Last Sunday, 2 August 2009, I went back to my home village to visit my aging mother. Returning to my home village and visiting the DoiChang Akha Christian Church stirred many memories and emotions in me. My mom has lived with us for the past 10 years, but due to her deteriorating health and battle with Alzheimer's she needed to be in a more familiar environment, and she moved back to the village to live with my older brother and younger sister earlier this year. It's very difficult to see my mother suffer through the mental and physical frailty that comes with age (she is 74 years old), but at the same time I have a Comforting Voice which tells me that if her time on earth is coming to an end she will go to be with the Lord and with my father who died 11 years ago.
I really appreciate my parents, who allowed my brothers and I to go to school despite being told by all the other Akha families that we didn't love them any more and would not come back or care them in their old age. My mother cried every day because her sons were away, but she never discouraged us from studying on, and my parents said that they would pay every last baht needed for us to complete our education. Now my brothers and I have 4 masters and 2 phds between the three of us, which has allowed us to pay for several operations for my mother that we never could have afforded as village farmers.
My father was the first Akha to move to the village in DoiChang around 1982 and became the vice-chief of the village. I was about 15 years old at the time, and had become a Christian a couple of years before. When my grandfather learned that my father had allowed his children to go to school and that we had become Christians he became uncomfortable with us and after a while decided it was best to live seperate from my father's family. Although my parents supported my brothers and I in our schooling, they did not become Christians for almost 20 years after I began to pray for them. As a village leader, my father had to be very careful about appearances. Christianity was for the poor, the taboo, or those on the outskirts of the Akha community and usually resulted in being kicked out from the village. When my dad finally did become a Christian a paradigm shift occured in the Akha community, no longer was Christianity viewed as only for the rejects. Soon leaders from many other Akha villages came to me to find out more about the gospel, resulting in nearly 20 villages accepting Christ in a 5 year span.
I cannot recall anything that has brought to me the sense of accomplishment, reward and joy as seeing my parents come to the Lord and being baptized. I was able to taste again that joy last weekend, when my 84 year-old grandmother came to the Lord and was baptized in the church that was started when my parents and a few immediate relatives came to Christ.
Along with my grandmother, 9 others were baptized last Sunday; and the previous week 5 new families joined the church, bringing the size of the church to 87 families. The history of this church has not been without headaches and heartaches, opposition and transistion, but through it all they have remained faithful to the Lord and to the community of faith. Ten years ago, I wondered if anyone would remain at this church because of strong and constant attack, but today it is our largest church and is full to the edges with joyful Akha Christians.
This church has birthed two daughter churches: Bamboo Village Akha Church and Kaset Akha Church. The pastor has really grown in his confidence and leadership while retaining his humility. He is gentle, yet strong, and the two pastors of the daughter churches reflect those characteristics through his mentoring and guidance.
There's no greater joy than seeing my family and friends growing in the Lord.
I really appreciate my parents, who allowed my brothers and I to go to school despite being told by all the other Akha families that we didn't love them any more and would not come back or care them in their old age. My mother cried every day because her sons were away, but she never discouraged us from studying on, and my parents said that they would pay every last baht needed for us to complete our education. Now my brothers and I have 4 masters and 2 phds between the three of us, which has allowed us to pay for several operations for my mother that we never could have afforded as village farmers.
My father was the first Akha to move to the village in DoiChang around 1982 and became the vice-chief of the village. I was about 15 years old at the time, and had become a Christian a couple of years before. When my grandfather learned that my father had allowed his children to go to school and that we had become Christians he became uncomfortable with us and after a while decided it was best to live seperate from my father's family. Although my parents supported my brothers and I in our schooling, they did not become Christians for almost 20 years after I began to pray for them. As a village leader, my father had to be very careful about appearances. Christianity was for the poor, the taboo, or those on the outskirts of the Akha community and usually resulted in being kicked out from the village. When my dad finally did become a Christian a paradigm shift occured in the Akha community, no longer was Christianity viewed as only for the rejects. Soon leaders from many other Akha villages came to me to find out more about the gospel, resulting in nearly 20 villages accepting Christ in a 5 year span.
I cannot recall anything that has brought to me the sense of accomplishment, reward and joy as seeing my parents come to the Lord and being baptized. I was able to taste again that joy last weekend, when my 84 year-old grandmother came to the Lord and was baptized in the church that was started when my parents and a few immediate relatives came to Christ.
Along with my grandmother, 9 others were baptized last Sunday; and the previous week 5 new families joined the church, bringing the size of the church to 87 families. The history of this church has not been without headaches and heartaches, opposition and transistion, but through it all they have remained faithful to the Lord and to the community of faith. Ten years ago, I wondered if anyone would remain at this church because of strong and constant attack, but today it is our largest church and is full to the edges with joyful Akha Christians.
This church has birthed two daughter churches: Bamboo Village Akha Church and Kaset Akha Church. The pastor has really grown in his confidence and leadership while retaining his humility. He is gentle, yet strong, and the two pastors of the daughter churches reflect those characteristics through his mentoring and guidance.
There's no greater joy than seeing my family and friends growing in the Lord.
3 John 1:4 (New International Version)
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
