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TRIBES AND TRAILS

IN THAILAND
April, 1964 Vol. 13, No. 1
Published twice yearly, in the
spring and autumn, by undenom
inational Christian missionaries
laboring to establish in Thailand
(Siam) self-supporting churches
after the New Testament pattern.
This bulletin is distributed with
the hope of gaining needed pray
er support for the Thailand work,
of urging every Christian to heed
the Master's call to service, and
of encouraging all to greater
effort in the spread of simple
undenominational Christianity
throughout the world. Several
missionaries committed to this
purpose are presently laboring
in Bangkok, Thailand's capital,
at, or near Chiengkam and Pua
in extreme Northern Thailand.
THE COVER PICTURE shows
happy Thai subjects carrying be
loved Thailand King on the Gold
en Palanquin of his ancestors.
The King was dressed in an
cient state costume on the occa
sion of a nation-wide celebration
of his thirty-sixth birthday.
The procession was the crown
ing moment in three days of nat
ional celebrations to honor the
King's completion of his third
cycle of life. Special stamps and
coins were issued and the King
released 15,000 prisoners.
News Notes
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Roush and
children left Thailand in Novem
ber 1963 and are now in Phoenix,
Arizona.
Miss Imogene Williams moved
to Pua, Nan in October 1963 to
supervise the hostel for Meo
tribes children. She is called "Maa
Liang" (mother who takes care
of us) by the children.
The Don Byers and David Fil-
beck families will be leaving Thai
land for furloughs in June.
Mr. and Mrs. Garland Bare and
family expect to return from
furlough in June.
Carmen Leone was born to Mr.
and Mrs. David Filbeck Febru
ary 3rd. She has two brothers.
Can one really pray effectually
for a person or needs far remov
ed from him? Is it necessary?
Someone has said there are so
many needs in the local church
that there is no time to pray for
people thousands of miles away.
Also that, since specific needs
are not known, it is much better
for local people to pray only for
local needs and the missionary
to pray for the needs of his par
ticular field.
There is some truth in this, but
Paul was not content to pray only
for local need. He not only pray
ed for those in other places, but
taught in all of his letters that
all Christians should pray for
others.
In reading -the lives of great
prayer warriers we learn that
they were not geographically
bound in their prayers. When the
Lisu tribespeople turned to the
Lord by the hundreds in China,
the pioneer missionary Fraser,
gave large credit to the faithful
prayer of his mother and a group
of other women who set aside a
definite time daily to pray for the
salvation of the Lisu.
Yes, we need to pray for each
other. The missionary wants to
pray for the needs of his home
and supporting churches, and he
wants and needs the same pray
er support from them.
Imogene Williams
CALEAWAY FAMILY BUSY
Lelan Callaway is stationed at
San Diego, California naval base.
The other Callaway children are
attending International School in
Bangkok and Lois must be with
them there until such time as the
Lord sees fit to provide hostel
parents for the children. Lois is
continuing while in Bangkok with
the translation of Mark into Yao
with the assistance of the Yao
Christian woman, M Fay Awn,
whom C. W. baptized some 13
years ago but who has lived in
Bangkok most of the time since.
C. W. continues with the witness
among the Yao in Chiengkam
area but with occasional visits
to the family in Bangkok. The
Callaway family look forward to
a hanpy and busy time together
in Chiengkam next summer.
Chiengkam Believers' Conference
Growing In Christ
With hearts full of praise and
rejoicing folks arrived on foot or
by jeeps, oxcarts, trucks or bi
cycles to attend the Believers'
Conference in Chiengkam Janu
ary 31 to February 2. Over 200
were present on Sunday repre
senting many different villages
and different churches. Several
Thai nationals and missionaries
bi'ought messages on the theme
"Growing into the Stature of the
Fulness of Christ".
Old uncle Ban had arrived
early, and he and some of the
local Christians built the canopy
whore the rneetings would bo
hold and fixed up kitchen facili
ties for feeding the crowd. He
joyfully greeted each new group
that arrived and made sure that
they had a place to sleep and
were comfortable. There was
praise in his heart to the Lord as
he looked over the group and
saw his wife, two daughters and
three sons entering into the
fellowship. At first they had
opposed his stand for Christ, but
as they saw the change in his
life and the joy and peace that
he had, gradually, one by one,
they, too, had come to know the
Lord. And yet his heart was
burdened for one son and his
daughters-in-law who are still
out of Christ and for two sons
who confessed Christ but were
not living for Him. Praise and
prayer are mixed in this man's
life together with a readiness to
witness and a willingness to serve
in any way that he can. He is
growing in the fulness of Christ.
