.  Our tour guide was excellent:  knowledgeable, humorous, and easy-going.  Ancient Bagan is an amazing site.  During the 9 - 11th centuries C.E. it was the capital of a kingdom covering much of central Myanmar.  In an area encompassing several square miles there are approximately 3000 Buddhist pagodas, stupas,  and other religious sites.  One can quickly appreciate why it has been designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.

Bagan pagodas.

In our two days, we visited perhaps a dozen of the larger and more significant sites.  In many ways, I was reminded of a recent trip Paula and I made the Mexico's Yucatan peninsula where we visited several ancient Mayan sites.  I made nearly nearly 400 images while in Bagan.  I have included just a couple here (the rest I will eventually upload to Flickr).

Bagan Sunset
.

Late afternoon on the 26th we arrived at the Bagan airport to discover our 5:00 p.m. Air KBZ flight back to Yangon had been cancelled. The KBZ desk was not even staffed! We were put instead on the 6:00 p.m. Air Yangon flight.  This flight was delayed another two hours.  So, we arrived back in Yangon around 9:00 p.m.  Shortly, thereafter the power went out and stayed out until about dawn the following morning. Power outages are common occurrences here. One learns to put aside westerner notions of time and efficiency and to adopt a more relaxed attitude!

Remembering Ko Tha Byu in Pathein

Early Saturday morning, the Bostroms and I joined the KBC General Secretary, Dr. Greeta Din, for about a four drive west from Yangon to the city of Pathein.  Pathein is home to the largest association in the KBC and includes the home village of Ko Tha Byu.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ko Tha Byu, he was a notorious Karen criminal purchased from slavery by Baptist missionary Adoniram Judson.  Ko Tha Byu later became the first Karen believer.  Like the Apostle Paul, Ko Tha Byu was so transformed by his encounter with Christ that he spent the rest of his life sharing the Gospel with Karen people.  Within a few years of his conversion thousands of Karen believed and were baptized, formed churches, and sent out Karen Baptist missionaries to other people groups throughout Myanmar. Today, the Karen call Ko Tha Byu the Karen Apostle.

Ko Tha Byu bust in Pathein Assoc. Building

Not surprisingly, the name of Ko Tha Byu is held in great honor among the Karen Baptists across Burma, but especially in Pathein.  While in Pathein we visited the Ko Tha Byu Theological Seminary, a B.Th. granting institution sponsored and supported by the local Karen Baptist association.  There I met Thra Doh Dr. Lincoln who has visited us in Utica on several occasions while studying for his D.Min. degree at Palmer Seminary in Philadelphia.

Mark with fellow Palmer Seminary alumnus Dr. Lincoln

While in Pathein we also visited several ministries of the local Baptist Association.  The association sponsors a small hospital at which Sgaw Karen is spoken. Burmese is language at the government hospital in Pathein.  As some Karen do not speak Burmese, if were not for the Karen language hospital, they would not seek or receive medical care.  We also visited the Women's Department which offers young women instruction in weaving.  Once they have mastered this skill, they are able to earn income selling their cloth and garments.  They also are able to instruct others in their village who want to learn to weave. This work is very typical of Baptist congregations, associations, and conventions in Burma.  There is a strong commitment here to both proclaim God's good news in Christ and reach out in Christ's love to ease suffering and improve the situation of those most in need.

Young woman learning to weave.

On Sunday morning we joined our brothers and sisters in Christ at the Ko Tha Byu Karen Baptist Church (across the street from the association compound) for worship.  The church building is large and was filled to capacity (perhaps 1000 in attendance). The service included great lay leadership and several choirs. I was given the honor of preaching to the largest assembly I have addressed in my ministerial career!

Looking from the pulpit into the sanctuary before the service.
The church is cross shaped.  There are two arms on either side of the platform
of equal size.

We also did a couple of touristy things in Pathein.  We visited the picturesque riverfront and an umbrella factory.  Apparently, Pathein has been a center of umbrella manufacture since ancient times.  In Myanmar,  traditional umbrellas are made from bamboo, paper, and silk.  They protect the user from the rain, but even more importantly this very hot and tropically climate, they protect the user from the sun's rays.

