Jesus for Asia: Thailand

Venie is allowing me the privilege of doing the newsletter again this month.  Perhaps “allowing” is a misnomer, and that “insisting” would be a better characterization of her feelings.  Let me explain!

She had planned to bring you an interview that she did with the Hernandez family before they returned to America.  This family is a wonderful and dedicated family, and had spent a year here in Thailand in construction of the TV studio.  We had just gotten to know them well, and wanted to tell their story.  The Sabbath morning before their departure we set up a couple of cameras in front of the studio, and I thought that the setting was ideal.  Venie did the interview and to me there was no reason to believe that this would not be the perfect presentation.   I am sorry to say that Rick, Judy and their three children deserved more for their efforts than what I was able to produce.

My inexperience as a cameraman became apparent when we began to edit the video that we shot.  I had placed everyone in front to the studio door, and with the sun directly behind me, the glass acted as the perfect mirror.  So instead of having this beautiful family as the focal point, there was me in the background running from camera to camera trying to get the very best shot.  I am too embarrassed to post the interview, and am hoping that soon we can place the audio portion on our web site.

Unfortunately, this was not the end of the frustrations that we would confront during the month.  Lest you conclude that mission work is all glamour and blessings, allow me to share with you some of the not so glamorous happenings in our not so routine lives.  Be sure that you read to the end of this letter, as I will try to show you what God was showing me through these experiences.

We have always enjoyed pretty good health, perhaps much better than deserved.  Since our arrival in Thailand, it seems that one or the other of us has had to deal with some sort of malady, most of which have been upper respiratory infections.  I can only conclude that it is the air that is causing our problems.  For whatever the reason the Thais are constantly burning.  In the last month or so, the sun and moon have been a constant red, and the beautiful mountains are not even visible to us.  While coughing and wheezing, I think back to beautiful Kettle Falls, where the air is crystal clear, and one of my favorite activities was reclining on my deck and listening to the wind as it blew through the pine trees.

We have been contributors to the smoke problem.  Living in a jungle setting, raking leaves is a never-ending activity.  When raked, of course, disposal becomes necessary.  Burning seems to be the best solution.  Last Sunday morning we had gotten an early start to an all-day job.  By late afternoon we had several piles of leaves, and were carrying them to the “burn” pile.  I heard a scream from Venie, and discovered that she had just had a confrontation with one of the four foot plus poisonous snakes of Thailand.  Even though she had been unharmed, it dampened her enthusiasm for doing yard work.  We know that there are Cobras and Pythons around, and constantly claim God’s promises of protection.

Our sole means of transportation is our motor scooters for which we thank God every day.  For some reason mine had developed a problem maintaining air pressure in both tires.  We decided to make the hour trip to Chiang Mai and get the problem remedied.  On the way home we experienced one of the sudden storms of Thailand.  First it was the wind, which took all of our skill and strength to keep the scooters going in a straight line.  It was rush hour and all of the traffic lights had ceased to work.  Soon the wind became a minor problem.  Hail stones between marble and golf ball size started pummeling us.  There was no solution but to pull to the side of the road, which all of the other scooters and autos were doing.  Life had relegated itself to a virtual standstill.  After the hail it began to rain, as I have never experienced.  It lasted for only about twenty minutes, but in that time it caused a flash flood.  We rode with our feet in the air as we drove through water that ranged from eight to twelve inches deep.

God brought us safely to our home and we were praising His name during worship for our “deliverance.”  I heard a buzzing sound, looked up, and much to my chagrin observed termites swarming in our home.  There were virtually thousands, and as I walked across the room to get the bug spray, I was covered with these creatures.  They were in my hair, on my clothes and in my pockets.  Since I couldn’t remember termites as being one of the seven last plagues, I was pretty sure that the world would remain in tact, and that my priority was removing these flying insects.  I spent the better part of an hour killing and sweeping them up off the floor.

Creature activity is not uncommon to us.  We have some sort of “pet” that lives in our ceiling.  I have not been able to discover what it is, but have concluded that it is bigger than a squirrel and smaller than an elephant.  I eliminated the latter, not because of the amount of noise, but because I just don’t think that an elephant could gain entrance, and I don’t believe they live in the wild here anymore.  Whatever it is, it doesn’t seem to be intimidated by the foot long lizards that crawl on our screens.  We are thankful for them because they eat spiders and other creatures, but have never come to be able to appreciate the shrill cry that they make.

