Spiritual Emphasis
Week 2004: “Thy Will Be Done”
CCI again provided outstanding modern music and short musical
plays to share the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ
during our annual spiritual emphasis week. This year’s theme
was “Thy Will Be Done.” The plays encouraged students
to consider the consequences of their choices and choose well.
CCI performed a musical depicting the life of Apostle Paul. Esther
wondered how they could make it interesting for students, but
they did! It was beautiful and compelling. They also performed
a play about the first two Christian martyrs in Chiang Mai back
in 1869. It was deeply moving and challenged the audience to consider
what is so special about Jesus that people would die because of
their faith in him. It also explained that God used these deaths
to bring about the edict of religious toleration in Thailand—which
gives all Thais freedom to practice the religion of their choice.
The play also encourages interfaith respect—something desperately
needed in today’s world.
The chaplain’s office worked together
with our campus congregation, Payap Church, and Campus Crusade
for Christ, and through a little fair held outside the chapel
and visits into about 50 classrooms, the basic gospel message
was presented to about 2000 students. Many expressed an interest
in learning more about Jesus and many prayed to receive him into
their lives. We again need your prayers to follow up with pastoral
care and discipleship support.
Personnel and budget challenges
As we mentioned last year, Payap is dealing with rapid changes
in higher education. The Thai government has restructured higher
education so that the number of university-equivalent institutions
has increased from less than a hundred to over 500. Most private
universities experienced a 40 percent reduction in enrollments
this past year. Payap was fortunate in that our enrollment only
dropped from 8000 to about 7500. For the chaplain’s office
this has meant that due to budget restraints we have not been
able to replace a staff member who resigned. However, God has
been moving to help us begin a cell group network among staff
and students to form the foundational platform for our evangelism,
discipleship, and pastoral care. Please pray for an outpouring
of God’s Spirit to bring to life a flourishing bounty of
mini-cells (2-4 people) who will meet to share joys and struggles
and learn together how to hear God speak and welcome God’s
work in their lives.
Family joys and challenges
Rob’s son John is befriending the lonely and being a great
dad to his kids in Ohio. He’s also started some translation
work that blesses the Asian part of his heart. Rob’s son
Andy is finishing up his last term as a missionary to Nepal with
wife, Ellen, and their sons. We hope they may join us in Chiang
Mai for their next mission term, perhaps at CCI.
In August Rob’s daughter Kris, her husband Troy, and their
son, Sawyer (1 year old) moved to Chiang Mai. Troy teaches in
an International School and we love watching Sawyer develop in
leaps and bounds. Our son Nathan also has returned home for a
year following his graduation from the College of Wooster (Ohio).
He’s volunteering with a ministry to internally displaced
people in Burma, and enjoying lots of golf with his dad. |