Umbrella factory worker holding large umbrella.

An Update

I've just returned from Pathein, capital of Myanmar's Irrawaddy Division. It is located about four hours by car west of Yangon at the northern edge of the Irrawaddy River delta. It is also home to about 200,000 residents and three former Baptist mission compounds that are now Sgaw Karen, Pwo Karen, and Burmese congregations. While in Pathein we (Dr. Lennart and Eva Bostrom, and I) visited the Pathein Karen Baptist Association (equivalent to a region in American Baptist life) which claims about 300 church and 50,000 baptized members.  This morning I had the honor of preaching at the Ko Tha Byu Baptist Church which was packed.  I think it is the biggest congregation I have ever preached to - I estimate about 1000 worshipers were present.

I am currently back at the KBTS guest house preparing to hit the sack (its about 10:30 p.m. here). Tomorrow the Bostroms and I will be getting up very early for a 6:00 a.m. flight to Bagan for a quick two day visit.  Bagan is a World Heritage Site and an ancient capital of Myanmar that boasts hundreds of pagodas.  I hope to find some time and greater bandwidth when I return to post a more complete description of the past weekend and the Bagan trip.  

Back in the Classroom

This week I've been back in the classroom - not as a student, but as a visiting professor at the Karen Baptist Theological Seminary in Insein, Yangon, Myanmar.  KBTS offers several programs including a Bachelor of Theology degree and a Master of Divinity degree.  Both are English language degree programs. As my D.Min. work was broadly in the area of practical theology, KBTS Pastoral Theology professor Dr. Saw Christopher Day generously extended the invitation to me to teach both his B.Th. seniors and M.Div. freshmen.

Mark with KBTS B.Th. seniors.

The B.Th. students are studying church administration and finance.  Their class meets for two hours on back to back days.  For three hours I lectured on some basic concepts of congregational organization, administration, church finance, and stewardship from an American perspective.  For the final hour I asked students to explain to me how Karen Baptist congregations in Myanmar are organized and financed.  There are significant differences between the context of churches in American and Myanmar. The United States is a cash/credit society that increasingly relies on online banking.  Much of Myanmar is a barter and limited cash society. Most people in Myanmar do not have a bank account or credit card, let alone a computer for online banking.  It is helpful to know these realities as I attempt to minister to transplanted Karen from Myanmar in the U.S.

Mark, Dr. Saw Christopher Lee, and first year KBTS M.Div. students.

The M.Div. class is studying call and ordination.  For our first session, I explored with the class differences in the ordination process among American Baptists and the Karen Baptist Convention of Myanmar.  There are some significant differences!  For instance, in Myanmar not only must ordination candidates have met educational requirements and be of good character, but they must have proven themselves in ministry for a period of ten years.  They must also be at least thirty-five years old and married.  During our second class session, I lead the class in a Biblical exploration of those whom God calls to serve to him.

At the conclusion of the M.Div. lectures, the class presented me with two attractive Karen vests.  These will be very useful for the upcoming Karen Baptist Convention meetings and Judson Bicentennial celebration as I left my Karen clothing in Utica. After my final session with the B.Th. seniors, the class sang "Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart" in my honor.

Visiting Dr. Ya Ha Lay Lay Lah's Village and Church

Bright and early Sunday morning (6:30 a.m.) Dr. Ya Ha Lay Lay Lah picked up Dr. Lennart Bostrom and me at the KBTS Guest House for the two hour drive to his home village and his "mother church."  His village was destroyed during the ethnic conflict in Burma during the late 1940's.  Everything in the village has been built since that time, including the village church which was constructed when Ya Ha's father was pastor.

Our Sunday morning was full of activity.  First, there was the Baptism of a young Roman Catholic man who later that morning would be united in marriage with one of the Karen Baptist young women from the village.  The Baptism was followed by the morning worship service at which I was the guest preacher.  I have preached three times since arriving in Myanmar. All three sermons have been from the Mark 6 account of the Feeding of the Multitude.  I will probably preach from this same text again when we visit Pathein this weekend!

