Mission Team

I had the opportunity to lead a group of our students on a mission trip to a Lisu village about an hour and half away from JOFC.  I wasn't sure how things would turn out as I wasn't sure exactly what we were going to be doing before we left.  The students were the ones doing most of the organising and I provided guidance as needed.  The village we went to had about 200 families of which 35 were Christians.  We worked with a local pastor in organising an outreach event as well as visiting houses in the village.

Praise God for the way this mission turned out.  I was so proud of the students and their willingness to give it their all - we were all exhausted by the end of the two days.  We saw God answer our prayers and as he worked within and through us.

Almost of our this team have gone out in mission again, some into bordering countries and others to another town further away.    We are excited about the future of these students and what God will do through them.

Homeschooling

There are great things about homeschooling and there are the not so great things about homeschooling.  Someday homeschooling brings my wife great joy, somedays it reduces her to tears. There are a library of books on the pros and cons of homeschooling so I won't go into it here.  I know that when I've had to step in for my wife, my kids can bring the worst out of me.  My patience and love can disappear in a moment.  One of the hardest things right now is a having a little toddler while trying to homeschool.  It is hard to reason with someone whose vocabulary is limited to "mama", "cracker" and imitating pig grunts.  This is a stage of our lives for how long we don't know, but it will certainly be a time we all look back too with lots of memories.

Whole of life discipleship

Student reflecting in the middle of rice transplanting

The concept “whole of life” discipleship is foundational to what we do at JOFC. We believe that students will learn as much outside of the classroom as inside. Rice planting is a good example of what we mean by “whole of life” discipleship. Each year at planting time, we stop classes and all the staff and students go to the rice fields for a week of rice planting. By the end, we are more tired and sore than we have ever been in our lives. Surely there must be a more efficient way of growing rice. A search on Google shows that, yes, machines that can speed up the process!

However, at JOFC, we wouldn’t invest in such a machine even if we had the money. Rice-planting week is integral to the “whole of life” discipleship vision of JOFC. It is as we get muddy and dirty, hot and tired, as our bodies ache and we don’t want to do it anymore, that we see true character come out—both in the staff and the students. It is much easier to hide your true self in the classroom behind correct theological answers, than working out on the rice fields.

We don’t just send the students to do the hard manual labour while we sit at our desks preparing for our next classes. As teachers, we lead the way and set the example. The long, monotonous hours of pulling and planting provide opportune times to chat and for students and staff to open up to each other.

One worship evening at the end of another tiring rice planting day, one of the teachers stood up and openly apologised, asking forgiveness from two students whom he had spoken strongly to in the rice field. He encouraged everyone to go and seek forgiveness from anyone else if they needed to. This is what “whole of life” discipleship is about—through rice planting trials, together we see our need for humility, forgiveness, and fresh starts.

Twisted roots

This is a carrot which I grew in my vegetable patch in front of our house.  When it was in the ground and I could only see the top of the carrot it looked so good.  But when I pulled it out, only then did I see the roots - all twisted and deformed.  

It is a great illustration of many aspects of the Christian life.  Things can look good from one perspective but if we scratch beneath the surface, we can how things really are.  And the real problems have roots which go deep and far back in our lives.

A couples of weeks ago, some of students did something which I found disturbing yet they themselves had no idea that they were doing anything wrong.  Indeed they thought that it was quite funny.  However, having come from outside their culture, I could see things with a different perspective. 

I was also reminded at our annual missionary conference of how missionaries can have a "superior" attitude and express "latent racism" towards the people and culture they work in.  This is so true and something which we must be very aware and careful of.  Coming as a missionary and thinking that we have the "answers" when we can easily be blinded of our own cultural faults.  This can cause missionaries to be an obstacle rather than a help to the work of God's kingdom.

Whole of life discipleship

Planting Corn

At the JO Fraser Centre, we believe in "Whole of Life Discipleship".  We believe that students can learn as much out of the classroom as in the classroom.  For it is when we are doing things such as planting corn that we can see a person's true character come out.  What will you say and do when you are hot, tired and irritable.  So as staff we are planting corn and rice and doing other things along side our students so that we can observe their true character and hopefully model what we hope to see in them.

Building a house

2nd Day of Building the 3rd House

It is an interesting and new experience building a house in rural Thailand compared to Australia.   Firstly, council approval only took a couple of days, not the months it takes in Australia (as long as roughly we followed the plans of the previously).  I don't think that our neighbours were asked what they thought about the building plans (otherwise we might have lodged a complaint about losing our view : ) Secondly, the only machinery being used is a electric cutter to cut the steal.  All the digging is being down with shovels and picks.  Not bulldozers for earth movers. Thirdly, bamboo trees growing next to our house are being used as fencing and stakes to provide markers for the house boundaries and where the foundations should go etc.  

