Participants:
Series Code: AFM
Program Code: AFM000003
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01:43 Above the mountain jungles of northern Thailand,
01:47 the clouds swirl and dance in impossible patterns 01:51 and drift down between bamboo houses and along mud streets. 01:56 Up on these ridges, it is easy to feel as if you are 02:00 on an island a thousand years from anywhere else. 02:06 Here a small minority tribe, called the Mien, clear their 02:11 land and build their houses. 02:14 Their tidy little villages seem as if they might have stood 02:18 on these mountaintops since the beginning of time. 02:22 but, in truth, the Mien people of northern Thailand 02:26 are far from home. 02:31 The Mien people carry with them copies of an ancient scroll 02:35 lettered in Chinese characters. 02:37 The scroll tells the legend of Pan Hu, the Dragon Dog. 02:42 The legend begins in the 13th century on the southeastern 02:47 coast of imperial China at a time of fighting and 02:51 unrest in the empire. 02:54 In the emperor's court, a mysterious foreigner 02:57 by the name of Pan Hu stepped out of obscurity 03:00 and volunteered for an impossible mission: to travel 03:04 in disguise into the lands of a powerful opposing warlord 03:08 and singlehandedly assassinate him. 03:12 The details of Pan Hu's great act of bravery and daring 03:16 are lost to time, but we do know he eventually returned to 03:21 the emperor, having carried out his mission against all odds. 03:26 The emperor was so grateful to Pan Hu that he gave him the 03:30 title of "Dragon Dog" and presented a princess to him 03:34 to be his wife. 03:37 Pan Hu and the princess settled in the southern 03:40 mountains of China. 03:42 Their twelve children became twelve clans. 03:47 When Pan Hu died, the emperor honored him by issuing an 03:51 imperial edict, granting his descendants freedom from taxes, 03:56 exemption from military service, and possession of the southern 03:59 mountains of China forever. 04:03 The Mien have copied and preserved this edict down 04:07 through the centuries and still carry it with them as a reminder 04:11 of their high past. 04:15 The old days of honor and glory in the courts 04:18 of imperial China are long past for the 04:20 descendants of the great Pan Hu. 04:24 Over the ensuing centuries, they have become wanderers 04:27 on the earth, spreading out from southern China through the 04:31 northern parts of Vietnam, Laos and, most recently, Thailand. 04:37 In all their migrations, the Mien people have stubbornly 04:41 maintained their own culture and way of life. 04:45 Mien villages are very distinct from their Thai counterparts. 04:49 Harking back to their origins in the mountains of China, 04:53 the Mien prefer to build their villages in the rugged ranges 04:56 of northern Thailand. 05:00 On these mountainsides, the Mien cultivate a special variety of 05:04 rice that grows well on the steep slopes. 05:09 Thai villages, on the other hand, are usually situated in 05:13 the lowlands. Thais grow rice in flooded rice paddies which they 05:19 cultivate with modern machinery. 05:25 Though most of them speak Thai, Mien people prefer to speak 05:29 their traditional Mien language among themselves. 05:34 Mien people have also preserved the reading and writing of 05:38 Chinese characters. 05:41 In fact, the Mien people are much more Chinese than Thai 05:45 in their customs and way of life. 05:50 The mien also preserve their unique heritage 05:53 through their crafts. 05:54 Needlepoint is a cultural pastime for Mien women. 06:00 The delicate, precise stitches preserve ancient 06:03 memories of the mountains of southern China. 06:08 To these old forms, the women add new designs 06:12 limited only by imagination. 06:16 In fact, a Mien bride's value is determined in part by the 06:20 quality of her needlepoint, the creativity of her designs, 06:24 and her artistry in choosing colors. 06:29 Another Mien heritage is silversmithing. 06:33 On any given day, you can find small groups of Mien artisans 06:37 gathered in front of their houses. 06:41 As they chat with their friends, each individual performs 06:45 his or her step of the process with practiced skill and speed. 