Hmong International Ministries, Inc. (him) 2009

[churchill]

Reporting to you in regard to Hmong Ministry of Northern Thailand during June-2009:

1. We have brought 6 people into saving faith in Yesus (Jesus) Christ (one from Lao on border)

2. Conducted church revival in Ban Khune Sathang, Nan Province

3. Leadership training for 8 churches in Ban Karet, Phagnamengrai district, Chiang Rai Province

4. Routine Bible studies and fellowship services in 5 Cell groups in Nan Province

5. Conducted Bible studies two times for believers from Laos on Thai border

6. Education ministry: I have conducted Bible studies and taught English in Pua dorm

7. Proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to several animistic believers in 3 villages

8. Coordinated closely with church leaders of several denominations throughout northern Thailand and whose affiliated with Thailand Baptist Association and Northern Thai Baptist

Summary of work of Hmong Ministry: We have shared the Gospel of Yesus (Jesus) Christ to many Hmong animistic believers and have brought them unto saving faith in Yesus. Also provided church revivals and leadership training for churches.

In Christ,

HIM Leader, Frontline Servant

http://hmonghim.blogspot.com/2009/07/him-l...009-report.html

[Maizefarmer]

I admire your efforts to help these folk - but not so sure about the evangelical side of it. Couldn't you just get on with it unconditionaly?

[Flatouthruthefog]

I admire your efforts to help these folk - but not so sure about the evangelical side of it. Couldn't you just get on with it unconditionaly?

Agree, Maizefarmer, and apart from a (very reasonable) display of missionary zeal, I wonder what brought this on? It doesn't seem to be connected to anything. "No peg to hang it on" as an old news editor once told me.

While I really do support any support for disadvantaged people, I'd much rather hear about pragmatic improvements you (OP) may have brought about in the lives of these folks already. In the here and the now. The Lord will take care of them later, of course.

"They come running to the Church!" said a young US missionary man of a hilltribe not long ago. He did NOT bother to say what support his NGO had given these good people to encourage them to do so.......

I'm not being cynical, OP, just inviting you to give us the WHY and the HOW...........?

[tomyamgoong]

I thought the colonial era was far behind us?

[Maizefarmer]

Yes - I couldn't quite grab the reasoning behind posting this on the TV forum either.

The colonial comment by tomyamgoong touches the mark quite well - and if there is a vurnerable group in this part of the world, its the Hmong i.e. present them with any belief and they'll be likely to grasp it with both hands if it comes with a hot meal and a roof over their heads.

Why try to change them - my personal opinion the real Christian thing to do for these folk is to strive to help them and find solutions for them - so that they can preserve their cultural and animistic beliefs. The geo-political and socio-economic circumstances they find themselves in today is in no small part a consequence of the role they played supporting our military campaigns on their patch!

[Garry9999]

Here's what Christians did to the Lao People.

The secret air force bombing of laos began in 65. The air force dropped 1.6 Million tons bombs on laos, more than it dropped on germany in WWII.

[garyh]

Here is another example of how these christians are "helping" the hill tribe people of Thailand.

[Garry9999]

Here is another example of how these christians are "helping" the hill tribe people of Thailand.

Just amazing, And still he doesn't think he was wrong.

[PeaceBlondie]

Wow - I almost went to work with Matthew McDaniel, to rescue the Akha. We did emails, even phone calls. Never met him. Small world.

[popshirt]

Nothing more frightening than religious zealotry.

[Hunkpati]

I know I'm new here but seeing how you travel around the world forcing your beliefs on people and destroying their cultures I would like you to read my propaganda, it is the least you owe my ancestors. I'm starting to see a connection between the Hill Tribes and my own.

Brothers, our seats were once large, and yours were small. You have now become a great people, and we have scarcely a place left to spread our blankets. You have got our country, but are not satisfied; you want to force your religion upon us.

