Until last week, we knew our departure was going to be around the first of the year, but were a little unsure as to when EXACTLY it was going to be. Well now we know. Lord willing, (James 4:15) we will be leaving for Thailand in April! Steps between Now and Then We will be buying plane tickets soon (thanks to Berean Baptist Church in Fayetteville, NC), but need to wait for baby Claire to get her first so we can get her a passport! (We had to sneak her out in her mommy's belly the first time she left the country.) So: - Have a Baby - Less than 4 weeks away
- Get her set up with a passport
- Buy plane tickets
- Raise the rest of our support
- Have a Setup Fund
- Ship some stuff over
- LEAVE!
Why wait until April? Currently, we are at 72% of our support needed after 18 months of deputation and at our departure date we will have been on the road a little over 2 years. It is about a 120,000 mile road to the mission field, if anyone ever asks. We are extremely blessed to have so many people praying for us as we head out on this last stretch of deputation. The Lord has given us some pretty exciting dreams to work toward as we have asked Him to use us to see His name lifted up in Thailand and we are more thankful than ever that He has chosen us for His work.
I wish I had written this. In a world where Christianity is usually just a nice spin on the American Dream, and motivation is usually reduced to something about obtaining happiness, joy, peace, and fulfillment in our lives, we need a Biblical wake-up call every once in a while to have our hopes and dreams centered on the Gospel, not on our happiness. It is actually better in every way, because we have more in the Gospel than we could ever obtain on our own. Here is my favorite quote from below: We’re not missionaries because we want to do something great for God; we’re missionaries because God has done something great for us! Think on this the next time you talk to someone about serving God: There’s a certain way to market the Great Commission that strikes a chord with bored twenty-somethings who are tired of college classes or are not looking forward to entering the rat race. And it goes something like…‘Wouldn’t you like to do something meaningful with your life? Don’t waste your life in a cubicle when you could make an impact on the world! Dare to break out of normalcy and get involved in something bigger than yourself!’
I recently saw an ad for a missions organization that said something like, ‘there’s more to life than working a 9 to 5.’ Now, I get what they mean by that. Disciples ought not content themselves with securing a source of regular income and just plugging away mindlessly until retirement. There is definitely more than that. We are part of God’s expanding kingdom on Earth. And becoming part of the Christian missionary force is certainly an incredible experience on the frontlines of that advance. So there’s definitely a kernel of truth within.But while this appeal may awaken some dormant zeal in a believer’s heart, it alone is not a strong enough motivation to make a faithful career missionary. Because it makes the Gospel largely irrelevant to the believer’s excitement. The Army can recruit people with the same pitch: ‘Aren’t you bored playing video games? Wouldn’t you like to do something exciting and important in the world?’ It’s true, obedience to Christ’s commands does make our lives meaningful and exciting. And it’s easy to get excited and glory in the sense that we’re doing something important. ‘But rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.’ In other words, our joy of serving God must never supersede our joy in God himself. We’re not missionaries because we want to do something great for God; we’re missionaries because God has done something great for us!Like most deficient motivations, this passion for excitement will at times work just fine. It will get you off the bench and into the game. But the true measure of a motivation is when it gives out. And this one has a very definite breaking point. It will keep you going exactly until you are asked to do something tedious in the name of Christ. Simply put, it equates the goal of Christian ministry to ‘don’t be bored.’ And that’s too bad, becausesometimes effective ministry involves doing the tedious thing long-term.We’ve had a bunch of short-termers over the past year, and it’s pretty easy to detect their general sentiment about a career in missions. They think it would bore them to tears. You know what might interest them? Long-term short-term missions! All the excitement of a short-term missions trip replicated ad infinitum (and there are some long-termers who attempt precisely that!). What they’re missing is the need for patience to make an impact in anything besides a pillow. Language school, planting a church, or training a leader all have one thing in common. They all take an enormous investment of time. Those with short attention spans need not apply.There’s certainly more to life than working a 9 to 5, but there’s not less! Meaning, if you don’t find something in your life that you’d love to do for large amounts of time for as long as you live, you are doomed to ineffectiveness and boredom! If you perpetually dash madly from one excitement to another, two things are certain. One, you will never be very good at anything. And two, you will train yourself to find joy in things other than God – and those joys will finally wane. In order to attain any real joy in your life, you will have to stare down the barrel of boredom… and not flinch!Saying that there’s more to life than a 9 to 5 is a little like saying there’s more to a marriage than living together. The problem with dull marriages is not that people live together, but rather what they do when they’re together. And the trouble with dull lives is not steady occupation, but what you do when you clock in. Those that don’t have the patience to stay put declare with their wishy-washiness that they still haven’t found something worth living for. Something worth working and suffering for. When you’re dealt that great hand, you go all in. You hold back because you think there might be something better out there. Ironically, those that claim to be living for passion often turn out to not have enough.When you find something truly worth living for, 9 to 5 won’t be enough for you. A truly meaningful life doesn’t look like a 9 to 5, but more like a 12 to 12. You’ll feel you can’t get up early enough or go to bed too late. You’ll have to discipline yourself to rest. I am thankful to have been influenced by some great men who live on a mission – who seem to have a limitless supply of motivation. Where does that come from? Paul said that he worked harder than them all, but it was really the grace of God working with him (1 Cor. 15:10). The Gospel is the great motivator. It buries the foundation of our passion deep in our impossibly-righteous standing before God. The Gospel is to believers as Tornado Alley is to storm-chasers. There is no other place for us to find a thrill.So, by all means, resolve to not waste your life. But don’t think an erratic, thrashing lifestyle guarantees a meaningful life. In fact, it guarantees the opposite. The good thing about bad motivations, though, is that God is often gracious enough to use them to lead us to the right motivation! So whatever reason you started for, keep going! Find your rock-solid motivation in the Gospel and go to work! Or don’t, but then don’t pretend you’re living for thrills, either.
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Deputation Update!
We have had a crazy last couple of months. We have been at our house about 5 days out of the last 60, but it has been worth it. Since our last prayer letter, we have been in missions conferences or some other service almost every night, seems like, and today we are headed to Memphis/Arkansas area for another week and missions conference. Last month we had another 5 new supporters take us on which brings us to about 70% of our support! Please pray that that will continue to rapidly grow and we will be able to be on the field ASAP. Our Generation Camp in Dayton, TN
Our home church, along with about a dozen missionaries and pastors come together to put on one of the best camps I can imagine. It is always full of crazy activities and competition, but also mission focused and will challenge and inspire you. I would like to encourage you think seriously about bringing a group of teenagers and/or college students and be a part of it. I have included a flyer with this letter for the Our Generation Camp this summer in Dayton, TN. Family Update (i.e. Baby Claire Update)
Claire is still doing very well and it is less than 2 months before she is due to arrive, so we are busy getting ready for her. Little by little we are collecting the million little things she is supposedly going to need. Pray for these new parents as we try to not mess things up! If you want to see more cute stuff and write her a note you can go to projectthailand.net/baby. Setup Fund
Please continue to pray for us as we continue to save toward our setup fund. I plan on having more information on our website soon about how you can help. Thank you so much for the prayers and support on our way to Thailand. Yours for the Gospel in Thailand, Philip and Lori Bassham