Mark preaches and Dr. Ya Ha interprets.

Like many Karen Baptist congregations in Myanmar, Ya Ha's congregation sponsors an orphange/hostel that cares for girls who have either lost one or both parents, or whose parents are unable to care for them.  At the end of the worship service, the girls sang a song.  It is inspirational to see the way in which Karen Baptists seamlessly integrate the personal and social dimensions of the Gospel. Too often churches in the U.S. opt for one at the expense of the other.

Immediately following the worship service, the young man who was baptized earlier in the morning, made an appearance once again as the bridegroom.  I was asked to give a short meditation to the young bridal couple.  

The bride and groom.

After the wedding, we enjoyed the wedding feast with the villagers before hopping back into Dr. Ya Ha's Toyota SUV for the two hour journey back to Yangon.

At the wedding feast. Notice the two girls beside me. This is Karen air conditioning!
Two girls fanned me the entire time I was at the table.

Visiting Pastor Daniel Calvin San's Village

On Saturday, November 17, KBTS professor and longtime friend Dr. Ya Ha Lay Lay Lah took Dr. Lennart Bostrom and me to visit Tabernacle's Associate Pastor Daniel Calvin San's village.  It was about an hour drive from the seminary, through streets crowded with Buddhist devotees processing to various pagodas for a religious festival, to reach the riverside. There we boarded small, motorized long boats for the final fifteen minutes of our journey to the village.

Long boat carrying Dr. Lennart Bostrom on the river to Daniel's village.

We were taken to the traditional Karen home in which Daniel's 86 year old mother still lives.  Daniel is one of eight children and we met most of his living brothers and sisters and their spouses.

Daniel's mother, me, Dr. Ya Ha Lay Lay Lah, and Rev. Issac
(Photo on the wall is of Daniel's late father)

Two of his brothers are also pastors.  We were shown great hospitality and a very warm welcome.  A lovely Karen meal, which featured chicken, duck, and fish, had been prepared for us. The duck was particularly tasty!

Guests eat while host family watches!

After the meal, we visited the village's Baptist Church.  It was constructed thanks to the sacrificial giving of Daniel and Anna who have been regularly sending funds from the U.S. for the construction of a new church.  Before leaving the village for our return trip to Yangon, everyone posed for a group photo in front of the church.

Daniel's family and me in front of the village church.

Pastors pose for photo at the front of the church.

Before bidding our hosts "goodbye" at the riverside, we stopped at the site of Daniel's father --- a respected village leader.

Rev. Issac and me with family members in front of Pastor Daniel's
father's grave.

Changing Times in Yangon

The New York Times has published an excellent article on the impact of rapid change in Yangon.  You can read it at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/world/asia/as-myanmar-modernizes-old-professions-go-the-way-of-the-typewriter.html?_r=0

Prayer Mountain Images

Here are some photos of our visit last week to Prayer Mountain in the Karen State. 

The view from the summit of Prayer Mountain.

Rev. Dr. Lennart Bomstrom in one of several small

chapels found along the path up Prayer Mountain and

at the summit.

Large illuminated cross atop Prayer Mountain.

Mark in front of the sign announcing entry into the Karen State.
Notice the Karen drum and buffalo horn symbol.

Myanmar Images

I'm at the KBTS Computer Center which has a much faster and broader internet connection than is available the guest house.  So, I'm going to try to upload a couple of images from our travels last week.

We visited Myanmar's new capital city, Naypyitaw while visiting in Taungoo last week.  I expected to be taken to see the new parliament and government buildings.  The government moved from Rangoon to Naypyitaw (which means "royal city" in Burmese) about a decade ago.  Rather than take us to the government center, we were given a tour of the outskirts of the city on broad, twelve lane boulevards that were largely empty of traffic.  Our guides took us to a zoo and as night fell to a picturesque fountain and water park.  The photo below is of a young boy standing under an artificial waterfall preparing to dive into the water below him.