The power of the Word was
manifested in its convicting
power. Aftei- listening to a mess
age on Peter's denial of Christ
and how graciously Christ re
stored him to fellowship, several
were burdened to pray for those
who had backslidden, and one
man felt compelled the next
moi-ning to take some other-
Christians to seek to bring one
wanderer back to the Lord. As
a result the farnily came to the
convention and the husband made
confession of sin and asked for
prayer. Praise God for the power
of His Word.
As a special feature on Satur
day the children from the leprosy
village of Sope Waan sang chor
uses and hymns. They really love
to sing and are not at all shy
quickly capturing the attention
Of everyone. The cooks and help
ers left their work and came to
listen.
A group of 54 gathered in Pua
and were to come to the conven
tion by a chartered truck. At the
last minute it refused to come
and other transportation couldn't
be arranged in time for that large
a group, so they selected seven
representatives and sent them
to Chiengkam. They arrived a
(Continued on Page Eight)
Mrs. Iwaan Buntan, one of our
first believers. There is a thrill
ing story about the conversion
of this lady. She is a very sickly
woman. As is the custom of the
tribal people when sickness oc
curs, she and her husband per
formed various demon ceremon
ies. The tribal natives think that
sickness is due to the displeasure
of demons or spirits, and they
must be placated to get well.
After much money and time
was spent in vain in placating
the spirits, they decided to try the
way of God. But because she has
TB and a possible bad heart, she
is still in poor health. Yet her
faith has grown and on Christ
mas Day last, she was baptized.
Mr. Jan Dli, the local village
shaman or .si)irit doctor. When a
A church service in the Mai lan
guage. David Filbeck is teaching
a hymn to the four tribal people
who came to church. Son Amby
Filbeck is next. The two men are
Mr. Khio and Mr. Kham. The
r
The front porch of our moun
tain cabin. In living in a village
of the Mai tribe we built a house
out of the same material that
they use. This is a bamboo house
with a thatched roof. Deloris
Filbeck is standing on the front
porch.
person is sick he goes to this man
who will divine the spirits to see
which one has been offended and
is causing the sickness. Once the
spirit is discovered, the person
must sacrifice some animal to
make the spirit happy. In this
picture Mr. Jan Dii is playing a
native tribal instrument. It is
made from a big gourd with a
bamboo pole tied to it. The
strings are vines.
women are Mrs. Kham and Mrs.
Iwaan Buntan. In this picture all
are Christians except Mr. Khio.
A church service usually lasts
about 20 minutes since their lis
tening span is limited.
Lost! Praise the Lord!
"Don't move tonight. Teacher,
or you'll fall out of bed."
"Well, Glass, at least we can
stretch out our full length."
It was not easy to count our
blessings under the circumstan
ces. We had expected to reach
Rubber Forest Yao Village and
spend the evening witnessing to
a crowd of tribespeople. Instead
our afternoon trail had dwindled
away to nothing and here we
were lost in a mountain-side rice
field.
Spotting a distant roof at dusk
we made for it. Stumbling over
fallen logs and holes hidden by
the rice and weeds we had fin
ally reached this place after dark.
The shelter had no walls. It con
sisted of but a flimsy bamboo
platform and a thatched roof. Its
only purpose was as an occasion
al resting spot for the Miao
tribespeople on hot days when
they were down from their moun
tain top village at work in this
isolated field. Even so Mr. Glass
and I were relieved to have even
this and not to have to make a
shelter of our own in the eerie
jungle night.
At Phu Lang Ga Village inter
est in the Gospel was better than
on previous trips and we had
tarried there until almost noon.
Seeing we would not be persuad
ed to stay for lunch the chief
tains son had given us steamed
rice and dried pork wrapped in
banana leaves for our journey.
Now alone in the jungle field we
wore grateful for the tribal gen
erosity.
Piayei-s that night were more
expressive of thanksgiving than
usual. After all we had enough
food for supper, so that we were
not uncomfortably hungry and
we had a roof over our heads. It
could indeed have been worse.