06:52 Gradually, spools of silver wire become long intricate chains. 07:01 Raw silver sheets become intricately figured purses 07:05 And business card holders. 07:11 The Mien use only simple hand tools and gasoline powered 07:15 torches in their work. 07:18 Though their silver work sells for good money, the skill and 07:23 time the Mien invest into each piece keeps their 07:26 profits quite modest. 07:32 Perhaps the most fundamental thing that sets the Mien apart 07:35 is their spirituality. 07:38 The Mien practice a complex system of auspicious days, 07:41 taboos, and appeasements based on thirteenth century 07:45 Chinese Taoism. 07:49 They worship a hierarchy of deities, all ruled 07:52 by the Jade Emperor. 07:56 For high level spirit ceremonies, the Mien display 07:59 sacred paintings of the deities. 08:02 They dance before these paintings and 08:06 chant their petitions. 08:12 In addition to the Taoist deities, the Mien also worship 08:16 the spirits of their ancestors. 08:19 They believe that they must feed their ancestors with 08:23 frequent sacrifices of chicken and whiskey to keep them from 08:26 going hungry in the spirit world. 08:30 They build tiny spirit houses and lavish gifts on them 08:34 for their departed ancestors. 08:37 The Mien look to the spirits for material blessings and 08:42 for healing. 08:45 This woman suffers from diabetes and has lost feeling 08:48 in her hand. 08:51 While her granddaughter massages her hand, 08:54 a local spirit doctor conducts a ceremony to appease the 08:58 spirits and drive away the numbness from her hand. 09:04 It is Mien custom to pay off the spirits with spirit money 09:08 which they cut from special paper and emboss for 09:11 the purpose. 09:16 The spirit doctor counts out piles of this money for the 09:19 spirits and casts lots to see if it is enough. 09:25 When he has finished negotiating, he burns 09:29 the money to send it to the spirit world. 09:36 In all their hundreds of years of wandering, the Mien people 09:40 have endeavored to maintain their distinct cultural identity 09:44 and preserve their family structure and way of life. 09:48 The small Mien village of Nam Khong, just a few miles 09:52 from the Thai city of Nan, and the even smaller village 09:56 of Bang Korn 120 miles northwest in the mountains near Chiang Rai 10:01 are representative of most Mien settlements today. 10:05 Each family scratches a livelihood from the mountain 10:09 fields during the day, and in the evenings 10:12 they gather to sing the songs of their history. 10:18 But despite their generations of resolve to preserve the old 10:22 ways, to stay cohesive, and to remain separate from the rest 10:26 of the world, the Mien people of northern Thailand 10:29 are at a crossroads. 10:33 By the thousands, young Mien are leaving their peaceful 10:37 mountain villages to answer the siren's song of materialism 10:41 and western lifestyle ideals. 10:44 In pursuing these externals, they are setting aside 10:47 their Mien identity and merging with a society that 10:51 values neither their unique history nor their 10:54 distinctive way of life. 10:57 Modern western values threaten to undo seven centuries 11:01 of Mien cultural identity in one generation. 11:07 For the Mien people of northern Thailand, the world 11:11 has become too small. There is nowhere for them 11:14 to hide from the forces that threaten their identity 11:17 as a people. 11:19 Down through the centuries, with grit and determination, 11:23 they have held tightly to their high past, for it gives them 11:26 pride and a sense of belonging to a time that was kinder to 11:30 them than these new days. 11:33 What will be the fate of the Mien people? 11:39 Their past is slipping through their fingers and the future 11:43 is uncertain. 11:48 It is morning in the villages of Bang Korn and Nam Khong. 11:54 Duang Wilson and Jennifer Dill are preparing breakfast. 11:58 The Wilsons and the Dills are missionaries with 12:01 Adventist Frontier Missions. 