Canada

One by one over the past weeks we have been checking off things we need/want to do before we go to Thailand later in the year. Right now we are part way through one of those major events. With Judith, Allan & the boys now living in Canada we have no idea where or when we'll see them again, so we're spending a couple of weeks with them here in Alberta.

Much of our time has been spent playing fire engines and pirates, reading stories and even building a snowman. It's been great to have lots of time being grandparents and the boys seem to enjoy having granny and granda around.

We've appreciated spending time with Judith and Allan too and seeing how they have settled in to their new surroundings here. We've met many of their friends, attended their church and visited the GoodSeed headquarters here in Olds. It was good to visit with John & Janice Cross again and meet some of the other staff from GoodSeed.

Olds is in the heart of farming country in the 'plains' of Alberta and within sight of the Rockies, about two hours drive away. We travelled over to the mountains and although we only stayed a few days we visited Johnston Canyon, went up Sulpher mountain on a gondola, swam in an outdoor hot springs while it was snowing and had a good many coffee stops.

The weather has been unusual even by Alberta standards, last weekend we had a picnic in 23deg weather, the following day it dropped to below zero again and we had snow! Out of interest we checked what the temperature was in Thailand that day. Interestingly it was 23deg - at night!

If a picture tells a thousand words, these will save a lot of writing.

Canadian Pirates

Summer & Winter in Two Days

At The Rockies

Thailand

We’ve just returned from leading another team to Thailand. We had a wonderful time and knew the Lord’s faithfulness and graciousness throughout the trip. Our travel went really well – all flights were smooth and incident free as well as on time. It was amazing that the day we returned to the UK was the only day that week that flights were not disrupted by snow!

In the northern province of Nan we spent three nights in a Prai tribal village staying with our friends Dave and Fran. This was an exciting and enlightening opportunity for the team. As soon as we arrived, we were whisked away to attend a funeral. It was very sad to witness the traditions and ceremony of people without any hope. As Buddhists, their best hope is that each new life will be better than the last until they reach the stage of enlightenment (no desire) and have no need to return again. As Animists, their best hope is that the spirits can be kept happy and not torment them. We watched as the spirit doctor chanted over the ties on the wrists of the dead man’s wife. He cut the ties, releasing her from her husband’s spirit, she then had to run into the house before the spirit could catch up with her.

That evening was a contrast as we sat outside around a fire talking with the handful of believers in the village. One lady told us about her 17 year old daughter who was also a believer but had been disciplined in school for not bowing to an image of Buddha. Her mum spoke to the teachers and told them that in Thailand there is freedom to practice any religion. I can’t explain to you how much courage it took for a tribal person to do that. Thai people do not like confrontation, the Prai like it even less. Teachers are highly respected in Thai society – this lady was ‘just’ a tribal woman! How wonderful to hear that she had the courage to do this. The teachers assured her that her daughter would not be disciplined any more – however, she says she still gets some abuse but not as openly.

In this large village there were only a handful of Prai believers. They are lonely and need encouragement. They have some scriptures in their language but work on translation continues. When I asked them if they had a message to send to churches and believers at home, without hesitation they said, ‘Send more people’. Dave and Fran are the only missionary couple in that village and are nearing retirement age. The believers desperately want more help, fellowship and encouragement.

We travelled on up into the mountains to visit another village which is quite remote. In this small village of maybe 20 houses there are 11 or 12 believers. What a privilege it was to share a meal and fellowship with these people. One couple from Jordan’s village travels up here every weekend to teach. It’s a horrible journey, not long, about an hour and a half, but on twisty mountain roads rising about 5,000 feet. They bring their young son with them who just loves the Lord and has been witnessing to his grandfather. They told me it isn’t easy to do this every weekend and they couldn’t do it in their own strength but God gives them the strength. They have very little income but pay their own expenses for these trips. While there, they stay in a very basic house which the believers have built for the use of anyone coming to help the church. What an example for all of us and how exciting to see Thai and tribal believers reaching out to their own people.

We also spent time in Chiang Mai, visiting the school, the mission headquarters and meeting various missionaries. One of our team hopes to return this summer to work as a nurse at the school, so she had the opportunity to see the school and meet some of staff. We also were able to spend a little time with the field committee discussing our return. We also looked at a house we might be able to rent while we are refreshing our Thai language in Chiang Mai.

