ROOT & FLOURISH - JANUARY 2015

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JANUARY 2015


H O W T O P R AY • Pray for our cross-cultural team as we cross barriers, pursue mutual understanding, and ultimately seek strong Thai leadership for the future. • Thank God with me for the successful completion of our photo class and exhibition. Pray for our mentorship program this semester as we spend time with these students in a more informal way. • Pray for my relationships with Nut and Ruj, my Thai brothers. We just began studying the bible as we learn English, so pray that this time will be fruitful.


Hi Family and Friends, Last month, I asked that you pray for the photography exhibition of my students’ work. At the beginning of January, it finally went down! Our friends opened their little cafe downtown, and our student artists, along with the rest of their peers, came. The turnout was modest, but in the end, the students were affirmed in their artistic voice and their unique points of view. I was so proud of them as they stood by their photo essays and spoke with the guests, even the foreigners! One of the student photos even sold for 400 baht! Praise God for the successful completion of the second year of this photography course. If you are interested in learning more about the structure and purpose of this course, I put together a course booklet that will be tweaked and refined into the future. And it’s pretty! (click) Last newsletter, I began a story series on leadership development. As a foundation, we are committed to seeing strong leaders developed both in the communities where we live and in the Church here in Thailand. This month, we will continue in this series, as I reflect on the cross-cultural relationships within our own team and the challenges we face as a Thai and foreign led organization. It’s really tough getting a handle on a new culture, but nothing is impossible with God and his grace. With all my love and His,



ผู้นำ�ไทย INVESTING IN THAI LEADERS

PART II : TRUST, OR A LACK THERE OF You might be able to tell, but there is something behind those smiles. To be completely honest, just minutes after this photo, the girls broke out in sobs so hard that they couldn’t eat their lunch. The reason? Just some light hazing. Ok, so maybe hazing is a strong word to use, but the youth leadership development camp that our Foundation hosted was no joke. The first day of camp was all fun and games, but this day in particular started with morning exercises followed by cooking a quick breakfast and then heading out for a hike,in the rain, with stern instructions by megaphone. “Sprite, I’m concerned the students might get sick,” I inserted in my best, non-offensive Thai. “I am too, but they’ll be fine,” he assured me. I was not assured.



L E A D E R S

After a decent hike with physical challenges and obstacles along the way, the students climbed to the climax atop a hill with a great view. Just prior, Sprite asked me to fill some water balloons, so I did. But when Sprite and Tum lectured the students about leadership, had them sit down in the mud, close their eyes, and began pelting them with water balloons, my heart dropped. No one prepared me for this. No one mentioned this as a part of the plan. Were we really hazing these kids? Then came the team picture, followed by the tears and an extremely uncomfortable walk back to camp. At base camp, the kids were physically and emotionally exhausted, so we called off the afternoon activities and we assembled a staff meeting.

“I am Thai, and I know what works for Thai youth.”

I plunged right in, “We could never do something like this in my culture. We would get into legal trouble.” That did it. I used the word “culture.” Here it goes. The rest of the meeting got increasingly heated as statements were taken as value judgements and cultural comparisons of the negative type. There were valuable points for sure, but it came down to the fact that the Americans did not agree with the Thai methods and were upset that there was no briefing ahead of time. But one statement stood out above the rest; one of our Thai staff asserted, “I am Thai, and I know what works for Thai youth.” How can you argue with that?


