Jan – Apr 2013
MILLIONS
People
Places
participate
Boy & the Spirit Child Logos on Show
Mandarin Mountain Culturally Connected
Missional Business
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商業與文化
Commerce & Culture
Bringing hope to hard places
We serve the church and seek to bring the gospel to all the peoples of East Asia. We help place Christians with professional skills in China and other Asian countries, and share the love of Christ with East Asians worldwide. Through God’s grace we aim to see an indigenous, biblical church movement in each people group of East Asia, evangelising their own people and reaching out in mission to other peoples.
AUSTRALIA 18-20 Oxford Street Epping New South Wales 2121 Tel +61 2 9868 4777 Fax +61 2 9868 5743 au@omfmail.com
MALAYSIA 3a Jalan Nipah Off Jalan Ampang 55000 Kuala Lumpur Tel +60 3 4257 4263 Fax +60 3 4251 4313 my.cd@omfmail.com
From the Editor 2
Imagine you've been parachuted into a far-off land.
You'll need to learn the language of course – with all its challenges and complexities. What about finding out about the way the culture works, its protocols and politenesses? You then might be able to start building meaningful relationships, but how will you find a way of spending time with people? Maybe through a shared interest; music, food or even through business. Then there might be opportunity to talk about the deeper things of life…
Tony Waghorn Editor – twaghorn@omf.org.uk Cover: Chinese Auction from China's Millions, November 1876
SINGAPORE 2 Cluny Road Singapore 259570 Tel +65 6510 3130 Fax +65 6474 0727 sno@omfmail.com
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS 2 Cluny Road Singapore 259570 Tel +65 6319 4550 Fax +65 6472 2398 ihq@omfmail.com www.omf.org
Design: Sparks-Studio.com Print: www.printd.com.au
PeoPLe News
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Boy & the Spirit Child Afraid of what?!
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PLaCeS
PartiCiPate
the Mandarin Mountain 6 Chinese Language Challenges
Missional Business Re-think the world of work
Culturaly Connected Loving Japanese food
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Logos on Show 10 Starting a business overseas
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People
News Here are just a few ways God has been at work through OMF.
The Edge
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‘Mrs G’ happened to arrive early for the Tuesday morning parenting class. As she walked into the quiet building she was moved to hear that the leaders were praying. It reminded her of a previous occasion in her life when a Christian workmate had prayed for her during a difficult time 17 years ago. Andy & Mei-Ling Wilson were encouraged by such signs of openness as they launched a new church planting venture in Taiwan named ‘the Edge’. With a team of local volunteers, they aim to establish small simple churches using methods that are Biblical, culturally effective and easily reproducible. They pray that groups such as the parenting class will transition into micro-churches, drawing in some of those who attend and their spouses and children.
Links in a chain Forty years ago Yae used to play with OMF missionary children in the grounds of the Chefoo boarding school in Nanae. She recalls attending a kids group and hearing Bible stories. Now Yae and her partner Yukki are running a restaurant in Nanae where OMFer Tim Walker is a frequent customer. A friendship has developed. Tim has been helping the couple with English and they are genuinely interested in discussing religion and faith. Their teenage daughter has been to the Nanae church youth group on occasion and had attended Tim’s English class in 2011 – another link in the chain. A friend of the couple pulled Yukki’s leg about his sudden interest in the Bible. Tim’s prayer is that, rather than being put off by such comments, he would want to know more.
Burned In the Philippines ‘Tom and Jill’ travel around the island of Samar amongst the Waray Waray people. Their methodology is simple; on arriving at a village they gather people together and tell Bible stories in chronological order. After attending six lessons, the listeners get a copy of the Bible in Waray Waray – a prized possession. At a village with 85 eager listeners, one woman looked downcast. When prompted, she revealed that she had treasured the Bible she had been given and found God speaking to her through it, but her father had burned it. ‘Take another Bible to keep at a friend’s house,’ suggested Jill but the woman forlornly replied, ‘But I have already had my one Bible’. Hope was soon restored when Jill presented her with a replacement. From Sarah McKibben, OMF Philippines.
By Sijmen den Hartog omfisaan.net
เด็กชายและกุมารทอง
Boy & the Spirit Child ‘Afraid of what?!’ I looked puzzled into the eyes of one of our twelve-year-old Sunday school boys.
