Shalom All,
Shanah Tovah (in the Hebrew Language) also called as Happy New Year!
This week, Jenny and I will be taking AirAsia flight to Guangzhou. We will stay there for two days before leaving for Kunming to work in the farm and serve the local community for at least one year.
“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you (John 20 v 21).
It is not going to be easy for us, as our background and upbringing is urban and now we are going to live in a remote part of a mountainous village!
When I told this to my friends, they were incredulous.…”Are you sure that Jenny and you will adapt to life in the farm? ... yes, we can see that it is beautiful place but can you survive there without shopping malls, or even a 7 Eleven convenience store?”
Reading Isaiah 40 v 29 - 31 gives us the strength to say yes. . we shall overcome obstacles in our way, however difficult it might be, even with much testing when we might feel life crushing upon us, uncertain of our next step...yes, we are certain we can always call upon our God to renew our strength and hope. It is hard for us as human beings to completely understand God and His ways, yet we must obey Him if we want to serve Him...to seek His wisdom to know God's purpose better, 1 Chronicles 15 v 13 - 15.
Let me now talk a little about the Olive farm.
The farm was started with a vision from a man of God who implemented this vision in 2003. It is now run under a mission-company. Currently, the company is not making any profit as last month was its first harvest of olive oil fruits.
In due course, when the company turns profitable, it will use the profits to expand the Kingdom of God by sending local people to do mission works. All the first fruits harvests, whether vegetables or other crops will be celebrated with the local farmers in a thanksgiving celebration in a free sharing of such harvests. Todate, there are over 10,000 olive trees (most from seedlings of trees is from Israel, some from Australia and others from Europe) in this farm ,besides the growing of some wheat, barley, fig trees, pomegranates and honey.
The farm, over 100 acres, is on a land elevation of 2,200 ft. above sea level.
All praise to our God for His mighty work and blessings!
We will be helping in administration work and promote the farm as a camp retreat, also as a farm tour and visit venue, with our own handicraft works for sale and added attraction. In addition, we will help out in the teaching of English and Thai in the schools, make home visitation to different villages in the vicinity and train new believers in the Word of God. There are so many opportunities waiting for willing and helping hands in the ministry of God in this neglected area.
The farm does not provide us any salary or allowance, except free accommodation. We help out on a volunteer basis.
There is always a problem in transport and we are praying about it. From the farm to the nearest small town is 20km just to get some necessary groceries. If we plan to go to Kunming city, it is 80km away...to get there by public transport is about 20km away from the farm. It is also difficult for us to go to the nearby villages for visitation as we need to walk uphill and downhill in this mountainous area. The only thing we can depend on are the farmer’s vehicle to bring us to more accessible roads, but we should not be imposing on them too often. We are seeking the Lord for a second hand car and will convert our license to Driving License for convenience.
We now have a 2-year multiple entry tourist visa that gives us a maximum stay of 60 days per entry. Therefore, we have to exit from China every 58 - 60 days to make our continued stay possible. That will require us to leave Yunnan to a border town nearest us in Vietnam…From Kunming by bus to the border will take us 12 - 14 hours on a single trip and it will cost USD 35 - 40 per person per trip.
Due to political and religious sensitivity, I will not be able to update you with the usual mission report. Instead, I will update you with a coverage of the social or community activities. As some of you may be aware, many websites have already been blocked by the government including Facebook, blogs and others. All emails sent out, will be scanned by the cyber police through Internet Service Protocol (ISP), as the government is very cautious about security threats to the country. Hence, we need to be more circumspect in what we send out. I hope you will understand
Finally, allow me to quote in closing verses from Philippians 4 v10 - 19;
“How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me….Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty…so you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this…I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness…I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus…And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus”.
We also want to invite you to visit the first and biggest olive farm in East Asia where you can do short ministry, retreats or relaxation.
Should you have this interest, do send me an email and I will be most happy to send you an itinerary and estimated cost. You are also most welcomes to Skype me (Username: macgyversteve) or any chat messengers so that I can bring you around the farm by video conference.
Thank you for your time, your prayers and your support in our ministry.
To God be the glory!
Blessing,
Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok and Sister Jenny P Kok
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