Here is a slideshow with captions so you can get a little taste of our life in Thailand for our first month. Click the multi colored link on the lower right side to see it full screen.

This week I sat with someone who is a partner in an ad/marketing agency to get some counsel about the radio ministry, our youth mission, and my own upcoming radio program that I hope to begin producing soon.  She challenged me to carefully evaluate my passions and listen to my heart telling me the one thing I want to speak to and put my energies into.  I have pondered that question for quite some time, but it seemed like when she asked it of me it was a signal that a clear and final answer would now arise within me.  My challenge in the ministry is how broadly we are operating after 25 years in Asia. We help fund and administrate an orphanage, a radio network, a youth organization and a fund-raising operation to attract money from U.S. donors to needy Asian projects.  We travel all over Asia to teach on leadership and personal life management.  We administrate, write and do a fair amount of pastoral care and pre-marital counseling.  All of it is needed and must continue somehow, but it is clear that I do need some other administrators and workers for 2008.I do have an answer for the question, however.  If I could only speak about one subject for the rest of my life I know what it is.  I want to talk about Jesus.  I think that everything that is wrong with the church in every nation of the world stems from one constant failure–the failure to truly embrace and live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Abuses of power, gossip, theft of funds, lethargy, pride, division–you name it.  It simply flows from refusing to become the servant of Christ and his servant to others.I believe that Jesus is our savior, but I also believe that he is the smartest, most integrated man who ever lived.  I believe that his teachings–if followed carefully–will purify every life and fix all that is wrong with it.  I want to know Christ.  I want to love him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and I want to prove this daily in the way I obey him and act as his servant to minister to others.  That is the organizing center for my work.  The rest is just details.

OK, this week we travel as a family to Chiang Rai to look for a house and school for the kids.  When we return we will apply for our visa and if it is granted will move just after new years.  We are all excited about the possibility of starting life over there.  Work wise, not too much will change. I will still be in charge of the UCB radio network in the Philippines and will travel to Manila one week a month for goal setting and face-to-face meetings.  Already the network stretches over 1,000 miles so we do our staff meetings online anyway. Besides that, we produce  materials for Asia which we can do from anywhere and we travel doing training events in Asian nations.  What we are looking for is a good home base with less crime, less cost (we have two at a time in college for the next decade) less pollution and in a non-Christianized nation.  There are quite a few choices in the region, but the Bangkok airport offers some of the lowest fares and easiest connections in Asia so we feel it is the best place for us to make as our new home base. Having the University outreach there for the past three years is another reason to move there.  We are already connected  there and have a burden for Thai youth that will energize us and give our kids new places to plug in. Pray for us in this week that we find all the details we need and are kept safe.  Thanks! 

Here is a slideshow of northern Vietnam tribal people from our recent trip. Thanks for the prayers.

Sometimes you can fret too much about trying to follow all the cultural rules. We are at the media camp this week and the culture guides for Thailand say that we must never touch a Thai, especially never on the head (shows disrespect). Also, though we are married we must not show affection in public (e.g., “a goodbye kiss,” walking with our arms around each other). As we are a pretty affectionate family we have been thinking about these things a bit.

As the camp opened, we greeted the Thai’s with the wai (hands together as though praying to them), but the Filipino team from our church with the customary kisses and hugs for that culture. By the second day, Sherry couldn’t take the tension of different levels of greetings and decided that since she is a mom she will just mother everyone equally, so on the second night as we left she went around and kissed everyone on the cheek. Thai boys blushed, the girls giggled a little, but everyone felt the love.

Last night after a particularly powerful worship and prayer time, the whole group started going around hugging each other…and crying sometimes. The more they hugged, the more they through themselves into it.

Even in “no touch” cultures, humans are humans. Everybody needs a hug.

The New Testament instructs all of God’s people, “Greet one another with a kiss of peace” (or whatever the warmest possible acceptable greeting might be in your culture). Christians touch. That’s the point. That’s how healing flows to the sick and the lonely. Go touch some people today. Spread the love.

This is day three of our youth media camp in Thailand. About 1/3 of the class is Buddhist (which we did not figure on). They mostly stay for the daytime classes. At night we worship loud and strong. The first two days of camp we were working the bugs out. The heat is around 100 degrees so we went out and bought two airconditioners after day one. That has made things a lot more comfortable in the cafe. (Thanks, Fred Garmon and Mount Paran Central Missions!!!!!)

Last night it all came together. I was watching the Filipinos worshipping so exhuberantly, singing their hearts out. The Thai young people are a bit more reserved generally, but one by one, I started seeing them raise their hands and began to sing louder. I felt like God’s presence was being manifested among us.

Today, the momentum has continued. They are all working together in groups on media projects. Laughing and joking. Jamming out (we have some excellent blues musicians in the group). Eating and eating. This is the beginning of a wonderful convergance of national talents.

Today the group went to a Christian radio station. Tonight, its a night on the town, eating out and visiting the night market. They come from different parts of the country so its a real treat for them. Keep praying.

This is a battle-hardened people. They are such a small nation, but they have faced down three great superpowers: China (it took them 1,000 years to drive them out, but they persisted in resistence until they finally withdrew), France and the USA. America spent, I believe 200 billion on a 25 year war using 1 million of our people on the ground and killing one million of them. The USA never lost a major battle in Vietnam, yet, in the end, the cause was lost and Ho Chi Mihn prevailed. One has to recognize that they are a tough, persistent people, regardless of how you feel about communism’s past.

We also found them very industrious. Open for business by 8 AM and not closing till almost midnight. Hard working folk. Sherry and I really enjoyed our time in Hanoi interacting with “city” Vietnamese and had a delightful two days interacting with tribal people in the highlands of Northwest Vietnam. There is a strength that will make great disciples once Christ is widely known.