November Updates...

We have a new pavilion "Salaa" at the Shan Family Development Centre.














It's quite a spacious area with 2 toilets at the back.

The youths came over last Saturday afternoon and we had a fun time painting the new Salaa.

Here's the end results of 4 hours of painting.



We did a quite a decent job yeah!










We will probably have our Christmas programme this year in this new pavilion. Stay tune for more Christmas programmes updates... will try to post soon.

You can pray for us.

• On the 15th December, we will have a Christmas programme incollabration with FLC school, Chiangrai to run a Christmas programme in Nam Cham School.


• On the 18th December morning, we are going to a nursery in Nam Jam to bring Christmas joy to 83 kids. They never have a Christmas programme before. 80% of the kids are Shans and the remaining Akhas.
• On the 18th December in the evening, we will have a Christmas party for the Youths at Baan Catherine's.


• On the 19th December in the morning, we will have Christmas celebration for the Kids at Suan Luang Village.


• On the 20th December in the morning, we are inviting parents to church. We will be having Christmas Service and performance by the kids, youths and Singapore Mission Team at the Shan Church.

Keep the ministry in prayers. We are inviting the parents to the Shan Church Christmas Service.

Here's some pictures of the kids practising their Christmas dances.
Enjoy!

True Friend

The Theme for our 2009 Children's Camp was True Friend.
We had the usual crowd plus some new folks.
Kids totaled about 120 and helpers numbered 30 more.














Johan was a great MC until his voice gave out o nthe 3rd morning. His one request for next year is that we get a new amplifier.

















Chalor gave Johan 5 good reasons why he should agree with her ideas.














The 3 not so little pigs were well fed by Moses, the prodigal son.












Seven gray hairs were needed for the scavenger hunt. There was only one donor for all four teams.














Noah seems to have made a new friend. The children and youth got on really well with each other. Almost all the team counselors were Shan youth who grew up in the program themselves.















Our new property had ample room for sports and games.














B-boy performances have become a standard feature in the camps.




















The girls had a beauty pageant competition. But beauty alone could not guarantee victory.



















The question they had to answer was, "How do you choose a good friend?"



















Arts and crafts provided by Mrs. Saipin Ng were very popular.

















Good bye for now.

Covenant Chapel Team 2009

2008 and 2009 might be a time of economic turmoil, but the light for the Lord continues to shine through each and every part of world. May our Father continue on to bless the Green Mountain Foundation at Mae Sai. May our Lord also bring more of the Shan people to His Kingdom.

"So that all may know"

Shan children in Orchard

This is a video clip about the work.


Here is a sample of Shan girls dancing to a traditional Shan tune. The lyrics were written by a Shan Christian in another province.

Shan Youth

In the good old days (10-15 years ago) the cultural implements that were indicative of young Shan men who migrated to Thailand looking for work were, the Shan language, tattoos, bitter tea, cheap cigars and not an ounce of body fat. The Shan youth now growing up in a multicultural environment like Mae Sai share none of these cultural similarities. Those who have lived for more than a few years in Thailand speak Thai with their friends, wear their caps, sideways, often have a pierced ear, and now some even wear glasses with blank lenses because that makes them look like Korean movie stars. While some learn traditional Shan dance, many are becoming adept at break dancing as it is taught in the Thai schools they attend. Cultures change and youth will always be the targets of the promoters of change. In all of these changes how many will dare to ask the terrifying question, "Who am I?" For if all of the cultural implements that identify them are borrowed from other cultures and countries will they be able to recognize their own personal worth? Who will make the effort to befriend them and lead them to the place where they can recognize themselves as being created in the image of God and created for greater purposes than simply to imitate the latest models of what the "modern Asian youth" is supposed to be?