Thailand and Myanmar: Rich in History

Greetings brethren, from Southeast Asia,

Debbie and I had a very pleasant visit with our Australian brethren in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia last Sabbath. Then on Monday we arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a series of meetings regarding the work in the countries of Myanmar and Thailand—meetings which have been very beneficial. The McNeelys joined us in Chiang Mai from their weekend visit to Singapore. The Myers have been in New Zealand.

Southeast Asia is rich in history, both secular and in Church of God history.

Thailand itself is a monarchy and a Buddhist country, where you see tributes and reminders of the state religion and the monarchy on many street corners. Intertwined in current Thai history is the Church of God. Those who have been in the Church for a long while will remember that Herbert Armstrong visited here and the Queen of Thailand visited Ambassador College in Pasadena, California. She is Queen Sirikit, who is still alive, turning 91 this summer.

Discussions with Leon and Gloria Sexton in Chiang Mai

Many of you remember Leon and Gloria Sexton. They have served in Thailand and Burma/Myanmar since 1999, working with the state. They have also been teaching the Bible, similar to Ambassador College, to many who have attended their Legacy Institute over the years. Their interest and work in this area dates back for decades.

Mr. Sexton has had several strokes, as you may know, but he is doing well, and has been quite participative in our meetings. He and Gloria have filled us in on much of the needed history of this area. It has been a pleasure to get to know them and discuss the future of the work, as Christ leads, in this area of the world.

The relationship between the Thai queen and the Church dates back to the 1970s and 1980s. Gloria mentioned how the queen once remarked that Ambassador College was her “favorite” college. She and Mr. Armstrong shared a bond over the “‘give’ way of life” message He took to the world, and the queen is still favorably disposed to the Church. In fact, as we learned from Leon and Gloria, at least one of the “ladies in waiting” who still attends the queen, visits the Sextons occasionally and is on the board of the Legacy Institute.

Darris McNeely, our wives and I have been meeting with the Sextons and Seng Aung and his wife (Seng Aung is an elder ordained by Mr. Sexton as pastor in a few Myanmar Churches of God). We were invited here to discuss the future of the work in Myanmar, and their work in Thailand.

We have learned a lot in a short amount of time, all of which is exciting, and which has given us cause to further thank God and seek Christ’s guidance as we seek to fulfill His commission to His Church.

The future for Myanmar and God’s Church

The work in Myanmar in one area is under the direction of Seng Aung, who was with us at the Philippine leadership conference held this past December. He is an able young man, schooled in the Bible by the Sextons at the school they run in Thailand. They attended that Bible school for two years.

In another area of Myanmar, there are additional churches of God which have been under the “umbrella” of UCGIA.

Myanmar itself is a very interesting, quite “misunderstood” nation which has been troubled for some time. Its history is telling and lends itself to the preaching of the hope in the gospel message of the Kingdom of God and the return of Jesus Christ.

Myanmar, formerly best known as Burma, was a British colony for over 100 years. It was a troubled existence with Britain, never peaceful. Burma was granted its independence in 1948, but it remained troubled and divided from within. Civil war broke out in 1949 and has existed for the past 75 years, with no end in sight. It is a country seemingly hopelessly divided, leaving its citizenry in disrepair.

Myanmar is a microcosm of the hopelessness and futility of man’s rule. “The way of peace they have not known,” the Bible says. That verse applies to this nation, and the world in which we live—which appears to be ever more divided, with one side hating the other. Meanwhile, there are those who are trying to script for humanity a new way of life, far away from God and His principles, with some in power, dictating to others how they will live and what they will worship.

As we travel and get to know our brethren all over the world, we see how desperately the world needs the message and hope of Jesus Christ. Lives are meaningless and purposeless without hope, peace and purpose. Thank God that He has opened our minds to the truth and commissioned us to take this “good news” to a dying, otherwise hopeless world.

All this gives us even more reason to pray for His direction and guidance, for His will to be done, and for all of us to be actively living the way of the life of His Kingdom, striving for that unity He desires for all of us, so that we may teach it in the Millennium.

