Report from BHW Thailand Partnership Facilitator Following Visit in June

Key Person: Noi-Non 

I visited the Good News Team office for about four hours on a weekday afternoon in late June. We were able to have a good discussion about the recent events and the upcoming changes and trends. Most of the conversation was between Noi-Non and myself as Kanchana was unable to be there, and we had some input from other team members when topics ranged into their areas of experience.

Recent Events

Activities

At the time of my visit in late June the team had just returned from a week away visiting seven schools where they ran programs in each school for about an hour a day. At an estimate they would have seen about 1,200 children during the week and each was given a book to work through. About 400 of those children signed up to receive the Good News Team correspondence course.

The books themselves take about eight months to produce from conception to production and are all done in-house.

The Team has also created their own Youtube channel.

There are currently seven full-time members on the team and several others who help out when required. They are well set up in their office and work together well.

They average about one trip per month away during which time they run programs in a number of schools and either stay in a local church or rent accommodation where that is not possible.

Bao, who has been primarily responsible for creating the video content, will soon be departing the team having been recently selected for the Army in the national Thai conscription lottery. Conscription is usually for two years.

Personal Stories

The team recently went to Chiang Rai in the north of Thailand for a week. On their return they received a letter from a (Buddhist) teacher at the school who was so impressed that they asked for more booklets for their students. A total of 380 more booklets were sent (one for each child in the school!) and the teacher now co-ordinates collecting up the completed booklets from about 70 students and sends them back together.

When I asked what the outreach times were like I was told that “It is an opportunity to show the love of God”. The team said that while they are often treated like celebrities and asked to sign autographs for the students, it is the students who are the focus. “When we talk with the students and see their faces, their smiles come from their hearts and they know that God loves them. It’s special for me. We go in the King’s stead”.

Partnership's Influence within the Community

The Good News Team work with a great number of schools and churches spread widely around Thailand. They have been operating for many years now and have a great reputation around the country.

Noi-Non mentioned that even when the director of a school receives them with a degree of suspicion, by the time they leave the director has experienced a genuine change of heart towards them and they are always asked to come back again.   

He estimated that at the current time approximately 90% of schools are open to the team presenting the gospel. “Now is the time to plant the seed. We thank God it is like this, though we don’t know how long it will stay like this.”

Current Issues and Challenges

With the widespread uptake in cellphones among young people the paper and mail-based approach of the Good News Team is seeing less response. Where five years ago the Team would have received about 1,000 letters a week they now receive a fraction of that.

There is still the need and desire from the children to engage with the message brought by the Team as evidenced by the number of children who signed up for the course recently but in an age of instant gratification the mail-based system is becoming less easy for young people to commit to. Most young people are communicating via social media using a variety of applications.

As a result, the Team is considering the development of a mobile application that could be rolled out to deliver the material and link in with young people.

Plans for the Future

While the core message of their ministry has not changed, the environment in which they are operating has. Outreach is still very effective and they are also involved in supporting local churches and ministries.

The changing digital climate and decline in physical letter writing is looking to be addressed by the development of an application to meet the young people where they are, and that has some exciting possibilities.

Prayer and Praise Points

Praise

1) That God leads them every day and allows them to plant seeds where they go.
2) That so many people pray for them and allow them to do their work safely and successfully. On a recent trip the sound system failed but they were able to get it fixed just in time.
3) For the faithful support of many people

Prayer

1) For their scheduled outreach trips this year (13-17 August, 3-7 September, 8-12 October, 26-30 November, 10-14 December)
2) Protection while they travel
3) Resources for upcoming needs, especially the app development and to replace the sound system

Comments

As always, the Good News Team continue to impress. They are dedicated and enthusiastic and it is great to see them planning ahead to meet the challenges that are coming.

It is always refreshing to hear their stories and the way that they talk about the children that they are reaching, as their heart for these young people really shines through.

Costs have risen slightly from last year due to staff salaries and an increase in outreach. Overall though they remain within budget and I recommend that this be continued at the current level.