12:06 The message these two families bring to the Mien people 12:10 is unique in this day and age. It is a message of hope. 12:14 The God of all creation is offering the Mien something 12:18 even better than a noble past - A glorious future. 12:25 David and Jennifer Dill with their daughters 12:27 Jessica and Juliana moved into the mountain village 12:31 of Bang Korn in May of 1996. 12:35 This village is home to both Mien and Ahka people. 12:41 The road leading to this little village is quite an 12:45 adventure. During very wet times of the year, 12:48 it is completely impassable. 12:53 Before the Dills came to Bang Korn, they heard that the 12:57 village chief, or gamnon, was actively opposed to any type 13:01 of Christian influence in the village. 13:03 Hoping to make peace, the Dills went to visit the gamnon. 13:10 Amazingly, the gamnon took a liking to the Dills and invited 13:13 them to come and live on a piece of his land in the 13:16 middle of the village. 13:17 Their friendship grew. Then one day the gamnon 13:23 did something truly unprecedented. He adopted 13:26 David unofficially as his son and named him Pae Won Hin, 13:32 the gamon's own family name. 13:36 The Dills praised God for the friendship of this very 13:40 influential man. 13:44 The Dills ministry in Bang Korn is very simple. 13:47 They spend each day polishing their Mien language abilities 13:50 and building friendships with their neighbors. 13:54 As AFM missionaries, their goal is to raise up a 13:58 congregation of believers in Bang Korn. 14:02 But first, they must lay the groundwork, a foundation of 14:05 genuine trust and friendship with the Mien people. 14:11 As the Dills learn the heart language of the Mien, 14:15 and absorb Mien culture, they are finding culturally 14:18 relevant ways to touch Mien hearts with the gospel 14:22 of Jesus Christ. 14:25 The Dills invest each day in helping their community. 14:30 This often means taking part in routine maintenance of the 14:33 village water system. 14:36 Water for all the homes in the village comes from a mountain 14:40 stream some distance away. 14:44 Pipes carry the water to the village tanks. 14:48 During the rainy season, floods and landslides 14:52 frequently disrupt the stream and cut off the water supply. 14:56 As a member of the community, David takes his turn hiking out 15:01 to the stream and fixing the small dam to restore the water. 15:07 Jennifer Dill, a registered nurse, uses her medical 15:11 training to reach out to the community. 15:14 She runs an impromptu medical clinic on the front porch. 15:20 In addition to all the other ways the Dills have helped 15:23 the village of Bang Korn, they also have found a way to assist 15:27 the young people with their schooling. 15:30 About two hours from Bang Korn is Chiangmai Adventist Academy. 15:36 The Dills have raised funds to sponsor several children from 15:41 the village to board at this school and study in a 15:44 Christian environment. 15:47 David drives a truckload of students to the academy 15:50 each term and then home again for break. 15:55 The families of these students are amazed at the difference 15:58 this school is making. 16:00 Their parents and friends find them kinder, more 16:05 respectful and more helpful than they ever were before. 16:11 The Dills' next major goal is to develop a complete set 16:14 of Bible studies in the language and cultural context 16:18 of the Mien. 16:19 The Dills pray that these lessons will someday spread 16:23 among the Mien people and with the inworking of the 16:26 Holy Spirit, open their hearts to the God who longs for them 16:30 to know Him and return His love. 16:36 Roughly 120 miles southeast of Bang Korn, in the Mien 16:40 village of Nam Khong, Brian and Duang Wilson are 16:45 praying a similar prayer. 16:48 The Wilsons came to live in Nam Khong in June of 1995. 16:54 Just like the Dills, the Wilsons' work consists mostly 16:57 of friendship evangelism, building relationships with 17:01 their neighbors. 17:04 It is really a very simple formula for ministry. 17:08 They live among the Mien, intertwining their daily lives 17:11 with their neighbors and demonstrating the 17:14 Christian life. 17:17 They keep a watchful eye for anyone showing interest in 17:20 spiritual things, ever prepared to share the gospel 17:23 with them and point them to the truth. 