Mien Quarterly Update - April-June 2003

We praise God for His continuing grace to bring the Mien (Yao) of N.Thailand to a saving knowledge of that grace through faith! The first two weeks of April we had a new and awesome experience. A volunteer team of Christian Mien from Merced, CA, came with us on mobile clinics! We ministered in three Mien villages for two nights in each. Long after the patients had been treated, this team visited in homes and taught Bible stories late into the night and prayed for many who asked for their prayers. Their singing was terrific and their testimonies well received. The youth worship team went with us and led music, children’s VBS, games, and skits. Todd and Casey Saechao worked very hard to bring this team to Nan and helped us as translators on mobile clinic. Three women in Huay Fai and a man in Nam Ki came to faith in Christ during the week. They have joined in our local Bible studies since then. We are all so encouraged that some Mien are responding to the Gospel message every week now.

Since our drug rehab center opened exactly 3 years ago, nearly every Mien village we enter has recovered addicts who are praising God for their deliverance. It is a joy to receive their hugs and hear of their triumphs after decades of bondage to opium and amphetamines. This program has touched about 20 Mien villages in Nan province. Last week we caught up with two men who came through our program 6 months ago.They are both still “clean” although not believers yet. Pray for Sathit and LaoGao and their families who are so proud of their victory over drug addiction. To find LaoGao at home we had to pull ourselves across the Nan River in a flat ferry boat over to his Lychee orchard. He was thrilled to see us and surprised at our efforts to locate him.

In Huay Juke, a woman and her two older daughters prayed with me to receive Christ and come out from under demonic oppression. The husband says he is not far behind them. Two more adults prayed with Todd Saechao in NamKi village in May as well.

Also in May, our OMF missionary partners printed a color tract of several pages of chronological stories in Mien language coupled with read-along cassette tapes for literacy training. They expect the entire Bible in Mien language to finally come to the printing press this year. So our team has begun literacy training in a few Mien villages where there is leadership being trained. It is fun teaching adults to read. Their faces light up as they begin to recognize words in print. We are grateful for this teaching tool.

June brings summer students. This week we picked up a 6-person drama team that we will be taking into about 20 villages over the next few weeks. Please pray for the Mien to understand the spiritual concepts being acted out. Pray for road safety in the rainy season and for safety from insect-borne diseases. As always, ministering among the Mien tribe is a constant adventure. Seeing fruit born is the blessing added to the fun.

Submitted by Linda Gibson, leader of the Mien sub-team on the Hilltribes Team