L E A D E R S

After doing our best to reconcile and carry on with the rest of camp, I took a step back to observe exactly what theThai methods for challenging youth to grow were. It was tough, but not malicious. It sounded harsh, but it spoke of respect. It was controversial by American standards, but, here, was ultimately received. By the final day, each student—even the criers—sung praises of how the camp helped them learn about teamwork, leadership values, and perseverance. Also, the students got to order the staff around and do whatever they wanted, including dumping water on us as we sat in the mud. Everyone left on a good note. So as our staff team continued to discuss what exactly went down between us that week, part of it came down to the lack of trust that I and my fellow Americans had for the Thai staff in leadership. We did not trust that they knew what was best for challenging these students to grow. Yes, there was room for improvement on everyone’s part, but it came down to communication and trust. Since then our team has begun deeper conversations about understanding each other cross-culturally, communicating well, and dealing with conflict together (including how I did not handle conflict at camp delicately enough by Thai standards). Praise God for his reconciling work on our team. We need more of God’s Spirit to lead us into unity as a team that we might have a powerful witness together. Ultimately, I know that as a foreigner, I am temporary. My goal is not to be the owner of anything here, but to work myself out of a job. The goal is to see amazing Thai women and men take hold of God’s mission in Thailand and run with it. But this requires patience and trust. This requires communication and cultural sensitivity. This requires valuing the native intelligence of our Thai teammates while also providing productive outside perspective. It isn’t easy, but I am grateful for our cross-cultural team. May God use our team for powerful things here in Thailand, and may his Kingdom come!



การทำ�อาหาร กับ

ย่าถนอม COOKING WITH YAA THANOM PORK PANANG CURRY

แพนงหมู


Last month, I had the privilege of learning to cook from Sprite’s grandmother, Khun Yaa Thanom. This time, we learned how to make a fragrantly spicy pork panang curry. It’s a milder, coconut milk curry that is the favorite of many here in Thailand. But be warned, this is the fresh-from-theback-yard-made-from-scratch-with-outmeasurements version. But it ends up so delicious. Join me as we learn to cook with Yaa Thanom!


PORK PANANG CURRY INGREDIENTS

นำ�้พริก: กระเทียม กะปิ ผิวมะกรูด พริก หอมแดง ข่า ตะไคร้ ผงพริก พริกไทยขาว เกลือ นำ�้พริกเผา ผงกะหรี่

CHILI PASTE: Garlic Shrimp paste Kaffir lime skin Chili pepper Red onion Galangal Lemon grass Chili powder White pepper Salt Prik pao paste Curry powder

กะทิ เนื้อหมู มะเขือพวง พริกใหญ่ ใบมะกรูด

Coconut milk Pork Eggplant Red pepper Kaffir lime leaf

น้ำ�ตาล นำ�้ปลา

Sugar Fish sauce

Step 1: Hit the market and grab what you’re not already growing at home. Prep your fire.

แพนงหมู



Step 2: Prep your veggies and your meat. Note: these are’t peas, they’re eggplants!


Step 3: Make (or buy) coconut milk.



Step 4: Make your own fresh chili paste. Add all ingredients under “chili paste� and grind...

...or, again, buy it at the store.

Warning: do not splash chili in eye. It hurts.


Step 5: Fry chili paste with a little coconut milk until fragrant. Brown the pork. Then add remaining milk and veggies. Sugar, MSG, and fish sauce to taste.

Enjoy with a steaming bowl of white rice and a thankful heart for Yaa Thanom!



U P D AT E S

BORDER-CROSSING In December, I ran into some issues with my visa for Thailand, so I needed to leave the country to get a new one. It turned into a fun trip and a restful retreat to Cambodia with my buddy, Sprite. Here we are around Angkor Wat!

POLITICAL CLIMATE

CAMPING For New Years, I went camping with a few of my teammates. Some of you may know how much of a big deal camping is for me; it’s practically my love language. I’m grateful for times like these! And just look at our site (right)!

GRADUATING My two Thai brothers, Nut and Ruj, finally graduated from college! Ryan and I were honored to share in the celebrations. Keep these two in your prayers, as we have begun studying the Bible together when we learn Enlglish!



KYLE'S CONTACT INFO: Phone: +66-090-979-8187 Email: kyle.apuna@gmail.com Blog: rootandflourish.wordpress.com Mailing Address: Thai Peace Foundation 3750/9 Ladprao Soi 146/1 Khlongchan, Bangkapi, Bangkok Thailand 10240


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