I never told about the last half of the survey trip. The first 8 days were extremely busy, but so were the last 5. DAY 9 Lotus - The Walmart Supercenter of Thailand. Amen. Fridges are tiny, Washing machines are cheap. Dryers are hard to find. Transformers are called "Deformed trucks". They have Oreos, but we are going to have to relearn every other brand for food, electronics, and everything else. Open Market for them, Bed for me - I felt like I was going to die, so I went back to bed and Lori and the others went to see what was available at a HUGE open market. They saw a bunch of stuff, I am sure. DAY 10 Wat Pho - We were ready for a little bit of an easier day by now, and our translator fell through for looking at houses, so even though I was sick I tried going out with everyone to Wat Pho - a HUGE temple complex next door to the Grande Palace that houses a 300' reclining Buddha along with about 1000 others. I had no energy and couldn’t walk, so I sat outside while everyone went in for the tour. Outback - We were very carnal and wanted some MEAT. Google Maps revealed an Outback Steakhouse, and I had been saving my money from not eating the last 3 days, so we went to go see if it was possible to eat a good steak - and it was! (Maybe the only place.) Amen and Amen. DAY 11 - Sunday Bangjak Baptist Church - We went to go see Rickey Salmon, but he was in the states for that week for his son's wedding. The church was started about 25 years ago and has been used greatly to train nationals and see people saved. Tommy Tucker - For lunch we went out with Tommy Tucker who has been there in the country for over 20 years and just turned over a church to a national pastor in the north and is now praying about a different and more needy area to start his next work. House Hunting - Sunday afternoon we had a few hours and Bro. Tucker took us around and looked at different neighborhoods getting prices, areas, and information. There are not really any real estate agents to speak of, so you have to do all of the legwork yourself - which is a little difficult if you are a newbie in the country. Randy Ashcraft - Randy let us come over to his house and ask him all kinds of personal questions about how much he pays for everything that he has ever done including setting up, buying and stocking a house, travel, and language school. He gave us more details about the process of getting a Visa than anyone else. DAY 12 Apartment looking - We had an idea of what houses looked like, but spent some time to look into what an apartment would look like. I think I like a house. Apartments are tiny and expensive. Pastor Kiatisock - Thai Pastor that has been very helpful to many missionaries coming into Thailand. We met with him for lunch. Grace Baptist Church - After lunch he took us over to his church and we spent the afternoon at his church asking him questions galore. DAY 13 Tour the Canals - One of the more unique aspects of the city. There are canals for miles that wind through part of the city, so we rented a little boat and saw a lot of the city from this perspective (with no traffic) and ended up at the palace. Grande Palace - This one of the most amazing parts of the whole trip. Almost took a whole day to see it, but a very interesting look at the history of the country. This is where the Emerald Buddha (the most revered image in the country) is housed. Murals on the walls tell the history of the country in terms of the spirits, demons, and battles. Very interesting. Ordered in Pizza - One last Thai meal before we left:) Only took an hour and a half to order. But it was good once we got it. Soon I will post some summary thoughts and we can process some of this activity and try to draw some conclusions.
We have been extremely blessed this last month and it feels like so much has been accomplished in answer to many prayers. There is much to communicate. Survey Trip Report!
Our Survey trip was extremely productive. We were there for 2 weeks, met with 19 missionaries, visited 2 cities and learned far too much to include here. We met every goal that we had for the trip and found a language school, an area of the city to live, looked at houses and living costs, and it was extremely beneficial for Lori as well! Thank you so much for praying, the Lord very clearly guided our steps as we traversed the country, kept us safe, and opened our eyes to a million opportunities to spread His word. Deputation Update!
Just in the week that we have been back from Thailand, we have heard of 3 new supporters which puts us somewhere around 66% of our support! As soon as we got back from Thailand we began a missions conference tour that will last all month long. We started in North Carolina, next going to OH, and then to TX. Family Update (i.e. Claire Update)
Claire Elane Bassham is still doing extremely well. I had no idea how many times they want you to go to the doctor, but its ridiculous! I didn’t exactly plan our deputation schedule around that, so I hope we can make it work. If you want to see more cute stuff and write her a note you can go to projectthailand.net/baby. Setup Fund Updates!