Brother, continue to listen. You say that you are sent to instruct us how to worship the Great Spirit agreeable to his mind; and if we do not take hold of the religion which you white people teach, we shall be unhappy hereafter. You say that you are right, and we are lost. How do we know this to be true? We understand that your religion is written in a book. If it was intended for us as well as you, why has not the Great Spirit given to us — and not only to us, but to our forefathers — the knowledge of that book, with the means of understanding it rightly? We only know what you tell us about it. How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceived by the white people?

Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agree, as you can all read the book?

Brother, we do not understand these things. We are told that your religion was given to your forefathers, and has been handed down from father to son. We also, have a religion which was given to our forefathers, and has been handed down to us, their children. We worship in that way. It teaches us to be thankful for all favors we receive; to love each other, and be united. We never quarrel about religion, because it is a matter which concerns each man and the Great Spirit.

Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion or take it from you; we only want to enjoy our own.

Brother, we have been told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors: We are acquainted with them. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will consider again of what you have said.

They do us no good. If they are not useful to the white people and do them no good, why do they send them among the Indians? If they are useful to the white people and do them good, why do they not keep them at home? They [the white men] are surely bad enough to need the labor of everyone who can make them better. These men [the missionaries] know we do not understand their religion. We cannot read their book — they tell us different stories about what it contains, and we believe they make the book talk to suit themselves.

If we had no money, no land and no country to be cheated out of these black coats would not trouble themselves about our good hereafter. The Great Spirit will not punish us for what we do not know. He will do justice to his red children. These black coats talk to the Great Spirit, and ask for light that we may see as they do, when they are blind themselves and quarrel about the light that guides them. These things we do not understand, and the light which they give us makes the straight and plain path trod by our fathers, dark and dreary. The black coats tell us to work and raise corn; they do nothing themselves and would starve to death if someone did not feed them. All they do is to pray to the Great Spirit; but that will not make corn and potatoes grow; if it will why do they beg from us and from the white people. The red men knew nothing of trouble until it came from the white men; as soon as they crossed the great waters they wanted our country, and in return have always been ready to teach us to quarrel about their religion. Red Jacket can never be the friend of such men. If they [the Indians] were raised among white people, and learned to work and read as they do, it would only make their situation worse.... We are few and weak, but may for a long time be happy if we hold fast to our country, and the religion of our fathers.

Sagoyewatha (Red Jacket)

[Mosha]

My sister used be part of a "Particular Baptist" Chapel in Dewsbury England. The things she was taught to believe, and listening to that video, well lets just say I am not surprised.

[canuckamuck]

It is amazing how people can allow themselves to be enraged over partial information.

The initial thread is obviously a missionary who has chosen a blog as his method of reporting back to his supporters. The information he gives is point form and does not paint a picture of what sort of relationships he builds with the people he meets. Seems to me he goes around and preaches a lot. Not exactly a piece of earth shattering news.

The next item was the you tube clip of the guy who arranged for Aka women to have tubectomies 20 years ago. It says nothing of the ages of these women at the time of surgery, or if they already had children. It seems to me that in the west a large percentage of the population pays to have the same procedure done. If this guy was simply providing this surgery to the same age demographic group that desires it in the west. Then I would say he was doing something compassionate. It says in the video that they were already suffering 50% infant mortality, which leads me to believe that they were having issues being able to feed large families and keep them healthy. I know that my wife grew up in the same conditions (different tribe) at the same time and she was severley malnourished and lost a brother because they were starving. One chicken to last a week for a family of 5.

The video was filmed with an obvious villianization angle, yet they failed to find any women who regret the surgery on the basis they want more children. They only found women who have complications from the surgery, which is a sad thing, but not unheard of in the west either.

I did notice however that one of the groups involved with the funding for the surgeries was Family Planning International, which has a long history with promoting eugenics. And this issue has left me wondering if there wasn't some ulterior racist motive in this story. Unfortunately we won't know because the video failed to provide any facts. The producer preferred only to stoke up emotions.