We are assessing the work in Myanmar, Thailand and Southeast Asia, seeking God’s guidance now that we know and understand it better. There is a lot of work to do all over the world.

On to South Africa

Thursday evening all of us will be flying to South Africa for the leadership conference there which will include elders from South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Angola. We are so looking forward to meeting our brethren in Johannesburg for services this Sabbath. Your prayers, brethren, are so appreciated.

Have a wonderful rest of the week and Sabbath.

In Christ’s service,
Rick Shabi

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Beyond Today Presentations in New Zealand

This week, the New Zealand brethren had the privilege of having Steve Myers and his wife, Kathe, visit from Cincinnati. The brethren were uplifted and inspired by having a visit from the home office. While in New Zealand, Mr. Myers did a series of three presentations, with invitations going out to the readers of the Beyond Todaymagazine and members of the Church.

Mr. Myers spoke about our wonderful potential within God’s plan for us, humanity and our future with Him. With the troubling news all around us and the decline in moral values, looking to God’s plan helps us not only navigate the chaotic times we face but helps keep us focused on what God is doing through us as we prepare for a positive future in God’s plan. With God’s Holy Spirit and His wisdom, we are led to repentance in a way that our lives are changed to reflect His plan for us through our lives now.

There was excitement and energy present as the participants stayed, asked questions and interacted with the brethren and ministers who were present. Mr. Myers showed how all the world’s problems will be resolved in the most amazing way, exactly according to a plan that includes all nations and each of us individually.

The presentations were held in the cities of Auckland, Rotorua and Christchurch. There were 37 new people at the events at which the members were also present. A bonus was that one member was baptized after the presentation at Rotorua, coming into contact with the Church by attending a previous presentation that was done by Darris McNeely at the Feast of Tabernacles at Lake Taupo last October.

—Michael Fike, senior pastor, New Zealand

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Report From Camp Cotubic

At Camp Cotubic this year, 126 teens and 68 staff spent a week immersed in the Zone and learning about how important it is to “Stand Strong.” It was truly a wonderful time surrounded by God’s people. The weather was a mixture of everything from sunshine to pouring rain. For the most part, God protected us from any severe weather. On Tuesday, we were supposed to experience thunderstorms all afternoon, but we miraculously watched God dissolve the storm right in front of our eyes. Wednesday, we experienced mostly steady rain and many of the campers loved playing in the downpour.

Christian living classes began each day with a focus on “Stand Strong.” This included looking at the armor that God has given us to use to protect ourselves to fight human nature and the influence of Satan. God’s armor is always readily available to us—we just have to put it on. After that, the campers were provided with fun and challenging activities. There is always something for every camper with the high ropes course, arts and crafts, climbing wall (with a zipline if you make it to the top), basketball, speedaway, softball, amazing race, waterfront, Bible class and a service activity.

There is something to challenge everyone. One of my favorite experiences at camp is watching and cheering as campers conquer their fears. They learn they can accomplish something they didn’t think was possible, no matter how big or small. Success is measured on an individual basis and watching the dorms rally around their peers to get them to their goal is something that fills me with joy every time.

The staff did an excellent job of running each activity efficiently while providing lessons in the day’s theme. Watching our teens overcome their fears and never give up on a challenge was an inspiration to all of those serving this year. The dorms are uplifting to watch. They are constantly cheering each other on to succeed and always celebrate together.

Not only were the activities a wonderful opportunity for the campers, but they were encouraged to live the Zone even when they returned home. The Zone is not designed to be a one-week event, but how we are to live our lives every single day as we wait for the return of Jesus Christ. We should all work to build an environment that reflects what Jesus Christ will bring with Him at His return.

As wonderful as camp was, improvements can always be made, so we will be working hard until next year to provide an even better experience for our teens. I look forward to seeing everyone at Camp Cotubic in 2025!

—Joshua Creech, director, Camp Cotubic