His younger sister was afraid, but wasn’t able to explain what was wrong. He thought she was worried because of the kuu-maan-thoong; something I’d never heard of. The boy repeated the word but I was still puzzled: ‘I never heard of it. What is it?’ The boy said that it was a child their father brought home from the temple. ‘My father took two children from the temple, but they are both dead already’. Oh help, I thought; a strange feeling appeared in my stomach. After asking some more questions I found out that the children were born prematurely, died and were brought to the temple. I started to understand why his younger sister was worried; a dead child in our house would worry me too. The boy said he would bring one to our house to look at. Keeping his promise he came by our house with his school bag. `Is the child in that bag?’ I asked. Yes, it was. My heart began to pound as the boy reached into his bag to pull out the child, but relief filled my body when the boy pulled his hand out and revealed a doll. This was the child and the other one was still at home. He explained that the spirit of a dead child was in it. The spirit helps him to be good at school. He even talked with the spirit and the spirit told him that she
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knows God as well. Wow, this was something I never had come across before. Later, I asked my language helper about the experience. She explained that people bring these dolls to the temple. A monk will bring the spirit of a child that had passed to a doll for people to take home and look after; believing the spirit of the child gives them prosperity. Again, I understand something more of the Thai culture which is so different to my own. Yangon Bangkok Again, I see a longing Phnom Penh for help from outside our world. Again, I ask God to show his presence.
Places
攀越學國語的高山
Climbing the Mandarin Mountain It is 7:50 a.m. Another day of Chinese class awaits. Tom gathers his books and heads out the door. Downstairs, he waves at the door lady. ‘Zao (good morning),’ she says with a smile. In case he had forgotten, this is the day’s first reminder that he is in China.
Now available: China Stories, a Prayer Guide
On the short walk to the language school, he passes a group of old people using fake swords to do their morning t’ai-chi exercises. He is definitely in China. Tom arrives at the school at 8:00 a.m. sharp, usually at the same time as his teacher, whose English name is Mary. Neither one of them is ‘a morning person’ but within a few minutes Mary is her friendly, ever-corrective-of-his-Chinese self. Today, they were starting a new lesson, which meant new vocabulary. In the cycle of the lessons, this is Tom's favourite day. Tom opens his book and begins repeating each word Mary says. ‘Pingshi,’ she begins. Oh no, two second tones in a row! This is one of Tom’s weaknesses. He concentrates … ‘Pingshi.’ ‘Piiinng,’ Mary says, exaggerating it to let him know he didn’t get his tone high enough. ‘Okay, … Piiinngshiii,’ Tom replies, feeling silly. ‘Feichang hao (very good),’ she says. Tom is not sure he believes her. ‘Translate for me,’ she says. ‘There are a lot of Australians at that university.’ “When will I ever say that?’ Tom thinks to himself, before beginning the translation process. There are … probably have to use ‘you’ (pronounced ‘yo’) and maybe ‘zai.’ Oh yes, ‘zai.’ Another weakness. It seemingly has about 30 different meanings in Chinese. Tom decides he’s going to try to get by without it this time. ‘Neige daxue you hen duo Aodaliyaren,’ he says sheepishly. ‘Dui (correct)’ she says. ‘YESSS!!!’ They say to celebrate your ‘language victories’ as a means of encouragement and Tom needs all the encouragement he can get. Today is going to be a good ‘Chinese day’ (meaning he will be able to speak and comprehend better than usual). He can feel it.
A series of stories of hope and need in China; buy the guide and join God’s work in this Asian giant. Contact your local OMF centre to buy this prayer guide.
‘Next sentence,’ says Mary, interrupting his positive thoughts. ‘I haven’t played basketball for two months.’ ‘Okay, I got this,’ Tom thinks to himself. ‘Wo mei da lanqiu liang ge yue,’ he says, confidently this time. The look on Mary’s face says it all. ‘Should you put “liang ge yue” before or after ‘mei’?’ she asks. Tom now knows he is wrong, but decides to protest anyway. ‘But “time spent” phrases go after the verb, don’t 7 they?’ he inquires. ‘Not if it’s negative time spent,’ says Mary. ‘Right … should’ve known that,’ Tom chides himself. ‘That was one of last week’s lessons.’ After two hours, class is over. Tom is excited about the new words he now knows, but once again he feels humbled by his lack of mastery of this language. It’s like being a child again. Once when discussing a colleague’s name in class, Tom had told Mary the name was ‘Xiao (3rd tone) Ji (1st tone).’ She nearly jumped out of her chair. ‘Don’t say that! You’re calling her a small chicken!’ Whoops. These moments happen all the time. It’s time to return home and immerse himself in learning the new vocabulary. First, Beijing he says goodbye to Mary. ‘Zaijian (goodbye),’ he Shanghai says. ‘Wait a minute … Guangzhou I can use “zai” correctly. There is hope!’