While visiting in the city of Taungoo, where there are many Karen and many Baptists, we received permission to visit Prayer Mountain in the Karen (Kayin) State. Prayer Mountain is a high mountain surrounded by many similar peaks with Buddhist pagodas at their summits.  Prayer Mountain has a large illuminated cross at its top which can be seen for miles around.  It also has several small chapels for those seeking a place for personal retreat, reflection, and renewal. It is a place that is revered as holy ground by many Karen believers.

Praying hands rock at Prayer Mountain summit.

Myanmar Musings - November 16, 2013

On the evening of Monday, November 11 I took Thai Airways' evening flight from Bangkok to Yangon, Myanmar.  The first thing I noticed was that our large Airbus jet was packed.  Not a seat was empty.  At least two commercial tour groups were on board.  I flew to Yangon from Bangkok with an American Baptist group in 2009.  At that time, the plane Thai Airways assigned to the route was not only smaller, but contained empty seats.  The large, full commercial jetliner was an indicator of some of the changes that have occurred in the former Burma in recent years.

The flight from Thailand to the former capital is barely an hour.  While in the air the sun dramatically set before us in the west.  As we approached Yangon, the relative darkness of the city was noticeable.  Bangkok, and most larger cities in the U.S. are awash in light.  Not so, Yangon.  Street lights are more limited.  There is no artificial, electric day at night here. One is aware that the sun has set and it is nighttime. 

I easily passed through the immigration line with my business visa, retrieved my luggage from the luggage carousel, and exchanged U.S. dollars for Myanmar kyats.  Awaiting me on the other side of the barrier were the Reverend Dr. Greeta Din, General Secretary of Karen Baptist Convention of Myanmar, and her husband Reverend Dr. Saw Mu Htaw, President of the Karen Baptist Theological Seminary.  After warmly welcoming me to their country they took me to my residence for the next three weeks, KBTS' guest house.  

Even though it was late in the evening, a meal of delicious Karen food had been kept warm and waiting for me at the guest house.  I also met the other western visitor staying at the guest house, Rev. Dr. Lennart Bostrom, a Swedish Baptist Old Testament professor.  Lennart's Baptist congregation in Sweden has also welcome Karen refugee's from Thailand's refugee camps. 

First thing Tuesday morning Lennart and I were picked up by a hired car for a daylong journey to the city of Taungoo, about 200 miles from Yangon.  Our guide for the next three days was a wonderful young KBC staffer: Gay Blut Paw.  Her name in Karen means "beautiful, graceful flower."  She certainly lived up to her name during the next three days.

We've had a very busy week.  We visited three Baptist Associations in the Taungoo area which are comprised of Baptist congregations from three Karen sub-groups.  We arrived at the Taungoo Bible School for its morning worship service and as we were being led to the platform learned that one of us was expected to preach and the other to lead in prayer.  I was the preacher that morning.  The following day Lennart preached at a Thursday evening mid-week service and I offered the pastoral prayer.  We also visited a site revered by many Karen - "Prayer Mountain" in the Karen State.  Set on a high mountaintop in an area where many mountains are topped by Buddhist pagodas, this beautiful site offers a place of retreat and renewal to Christians of all traditions.  Everywhere we went in and around Taungoo we experienced incredible warm welcomes and generous (even extravagant) hospitality from Karen brothers and sisters. 

We arrived back at the KBTS guest house late yesterday afternoon. At 6:30 a.m. today we were back on the road. Rev. Dr. Ya Ha Lay Lay Lah (KBTS Professor) picked us up in his vehicle for a journey to Tabernacle's Pastor Daniel's home village which is about 15-20 miles outside of Yangon.  However, we could only go so far by car.  The final leg of our trip was in small motorized long boats down a tributary of the Irrawaddy River to the village.  We were welcomed by Pastor Daniel's 86 year old mother, several of his eight siblings (two of whom are also pastors), their spouses, children, and extended family members.  After a wonderful Karen meal featuring freshly caught fish and particularly tasty duck in chili sauce, we made our way to the village's Baptist church.  Over the last several years, Pastor Daniel and Anna have been sending money home to Myanmar to build a new church for his home village. It is the nicest Karen village church I have seen in Thailand or Myanmar! I will be returning to Utica with lots of photos for Pastor Daniel of his family, his village, and the church his sacrificial giving has built.

