Interpretation Assignment

A letter from Barry and Shelly Dawson, Regional Liaisons for Southeast Asia, on Interpretation Assignment in the U.S.

June 2015

Dear Friends,

Our Christian sisters and brothers throughout Southeast Asia continue to inspire us with their deep faith and uncompromising resolve to live boldly for Christ each day. Sharing their stories of unwavering commitment and boundless courage is one of our greatest joys, and as we travel throughout the United Sates over the course of the next two and a half months (until September 21) we will have many opportunities to share poignant stories of how God’s Spirit is at work transforming lives, building communities, and developing global mission partnerships.

Thysan was a young man who survived the hellish nightmare of the genocide that claimed the lives of more than 20 percent of Cambodia’s population in the late 1970s. While spending a few years in a refugee camp he declared his faith in Jesus Christ. After emigrating to the U.S.A. Thysan completed two theology degrees and was

The fruits of our mission partnership with Rev. Thysan Sam in rural Cambodia

ordained as a pastor. But he has never forgotten the critical needs of those who live in his native Cambodia.  In fact, in partnership with Eliot Presbyterian Church of Lowell, Massachusetts, he founded the “Life Project for Rural Cambodians,” a mission initiative that seeks to bring medical care, school supplies, and clean water to communities throughout the country of his birth. In 2013 and 2014 we journeyed with Thysan’s mission teams in Cambodia, where we witnessed the joy and the hope his “Life Project” brings to rural communities. Thysan’s story is unique, but it points us to the power of church mission partnerships and the amazing grace of God’s transforming love.

We believe that there are other persons and additional churches that Christ is calling to engage in meaningful mission in Southeast Asia. Could you or your church be one of those who are being nudged by the Spirit to partner with us in one of the nine countries where we serve?

We are now in the U.S.A. for a season of visits to churches, presbyteries, and individuals who partner with us in our mission work in Southeast Asia. We also are enthusiastically motivated to develop new relationships with persons and congregations interested in learning more about how God’s Spirit is alive and working in the hearts of people from rural Cambodia to the urban neighborhoods of Jakarta, Indonesia.

If your congregation or a cluster of nearby churches would like to hear about our mission work in the nine countries of Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines), please invite us to come and share the inspirational stories of faith and hope that are sure to have a positive impact in your faith community. We would be delighted to receive your invitation and be in communication with you about arranging the details of our visit.

How to Contact Us in the U.S.A.: While we are engaged in mission interpretation visits in the U.S.A., you can contact us via email [bdawson5@gmail.com] or on our U.S. cell phone, (616) 298 1816. We will be glad to hear from you!

Ways We Can Connect with You and Your Church: We thoroughly enjoy interpreting Christ’s mission in Southeast Asia in a broad range of settings and to very diverse groups of people.  Among the many ways that we can share stories of the joys and challenges being experienced now by Christians in our region are:

• Presentation with PowerPoint slides and Q & A
• Moment for Mission
• Preaching
• Mission Committee meeting
• Vacation Bible School
• Presbytery meeting presentation
• Adult education forum or youth group meeting
• Meeting / Presentation with elders, deacons, and pastors
• A presbytery-hosted gathering of pastors and church mission leaders
• Be creative and design a new way to engage your church and community!

Interpreting our Southeast Asia mission work and connecting with friends at Westwood Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, California

Contributing to Our Travel: Since we receive our normal salary while we do mission interpretation in the U.S.A., we neither ask for nor will we accept any honorarium from churches.  However, since we do not receive any funding for travel expenses from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we need to rely on the churches that host us to make voluntary contributions to help defray the costs of our travel, food, and lodging. In all cases, if your congregation is interested in having us share about our mission work in Southeast Asia, please contact us so that we can develop a workable plan for your area.

An Invitation to Share in our Mission Work: We invite you to share in our ministry in Southeast Asia through your prayers, financial support, and correspondence with us. Your support is vital to our mission work in the nine countries of our region. Your designated gifts will provide direct funding to support our mission work.

Thank You! It is difficult for us to believe that already it has been two years since we began to serve together for Presbyterian World Mission as the Regional Liaison for Southeast Asia. Your prayers and generous gifts make our ministry possible. While sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in drug treatment centers near Hanoi, Vietnam, and journeying by river to remote East Malaysian villages on the island of Borneo, we have received fresh examples of how the Holy Spirit is at work transforming communities, families, and individual lives. While we were traveling to an orphanage in northwest Myanmar and visiting with typhoon survivors in the Philippines, your prayers and messages of encouragement have been constant sources of hope for us. We thank God and you for the many ways that you continue to share in our mission work throughout Southeast Asia.  Please know that you are in our hearts and in our prayers as we join together with you to impact the world with the love of Christ.

Serving Joyfully in Christ,
Barry and Shelly

The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 235