Since our last prayer letter, the Lord has provided for many very important items for our setup fund, for which we praise Him for! $800 has been provided toward shipping! Plane tickets have been provided! A hotel and first month’s rent has been provided! But there is still much to prepare for. If you would like to contribute, you can on our website or by sending it to our mission board, just please mark it for “Bassham Setup Fund” Thank you so much for the prayers and support on our way to Thailand. Yours for the Gospel in Thailand, Philip and Lori Bassham Our travel partners and a Thai pastor:
Roughly halfway through our trip here I feel like my head, heart, and body are about to explode. We have been going non-stop through sickness, jetlag, and obstacles. I'll give you a brief overview of what the days have entailed up to this point and hopefully be able to give more about what we have learned in later posts. DAY 1 Flew in -- We sat on the tarmac for 4.5 hours in LAX before our flight was cancelled, so we got in a little later than expected and didn’t get a nights rest to start out with, but oh well... Hotel -- Our first order of business was getting from the airport to our hotel and getting settled in. We almost got recruited by a shady "taxi driver" but we didn’t go along. Dr. Sehmish -- Our first missionary appointment. Met him at a McDonalds with one of his disciples for a few hours and I really appreciated his attitude toward the country, the people, and the ministry. DAY 2 Philip Pope -- He translated the Bible over a 20yr period of time and has started 6-7 churches here. He and his wife were extremely helpful. Told us about visas, schools, shopping, living, and set us on course to making some exciting contacts to learn about radio. Grocery shopping -- Doesn’t seem like a big deal, but Lori had made a list of what is in our kitchen at home to see what she could and could not find here. Lat Phrao Baptist Church - This was our first Thai church that we have ever been in and one of the churches that Bro. Pope started 20+ years ago. Very exciting times. DAY 3 Changed hotels -- The first one was all booked for that night, so we moved camp... Tickets to Chaing Mai -- We had some appointments in the north of the country and planned on taking a train up there, but met quite the forceful travel advisor that convinced us to fly - and we are VERY glad we listened! The tallest point in Thailand -- Rachael was sick by now, but the rest of us went to the 84th floor of a building in Bangkok to get a birds eye view of the city. OVERWHELMING. I will try to get some pictures up of this later... Found english-speaking taxi driver!!! -- It was an awesome experience to get in a taxi, ask a question in english and be able to understand a response. The Lord sent us Pepe, the awesomest taxi driver in Bangkok. DAY 4 - Sunday New Vision Baptist Church - One of the larger churches in Thailand. Went to see why everyone is there. Baptist Student Center - That afternoon we talked with some people from the Baptist Student Center that teaches a heap of people english and sees a lot of them saved and added to churches! Don't-remember-the-name Baptist Church -- Visited a new church that is only 6 months old and running over 30 ppl already. DAY 5 Language School Meeting -- We made an appointment to find out more about one of the best schools in the country. Ned and Wanda -- Met with an older couple that is here teaching in a seminary in Bangkok for a few hours and tried to catch some of their passion for serving the Lord. Radio Station -- Met a chinese pastor of a church in Bangkok that put up an antenna many years ago and has been broadcasting 1-2 km out from his church to the thousands upon thousands that live around his church. Trying to figure out how to do that! DAY 6 Flew to Chaing Mai -- City in the north where all the missionaries seem to end up. We went to find out why and talk with some of them. Rick Horn -- Picked us up right after we got there and we drove down to his place about 45 min south of the city to a huge compound he has built down there for the church, school, orphanage, and college. Tried to learn from his 25 years of experience. Tom Gaudet -- Very involved in translating, publishing, and providing materials to mission fields all over the world. Very encouraged to see his operation. Harman and Brian -- Saw 2 friends of mine for dinner (at the largest buffet ever). Two guys that have just arrived to learn about the moving experience. DAY 7 - My favorite day so far Stats guy #1 -- Met with the guy who is in charge of finding and tracking christian activity in all of southeast Asia. Extremely helpful and informative time with him. Stats guy #2 -- This guy was born and raised as a missionary kid in Thailand in the 50's and 60's and is extremely well connected and informed about everything related to church planting that is going on in Thailand. A firehose of information for hours on end. I was worn out after this, but thrilled. Pastor Sithone -- A national pastor north of Chaing Mai that we visited for Wednesday evening services. DAY 8 Back to Bangkok -- Early to the airport for the quick ride back. Hotel -- We are getting good at this. Worn Out -- All I want to do is sleep. Planning over lunch -- Brainstorming meeting to figure out where we want to go from here from all of our choices. Decided to skip some options and take an easy day tomorrow to rest a little. We are BEAT. Searching for Real Estate agents -- We aren't smart enough to find houses among the 5 million that are here. Writing what has been happening -- To let you know what a survey trip is all about. It is unbelievable to see the opportunities and need here for laborers. I'm not saying that so that you will send me, I am already coming, I am saying that because we need THOUSANDS MORE here to carry this load. Pick any corner of any street and start a church and I promise, you will not be taking anyones territory but the Devil's. COME HELP US!
