So how did all of those prayers end up? What fruit do we now see in Bangkok? Well, I can praise God that instead of just one ministry in the red-light districts, I now know of at least 5 very active ministries. I can praise God that in addition to the two lines of the skytrain that existed back in ‘02, Bangkok now has a subway line and vigorous construction on one new skytrain line and an extension of one of the existing lines. Before the coup last year, there were plans to build 4 or 5 new subway lines that would serve a large part of the city, quite similar to my original prayers. Now, those plans seem to be on hold until a new government is elected at year’s end, but the city government has placed posters all over the city promising that the skytrain and subway is coming, just be patient. In our network, we have 4 house churches in slums that did not exist before. By next January, there could be 8 Servant Partners staff pioneering in slums here, compared to zero back in ‘02. There is also several staff from Australia’s Urban Neighbors of Hope ministering in the Klong Toey slum, Bangkok’s largest slum. The Bangkok Vineyard partnered with some missionaries from Hong Kong to begin ministry in that slum as well. There’s a couple YWAMmers focusing on slums. A small established Thai-led ministry focusing on slum outreach is still continuing as it was 5 years ago. One of the senior pastors of one of Bangkok’s largest churches repented three years ago of listening to the missionaries who told him to focus on church growth and ignore serving the poor. He committed his church to learning about ministry in the slums and has since started a number of cell groups in slums. The two Christian microenterprise development programs that were just starting back in 2002 (including ours), are still going and have helped hundreds of people from tens of slum communities start small businesses and avoid the usurious loan sharks.
The city is not yet transformed, but God is at work. There is change. His people are waking up. Things are happening.
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November 15, 2007 at 5:51 am
Debbie Chang
Thanks, Dave. That really makes me appreciate the faith Jesus had in us, knowing that the Holy Spirit would remind his disciples of everything He said and did.
December 28, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Albert Ruiz
Wow! this is good stuff. My wife is Buddhist we’ve been married for little more than six years. I was Catholic at the time, so in didn’t really bother me about her religion and all, besides she never really talks about it. It’s been about a year now since I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior but sharing the good news with a Buddhist!, I never thought it would be so difficult. For one thing I had no idea they do not believe in God or that sin wasn’t an issue for them. Now, by some act of God, I am living with my sister-in-law’s house, with their mom and to little girls all whom are from Thailand. I’m still growing in my faith but one thing I am sure of is that Jesus Lives and that God is real. I’m looking for Thai-Christian stuff (books,videos,etc.). That would help me for the Glory of God, How to bring the Gospel to Thais who don’t believe in God. If you could help me that would be so wonderful. As of now what you wrote is tremendously inspiring and I want to Thank You from the bottom of my heart for helping to bring a nation caught in Idolatry to the Truth. God Bless You Always. Peace
January 4, 2008 at 3:19 pm
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March 13, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Anonymous
Thank you for this entry, which was introduced to me by my home church lay ministry staff for missions, Andre de Winne. My wife and I have been in Japan since 2002, and we are also committed to communicating the Gospel in a relevant way to our Japanese friends. Unsurprisingly, we too have faced similar questions about the danger of syncretism in our endeavours to contextualise the faith here, so this article is a breath of fresh air for us.
May 20, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Melanie Currie
I met you while you were speaking at Urbana Missions Conference a year and a half ago. You gave me your card, and I was hoping to meet up with you now that I’m also working in Bangkok. If you could, give me a email.
May 27, 2008 at 11:12 am
Dave W
Thankyou, very helpful and much to ponder,
I’d be interested to know if there were any valid
alternatives to using the Thai word ‘Prajaw’ for
God. It seems to be loaded with too much baggage, suggesting distance, hierarchy, polytheism etc
Maybe there a Thai word for ‘love’ , or a new combination could be created, joining together two words (language is always being created) to suggest a transcendent source of love. As John 1:4:8 proclaims, ‘God is love’. Maybe this would resonate better with the average Thai layperson.
like the blog, God bless
November 6, 2008 at 9:47 am
Vilen
And you do not accidentally from Moscow?
January 12, 2011 at 2:24 pm
lippandyradly
Honest-to-god, they neediness to be taught that filing lawsuits is not the closer to ado dotty piracy. In choice to, it’s to layout something larger than piracy. Like placidity of use. It’s altogether a straws easier to string iTunes than to search the Internet with imperil of malware and then crappy righteousness, but if people are expected to hand over tit quest of tat hideaway sanctorum from loads and armed pillaging seeing that ages, it’s not moneyed to work. They not barrel be subjected to a knee-high to a grasshopper every so in good time always again old-fashioned in demeanour of people imagine software and Network sites that transformation it ridiculously patient to infringer, and up the quality. If that happens, then there keen be no stopping piracy. But they’re too tactful and horrified of losing. Risks suffer with to be thrilled!
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June 9, 2011 at 7:18 am
Stu
David,
I have been working with contextualisation since 2000, and have found your writing particularly helpful for distilling many of my complex thoughts.
I would like to talk with you if possible. I am based in Chiang Mai.
Can you please either drop me an email, or call me on 081 028 444 3
Metta
Stu