Tomorrow we head out bright and early (6:30 a.m.) to Dr. Ya Ha's church in a village about 50 miles outside Yangon.  The morning service will be preceded by a baptism and followed by a wedding service at which I have been asked to bring the charge to the couple.  During the service I will be the morning's preacher.

(NOTE - I have not published any photos of my Myanmar travels.  Internet access and bandwidth is very limited.  Sorry!)

Next Stop --- Yangon

Last night I flew back to Bangkok from Chiang Rai.  Before leaving northern Thailand, the Foxes, another missionary family, and I enjoyed pizza and chicken wings at a Thai pizza restaurant chain. The pizza tasted just like Pizza Hut's. It turns out that the owner of the chain is a former Pizza Hut franchisee!

Mark with Chuck Fox's coffee bush!

After expressing my appreciation to Ruth and Chuck for their generous hospitality, I boarded Thai Airways' late flight from Chiang Rai to Bangkok.  I check-in at the Bangkok Christian Guest House around 11:00 p.m., picked up the laundry (freshly washed) and luggage I left on Thursday, plugged in various electronics to recharge, and hit the sack.  

I am currently back at the airport sitting near the gate for my flight to Yangon.  There are large street demonstrations in Bangkok today.  One of them, with thousands lining the street blow whistles at ear-splitting decibels, is one street from the Christian Guest House.  Hearing that Bankok traffic was snarled near the demonstrations, I decided to leave early for the airport.

Actually, there was no problem with traffic.  My taxi driver had me to the airport in 45 minutes (1 hour at mid-day is usual).  I quickly checked in and passed through security.  My flight boards at 5:30 p.m.  I arrived at 1:30 p.m.  I've never been one to cut it close! And, as I do not know how easily I will be able to connect to the internet in Myanmar, I decided to put the time to good use and bring my blog up-to-date.

Please hold me in your prayers during the next few weeks.  I've been a frequent visitor to Thailand over the last five years.  So, coming here is returning to the familiar.  For the next three weeks I will be stepping into the unfamiliar. I will be living at the Karen Baptist Seminary's guesthouse in Yangon, participating in classes, making visits to Karen Baptist Churches, celebrating the Judson Bicentennial with the Karen Baptist Churches of Myanmar, and hopefully having an immersive (good Baptist term) experience of Baptist life in Myanmar.  (My final two weeks in Myanmar will be spent with an American Baptist group in the country for the Myanmar Baptist Convention's Judson Bicentenary celebration.)

One of the rationales for this sabbatical is to be immersed in the culture and reality of Burma, in some small way reversing the process that refugees from Burma experience as they make a new life in the United States.  Pray with me that I will be open to how God will be at work in and through me during these few weeks.

Bala Karen Baptist Church

As it was Sunday yesterday, Ruth Fox to took me to the local Baptist church --- which happens to be a Karen congregation.  I had a wonderful time worshiping with Karen brothers and sisters at the Bala Baptist Church in Chiang Rai and bringing them greetings from Tabernacle Baptist Church.

The service included a good sermon by a visiting preacher from another Karen Baptist Church which is assisted by the Bala congregation and music ministry by the church's young people.

Teen girls singing.

 After the service, the church invited all their guests to a lunch in the church's fellowship hall (the sanctuary is on the second floor and fellowship hall on the first).  As we were unexpected guests, I suspect that they may have sent out for some additional food when then learned that they had a missionary and a pastor from America visiting. The welcome was warm and the food delicious.

After the service I also met the 85 year old pastor emeritus of the congregation.

85 yr. old Emeritus Pastor with Mark. Both are white haired!

He has been ill recently, but his health has improved and allowed to join in worship after a significant absence.

