Pray for Thailand

Political tensions are high this weekend in Thailand. Following weeks of persistent anti-government protests in Bangkok, the Prime Minister has dissolved Parliament and called fresh elections, scheduled for Sunday February 2nd.

However, the anti-government protests have continued, and following a break for New Year, a major event in Bangkok is planned for tomorrow, Monday January 13th. Protest leaders have dubbed the event the 'Bangkok Shutdown', and they will be attempting to close down the centre of Bangkok, putting pressure on the caretaker government to postpone the elections.

While the protests have been largely peaceful so far, there have been sporadic outbreaks of violence, and at least 8 people have died since the end of November. Early on Saturday morning, unidentified gunmen shot and injured six protesters at one of the key rally sites in Bangkok.

Coup rumours have been circulating for some time, but while an army take-over might calm the situation temporarily, pro-government protesters may then take to the streets. The roots of the current tension run deep, with some people fearing an increasing division between the pro-government north and north-east, and the anti-government groups which are strongest in Bangkok and the South.

So far, the protests have been largely limited to Bangkok, but today other protests will be taking place across the country. There are two rallies, one anti-government and one pro-government, planned in Chiang Mai this afternoon (Sunday). We have been warned to avoid the rally sites.

Please pray for:

• A peaceful resolution to the current stalemate
• Cool heads to prevail in the tense atmosphere of street protests
• The Thai police and security forces as they attempt to exercise restraint in dealing with protesters tonight and tomorrow
• Thai Christians to play a key role in leading dialogue and reconciliation initiatives

Christmas Tour

Yesterday morning, as the sun rose on a crisp December day here in Chiang Mai, the Bible School was a hive of activity. Excited last-minute preparations were hurriedly completed as three teams assembled, ready for the beginning of this year's Christmas Tour.

Staff and students gathering for the start of the tour

Each group of 18 students and staff will be travelling to different Karen villages between now and their return on Boxing Day. This year, for the first time, they will be joined by a BMS Action Team!  Rosie and Sarah are heading to Mae Hong Son, and Hannah and Hannah are joining the team going to Mae La Noi.

Hannah and Hannah with some of their team members

With bags packed and woolly hats ready for the cold weather, each team gathered to pray for safety in travel, and for good opportunities to share the meaning of Christmas with all those they meet. While there is a strong evangelistic element to the tour, the teams will also aim to encourage and inspire each of the rural churches they visit too.

Let's pray...

In amongst the bags were props for various dramas, a few guitars to accompany carol singing visits, and a pre-made picnic lunch of fried chicken and rice.  There was not much room for extra baggage - one truck had 18 people in it!

One of the trucks getting loaded up

Some of the villages which the teams are heading for are among the most remote places in Thailand. The views on yesterday's journey for Hannah and Hannah's team were incredible - unmade roads stretching up into beautifully untouched mountain forests and precariously perched villages.

I came back into Chiang Mai late last night, and the Bible School seems strangely quiet this morning. Please pray for the staff, students and especially for the Action Team as they adjust to life 'on tour'. You will be able to catch up with the Action Team's adventures on their blog once they are back within reach of the internet at http://www.actionteamblogs.org/category/thailand/

Looking back...

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the Karen Baptist Convention (KBC) Youth Department.  The young people have decided to make this a special celebration year - thanking God for all that He has done in and through the Youth Department over those years.

So, two weeks ago, the first event took place - the dedication of a commemorative statue in Lampang province, a few hours south of Chiang Mai.  About 150 people traveled from far and wide for the ceremony, held in a location with significant historical importance for the Karen church.

Although there is now no trace of any settlement here, this field was once the site of a Karen village, Ban Nork. In 1881, Karen missionaries from Burma arrived here and began preaching the gospel.  Within a few months, the entire village had become Christian, and the first Karen Baptist church in Thailand was established.

Today, Ban Nork village has moved about 3km away, to a site with a better water supply.  So we had to walk a fair distance to get to the ceremony - and early in the morning, too, as the worship service began at 7:00am. The walk was interesting - the path was muddy and slippery, and infested with leeches!

However, the backdrop of green rice fields and untouched forested hills unveiled a beautiful landscape as the sun rose. It was an amazing sight.

The combination of being in an area awash with great history, celebrating 55 years of God's faithfulness, and the beauty of creation around us was incredibly moving. During the worship service, standing in that field, my thoughts began to turn to the future - particularly for the Karen church.

Looking at the Karen young people around me with all their energy, gifts and skills, I wondered: What might God use these young people to do over the next 55 years? This generation faces new battles - new hardships to struggle with, new barriers to break, new forms of discrimination to tackle.  But could it be that God might use this generation to continue the amazing vision of those early Karen missionaries - not only to reach their own people group for Christ, but to cross borders and cultures, to go to the ends of the earth?

A Thai road trip

Travelling by road in Thailand can be quite an adventure - especially once you get out into the countryside.  There's a very relaxed attitude, for example, towards putting up signs to warn of roadworks - one of the reasons why driving at night is not usually recommended.

A two lane highway reduced to one (and a bit)

Most of the problems with the roads are caused by the huge amounts of rain we get in the monsoon season.  Bridges seem to be a particular weak point - and from time to time you're not entirely sure the temporary replacement bridge will hold the weight of your vehicle.

Having done a thorough assessment of the bridge strength (by jumping up and down on it), we cross...