17:28 Women and girls from the village regularly come to the 17:32 house to visit Duang, to play with three-year-old Benya, 17:35 or to hold Baby Eliyja. 17:38 Duang has made her home into quite a ministry. 17:42 She has had many heart to heart conversations about spiritual 17:46 things with her friends. 17:48 The Holy Spirit has blessed their time together. 17:52 With Duang's gentle guidance, several women and girls have 17:57 begun to open their minds and hearts to God's Spirit. 18:02 While Duang ministers at home, Brian walks the streets of 18:06 Nam Khong, visiting with people and keeping up friendships. 18:11 Brian has invested a great deal of time and energy in 18:15 learning the Mien language and culture. 18:17 This preparation allows him to reach the Mien with 18:20 approaches that fit their own culture. 18:23 Brian has developed some key friendships with spirit doctors 18:28 and spirit mediums in the village. 18:31 He has found these men to be some of the most open to 18:34 discussions of spiritual things. 18:37 Because of their beliefs in the deities, it is very 18:41 difficult for the Mien to grasp the Christian concept of a 18:45 single, all powerful God. 18:49 These spirit doctors are interested to hear the 18:52 story of Jesus. 18:54 However, since they misunderstand the state of 18:57 the dead, they ask, "Who will feed my dead parents 19:01 and grandparents if I become a Christian? How can I be 19:04 disloyal to my parents and not feed them by performing 19:07 spirit ceremonies?" 19:09 They also fear that, if they become Christians, they will 19:13 starve in the spirit world after they die. 19:16 Most are unwilling to even listen to Bible truths 19:19 that contradict what they believe to be true about 19:22 life after death. 19:24 In his talks with these influential men, Brian 19:29 claims God's promise that His Word will not return 19:33 to Him without effect. 19:37 The Wilsons are not entirely alone in their ministry. A young 19:41 Mien man named Punn lives in the Wilsons' home. 19:46 Punn's mother died six years ago. 19:50 Several years later, the Wilsons treated Punn's father 19:53 for Opium addiction. 19:55 The Wilsons decided to sponsor Punn to attend Chiangmai 20:00 Adventist Academy. Punn is a bright and very helpful young 20:05 man, who has been a real blessing to the Wilsons 20:08 ministry. 20:11 Dimitry Lossev, a student missionary with Adventist 20:15 Frontier Missions, also lives with the Wilsons. 20:21 Dimitry conducts his own friendship evangelism in 20:24 the village. 20:27 With his outgoing personality and his picture album to break 20:30 the ice, Dimitry has made many Mien friends. 20:37 Brian has put a great deal of thought into how best to 20:41 reach the Mien people with the word of God. 20:44 He has decided on a multifaceted approach 20:47 that goes beyond simple sharing. 20:53 With Punn's help, Brian records audio tapes of scripture in 20:57 the Mien language. Hearing an audio recording in their 21:02 own language is very exciting for the villagers. 21:06 In the future, Brian hopes to create animated Bible stories 21:10 on video which the Mien people could watch on 21:13 their televisions at home. 21:16 One prevalent and insidious ill in Mien society is Opium 21:22 addiction. 21:23 Though it is illegal, Opium is readily available in 21:27 Thailand and has destroyed millions of lives. 21:32 The Wilsons do what they can to educate people about 21:35 the dangers of Opium and help those who wish to break 21:38 their addiction. 21:40 They have opened their home to several opium addicts. 21:44 The Wilsons take care of these people while they go through 21:48 the arduous withdrawal symptoms of the detoxification 21:52 process. Though some of the people have returned to their 21:56 old habits, others have left the Wilsons' home with renewed 21:59 determination to live a better life free of addiction. 22:05 Though neither Brian nor Duang have much medical 22:09 training, they have found ways to bring medical relief 22:12 to the Mien people. 