13 May Ministering to Migrant Children in Thailand

Rev. and Mrs. Lee with children of migrant workers in Thailand, plus their visitors from the US and China. Jeff Bleijerveld is in back, wearing a green shirt. Teacher Lee is just to the left, with his three children and wife next to him (click to enlarge).

For the Ahka People of Northern Thailand, making a living often requires a willingness to go where work can be found. In order to minister to families in these mountain villages, Rev. and Mrs. Lee have opened their home to the children of migrant workers.

Rev. Lee told us that in the first years of ministry in this region, people were quite resistant to them and the message of the gospel. Providing love and care to the children of migrant workers opened hearts. Many of the founding members of the two UB churches were migrant workers who entrusted their children to the Lees’ care.

A recent donation that came from the Center Hill UB Church in Illinois, at the time of its closing, made it possible to upgrade the bathrooms and dormitories and buy new bunk beds. When we visited recently, 26 children were living with the Lees.

13 May Among the Brethren in the Golden Triangle

Donna Hollopeter with Thai ladies in traditional garb. (Click to enlarge)

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries

Donna Hollopeter looked quite comfortable connecting with ladies at the Paraprai UB Church in Northern Thailand. The church was packed on Sunday morning during our visit last week, and some even wore the traditional Ahka dress for the visitors.

Hong Kong missionaries Rev. and Mrs. Lee have been reaching out to the Ahka people in the mountain villages located in the infamous “Golden Triangle.” We currently have two churches–one with a membership of 300 and another with 100 members. Rev. Lee intends to plant the next new church among ethnic Chinese in the region.

12 May Generosity from Our International Conferences

Our partner conferences continue to provide generously for the needs in Haiti and around the world. Rev. Owen Gordon, president of Jamaica Bible College, came to Indiana a few weeks ago to attend Huntington University board meetings. He delivered gifts of $872 for Haiti and $1147 for the Philippines. This is in addition to the initial gift of $6000 they provided for Haiti immediately following the earthquake in January.

Then last week, while traveling in Myanmar and Thailand with Rev. Mark Choi, director of missions for Hong Kong Conference, a gift of $7900 was delivered for Haiti Relief.

Tomorrow (May 13), I will travel to Haiti with Paul Plato, Joan Sider, and Jeff Gordon of our Canadian Conference. We will assess the needs and, along with Rev. Oliam Richard, our national leader, determine the most effective way to help our churches and their communities move forward.

Rev. Ed Sider, director of CH Global, will also be there to participate in our discussions. CH Global is our partner in matching sponsors with needy children and their families. This ministry works hand-in-hand with our local United Brethren churches and provides a long-term solution to the problem of poverty.

12 May A Visit to Myanmar

"Teddy and Helen" and family in Myanmar

During the past week, it was a privilege to visit staff in both Myanmar and Northern Thailand with Rev. Mark Choi, the Hong Kong Mission Director. My other traveling companions included Donna and Jason Hollopeter, one member of Living Water UB Church in Macau, and two United Brethren members from Hong Kong.

Although we can’t disclose the names of these family members, many of you will recognize them as overseas staff from our Hong Kong Conference serving in Yangon, Myanmar. “Teddy” serves as the director of a team of 42 workers (both nationals and foreigners), and he mentors four pastors of local churches.

They use English classes to open doors and develop relationships. Thousands of university students have been through their classes and even listen with interest to the devotional thoughts from the Bible. In fact, they currently have an English class just for Buddhist monks.