We are trying hard to adjust from the beautiful warm days we had in Thailand to the cold blast which hit us on the tarmac at Belfast airport! We are thankful for God’s goodness and all that was achieved on this trip.

A Change of Direction

There hasn’t been must activity on my blog in recent weeks. It’s not because there’s little to write about, maybe that’s the very reason I’ve not got round to blogging. So let’s get on with it here!

In recent months we had been praying about returning to work in Thailand. Of course there is plenty to do here and its work we enjoy as we organise and lead mission teams around the world. But with changes in our family responsibilities should we finally consider returning to Thailand? Everything we heard from there indicated a great need for help, our question was whether after all these years we would be of any use. The answer to that question came in an email and subsequent conversation with one of the missionaries in Thailand. So within a few weeks it was decided that we would indeed go back to work with New Tribes Mission in Thailand.

Our main ministry will most likely be back with the Bru people where we previously worked but there is the possibility of additional areas of service. We want to do what we can and be a blessing. One thing is sure, we will need to spend some time refreshing our ability in Thai which is well past it’s ‘sell by date’, it will probably take even longer to retrieve our ability in the Bru language.

These are days when every area of life is a step of faith but we are excited about the future and look forward to moving back next year.

A Bru Lady

Early Days in Canada

Judith & Allan’s early days in Canada were not without difficulties. When they reached Calgary airport one of their suitcases was missing. All of the boys’ clothes and whatever special little toys they had taken along for them were missing. Then within a few days James was admitted to hospital. Once again his oxygen levels had dropped very low and it took quite a few days to bring these back to an acceptable level. James is now out of hospital. Medical staff at the hospital have been very thorough and are continuing to investigate his general health. They are now able to concentrate on finding suitable accommodation and beginning their ministry with GoodSeed.

James

What do you know about GoodSeed? Following is a copy of a recent regular email sent out from GoodSeed, read it, better still follow the link to their website.

Dear Friends,
I spoke yesterday at a church here in northern Ontario. The folks in the congregation seemed to be hanging on to every word as I shared the old, old gospel story using PowerPoint and visual aids. Though the post-moderns of our world would try to convince us that nothing is certain in life, it is obvious that the Lord’s people need a certain word. The Bible passes all tests of certainty; it is beyond reasonable doubt.
Recently I was showing a GoodSeed supporter our new website. He said, “Wow this is a real goldmine!” Let me mention these points:
All the products that GoodSeed has produced are available for no charge on the website. You can read any of the books we have produced or translated online. Any of the DVD’s we have created can be watched online in their entirety. No charge or fee for any of it.
This is only phase one of developing our website. By the way, no person in GoodSeed, including myself as the author, receives any royalty for the products we produce. It all goes into the ministry.
Once again, if you would be willing to login and write a short review of any of the products, it will be of great help to others researching our material. You input will weigh heavily in whether they take the time to read what is freely online for them. The same can be said of links. They help search engines rate us a little higher.
Pray for us as we fly back to Alberta this week. The ministry is very busy these days.
Thank you for standing behind us.

John (and Janice)

PS: Little James, the one we referred to in our last email is doing just fine after a hospital stay. He has been getting good care. Thanks for praying.

See: http://www.goodseed.com

The Ellingsgaards Arrive in Canada

It has taken a lot of faith, prayer, work and time but Judith, Allan and the boys were finally able to get on the plane for Canada at the end of this week. After they settle in to their new surroundings they will begin their ministry. Allan will be committing his time mainly to writing and recording music and possibly some work with computer systems. It's not easy having them leave and we'll miss seeing Benjamin (4) and James (2) but we are pleased they are serving God in this way.

Summit Mission Trip to the Philippines (part 2)

Travel Around Palawan
Travelling to and from the tribe required a few early starts and found us on a variety of vehicles, all of which worked fairly well. Leaving the mission guest house on Palawan we hired two 4-wheel drive vans to take us on the first leg of the journey to a lovely costal town of El Nido. Hidden away in the N. West of Palawan a good number of tourists still find their way to this place. An overnight there, another early start and we packed our supplies into a very tired looking jeepney for the next part of the trip. There was a water container on the roof that drip fed the radiator until the driver could stop at a river or other water source to top up the container – seemed to work ok! The tyres didn’t look the best and we wondered about the wisdom of carrying portable gas tanks strapped to the front – should make for an exciting collision! Of course there were people and goods inside and on top and some passengers hanging off the back too but we made it safely to the little fishing village where we got our boats to the island. With all our supplies transferred to two boats we had an uneventful voyage to the island, simply enjoying the remarkable beauty of our surroundings.