True Buddhism or Not? If you have ever read anything about Thailand you may be led to believe that Thailand is a majority Theravada Buddhist nation. Some would say 95%. While it is true that the majority of Thai people would claim themselves to be Buddhist, the reality is that majority are not what the Thai would call “kreng sasanna” or fully devoted to their Buddhist faith. In fact, most Thai would have a wide variety of things that they respect, worship, or venerate in a typical day or week that would not be considered Buddhist at all. Most of these other things have to do with “spirits” or ghosts of people who are believed to have lived before in a past time. Daily Needs
Each of these articles of daily worship and veneration mainly have to do with one of the felt needs of: • Good Luck
• Prosperity
• Protection
Here are a just a few of the main ones seen daily:
Nang Kwak or แม่นางกวัก – She is the patron spirit deity of all sales people and businesses and can be seen in most every business in Thailand. You will see her sitting on a worship shelf with a glass of red liquid next to her beckoning passing potential customers to come in and make purchases. Her “cousin” Maneki Neko is a small white Japanese cat whose paw moves its paw back and forth to beckon customers. Pra Kruang or พระเครื่อง – These amulets contain a wide variety of images including those of past “super” monks believed to have magical powers to protect, give luck and prosperity to the people who proudly wear them . They can costs lots of money and have been said by some to be the cause of much of the denigration of the Buddhist religion in Thailand. Some owners show off their wealth by the number of them that are worn around their neck. Special “sacred” tattoos are said to bring the same king of protection. Guman Thong or กุมารทอง - The main purpose of creating the “Golden Child” is for protecting the owner. It is said to be a young child ghost that will fight the owner’s enemies and protect the owner’s treasures. I see these baby doll looking idols being fed real food daily. They are usually surrounded by small toys and are said to be jealous of other children. Owners refer to themselves as its “mother” or “father.” Regarding their creation, they have been tied to many diabolical practices which are said to make them more potent. An Issue of Dependence
Ask any true Thai Theravada (Pure Land) Buddhist monk and he will tell you that the only one that we should depend on for help is ourselves. Anything else is a crutch designed for those who are weak and will keep them from attaining true enlightenment leading to Nirvana. Thailand is a land that is full of the supernatural. It is place that is full of “ghosts”, “spirits”, and “deities.” Whether one who considers himself a “true Buddhist” likes it or not, these things a very real and intertwined part of daily Thai faith and practice. So, like the rest of us, most Thai people do NOT depend only on themselves in the true practice of their faith. They are putting their dependence and hope in something other than themselves even if only for the simple purpose of getting along better in this world. My question then is when will they come to understand that their dependence should not be in a “thing” but rather in a “person” and that being the One who gave them life, breath, and every good thing. When will they come to know, respect, worship, and love their Creator? (I Tim 6:17, Matthew 5:45, John 15:5 etc)
Deputation UpdateThis month we added 6 new supporting churches, which brings us up to 60% of our needed support! In January we had meetings in GA, AL, MS, SC, and TN and some of those committed to take us on in the future. The Lord has been working in our meetings. Just last night we had the chance to preach, the Lord worked, and 1 person made a profession of faith, and 2 others were counseling about surrendering their lives to missions! It is exciting to be in the Lord’s work as a missionary. As soon as we get back from Thailand, we will be in a full month of missions conferences in March! Family Update
Everything with the baby is going great and I think we decided on a name - Claire Elane Bassham. If you want to see more cute stuff and write her a note you can go to projectthailand.net/baby. Trip to Thailand
