Dear Friends,

We all have our challenges.A couple months ago I went with a team of Karen evangelism leaders to the Umphang area, about a 10-hour drive from Chiang Mai.During the last couple hours it started to rain.We were high in the mountains, driving through the clouds so the rain didn't have far to fall to reach the ground.Still, it rained hard and continuously.The narrow road would wind and climb then wind and fall switching back and forth on itself.Vehicles in Thailand don't have defrosters so it is hard to keep the windshield clear and hard to know if the fog is on the inside or the outside.There was room for two vehicles to pass each other, but not a lot of room left to spare.So a little excitement was added when an oncoming truck suddenly materialized out of the fog.

We eventually came below the clouds and drove through rolling countryside.Fields were being washed away by the heavy rain.We arrived at Glaw Taw Village with the downpour continuing.Even with the 4-wheel drive engaged we slid around the village roads.It was a relief to finally come to the place where we'd spend the night.The pastor at Glaw Taw uses his house, as kind of a small hostel for students so there wasn't room for us there.We stayed at a building beside the small church that is a combination stage when they have large gatherings and a guesthouse with a couple attached carports.It may be an unusual combination of uses in one building but it works.The rain was pounding on the thin metal roof so we had to yell at each other to be heard.But we were dry and out of the car.

As we arrived, several people were huddled around a man lying on the floor.The man lying down was Thra Taw Hae, the head evangelist in the area.The people huddled around him were working on cleaning out the infection in a huge boil strategically located on that part of the anatomy he would normally sit on if it didn't hurt so much.This is a side of the evangelist we hadn't seen before!Finding the evangelist in this position inspired several jokes, but my Karen language is not good enough to follow all that was said.Maybe it was just as well.

We had heard the evangelist was sick, but he thought he had malaria.I suspect though, the infection from the boil was causing the fever and other symptoms.We had brought him antibiotics and in a day or two he began to feel better.But for the first couple days he was miserable trying to sit in the bouncing truck and would conduct our meetings while lying on his stomach.It took admirable courage and a high pain tolerance for him to do anything at all.

We visited a number of villages and evangelists.It is a large Karen area with very few Christians.Many of the local people feel that being a Christian is for Burmese Karen or westerners and not for them.Indeed, most of the Christians in the area and most of the evangelists have come from Burma at one time or another reinforcing this idea.So the evangelists are challenged to show that Jesus Christ is for everyone.Slowly, progress is being made.

One village we visited was Tee Sgaw Sgui, which could be translated as Holy Water Village.Even in Holy Water Village though, there are only a couple Christians with most worshiping spirits.We have to park the truck and walk the last half-mile or so to the village.Tee Sgaw Sgui is the name of the creek that runs beside the village.It rained continuously for the several days we were in the area so Holy Water Creek was running muddy, high and fast.We encountered a fallen log that served as a bridge into the village.It is a sizeable log, but as are most logs, it is round.It was also wet and slippery.The creek was high enough that water was lapping up along the sides of the log.Holy Water creek was only about 50 feet across, but flowing so un-holy fast and furious it looked like the Colorado River when I stood on top of the log.

Ahead of me, a young girl of perhaps 12, wearing flip flops for shoes, casually strolled across the log while peeling some fruit, without a care in the world.I tried, but was not nearly as casual as I walked across the log.My Nike, lug sole, specially designed, high tech walking shoes felt none too secure on the slimy log a foot or two above the raging torrent and certain doom.Still, I resisted the urge to crawl across the log on my hands and knees and personally, felt I had crossed, if not with grace, at least with some dignity.

We met with the evangelist and several others from the village and prayed with them.They showed us the remains of the church at the edge of the village which had burned down when a slash and burn fire had gotten out of control.For the superstitious mind of those that worship spirits, I wonder if the church burning won't be another hurdle for the acceptance of the Gospel.

Leaving the village I was both humbled and relieved to see that while we were talking in the village, someone had put up a bamboo handrail to hold on to while crossing the log over the creek.I was assured that the handrail was for my benefit.My first crossing must have left an impression.Maybe I hadn't been as dignified as I had hoped.

The rain never stopped until we left for the return trip to Chiang Mai.Each night we were woken periodically when a new cloud would raise the decibel level on the metal roof.On the way back we made a final stop at another village to meet with one more evangelist and their family.They were happy to see us and fed us a rousing meal of wild mushrooms and curried frogs.They were happy to be able to offer us these delicacies, as they aren't available all the time.With all the rain, their village had been flooded.The water had receded but everything was covered in mud.

The drive back to Chiang Mai was long but smooth.My trip was finished until next time.I make a number of these kinds of trips each year but it is the way of life for the evangelists and those they are trying to reach.For me, the challenges are spiritual, physical, dietary, language and cultural.The evangelists have many of those same challenges plus the greater challenge of daily living and presenting the gospel in a way that will lead people to come to know Jesus Christ.

In America, we may have different forms of the same challenges.For missions, the challenge for some is to come to the field.For others, the challenge is to send those who go.For the past several weeks we've written how cuts have been made to our local partners, their programs, staff at Valley Forge and the work support of missionaries.The challenge before us now is to increase giving to the World Mission Offering so that evangelists like Thra Taw Hae and the team in the Umphang area can continue to meet their challenges.

Yours in Christ,

Duane & Marcia Binkley