My Dear Friends Abroad,

I am glad to write to you about a team that went to an Akha village to establish a clean water system.  This team was one of our American Baptist teams from Colorado, a diverse group from the Denver area.  They did not know what they were getting themselves into and it was not an easy experience.  But, they made it and did a fantastic job of helping to establish a clean water system in an Akha village.  This team came in February of 2009.

If the Akha hilltribe people have come from Burma (mostly sneaking over the border years ago to get away from the Burmese army and rule) they also move to new places just to find decent land to plant rice and raise their families.  This group of Akha people have moved from many different villages to a new place to be able to have some land to plant rice.  Now they have some good land for rice, but their water supply was not sufficient.  They had some water from a local dam that was not clean.  They were in need of some drinking water.  We also might note that this group has a chance to hear the Gospel as there is a small church in the village and they do have worship.  The pastor comes and visits on the weekends.

So, an American Baptist team from Colorado, the Akha Foundation, and myself went to work finding a way to get some clean water to this Akha village.  The name of the village is Huay Nam Khun.  Praise the Lord for the funds from the American Baptist Church of the Denver region because they basically covered the cost of the materials (the Akha paid 20%) and the Akha worked with the farangs (foreigners) to make it all come together.  We even, in the end, have a very nice filter made in hilltribe style.  Our water filters here are made of charcoal, rock, and sand and they work!!!  The Akha can clean this kind of filter themselves once a year.

If you would like to check out the blog site of the Colorado team then click on the link below.  They have written their own moving accounts.

http://abcrmmissionexperiences.blogspot.com/

The mission team also writes about their nervousness of leaving the comfort of their home country and launching out to an unknown place to offer themselves to God's service.  Well, I am always a little nervous not knowing if the team will make it through the difficulties of moving temporarily to serve in an Akha village, which can be a shock.  Sleeping in a dirty bamboo hut, eating the local food, and working with people you cannot understand can be stressful.

Team Colorado did a great job.  However, this village had not been as exposed to foreigners as other Akha villages.  So, the food was not as farang-friendly, and there wasn't any pampering from villagers.  It was hot and sticky!  The jungle was difficult to work in, with close quarters among the bamboo.  We were stooping over a lot in the jungle under the bamboo, this was so tiring.  In addition, working with the Akha can be difficult.  They change their minds in mid-stream.  They change the route of the water pipe and we are completely unaware of what they are thinking even though I can understand the Thai language.  Decisions are often made and then I am informed what we are about to do.

The Akha did stop to dig several holes chasing a mole, which they eventually found.  Then one of the Akha carried the mole around like a trophy, people from the west cannot understand such behavior. 

We had to eat lunch in the jungle, which was not exactly passing tests for clean hygiene.  We sat down on banana leaves and spooned out food into plastic bowls (were the bowls clean or not?)  We layed pipe for about 3 miles from the water source to the village.  (No water treatment plant, just an ordinary filter).  In the end, we did with God's help.

Where was God at work?  In our lives adjusting to a completely new culture and surroundings.  In our feelings adjusting to new people, the food and the heat as we imagine how they live everyday.  Yes, God was at work as we learned to work together as a team with our different views of things and working styles.  We were so proud to see the water arrive at the village.  During the final worship, our hearts were warmed to hear the thanks of the people and see the expressions on their faces.

Thank you God for this experience to see you in the faces and lives of the Akha.

In addition to the water project, Barbara Fuller, stayed at the Chiang Rai Mission House and worked on the Akha crafts with the staff.  She was equipping them to do a larger quilt.  She is quite talented in this area and our staff has not had experience in the past with this product.  She has come in the past to the New Life Center and volunteered and now she was helping the Akha craft staff.  Barb has just loved her experience in Thailand and we thank her for sharing her skills.

In Christ,

Chuck Fox