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Bringing the Gospel to the Unreached, Unengaged People Groups in the Isaan Region, Thailand

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Bringing the Gospel to the Unreached, Unengaged People Groups in the Isaan Region, Thailand Frontida Outreach Thailand Kanthararom, Sisaket Province Building bridges for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ [email protected] __________________________________________________________ Bringing the Gospel to the unreached, unengaged people groups in the Isaan Region, Thailand. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” . (Isaiah 61:1-4) Traditional Village life - Map of Thailand and Isaan Region . and we live in Kanthararom which is in the Sisaket Province General Insight: The North-eastern Thai, also known as the Lao Isaan, are dispersed throughout twenty provinces in north-eastern Thailand. This area takes up nearly one third of Thailand's total land mass. It is basically a flat arid plain known as the Khorat plateau with infrequent rainfall and few natural resources. The region is noted for its archaeological relics and monuments dating back to Khmer influence under the Angkor Wat regime. Many of the present day residents of the Khorat plateau were forcibly relocated to this hostile region over a period of a hundred years from the Lan Chang Kingdom in what is now the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos. Later the people, the region and their language was labelled by Siamese kings as Isaan, the Pali word for north-east. Even though this region is now fully incorporated into Thailand and all residents are Thai, the Lao Isaan language, unique diet, ritual and culture continues to thrive among this people group. What is Their Lives Like? Most of the North-eastern Thai are farmers dependent primarily on rain-fed agriculture. Major crops are paddy rice, cassava and sugar cane. Like other Thai groups, they also raise cattle. Availability of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish varies with the seasons. Agricultural production remains low, due to the relatively dry climate and the saltiness of the soil. Although agriculture and industry is hindered by the shortage of water and internal infrastructure for transportation, the North-eastern Thai are still able to produce their world famous mud-mee silk. For the most part the North-eastern Thai are organized into small villages which are part of sub districts, under district control. The majority of the population lives in villages near their surrounding farmland. Village and district leaders are elected locally. Districts come under the governance of the province structure. Governors are appointed by the central government. Each province has a number of representatives in the parliamentary government correspondent with its registered population. Isaan has the highest population statistics for all of rural Thailand and therefore the majority of the rural voting population of the country is located in Isaan. The North-eastern Thai are well known for their friendliness and openness. They are family and community oriented, which makes them generally non-competitive and easy-going. Because north-eastern Thailand frequently suffers from drought, the people who live there are often thought of as poverty stricken. Yet, the North-eastern Thai have become an urban, industrial labour force, and many of them have found jobs as factory workers in the larger cities and overseas. Although the North-eastern Thai may be less developed economically than the Northern and Central Thai, public education and better communication lines in the North-eastern area have brought some measure of improvement in the last generation. What are Their Beliefs? More than half of the North-eastern Thai are Theravada Buddhist. They follow the teachings of Buddha (the "enlightened one") and seek to eliminate suffering and improve their future by gaining merit in their present lives. Ultimately, they are in pursuit of nirvana, or perfect peace. They believe that merit can be acquired through feeding monks, donating to temples, and frequently worshiping in the temples. Traditionally, young men enter a Buddhist monastery once in their life as a short-term monk to make merit for their parents or family members. Many of the North-eastern Tai continue to practice their traditional ethnic religions particularly for important rites of passage. They combine Buddhist teachings with folk religious practices, seeking help through the worship of spirits and venerated objects. What are Their Needs? Improved nutrition, improved infrastructure, improved industry, local micro-enterprise investments, educational opportunities beyond the primarily grades, appropriate technology and fair representation in the central government, biblical communication of the good news of Christ in non-western forms that speak to popular Buddhist values. POPULATION: 17,805,000 CHRISTIAN: 0.40% LARGEST RELIGION: Buddhism (98.1%) MAIN LANGUAGE: Thai, North-eastern What does Frontida do here? After spending a few years participating in Strategic Prayer Outreaches to various parts of Thailand, God called us the assist our fellow Christian brothers in spreading the Gospel in the Isaan region. We are based in Kanthararom (Sisaket Province). Kanthararom is one of 16 districts of Sisaket Province and has a population of 112 340 people (latest info from 2013). Only 28 are Christians. Currently we reach out to the community in two respective ways: Frontida Kidz: We have a playgroup of children from the ages 6 – 11 years old. The main focus is to establish an environment where the kids can experience the love and grace of God. These kids are loved as if they are our very own. We teach them basic English with various forms of active activities such as puzzle building, baking cake, painting, learning various board games and learning to have conversations in English. We also let them listen and learn different genres of music (Gospel and cultural). We try in all aspects not to deviate or try taking anything away from their own culture, but rather let them experience “other methods” of doing and thinking as well. In all the above, we slowly try to build in the Gospel in various ways and methods to share with them. Currently the kids are welcomed at our home, but soon the numbers will increase and then our little house would not be suitable to accommodate more kids. We are praying to God in opening doors for us to rent an extra bigger premise for the playschool. We would love to have 50 kids by the end of 2015. Currently we have 8 kids and cannot accommodate extra children. We also then want to raise up a few Thai Christians to ultimately work at the playgroup with the children on a full time basis. Frontida Teens: Moral and ethical values and immorality (a big problem in Thailand) amongst teenagers is ever present. Due to their culture and beliefs, Thai children have a low morale and are afraid of failure. Immorality is as ever part of their daily lives and an easy way to show their acceptance and cry for attention. But mainly, immorality is acceptable in the majority of households. A large number of children (rural villages) are kept away from school due to fear of feeling “to poor” to be associated with other groups of children. It is then easier for teens to submit themselves for acceptance by giving themselves (to make available) to the sex industry. Acceptance, earning money and supporting the family becomes their motto. On the other side of the coin, we want to help the teenagers to really feel worthy of someone special. To learn and experience the uniqueness each one has in the eyes of God and to experience the love He Has for His children. We can only love them with the love of Christ and let them experience the same. Let them understand that God loves them and care for them. To set them free of the captivity of being a “brain washed” individual that is taught to only really on one self. Frontida Kidz Champion new believers: Frontida also assist local churches in the Sisaket province and neighbouring provinces (Ubon Ratchathani and Surin) to disciple Christians to enable themselves to become “missionaries” in their own villages. This is done through in depth Bible study as well as various self- development Christian based programs. Prayer Points: * Pray that North-eastern Thai believer will live out their decision to follow Christ in holistic ways that speak to the Thai Isaan worldview. * Pray for those who will contribute to the production of culturally appropriate materials, art, music, and church forms that provide opportunities to which the Isaan may respond. * Pray that God will call forth teams of long term missionaries and intercessors who will commit to partner with Isaan Christian leaders in strategic ministry. Isaan is the region with the fewest missionaries per capita in all of Thailand. * Ask the Lord to raise up serving, missional local village churches among the North-eastern Thai. * Pray that God will keep on directing Frontida Outreach to His calling for Frontida to the Thai nation * Pray that God will open doors financially for the projects Frontida are currently doing so that expansion can take place in order to reach more children in need. In General Thailand has a population of 67 million people. Less than 1% is Christians. The harvest is indeed plenty, but the workers are few, resources are few due to shortage of financial support .
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