22:13 Their truck frequently serves as the local 22:17 ambulance, taking emergency cases to the hospital in 22:20 Nan. Brian also makes frequent trips to the hospital to fill 22:26 prescriptions for people who are housebound or 22:29 otherwise unable to get medicine on their own. 22:33 He delivers medicines wherever they are needed 22:36 even out to remote villages on difficult roads. 22:40 This young wife and mother was recently paralyzed 22:44 in an automobile accident. Lying on her bed all day, 22:48 she has fallen into a deep depression. 22:51 She told Brian that she wishes she could die. 22:56 Brian and Punn drive many miles to bring her medicine. 23:00 But Brian and Punn bring her more than just 23:04 medicine. They bring word of the great physician 23:07 who longs to be her friend. 23:11 In this woman's bleak existence, this is something 23:15 she can hold on to, something worth living for. 23:21 The Wilsons' medical assistance doesn't all 23:23 happen far from home. A third person lives with them. 23:27 Her name is Faam Sin. 23:29 A few years ago, Faam Sin contracted AIDS. 23:35 Her family was unable to take care of her or 23:38 pay the medical bills, so Brian and Duang took 23:42 her in. Everybody in the Wilsons' household 23:45 took turns caring for Faam Sin and making her 23:48 comfortable. Frequent back massages helped soothe her 23:53 coughing fits. Though Faam Sin was not a Christian, 23:57 over the following months as the Wilsons and their 24:00 student missionaries shared the gospel with her 24:03 she came to accept Christ as her Savior. 24:08 Sometimes I thank God for my disease, she says, 24:12 since it has led me to know Him. 24:17 A few weeks after this video was shot, Faam Sin passed 24:22 to her rest. 24:26 As all Mien before her, Faam Sin died a stranger 24:29 in the land. However, she also died anticipating 24:33 her first glimpse someday of the eternal home Christ 24:37 has prepared for her. 24:44 It is Sabbath in Bang Korn. 24:47 On the Dills' front porch, students and young neighbors 24:51 have gathered for morning Sabbath school. 24:54 The sound of singing brings even more children from 24:58 the nearby homes. 25:02 David and Jennifer speak of the God who is so 25:05 different from the spirits and deities the Mien worship. 25:10 They tell about the life of Jesus and how he 25:13 saved all people from death in sin. 25:18 These young people are excited to be learning 25:21 about Jesus. One girl, named Yien Tzo, 25:25 plans someday to become a preacher. 25:31 Just outside the tight circle, one or two adults sit and 25:36 listen intently. 25:41 At this same moment, Brian Wilsons little four wheel drive 25:45 truck is slipping and sliding its way toward 25:48 a tiny village deep in the mountains, called Huey Fey. 25:54 A small hut in this village is filling with people 25:57 awaiting his arrival. 26:01 Some spots on this road can mire a truck for 26:06 hours. Yet somehow Brian manages to get through 26:10 with a quick prayer and a helpful tug. 26:25 After a simple, tasty lunch, Brian opens God's word 26:29 to the ears of these Mien interests. 26:34 Punn adds his own insights and explanations. 26:41 Both meetings close with prayer. 26:45 The missionaries and their Mien brothers and sisters 26:48 are praying for the Spirit of God to fall 26:50 on the Mien people before their society 26:53 fragments and they melt into anonymity in 26:57 the modern world. They are praying for 27:00 workers to help ignite a spiritual firestorm that 27:04 will jump from village to village all over 27:06 northern Thailand. 27:10 They are praying for the day when all people of the 27:13 world will cease their wandering and say 27:56 Strangers in the Land was produced by 27:58 Adventist Frontier Missions, reaching the unreached by 28:02 establishing vibrant Adventist churches trained to raise 28:05 up new believers and churches among their 28:06 people groups. 28:08 For the latest information on on the Mien mission project 28:11 Adventist Frontier Missions or to order a copy of 28:14 Strangers in the Land, visit amfonline. org 28:17 or call... 28:26 When you call, please be sure to mention where you 28:28 saw this program. |
Revised 2014-12-17