企業宣教
Missional Business Missional Business is an opportunity to re-think the world of work. Our world often gets divided into the sacred and secular – Missional Business takes a look at that divide and re-thinks it from a biblical perspective.
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Maybe your job is straight forward – maybe working in a restaurant – whether you do that in the UK or in China, you can do it in a way that brings God glory. Maybe your work is more complex – running a business for instance. That also has great potential for the kingdom. Does what we do at work have any consequence for God’s kingdom? Our Father created work in the first place and he uses what we do every day to bring people to faith. Just like the two doctors and their administrator in China, who quietly lead their staff to faith and then discipled them. Or the IT business that hires a few people who know Jesus to work with the ones who don’t. All of this is Missional Business. Get excited and join in.
Why do business as usual, when you can do business unusual?
PartiCiPate
Dr. Nora Hughes
達致企業宣教的六步
is Your Business Missional? Missional Businesses give glory to God. While being profitable, they have another ‘bottom line’ – being an example of what God meant business to be. After all, he ‘invented’ work in the first place.
Business done to God’s glory is at the intersection of the theology of work (the creation commission), theology of business (the great commandment) and the theology of mission (the great commission). When you look at your business, you may not see how you can make your business missional. Let me give you six practical steps:
Pray
Resolve
Learn
Nothing happens in God’s kingdom without prayer. If God has laid this on your heart, take it to him and ask him to show you how. He is sovereign, and will lead you in the way you should go. He is not going to ask you to do something that is not possible and Hhis plans are for your good (Jerimiah 29: 11–14).
Resolve encompasses your will and your values (Philippians 2:13). It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. In today’s post modern world it is not popular to make your faith public. It takes resolve and clear values to integrate your Christian values into your business life.
Read – both the scriptures and books on Missional Business. OMF has an Annotated Bibliography, email us and we’ll send it to you. You can also attend one of the Missional Business seminars run by OMF to learn more. As you are learning, begin to craft a strategy for your business that is missional.
Design
Execute
Assess
Analyse your business and its practices to understand what fits within your strategy and what you want to change. Geography – would you move part of your business to another country to reach people who cannot hear the gospel? Howare you doing business on your street? Change is never easy, so plan a process to implement the changes. Don’t upend everything at once, but design a change that can be realised.
Business people know that planning without good execution results in failure. Once your plan is made, and you have resolved to make your business missional, execute your plan. Put it in your diary, then do it bit by bit.
I’ve been working with businesses that seek to be missional for several years now. None are perfect. All are on a journey that has both success and failure. When it doesn’t work, pray, assess why, tweak the plan and move forward. You have an enemy that would seek to tell you it is not possible, but you have a sovereign who gives you all that you need to succeed. When you succeed, celebrate! And give him the glory.
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Profile: Jeff, Mervil and Siam
PeoPLe
เด็กชายและกุมารทอง
Logos on Show Jeff and Mervil started AdZig Logo Promotions from a spare bedroom in their house soon after they were married. AdZig sources clothing and promotional items for companies to give away. Pretty much anything you can put a logo on, they produce.
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'Chinese Auction' image from China's Millions, November 1876.
While we were running AdZig, we started going on short-term trips with the Southern Baptist mission, distributing Bibles to Chinese tourists visiting Pattaya, Thailand. After a few trips, we started to fall in love with Thailand, we knew God was calling us and wanted to try and get there. One Chinese new year, the team in Thailand were low on members and asked if we could help. We couldn’t both go, so decided Mervil should go on her own. Mervil still needed to keep an eye on some large orders that were in production, but through texting and emailing it all went smoothly. We thought, ‘Hey! We could work in Thailand, keep our business running in the US and be able to support ourselves.’ So we sold up our farm, paid our debts and started praying. We tried to find an agency to go with. We 'Googled mission in South East Asia', and OMF kept coming up. We spent a month in Thailand with OMF on a vision trip. We hired a local attorney and were able to register our business. It was confirmation to us that God had his hand on our plans.
Location: Ayutthya, Thailand. Jeff spent 6 years in the US Navy and then moved in various technical roles. Mervill was in the hotel business then met and married Jeff.
