In my last journal, I shared about what a wonderful blessing it was to have our son Kenny come “home” to Thailand this summer and participate with us in a number of projects with partner ministries.  This past weekend I returned to the Akha village where we installed a water system, and I wanted to tell you a little more about this particular project.

Water system projects are a large undertaking, but they are also a wonderful opportunity to build relationships within a particular village.  Any time we consider such a project, an initial team goes to the village to look over their current water system and evaluate the options available for improving the situation.  This evaluation involves a number of meetings with the villagers, not only about the engineering and logistics of installation, but also discussions about the villagers’ responsibilities for the project.   Our ultimate goal is not only providing water, but creating a partnership with the village.   The water systems which we install operate with a simply gravity system, so one entire day was spent in measuring from the top of the village to the bottom in order to determine where would be the best location for the pipes.  Other meetings included estimation of the cost of the project.  This is critical because, in addition to providing the labor, the village must fund 10% of the cost of project themselves.  The additional funding needed for the water system in Sang Nam village was provided through the generous giving of American Baptists in Colorado!  All of these encounters provided opportunities for fellowship as we gathered not only for meetings, but also sharing meals together.  I didn't know at the time how important this would be!

By the time that Kenny and his friends joined me to help with the final stages of installing the pipes for the water system the village had already done the preparation.  They had to dig a six inch channel all the way from the upper tank to the destination of the new tank in the lower part of the village.  The total distance between the tanks is about 3.6 kilometers, and digging through not only open areas but also through bamboo jungle requires a lot of hard work.  In Sang Nam more than 40 people had been working on the project!

 Our job was to provide the pipes, each 4 meters long, which would be glued together and placed in the channel.   As soon as we arrived, we unloaded the pipe and began assembling the water line.  All day, the 4 young men from America and I worked alongside Akha villagers, trying to build relationships, not just a water pipeline.  

The next day, after further work was done to complete the project, Kenny and one of the other members of the ministry team had the opportunity to meet with the shaman of the village.  In any Akha village, the shaman is an extremely important person.  He is the one they believe has knowledge about manipulation of spirits.  Their religion teaches that if you are sick there must be a reason for it.  If a tragedy or accident occurs, the assumption is always that the person must have done something wrong.  Often an offering of a sacrifice to appease the spirits is required, usually a chicken or a pig.  People are already so poor that sacrificing an animal makes life even more difficult.  The religion of the Akha is about honoring dead ancestors and making offerings to spirits to manipulate them.  They have nine celebrations during the year in which they must honor their dead ancestors, in addition to major celebrations.  Each of these requires making offerings to the spirits to manipulate them.   The shaman is responsible for “managing” the good and evil spirits.  In these people’s minds, there is no understanding of a living God who loves them and cares about them.       

As Kenny and his friend interviewed the shaman and his family, they asked about his personal history as well as about the “job” of being a shaman.  They found that his father had also been a shaman, and so he inherited the job in the village.   However, he went on to tell them that ten years earlier he had been introduced to the Christian faith, and that he had become a Christian!  He had turned aside from his faith, and had been following the Buddhist path for about three years, but now through prayer was coming back to the Christian faith!   Apparently, during one of the times that we had visited the village, at the end of the day, there had been people who had asked for prayer, and so we had prayed.  Little did I know that this witch doctor was among those that were praying, and that as we prayed, he began “returning to the Lord.”    I was not aware of any of this until Kenny began interviewing him and he shared this experience.   Imagine our joy as we discovered that even as we were providing water for the village, one among them was turning to the one who provides “living water”!   We may never know how our prayers for others may be used of God, or what God is doing through our making intercession on behalf of others. 

As I returned to the village this past weekend to dedicate the new water system, I found it very moving to hear the testimonies of several of the Akha as they spoke of what an unexpected blessing and surprise it had been to get a water system for their village.  We had a wonderful service and ribbon cutting ceremony with young people from my home village of Sukasem leading the singing, Scripture reading, and thanksgiving to God for the provision of materials and the help of many people from around the world that had made the whole system work!  I had the opportunity to share with them in greater depth about the message of Jesus.  We are excited that out of this experience, my Akha friends are beginning a new church in this village.

Thank you for your partnership that makes it possible for us to bring the message of our loving God to the Akha people.  I shared the promise from  John 7:37-38 where Jesus says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  What good news this is for us, and for the villagers in Sang Nam!