There are a variety of insects that serenade us every night during our sleeping hours.  One of them sounds very much like a car alarm going off in the Kettle Falls Wal-Mart parking lot.  This little guy can keep going for as much as two hours.  It seems that most of the crickets maintain their silence during his performance.  When he has finished, they begin their songs.  Believe me, they are not like their cousins in America.  I can only describe the noise as something akin to a chain saw.

By this time you are probably asking yourselves what is the lesson for us through all of these experiences.  I want to be perfectly honest with you, and tell you at times like these I long for my home and church family in Kettle Falls.  I have found myself to be not unlike the children of Israel.  Whenever they encountered a problem, their first reaction was, “we were better off in Egypt.”  I don’t want to liken Kettle Falls to Egypt, but I am hoping that you get my drift.

It is so easy to lose our focus during severe trials.  I think back to just a few months ago when I could sit in a Church service and understand what the Pastor was saying.  I miss the friendship of my Church, and especially those folks that used to come over to our home every other Sabbath afternoon.  I often think that if I could just have one afternoon with them again I would be invigorated to the point of being spiritually rejuvenated, and I would never take this blessing for granted again.  In essence I am not so unlike my Israelite friends.

All of us are going to experience trials that come across our path to the Promised Land.  That is a given.  Satan is just not going to let the journey be easy.  I believe it is at these times that we need to take Moses’ advice to the people as they stood in front of a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.  The Egyptians were behind and the Red Sea was in front of them.  There was no way of escape.  Ignoring their pleas to return them to Egypt, Moses said, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord…The Lord will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”

David had a “giant” problem.  Like us he seemed to be no match for what he was facing.  But he didn’t flinch once as he made it clear, “for the battle is the Lord’s.”

God grant us the wisdom to take our eyes off of our problems, and put ourselves in a position where we become completely reliant on Him.  Heaven will be cheap enough, for that we can be sure.  Heaven’s streets will be lined with the faithful.  Let each of us determine in our hearts that we will make ourselves completely reliant on our wonderful Savior.  The battle is the Lord’s.  “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Please stay faithful in your walk with the Lord, and faithful to remember Venie and me in your prayers.  Sometimes the way seems so difficult, but we are happy to be given the opportunity to work for the Lord.

Greetings Everyone,

Dr. Somsak, our landlord, came from Bangkok to visit for a few days. He calls this place his mountain cabin, so I guess our lifestyle has not changed all that much, except that we are half way around the world from where we were in the NE corner of Washington State. Dr. Somsak loves to garden. He has developed a nicely landscaped yard that we enjoy. He appreciates our willingness to keep the grounds watered and the leaves raked, both of which are a never-ending task.

Here are some of the things that have been transpiring over the last month. Bill and I continue to take Thai language lessons with our teacher Ooy. She is a lovely 33 year old, Mother of 2 children, and a fairly new Christian who came out of the Buddhist religion. We enjoy her very much. She is very patient and longsuffering with us, and truly gifted teacher.

The All Asia Studio project is progressing. Rick Hernandez, the engineer of this project, came up with a plan to cut down on the echo problem in the TV set area. He has covered the 18-foot walls, nearly to the ceiling, with thick foam. There are pictures of this process on our web blog at: www.jfathailand.org. A different type of foam lines the sound room, and makes it perfect for recording. Rick has been very ingenious in his thinking and problem solving, because he has not had the materials available, so common in the U.S. He has lined other rooms, such as the mixing room with canvas, to hide the not so pretty foamed walls. He has constructed wood frames and stretched the material over the frame to create a pleasant finished look.

Bill has been putting in hours and hours learning new software programs, one in particular called “Final Cut Pro”, which is offered in College as a 1-year course. His goal is to become proficient enough to help team member’s work through problems, and give suggestions as to content and professional editing guidelines. God is blessing him through the learning process of these very detailed tutorials. We trust that the Lord will send the team members to the studio when the time is right.

We had great fun furnishing the entryway, reception office, and conference room in the studio. At a village town south of Chiang Mai, woodworker’s and local artists display their artwork. We especially like the shop that specializes in elephants, sculptured into teak wood wall art (see pictures on web-blog).