Morning in El Nido

Leaking already, we pack up the Jeepney

Along the Road

One of the Boats to the Island

On our return journey all went well until we got into the 4-wheel drive vans again. The roads were incredibly rough with massive potholes and trenches everywhere. The suspension broke on one of the vans so the drivers spent a couple of hours doing roadside repairs while we watched the world go by. Further along the road, and behind schedule for the drivers, there was an explosion followed by some serious hissing; the air-con system had blown. The driver’s solution to this was fairly quick and easy – open the side sliding door and travel with a nice breeze coming in. In his frustration he seemed to be taking a little less care, especially with the many dogs that lie on the roads. One poor dog just wasn’t quick enough and became the final statistic of our return journey.

Roadside Repairs

Watching the World go by

Second Project
Our second project and the one we had intended to be working on for the entire time was at the mission guest house on Palawan. Obviously we didn’t get as far with that as we would have but we did make significant progress with the beginning of a new building. This building will replace an older wooden one that has been crumbling down for a few years now. After marking out the area we dug the foundations, made up steel reinforcing cages and mixed and poured the concrete footings and floor. It was hard work mixing, wheeling and levelling all that concrete but the entire team pulled out all the stops to get the job done.

Touristy Days
Although we only spent a short time in El Nido as we passed through we couldn’t fail to appreciate its beauty. We were able to look around the town, swim in the sea and enjoy a meal on the beach at one of the beach front restaurants. Our accommodation didn’t register on any ‘star’ rating but who cared with views like this.

El Nido Beach & Bay

Children in El Nido

Before we left Palawan we spent a whole day ‘island hopping’ on Honda Bay. This is an unbelievable experience, white sandy island beaches, crystal clear water, beautiful tropical fish all around… …well there were many long days of seriously hard work in the heat, just in case you get the wrong impression!!

Starfish Island

Summit Mission Trip to the Philippines (part 1)

Tribe & Island
About 10,000 people from the tribe of the Calamian Tagbanwa live scattered in the northern part of Palawan. Marked by great poverty, they live a simple life, gathering their main livelihood from fishing and harvesting mountain rice on little patches of land.

They live in fear and spiritual darkness, held captive by animistic beliefs that demand they worship spirits, pray to their ancestors and sacrifice animals.

Konrad & Betty Binder and Nate & Megan Ingvoldstad are preparing to move with their families to live with these people. Initially they will be studying culture and language so they can effectively present the good news of Jesus Christ. They want to see churches established among the Calamian Tagbanwa that will thrive and function according to New Testament principles.

The island was a beautiful place and the people made us very welcome. As is often the case, the children enjoyed the activity and attention and always wanted to pose for photos.

Our Project

Our first project this year in the Philippines was to help Konrad with the construction of his house. Another group of men had been working on the house prior to our arrival, so at least there was a ‘roof over our heads’ while we worked in the heat on this remote little island. Facilities were minimal and our cooking, eating and general living area was a simple tribal style field house. We had an excellent cook with us who worked wonders in the ‘kitchen’ and an excellent team who took all the inconveniences in their stride. There was always something going on to liven up our days – and nights! We had to move our mosquito nets during thunder storms depending on the direction of the rain, and those downpours rendered the ‘comfort room’ out of action as it only had plastic walls and no roof! Then there were various little creatures that came to visit including a monkey who became a regular. One of his favourite places to sit was on the end of our clothes line. I don’t know if he didn’t like the coloured towel that was often drying there or if he just threw the towel down to make room for himself. Our work included erecting walls and a frame for solar panels, fitting doors and windows, painting and various other smaller jobs.

Home from Home

Shower House

Work on the House

And in the 'Kitchen'

Although we had just a small team with us there were others from the Philippines who joined to help with the project including Paul & Cathy Wright from N Ireland. They have been in the Philippines since the beginning of the year and are making good progress in language study in Manila. I think they were glad to get a break from language for a while and we certainly enjoyed having them with us.

Our TeamPaul & Cathy Wright