Other roads, further into the hills, are just dirt roads anyway - and can become treacherous if there has been a lot of rain - our recent South Wales Baptist College team experienced one of these.

You do occasionally see the evidence of the dangers of these roads - such as this wreck which the Thai police leave out on show by a notorious mountain pass as a warning to others.

Despite the dangers, however, the best part about driving on Thai roads is some of the other interesting sights that you see regularly.  With the unusual wildlife, the fantastically old vehicles, and the constantly amazing ability of local folk to cram more people and goods into a single car, a Thai road trip is never dull!

Yes, it's an elephant - with the mahoot riding on the cab of the lorry.

Let's put the whole Sunday School in the back of the pick-up!

Vintage, maybe -  but it still makes it up and down the mountains

Nine years

Nine years ago today we arrived in Thailand.  It feels like a very long time ago!  

August 2004, Bangkok: The Maycock Family

We've had fun today looking back over our first prayer emails and letters from 2004. God has led us faithfully, and we have had the great privilege and joy of seeing so many answered prayers. We have been blessed in so many different ways - including welcoming these three amazing young people to our family!

We have seen many things develop and change over the past 9 years.  God has led us into new and challenging places, to learn new languages, cultures and skills, and to live and work with many, many wonderful people. But some things stay the same. It was raining when we landed in Bangkok on August 9th 2004.  It's raining now as we write this blog in Chiang Mai.  And these words, which we wrote in our last prayer email before departing for Thailand, are as true now as then:

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast" (Psalm 139:9-10 )

Putting plans into action

A few weeks ago a small group of youth leaders met together with a blank piece of paper on the wall.  We had gathered to discuss how we could work together to more effectively reach and disciple Karen young people living in the city of Chiang Mai. It was soon clear that this was no simple task - once we had added the three main organisations involved and some of the pressure factors affecting young people, the picture was looking quite complex!  In fact, we had filled five of these large sheets with ideas and plans by the time we had finished.

Praying and talking about closer cooperation

Not headline grabbing stuff, you might be thinking - no conversions, no baptisms, no great spiritual awakening happened here.  But actually, in the long term, I suspect that conversations like this between key leaders can lead to more changed lives and have more impact on local churches than many public events.  Especially if these talks lead to better cooperation between local churches and parachurch organisations, and strategic plans being put in place for more effective youth ministry.


Indeed, these are exciting times for the youth ministry of the Thailand Karen Baptist Convention.  There's a developing sense of a shared identity among young people in the city - yesterday afternoon I attended a joint youth service for four of the city-based churches here in Chiang Mai.  It was great to see about 90 young people worshipping God together and enjoying some really creative and innovative activities planned by their leaders. They also were doing some more traditional things - such as reciting the Ten Commandments, the names of the 12 disciples, and the books of the Bible!

A tri-lingual recitation of the books of the Bible

Please pray that the Karen youth leaders will be able to put their plans into place and effectively disciple these young people - who are often the only Christians in their schools, colleges, universities and work places.  Pray for closer cooperation between the various groups working in Chiang Mai.  The Karen churches, and especially their young people, have tremendous potential for reaching out to the staunchly Buddhist majority Thai peoples. That potential is personified in a young man called Chi, who was appointed yesterday as the Youth Pastor of one of the Karen church plants in Chiang Mai. Please pray for him as he starts work this week.

Chi - a new Youth Pastor in Chiang Mai

A weekend of thinking mission...

What is mission?  What does the Bible say about mission?  Is mission the same as evangelism?  Is mission still necessary? Why does God call us to mission? What part can we play in God's mission?

Question time!

We've spent an amazing weekend wrestling with those questions (and more!) with 50 young people from the Karen Baptist Convention. Held at the Siloam Bible School, the Mission Seminar is the latest development in a growing movement among Karen young people with a passion for mission.  We are delighted to be able to encourage and support these young leaders, with the help of a mission innovation grant from BMS.

Passionate worship...

Following on from a successful mission trip in May 2012 (you can read more about that here), the Karen Youth department are now planning to send a mission team to Cambodia in 2014. We are looking for 12 young people to go for 2-3 weeks to work alongside local churches and ministries.

Wrestling with some practical issues...

Apart from the 'big questions' of mission, last week's seminar also looked at some practical issues - does mission only involve those who 'go'?  Do we have do go abroad to be involved in mission? How can we communicate cross-culturally? What can we learn from church growth in places like China, India and South Korea? And we also heard some of the young people's honest concerns: 'What if our message is rejected?'  'Can we really do this?'  'I'm scared - what do I do?' And, for me, a special moment: 'Why hasn't our church been involved in mission before now?'

In the morning bible study, Joe, one of Karen leaders driving this new initiative, encouraged us all to be 'Glocal Christians' - people who are engaged in our local context, but also aware of what's happening around the world.

Learning how to be a 'Glocal Christian'

We finished the seminar with a survey of the 'unfinished task' facing us - 7,000 unreached people groups, with perhaps 29% of the world's population, who have almost no chance of hearing the gospel in a way they can understand and respond to. Some of those people groups are right here in Thailand.  And, interestingly, the 5 countries with the highest numbers of unreached peoples are all within a short plane journey from Thailand!

After an exciting weekend learning more about God's mission, the next step for the Karen Youth is Cambodia 2014.  And then?

Future missionaries?