This month the Chiang Mai Adventist Academy had a “Week of Prayer” with meetings morning and evening throughout the week. Many young people responded to the call to give their lives to Jesus. In speaking with the Administrator of the school, David Bell, he said this was amazing, since a large percentage of the students are Buddhists. There were 26 young people who were baptized on Sabbath, ending a spiritually rich week of prayer. Bill was able to film the entire service and make a DVD video for each of the candidates. It was a beautiful service. Thai’s love flowers, and there were rose petals in the baptistery and many flowers given to the newly baptized youth. It was a very happy day for all.

Wendy and Larry are engaged in creating a curriculum for teaching English, establishing an organic garden, and finding spiritual lessons to share during worship time in the girl’s dorm that they oversee for Pastor Phamor. This school year there are 13 sponsored girls in the EOP (Education Opportunity Program) dorm, several of which will stay on through the summer. School ends at the end of next week. School will resume in mid May. Wendy and Larry are enthusiastic about how God is able to use them in this special ministry.

For this month’s video clip:

Click here

We think of you often.

Doing, not saying merely, is expected of the followers of Christ. It is through action that character is built. “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14. 
We would ask that you make this Studio Project a part of your active prayer life.

God Bless,

Venie and Bill Osborn

It hasn’t taken me long to discover one of my great joys in Thailand.  I have found much peace and spiritual renewal in starting my walk just after it gets light.  I walk through our village, down along the rice paddies and jungle, through the ICC orphanage and by the campus of Chiang Mai Adventist School.  For me, this time is quiet, except for the jungle noise, and an occasional barking dog or crowing rooster.  It is a time for me to spend with my thoughts and with my God.

Recently I was walking along a grove of banana trees.  This is an experience that I would have never realized living in NE Washington state.  These trees are magnificent specimens of nature.  They can grow to be quite tall, perhaps 30 to 40 feet, with leaves that are 15 to 20 feet long.  On each producing tree there is a single bunch of delicious fruit.  As I stood in awe of what I was seeing, a thought occurred to me.

The banana tree produces only one bunch of bananas.  After the fruit has ripened, the tree dies.  However, in this process of dying it sends out several root runners that produce more magnificent banana trees, and more wonderful fruit.  Would that we might become like the banana tree.  How quickly could the work be done if in each us there was a focus only on producing fruit?  What if we were truly to die to every worldly pursuit?  What effect would this have on those that observe our lives more than we might think or want?

This week Venie and I watched a David Gates video for worship.  He made the statement that there are fewer people that know about Jesus now than in our grandparent’s day.  How can this be?  How can we as God’s final generation allow this to happen?  How can we in good conscience live our lives in the pursuit of comfort when people are dying all around us without ever knowing who Jesus is?

Venie and I have been given this tremendous opportunity to reach the people of Asia.  We have the inner drive to fulfill the gospel commission.  We have access to a satellite that has a footprint of 4 billion people.  We have a state of the art studio to produce programming that people will be able to see and hear in their own language.  We belong to an organization that is committed above all else to get our message to the world.  We have the assurance that our God will be with us always, even to the end of the world.  It would seem that the odds are stacked in our favor.  But…the one thing that we so desperately need, and are reliant on others for, is funding.

Jon Wood, the director of Jesus for Asia, recently sent out a series of emails detailing giving patterns for missions over the years.  It is a sad fact that the zeal to support mission work has waned, and the percentage of the dollar donated for this cause has reached a staggering low number.  Unfortunately these numbers can be translated into souls that are dying every day, not having the chance to hear the good news that they are indeed a “child of the King.”

I just finished reading Christian Service again.  I was struck by these quotes:

“The true missionary spirit has deserted the churches that make so exalted a profession; their hearts are no longer aglow with love for souls and a desire to lead them into the fold of Christ.  We want earnest workers.  Are there none to respond to the cry that goes up from every quarter: ‘Come over and help us?’”  Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 156.

“I was shown that as a people we are deficient.  Our works are not in accordance with our faith.  Our faith testifies that we are living under the proclamation of the most solemn and important message that was ever given to mortals.  Yet in full view of this fact, our efforts, our zeal, our spirit of self-sacrifice, do not compare with the character of the work.  We should awake from the dead, and Christ will give us life.”  Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 114.