After the service, Wichai Songsaeng, Principal of the Sahasartsuksa School (see previous post) showed me the Sunshine Home.  A youth hostel for teen girls from outlying villages attending the school as boarders.

A few years ago, Wichai and his wife were able to purchase the house across the lane from their home.  Rather than use it as a rental property producing income, they had a different vision.  They believe God provided the property to be used for ministry.  They named it Sunshine Home --- a play on their name in Thai --- and to honor his late father's commitment to Christ and ministry.  This Home is a truly a ray of sunshine in Chaing Rai providing a caring Christian environment for young Karen women from poor families in the hills to be able to receive a high school education at the Sahasartsuksa School.

Mark with Wichai, his wife and 5 of the Sunshine Home students.

Wichai and his wife's commitment to Christ, to the Church, and serving his people is truly inspirational!

Akha Rice Harvest Festival

Today I accompanied Chuck and Ruth Fox and a large contingent of folks from the Chiang Rai International Christian School to an Akha church's annual Rice Harvest Festival.  In some ways it is the Akha equivalent of American Thanksgiving.  When the harvest is gathered the Akha Christians gather in the church to give thanks for God's many blessings.

Akha young women in traditional dress outside the church.

I felt very comfortable in the service. It felt like home. It reminded me of the Karen worship services I've attended in the U.S. --- with multiple choirs, good preaching, and congregational singing.  The service even concluded with same sung threefold amen (after the benediction) that has been the final act of worship at almost every Karen service I've ever attended!

Rev. Chuck Fox brings one of the morning's messages.

After the service (which lasted almost 3 hours), there was an auction of rice, chickens, and produce that was brought to the church.

The auctioneer holds up rice and a mountain cucumber.

The day concluded with a delicious meal that included several wonderful pork dishes.  Early in the morning a pig was slaughtered and slow cooked for the community feast in the early afternoon.  The Akha brothers and sisters extended very generous and welcoming hospitality to us.

Elephants and Buddhas

Yesterday, Chuck Fox showed me some local Chaing Rai sites including an elephant sanctuary outside the city.  Here are a couple images of our visit.

We also made a stop at a local Buddhist shrine that features several Buddhas placed in caves and niches in the hillside.

Visiting with missionaries Chuck and Ruth Fox in Chiang Rai

Yesterday (November 7), I boarded an 8:00 a.m. Thai Airways jet at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport and landed an hour later in Thailand's far north at the city of Chiang Rai.  This city of one hundred thousand is the home base of American Baptist International Ministries missionaries Chuck and Ruth Fox.  Chuck and Ruth are old friend my seminary days at the former Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now known as Eastern University's Palmer Seminary).

Chuck & Ruth Fox, a volunteer from Ohio, me in front of the school.

Ruth's primary ministry is working with and teaching at the Chiang Rai International Christian School.  Yesterday I received a tour of this relatively new, Thai and internationally accredited Christian School.

Chuck works with the Akha Baptist churches in northern Thailand.  The Akha are one several hill tribes that make their home in and around Chiang Rai.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch of barbecue chicken, sticky rice, green papaya salad, and fresh bananas at an Akha village not far from the city. One of our lunch companions was Peter, an Akha evangelist and leader.  As we ate we had a lengthy theological discussion --- which fed our souls as we filled our stomachs!

Chuck Fox and Peter after a nourishing lunch.

Today, Chuck and I visited Sahasartsuksa School, located directly across the street from the Fox's home.  The principal of this elementary and secondary school recounted the history of the institution.  It was begun by American Baptist missionaries and a Karen Baptist Church a generation ago.  Originally, the school was a single teacher and handful of students meeting in a small bamboo and thatch roofed building --- the Thai version of a one roomed school house.  Today, the school has 2500 students drawn from all the northern Thai hilltribes, a modern campus, and receives government funds to provide education to students who otherwise would not have educational access.  I was reminded in hearing this story of how often an apparently insignificant beginning in God's time grows into a fruitful and significant ministry.

Student body demographics by ethnic group.

On Fridays students wear their traditional tribal dress.