Setting up business in Bangkok was difficult, but Mark Leighton, the Thai field director, highlighted an area north of Bangkok, Ayutthya, for us to consider. It’s an area with very little Christian presence, we felt drawn to it and it has proved a good place for us to be. We found a place to live, set it up with internet and phone connections, got our work permits, received out first order, and then the floods hit! We had a metre of water inside the house and had to head south of Bangkok. We managed to keep things running remotely, but it was a nine month set back. During this time God was in control and sustained us. The floods also led us to new business premises, a four floor ‘shop house’ with space for the business on one floor – a room for a small church to meet, space for missionaries to stay and a floor for us. We’ve been showing the Hope Project video there each evening, hoping that over the course of two or three years we’ll be able to invite everyone in our community of 18,000 people. In Thailand our business is called IntegriThai (a combination of Integrity and Thailand), and it does pretty much what our AdZig business in the States does. Our original vision and what
Going in as a business person, they see that your income is from your business and that can give you a closer connection.
Business Tips We’ve found a few things on our journey that may be helpful to you if you’re thinking about starting a business overseas:
has actually transpired is quite different – we hoped that we could source more production from within Thailand, but there’s a challenge of building relationships and trust with the factories. It’s taking time, but we’re getting there and it’s also opened up opportunities with other suppliers in East Asia. One of our Thai language teachers told us that Thai people find it much easier to relate to foreigners who do business in Thailand. Many Thai don’t understand where missionaries get their money from. Going in as a business person, they see that your
income is from your business and that can give you a closer connection. One unexpected joy of being in Thailand is that we’re now caring for a two and a half year old Thai girl Siam; she’d been left homeless on the coast to beg for food. We’ve always wanted children and are trying to formally adopt her, but for now we’re just enjoying being Mamma and Dad.
• Think about your market and ensure that what you’re doing is sustainable in the place you’re doing business. • Never underestimate the importance of having enough capital to get going. Start-ups fail in the west because of lack of funding, and will fail overseas for the same reason. Carefully estimate, and then double it! • Be patient – life is different and it takes time to build relationships and set business up properly. There’s an opportunity to demonstrate Christ at every stage. • Try to avoid getting into debt. Do a little, and wait for the funds for the next step.
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participate
亞洲主要的職業
Portable Professions These are just some of the many professions and skills that could take you on a journey to Asia.
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University Teacher
Community Medical Worker
Description: Come and live on a university campus, you could get to know the next generation of China's leaders, and touch their lives with love as you teach in a large city. Teachers need a Masters or PhD and will teach around 15 class hours per week. Experience: Degrees in English, Business, Engineering, or Computer Science. Opportunities: It’s the opportunities to invest in the lives of the students outside of the classroom that are really valuable – people with a heart for student work will really thrive in this role. Location: Central China.
Description: Work with local communities in southwest China to help them improve their medical services. One team may have educational, agricultural and medical specialists working together. Experience: Previous experience in professional field. Need: High in rural areas. Opportunities: We are looking for committed Christian professionals – people with needed skills that share Christ's love through the witness of their lives. Location: South West China.
Business Manager Description: An experienced business manager who can join a growing company. You’ll be joining a team focused on an unreached people group. Experience: Previous experience with small businesses is necessary. Ease of startup: Finding a property. Opportunities: The work in the business will open up opportunities to build significant relationships with local people. Location: Western China.
Internet Marketing Description: Working with an East Asian company in web promotion, advertising and sales. Experience: Previous experience in digital marketing field. Ease of startup: Finding property/clients. Opportunities: Spending plenty of time working alongside people. Location: South East Asia.
如何參予
engage with Missional Business
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Watch the Missional Business series at omf.org/work Engage
Invest
Do you:
If you have business skills and experience can we partner with you to develop a business in East Asia?
Are you gifted in standing alongside the strategic plans of others, providing finance and laying the foundations for the success of a missional business in East Asia?
• Have practical business skills and experience? • Understand from personal experience the moral / ethical issues facing missional business and the practical resolutions? • Long for a ‘double harvest’ in mission and business to glorify God in all you do?
Support Are you someone who could mentor or offer consultancy support in areas like accounting, marketing, IT, design? Will you develop a skype relationship or take an occasional trip to walk with a missional business owner / manager in Asia to encourage and support them?