Sunlight still revealed no trib
al village nor any trail. Before
dark the previous night we had
seen Spice Creek Thai Village
in the valley below, so the best
course seemed to be to follow
the nearby stream down until
it met the main river in the val-
iVIelvy Byers and David Calla-
way carry water to camp in bam
boo section. They and their fath
ers slept in these leaf-roofed jun
gle shelters on a mountain trip.
ley. Apparently we would not
be able to reach Rubber Forest
Village on this trip. To return up
the mountain to get fresh instruc
tions would require too much
time and effort. Then, too, even
though we had been urged to
visit Rubber Forest, would they
really care to hear? Or did they
just want medicine?
Getting down into the stream
bed was not easy. From tree to
bush to I'ock to tuft of grass we
gingerly lowered ourselves and
packs down the steep slope and
into the small stream. Then we
sloshed along over boulders and
fallen trees.
Only five minutes of this slow
travel brought us to a trail cross
ing a stream. Should we follow
this trail? And if so, to the right
or to the left? No road sign told
us where it led.
Just then there appeared a Yao
man and wifeshe with baby
tied on her backon the trail. I
did not at first recognize him but
found later he was Gyim Jiu, son
(Continued on Page Eight)
Harry Schaefer and friends in
front of Christian Center
Educating Children
of Missionaries
In America education, lip to
high school, is taken for granted.
Children of American mission
aries serving in foreign lands,
who will return to America for
their college days and adult life,
must be similarly prepared. Local
schools, if any exist at all, are
usually in the vernacular lan
guage and taught by vastly diff
erent methods than that which
the American missionary child
needs. Local schools would be a
worthwhile experience for a year
or two. But the adjustment prob
lems for a missionary child are
great, and would be better not
be added to in this way. It would
be a training vastly different
than the kind needed to adjust
to American college life.
So, to the missionary wife's
many other projects, is usually
added the task of being teacher
to her own children. One-room
correspondence schools are a part
of Mission Compounds and homos
all over Africa, the Middle East
and Asia. This is easy for teach
ing one or two children in the be
ginning grades. But as the stu
dent number increases and the
range begins to roach subjects
like chemistry, calculus and trig
onometry missionary parents
seek relief in their instructional
loads. Some pool their resources
and one parent becomes a full
time teacher, or several groups
operate a school and import
American teachers to teach their
children. Most mission areas have
these schools whore the children
of missionaries can live in the
hostels and study in American
type classes and curriculum. But
cost of transportation to the
schools, and tuition and hostel
fees, may I'lm as high as $50 per
child per month.
There is one such school in
North Thailand, but classes go
only up to the eighth gi-ade. High
school students have had to go
to India, to one of the two
schools there, where our India
missionaries send their children.
This involves a round trip of 2500
miles every year, and means sep
aration from the parents for nine
months of the year.
With the growth in American
commitments overseas a chain of
International Schools has sprung
up. They are privately operated,
but with American cun-iculum
and mostly American students
and teachers. Tokyo, Manila,
Singapore, Bangkok, New Delhi,
Rangoon and cities in Europe, the
Middle East and Africa now have
such schools. The majority of the
teachei'S are mothers who have
taught before or are trained
teachers, and each school has
many nationalities enrolledal
though Americans are the largest
group.
These schools use American
text books, administer U. S.
standardized tests, and college
entrance tests; so students find
no difficulties in transferring
back to American schools. Many
have professional administrators
at the head of the school.
The Harry Scliaefer children
also attend this school, and he is
the school counselor, thus doing
his share, as do other parents, by
teaching and helping out. All of
the other children of our mission
aries are being taught by corres
pondence courses by their moth
ers, or are in the United States.
Harry D. Schaefer
Only One
Only one Meo Christian in all
Oi Nan Province. Sounds bad,
doesn't it? It is. Will there be
more soon? We hope so. Some
years ago a young man accepted
Christ and was faithful for sev
eral years but constant prossui-e
from family and friends caused
him to turn back. Every sickness,
accident oi- crop failure in the
village was accredited to his hav
ing angered the spirits by becom
ing a Christian. Daily, weekly and
monthly he was admonished by
oldc!- relatives to deny Christ, be
"unbaptized" and eventually it
was too much for him. Had there
been another Christian in the
tribe to stand v/ith him maybe
ho could have remained faithful
but there was no one and the
missionary was far away.