I hope that these thoughts can be a wake up call for all of God’s people.  We have been in this world far too long.  Before we can go “home” we have a work to do.  Maybe we all cannot go to the far reaches of the world, but we can be missionaries in our neighborhood and community.  We can be sacrificial in our support for the work that brings the knowledge of Jesus to men, women and children all over the world.  Personally, I want to accept this challenge.  I hope that you also will consider prayerfully what God is asking of you.

I have enclosed a link to a video about our studio here in Thailand that was produced a few months ago.  There has been much work done on the studio since then.  I hope that you will get a taste of our vision, and want to become a part of this tremendous opportunity.  As always, we covet your thoughts and prayers.

Click here to watch the video.

We want to extend a note of thanks to all of you who have kept us in prayer over the past few weeks. Now it’s time for an update on life in Thailand and the journey that brought us here.

Our Experiences and Culture Changes

In looking back over the past 4 years, we can see so many ways that God has led and directed us. In September of 2005, we were convinced that it was time to move out of the big metro area of Portland, OR, and be debt free. That was a challenging prospect, but in just shy of a year we were moved, debt free and loving the peace and quiet of our new home on Lake Roosevelt. There we enjoyed, deer, wild turkeys, snow, eagles, moose, bear, (and did I mention snow), and warm wonderful summers.

Just after our first year, God placed in our hands a ministry called North America Bible Correspondence School. This was just what Bill was needing. He quickly built a Website, and soon was enrolling many students each week. In less than two years the school ministered to over 1500 searching people.

We regularly hosted Bible studies and DVD presentations at our home on Sabbath afternoons. It was there that we met the Daughtrey’s. Larry and Wendy soon became close friends. They had found a perfect mountainous retreat, with rich, dark soil for gardening. Their intent was to build an “ark,” which was to be a refuge during end-time events. We were impressed to partner with them on this project.

Plans were made, wells were enlarged, solar panels were added, and we were underway with the construction of our cabin-size house nestled next to the Daughtrey’s cabin. We anticipated taking occupancy before winter, 2009.

God had a different plan in mind for us. Wendy and Larry had attended “Faith Camp – Idaho,” in late June. There they were impressed to respond to a mission call to Thailand, from the organization, Jesus for Asia. They were soon sharing this new prospect of being missionaries with us. This took us completely by surprise! However, their enthusiasm was contagious, and so within 2 weeks, we were on the grounds of Jesus for Asia in Idaho, speaking with Jon and Natalie Wood, the directors of JFA.

God confirmed this decision by selling our home. He sold not only the house, but all of our furnishings, to include towels, bedding, silverware and dishes. That was perfect! Now there was no packing and storage problems.

God also provided the perfect couple to care take of the “ark”. They had the skills to finish the project, to include our cabin. God is amazing!

So here we are in Thailand feeling very overwhelmed by the project at hand, and feeling completely inadequate for the job. But we trust in the saying, “God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called”.

God provided us a wonderful dwelling place in a small village near the studio. It is located at the opposite end of the village. At night the temperatures can dip down to “chilly” but it is never “cold”. We are in the dry/cooler months until about March, when the rainy/hot season begins. (I try not to think about that too much.)

This past week we have been training with Jon Wood. He gave us a crash course on how to shoot and edit video. This was all very technical, but quite fun. There is a link below to our first video.

We enjoyed Jon’s visit very much, and we are able to get a clearer picture of his vision for the mission sight here. The “All Asia TV Studio” is not finished yet. A portion of the building will be done in a couple of months, but it will be a year before the rest of the construction is complete. Jon has helped with ideas of what we can get started on short term, and what his vision is for long term production. Funding for this project is the biggest need right now. God could rain down money from heaven, but that is not His plan. He knows that His people will not be truly happy unless they are involved . I encourage you to be involved, if not in person, then through investing. People are our inheritance, our treasures in heaven. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”.

The potential viewing audience for the programming is nearly 4 billion people, including the majority of the world’s unreached people groups. This is often referred to as the 10/40 window. Even though the people are often poverty stricken, they somehow manage to have a television. This is the mechanism we will use to reach their hearts with the gospel.

View Our Video

May the joy and peace of the Christmas season be in your hearts. We look forward to bringing more info next month of how God is leading.

Thank you for your continued prayers, thoughts and investments. Remember to click the link to our video update.

God Bless,

Venie Osborn