Pray Without prayer we will fail. We’ll succumb to all the failures that every business is prone to exhibit. Prayer is vital. Will you pray that the activities of our Missional Businesses will contribute to the maturing of the Church and the work of the Gospel where it is not presently known?
Visit omf.org/work • Watch the latest video series • Find out about Missional Business events • Book a Missional Business speaker
Email missionalbusiness@omfmail.com
Places
文化交通
Culturally Connected Although I was raised in a Christian home by mission-minded parents, I had no intention of becoming a missionary. The thought of learning a language like Chinese or Japanese scared me. 14
As I grew up, I learned about past mistakes of culturally insensitive missionaries, and I met a few missionaries who didn’t seem to like or even respect the people among whom they were working. If that’s how missionaries are, I don’t want to be one, I thought. However, God graciously allowed my husband and I to meet all sorts of wonderful Japanese friends. I studied music in college and graduate school and had the opportunity to perform with a number of Japanese musicians. In particular I came to appreciate my friend and colleague, Akiko, who introduced me to Japanese food and tea. From that time on, my interest in Japanese culture and language began to grow. When my husband and I were getting close to our graduation from seminary, we still had no idea what sort of work we would do and where we would go. We met Tony and Pat Schmidt, veteran OMF missionaries from Japan, and when the opportunity came to work with them in Sapporo as short-termers, we accepted. Although we had admired Tony and Pat for their passion for the Gospel, we saw them in a new light when we arrived in Japan and saw them interacting with their Japanese friends and colleagues. They truly loved the Japanese people. If that’s how missionaries
are, I would like to be one, I thought. Following Pat’s example, and assisted by online resources and kind ladies at church, I began my Japanese cultural study by learning about Japanese food, especially making bento lunches for us to take to language school. Tamura-sensei, one of the teachers, encouraged us, ‘the key to being an effective missionary in Japan is to love Japanese food,’ she said. ‘This will open up the doors to people’s hearts.’ I have certainly found this to be true. For my first New Year’s celebration in Japan, I prepared Osechi, the traditional New Year’s feast. When I showed pictures and exchanged ideas with Japanese women, I could tell that they felt honoured by my interest in their culture. When my husband and I returned to Japan as career missionaries in July 2011, I set three cultural goals for my first term: to sing and play folk songs on the shamisen, to put on my own kimono, and to serve tea. Currently I am taking shamisen lessons and attending kitsuke (kimono wearing) classes. Learning tea ceremony is on hold until after language school graduation. Through learning the shamisen and kitsuke, I have learned about the relationship
Profile: Keith and Celia Olson (OMF US) Japan Language Centre Sapporo, Japan Number of OMF Language students in Japan: 14 +4 arriving soon Full time language study in Japan: 2 years Fluency in Japanese: 6–8 years
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between teacher and student, about the Japanese approach to learning (in summary: copy teacher exactly, then repeat, repeat, repeat), and about rules as a framework for creativity. My classes have also been a good opportunity to observe Japanese Christians doing outreach. My shamisen teacher is a Christian; her dream is to play shamisen with other Christians. My kitsuke teacher is also a Christian; for her, teaching is a way of meeting people. My friend, Naoko, who hosts the kitsuke class in her home, is also a Christian; hearing her talk naturally about her faith with her friends has become a model for me. Although I am still new to Japan, I can see that interest in Japanese culture will lead to deep friendships. I’m convinced that as missionaries, our participation in forming an authentically Japanese church will begin with our loving the Japanese people and loving the things that they love.
SERVE ASIA
details or visit www.omf.org/serveasia
服侍亞洲
SERVE ASIA
Contact your local Serve Asia team for more details or visit www.omf.org/serveasia
FIND YOUR PLACE IN MISSION
FIND YOUR PLACE IN MISSION AUSTRALIA 18-20 Oxford Street Epping New South Wales 2121 Tel +61 2 9868 4777 Fax +61 2 9868 5743 au@omfmail.com FIND YOUR PLACE
IN
MALAYSIA 3a Jalan Nipah Off Jalan Ampang 55000 Kuala Lumpur Tel +60 3 4257 4263 Fax +60 3 4251 4313 my.cd@omfmail.com MISSION
SINGAPORE 2 Cluny Road Singapore 259570 Tel +65 6510 3130 Fax +65 6474 0727 sno@omfmail.com
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS 2 Cluny Road Singapore 259570 Tel +65 6319 4550 Fax +65 6472 2398 ihq@omfmail.com