In a couple of days we are leaving for Thailand! We have all of our documents and will be embarking on our 28 hour trip through Los Angeles and Tokyo before finally arriving in Bangkok at midnight on Feb 15th. We have been saving for a while and we praise the Lord that we were able to save enough to make this trip Prayer requests for the trip: Discernment, wisdom, protection, and direction. We will be seeing multiple cities and talking with many missionaries and Thai believers and trying to discern a location to live, work, go to language school, and many other important issues. Setup Fund
As time draws ever nearer to our final departure, we are making preparations for the costs of moving and setting up in Thailand. What is a Setup Fund? A Setup Fund includes all the things we would need to get started in Thailand including expenses that come with moving to another country and setting up our home. We have to take into account that we will not be able to ship a lot of our things from home or borrow items from our friends and family close by. Thank you so much for the prayers and support on our way to Thailand. Yours for the Gospel in Thailand, Philip and Lori Bassham
Deputation Update Since our last prayer letter we have had 5 churches take us on for support and others promised for this year! Praise the Lord! We spent the last month in OH, TN, MS, AR, MO, and TX. We had a very good month considering the difficult time of deputation due to Christmas holidays. We were able to schedule some meetings in TX around some family for Christmas, so we are very thankful for the chance to spend time there. Pray for us this month as we We are Having a Girl!
We just found out this past week that our first child is going to be a girl! Everything is looking good so far and the due date is still at June 2nd and we are thankful for every way that the Lord continues to bless! Survey Trip coming up
Please be praying for our survey trip to Thailand coming up on Valentine's Day - February 14th - 29th. Pray for discernment, wisdom, protection, and provision. We will be seeing multiple cities and talking with many missionaries and Thai believers and trying to discern a location to live, work, go to language school, and many other important issues. We have some final things to solidify between now and then to get ready for international travel and we are asking the Lord to lead in our preparation. Summit Report
We have been asking for prayer for the Summit - a conference we had a part in between Christmas and the new year, and the Lord really blessed. There were many called into missions and many other decisions made, so thank you for praying. I played a small part in a wonderful conference and preached and taught in a few of the sessions - Intro to Asia, How the Gospel prepares us for ministry, and Your place in the King's Mission. Thank you so much for the prayers and support on our way to Thailand. Yours for the Gospel in Thailand, Philip and Lori Bassham
In a few hours (@2pm EST) around 300 people are launching into an intense 3 day missions-centered retreat in Gatlinburg, TN! I am very excited about what the Lord is going to do this year. The theme is "The King's Command" and everything is going to center around the King. We will be live-streaming all of the main sessions and some of the Break-Out sessions as well on BCWE.org/live where you can watch and participate in the online discussion. Pray with us for the next 3 Days that the Lord would send forth laborers into his harvest. Opening Session 2:00 – 2:50 pm The King and His Design – David Gardner Break Out Session #1 - 3:00 – 3:50 pm Introduction to Asia - Trent Cornwell, Jim Roberts, Will Hill, Philip Bassham Break Out Session #2 - 3:50 – 4:35 pm The Need for Pioneer Senders - Trent & Stephanie Cornwell Evening Session 5:45 – 7:45 pm The King’s Leading into the Unknown – Jim Roberts True Submission to the King – Tony Howeth The King and His Glory – OGTC Students Speaking to the King – Jeff Bush Lessons from Jonah: Rebelling from the King’s Command - Austin Gardner
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