Now there is another Christian
among the Meo. He, too, is a
young man, now 24 years old.
When he was baptized his wife
threatened to leave him unless
he renounced Christ. Her family
would not enter his house nor
allow him to entei- theirs. His
father, the village headman, had
much authority, but Chao did
not reject Christ.
Chao is the best educated Meo
in Nan Province, perhaps in the
country, and is respected by his
people and by the Thai. His fath
er, seeing the advantage of edu
cation, sent his oldest son to a
Thai school some years ago and
Chao was an excellent student.
The Thai Government, with
U. S. aid and advice, is now en
deavoring to help the mountain
tribes of Thailand in agriculture,
animal husbandry and other
things. Chao was the first person
selected for a study course. He
was also chosen by the Thai Bor
der Police as an interpreter. In
January this year a two months
course in Chicnginai began for
-44 Meo and 20 Yao. No Moo in
the Nan area was willing to go
unless Chao wont with them.
There was much concern as
Chao went off to the "big city".
A Meo family, relatives of Cliao
who have heard the gospel but
have not yet i-esponded to it.
Could ho remain faithful with
the added temptations? Much
prayer wont up for him and a
letter was written to a mission
ary in Chiengmai to try and con
tact Chao. Before the missionary
had time Chao had sought hun
out for Christian fellowship. Ho
took eight Moo with him to
church. The missionary wi'ote
that it was wonderful the way
Chao was "letting his light
shine".
Chao's younger brother and
sister are in the hostel for tribal
children in Pua. The brother says
he believes and would like to
enter but is afraid of what his
people will do for him. He has
seen his big brother suffer as a
Chi'lstian and doesn't think he
can take it.
These are changing times for
the mountain people. The Thai
Government realizes it must help
them now or lose them to Comm
unism. The missionaries feel they
must win them now or lose them
to materialism. Pray with us for
all of the Meo tribcspeople but
especially for Chao as he will be
a leader of his people. Pray that
he might lead them to Christ.
Imogene Williams
Pua, Nan
GROWING IN CHRIST (Continued from Page 3)
day late, but received a warm
welcome and shared in the last
two days of the convention. Don
Byers made a quick change in
his plans and stayed behind and
had a one day convention in Pua
for those who were unable to go
to Chiengkam.
On Sunday morning just after
the^ service began an oxcart
arrived literally overflowing with
children. The driver was a 10 or
12 year old boy. As the children
quickly jumped out, one lone wo
man could be seen in the cart.
She quickly joined the group
as they went over to sit on the
mats under the canopy. After the
first service I gathered the child
ren together at the Callaway
home for a Bible class while the
adults had a communion service.
There were about 60 children
present, and they made the raft
ers ring as they sang the chor
uses. Some of the children had
never been in a Christian service
before, others had never had
much fellowship with other chil
dren, for in some of the villages
the services are boycotted and
children are forbidden to attend.
Children from Sope Waan helped
teach the choruses and motions
to the others. It was a real thrill
to teach such a responsive group
of children.
The meeting is only a memory
now, and yet results are being
seen in the lives of the Christians
as they seek to walk more close
ly to the Lord and to grow into
the stature of the fullness of
Christ.
^Dorothy Uhlig
Chiengkam, Chiengrai, Thailand
LOST! PRAISE THE LORD! (Continued from Page 5)
of the Yao woman who had in
vited us to Rubber Forest. On
previous trips I had twice stayed
in their home when they had
lived in other villages.
Rain that day kept both us and
the Yao in Rubber Forest village.
What a wonderful opportunity
to tell the old, old story! And we
kept at it until far into the night.
Our difficulty in reaching this
place made the villagers more
appreciative, I believe, of our
TRIBES AND TRAILS
IN THAILAND
Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Callaway,
Missionaries to Thailand
Mailed by:
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Canadian, Texas
RETURN REQUESTED
message. And also it caused us
to spend more time there than
we would have taken otherwise.
Gyim Jiu asked many searching
questions. He says he wants to
learn more about this Christian
trail and that he and his family
might become Christians.
It will be worth it all if our
having lost our trail will help
them to find the right one.
C. W. Callaway
Chiengkam, Chiengrai, Thailand
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Canadian, Tex.
Permit No. 5

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