I can't believe how deep and wide the foundations are going to be.  

Life is never dull here.

Staff at JO Fraser Centre

The staff at the JO Fraser Centre, Chiang Dao

At the JO Fraser Centre, in Chiang Dao, North Thailand, we have staff from Australia, Thailand and Burma.  We have over 30 students this academic year, the most we've ever had.  They come from Thailand, Myanmar and China.  Just over two weeks to go before the new year starts.

Life for Kids at JOFC

Kids helping out in the fields - be careful with that knife!

Life for our kids at the JO Fraser Centre (JOFC) is so different from what they’ve experienced before in their lives. Before our time here, it was always a struggle to get the kids out of the door and they wanted us to play with them. My wife read of home schooling families in America where the kids would got out and play in the morning and the mother would call them back at dinner time. “We’ll that’s great from them, but it’s never going to happen with us” I thought to myself.

So it’s hard to believe the change in our kids. They are eager in the mornings to get through their homeschooling as quickly as possible so that they can be outside playing. But why wouldn’t they want to go outside? They can carve swords and bows from bamboo trees, go hunting in the woods with the students, play football (soccer), feeds the pigs, chase the chickens, climb the tamarind tree … there is so much potential for life but sadly the reality of death too.

The kids were looking after an injured chicken for a few days and our elders sobbed when little “chicka” died. “Charcoal” the centre’s dog was run over by a van just outside the centre and it soon died with its neck broken. They watched as one of the centre’s pigs was killed for food. The corn fields were tall and green when we arrived in December but now are but empty hollow stalks.

I’m sure that our kids will remember these days and reminisce as my wife’s family still do when they lived just north of here over 35 years ago.

I could never have imagined that missionary life would have taken me to where I am now.  Feeding pigs, catching rabbits, washing away chicken poo, laying cement, milling rice, fixing washing machines and buying meat from the market which is not refrigerated and out in the open ... I've learnt many new skills which I never would done living a "city slicker" life.

It's a privilege to disciple the students here and pass on some of the things which I've learnt in my Christian walk.  Life is busy and at times difficult, but it is fulfilling and full and I don't have a lot of regrets.  Life is never dull or mundane that's for sure.

It really helps to have the local language.  It makes life so much easier.  I was at the electrical store this afternoon looking for an RCA (video and audio) cable extension.  I had to go to a couple of stores but I finally got what I needed and it felt good (and it was a lot cheaper than in Australia!).  

We had lunch at one of the local noodle restaurants this afternoon and we couldn't help feeling like celebrities with everyone looking at us and being very excited about having a cuddle with our almost 1 year old.  It wasn't one of the restaurants too many tourists go to.  The prices were great though.  Only 10 baht a bowl (AU$0.30).  That is a third of the price in Lampang.

Thankful for the place God has brought us too.

Now got to go and prepare for translating the sermon and testimony tomorrow morning at church with the short-term team arriving.

(Re)commissioning Service and Farewell

Elders laying of hands

We had our (re)commissioning service and farewell last Sunday. It was a miserable weekend weather wise so we were even more thankful to those who braved the weather to attend. Unlike previous commissioning services, we left much of the details of the service to one of the elders at our supporting Church and only had to chose the songs. It took much of the burden off organising our commissioning service which we were very thankful for. We were very encouraged by the service and we hope that those who attended we mutually encouraged.

One was the thoughts which popped into my mind leading up to the service was “Why do we bother having a (re)commissioning service?” Weren’t we commissioned 7 years ago when we first left? Isn’t that enough?

When we first arrived back in Australia 11 months ago, we weren’t sure when we would be able to get back to Thailand. We had plane tickets booked to return in 7 months. But when we arrived we were not in a state to be able to return and we didn’t know how long it would take before we would be ready.

By God’s grace he brought us to a point where we felt that God wanted us back in Thailand and we felt able to return. It took a little longer than first thought and he has lead us to a new ministry direction. So I came to the conclusion that in this case, a recommissioning was appropriate. It is similar to when ministers move to a new church they have a new commissioning service.

When we come back to Australia in 2 years time as planned and only stay for 2-3 months, then I’m not sure whether a commissioning service would be necessary, especially if we are going back to the same ministry. I guess opinions would differ in this case as I know that other people do have (re)commissioning services in situations like this.