Holistic Missions
Bamboo structures guarding the path to a village or fields aimed at protecting people from spirits wishing to harm them. Especially in our early years in Thailand, most of the villages we visited were already Christian. As an agricultural missionary, I worked to help people better support themselves by introducing new crops like coffee and helping with village-based irrigation and water systems. Marcia was heavily involved in helping young people get an education. On a couple occasions, we’d meet other westerners that upon hearing we weren’t serving as a pastor or church planter would say something to the effect, “Oh, so you’re not a real missionary.” Real or not, one of our first lessons learned while visiting villages in the more remote areas was the value of the holistic style of mission work that the American Baptists and TBMF practiced. Traditionally, the Karen were animists where their belief system is based on keeping the spirits appeased. If any spirit is left unappease...
