Moving a Mountain, a Shovelful at a Time

A Letter from Sharon Bryant, serving in Thailand

November 2018

Dear Friends,

Even in Thailand, a cool breeze blows, and most of us are so ready to enjoy the few cool months of the year. One of our volunteers from Texas posted the following on his Facebook page: “The first day of fall in Thailand and the temperature is a chilly… 87 degrees!” No, we won’t experience falling leaves and that first feathery snowflake of winter, but it is much cooler than it was just weeks ago, and we appreciate that!

At the end of September, three new CVT mission workers arrived to begin their service as teachers in the schools of our partner church. One thing we do in New CVT Orientation is visit the Church Headquarters building, meet the officers and tour the building. That allows everyone to take a selfie with the cross that stands 30 meters high on the roof of the building. Pictured here are Anna and Aaron Silco from Chicago, who will be teaching at Bumrung Wittaya School in Nakorn Pathom; Tou Dao Herr from Minnesota, who will be teaching at Nan Christian School in Nan; myself; and Ms. Wararat Chaisuk, assistant coordinator of the CVT program. With the addition of these three, the Christian Volunteers in Thailand program now has 24 mission workers serving in 14 schools and 2 churches in Thailand. Some of these have “graduated” from the program, but they continue to serve the church here and join us when they can on our retreats.

It was a great joy to gather with many of those who have served as Christian Volunteers in Thailand to celebrate 55 years of this ministry on Saturday, October 6 in Bangkok, Thailand. All of the volunteers I have recruited in my eight years in Thailand who are still serving here came to the celebration, along with a good number whose service in this program dates back to the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Scheduled speakers included Guy Scandlen, the very first volunteer who came in 1961 (before there was a program), and Bill Yoder, who came in 1963. Unfortunately, both fell ill in the week before our celebration, so we improvised. We had a great evening filled with laughter as people shared their memories of days in this program and poetry they wrote while serving. We were honored that Elder Kusak Sarakittipan, the current treasurer of the Church of Christ in Thailand, was able to come and celebrate with us. The Bangkok Christian Guest House did a wonderful service for us by decorating the dining room with beautiful flowers and special tablecloths.

There are days when I feel that I am making little progress, and what still needs to be done looms over me like a steep and sheer cliff. Then, I stop and spend some time with God. I reread the letters and emails you have sent that are so encouraging. I look at photos of those who have come here to serve and have touched the lives of so many Thai children. And God shows me how I am just one in a long line of people who have served here and, while each one of us might only move a shovelful of dirt during our tenure, 55 years of ministry have moved a mountain!

The CVT volunteers love this photo, which came out of our last one-day ASEAN English Camp at Khoonchae Christian School on October 10. We spent the day with 195 fifth- grade students singing songs, playing games, teaching some basic English concepts and learning more about ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Thailand is a member. The volunteers see me leading the singing of “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, Down in My Heart,” while I see them interacting with the children who came to the camp, making them laugh and sing out loud in English. What a joyful day and a memory to treasure for a long time!

On October 26, four individuals were elected to serve as officers of our partner church during the coming four years (2019-2022). Pictured here, they are Rev. Dr. Thawesak Mahachavaroj, moderator; Rev. Virat Koydul, vice moderator; Rev. Sayam Muangsak, general secretary; and Elder Chan Chotinuntachet, treasurer. Please pray for them as they begin planning for their time of service that begins January 1, 2019.

Finally, while we celebrate the accomplishments of the volunteers in this ministry during my brief tenure here, the reality is that we need more than twice the number to get the job done right. We are still looking for those who would give a year or two of their lives to these children to help them learn to speak English and use it every day in conversation. As I said earlier, the difference just one person can make is huge! We need you. Will you come? Our next Orientation for New CVT Volunteers begins Saturday, April 27, 2019.

I cannot close this newsletter without expressing my deep gratitude for all of you who support the work I do in Thailand. YOU ARE AWESOME! Thank you for your prayers, for your financial contributions, and for the cards and letters that you send to encourage me. I could not do this without you. Please spread the word that we need more volunteers, and don’t stop praying for each and every volunteer who is here serving God by teaching the children of Thailand English and sharing God’s love with them.

Thank you, again, for your support,

Sharon L. Bryant

Please read this important message from José Luis Casal, Director, Presbyterian World Mission

Dear partners in God’s mission,

We near the close of 2018 inspired by the hope of Christ. God is transforming the world, and you are helping to make it happen.

Thank you very much for your support of our mission co-workers. The prayers and financial gifts of people like you enable them to work alongside global partners to address poverty, hopelessness, violence and other pressing problems in the name of Jesus Christ.

Every day, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-workers are blessed to be able to walk alongside their brothers and sisters across the globe. Listening to each other in faith and in friendship, they learn from each other how to work towards a world in which everyone flourishes. Acting upon what they discover together, PC(USA) mission co-workers and our global partners strengthen the body of Christ.

Because you are an integral part of God’s mission, I invite you to become more deeply committed to Presbyterian World Mission. First, would you make a year-end gift for the sending and support of our mission co-workers? The needs in the world are great, and World Mission is poised to answer God’s call to serve others.

I also invite you to ask your session to add our mission co-workers to your congregation’s prayer list and mission budget for 2019 and beyond. Your multi-year commitment will make a great difference in our involvement with our partners. The majority of our mission co-workers’ funding comes from the special gifts of individuals and congregations like yours, for God’s mission is a responsibility of the whole church, not a particular area of the church. Now more than ever, we need your financial support!

In faith, our mission co-workers accept a call to mission service. In faith, World Mission, representing the whole church and you, sends them to work with our global partners. In faith, will you also commit to support this work with your prayers and financial gifts? With hope and faith, I await your positive response!

At God’s service and at your service!

José Luis Casal
Director

P.S. Your gift will help meet critical needs of our global partners. Thank you!