TRAINING MENU

 

WELCOME

TO THE LORD’ S MISSION

IN THAILAND

 

 

Please take time to read through this manual very carefully.  It will help you be more prepared for your mission work as a short-term missionary to Thailand representing the Thailand Hmong Mission under the leadership of Hmong Mission Society, Inc.

 

 

***May the Lord’s name be praised!***

 

“Rejoice in the Lord always…in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

(Philippians 4:4-6)

 

Preparation

**Always PRAY and ask the Lord to lead and equip you!**

I.  Things to DO:

Two months before trip:

1.                  Secure your airfare.  The earlier the cheaper the airfare.

2.                  Make sure your passport is current.

3.                  Make sure your health insurance covers in Thailand

4.                  Talk to your doctor about vaccinations, malaria, etc. . .

5.                  Get your church involve with your mission trip.  Make it your church’s mission work.  Seek their support by soliciting members to pray for you.

6.                  Get your circuit churches involve with your mission trip.  Make them partners with your mission work. 

7.                  Get a DVD from the Thailand Hmong Mission’s Project Director (PD) and share it with your supporters.

Two weeks before trip:

8.                  Make copies of the following items and place them in a zip-loc bag; and when you pack your luggage, put this bag in the bottom of your carry-on bag.  You won’t need any of this, but if you do, you will have them with you.

·        Copy of Passport, vaccination record, any records of your medical condition, airfare tickets, and birth certificate.

9.          Get Keys to the Mission Center from PD.

10.        Get the cell phone and expenses logbook from PD.

A week before trip:

11.              Luggage:

a.       Tag every piece of your luggage. 

b.      Use the same color-tape to mark your luggage so you will spot it easier at the luggage claim.

c.       Two small are better than one big one. 

d.      Net weight should not be over 50lb each.

e.       Do not lock luggage.

f.        Put ALL valuables (camera, jewelry, etc..) in your carry-on.

 

II.  Things must take along:

  1. Your airfare itineraries.
  2. Keys to the Mission Center.
  3. The Mission’s expenses logbook.
  4. The Mission’s cell phone.
  5. Passport.
  6. Your personal Bible.
  7. Money:

·         The best way to get money while in Thailand is through an ATM or brings cash.  The ATMs in Thailand never charge a fee for using it.  The only fee you might be charged is if your bank in the US charges a fee (if they do, you should check to see if the international fee is more than what the fee normally is in the US).  Our missionaries usually just bring cash and exchange for the amount that they might needed while in Thailand.  For cash, the larger the denomination the better for exchange rates.  Make sure they are new currencies and that there is no marking on the bills or the Thai bank will not accept it.

 

  1. Camera—digital is better.
  2. Something to read during the flight—it is usually a 20 hours flight.
  3. Chap Stick--it is dry on the plane.
  4. Motion sickness: get the Bonnie Dramamine.  Only Walgreen carries this brand.
  5. Bring your prescription drugs along if you are under it.
  6. Wear long sleeves shirt and long pant plus a jacket.  It might get cold in the plane.
  7. Open mind to experience the Thai and Hmong cultures.
  8. Courage to work under pressure.
  9. Accept ambiguity and learn to work with it.
  10. Be welling to sleep on hard floor.
  11. Be welling to take cold shower.
  12. Have a good sense of humor.
  13. Patience

 

Mission Center

 

  1. Only missionaries approved by the Project Director can stay at the Mission Center.
  2. There are five bedrooms at the Mission Center with eight beds.  Two king size beds and the others are singles. 
  3. There are pillowcases and bed sheets at the Center.  Please change and wash it after you used it.
  4. There are bath towels at the Center for your usage.  Wash it after you used.
  5. There are two bathrooms at the Center with westerner style toilets. 
  6. There are also both hot and cold water available.
  7. The water is chlorinated so you can use it for cooking.  But would suggest that you only drink bottled water.
  8. There is a propane gas stove for cooking food, and a refrigerator.
  9. There are computers at the Center with access to the internet but you need to buy an internet card to use it.
  10. There is working telephone at the Center for local calls only.
  11. The cell phone can call anywhere in the world but it meant for you to use it to do mission work.  If you use it to call your family in the US, please help pay for the phone cards.
  12. There are a lot of ants if you are not keeping the kitchen clean.  So, do what it takes to keep food away from the ants. 
  13. Help keep the Mission Center clean by sweeping the floor regularly.
  14. Please enter information into the Center logbook so that we can keep a record of what was done or what is needed to do.
  15. When you leave, please make sure basic supplies (toilet paper, water, soap, and clean sheets) are still there so that the next team does not have to shop for them upon their arrival.   
  16. Because there are a lot of dusts, make sure to cover beds, pillows, computers, dishes, etc. when you leave the Center.  Also, keep the all of the beds and pillows covered with either plastic or sheets and pillowcases.
  17. Lock all doors and windows before leaving the Center.
  18. Do not take anything out of the Center if it is not yours.
  19. When you purchased something for the Center, it becomes part of the mission and therefore it will stay at the Center.  Keep your receipts for your US income-tax return.

 

Going to the Hmong Villages

(To the mission sites)

 

1.      Cleansing wipes.

2.      Toilet paper—restrooms are not the same as in the Mission Center.  There are supplies at the Mission Center.

3.      First-Aid kit—not necessary—everything is available in Thailand, but the following may be nice to have:

·        Band-Aids

·        Gauze

·        Antibiotic ointment

·        Tylenol or aspirin

·        Imodium.

4.       Personal care kit (tooth brush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.)

5.      Women--Sanitary products—it’s not the same in Thailand.

6.      Towel and washcloth—there are some at the Mission Center, but you may need one if you stay over-night in one of the villages.

7.      Detergent.  We have it at the Mission Center, but place a small amount of it in a zip-loc bag to the village in case you needed to wash your clothes. 

8.      A few clothes pins for during your clothes under the sun.

9.      Clothing:

a.       Men—long pants while in the villages.  Shorts and T-shirts are acceptable attire in tourist areas both day and night; however at night “smart-casual” is preferred in the better eating-places. 

b.      Women—are expected to dress appropriately when visiting religious sites—no shorts.  Generally speaking, tank tops are not acceptable and especially not in the Hmong villages.  You may see people wearing them around the city, but this is never acceptable in the rural areas. This is also true when do teaching in classroom at the Mission Center or at the mission churches.

10.  A jacket—sometime it gets cold at night.

11.  Walking shoes—you will do a lot of walking.  Whenever you enter a home, you need to remove your shoes.  Loafer style is easier.

12.  Only drink bottled water.  Never drink tap water in the city or at the villages. 

 

Hmong Attitudes and Behaviors

 

1.      Most Hmong are friendly.

2.      The Hmong have a high respect for non-Hmong people.

3.      They welcome guests into their homes.

4.      Sometimes their “YES” could mean “NO” and vice versa

5.      The Hmong always put their best forward when dealing with guests.

6.      Sometimes the Hmong will offer food and drink to guests.

7.      The Hmong do not like to argue with guests.

8.      Most of the Hmong are happy and cheerful.

9.      The Hmong respect authorities and educators.

10.  Men and women are viewed differently--similarly to that of the Bible.

11.  Married Hmong women often don’t talk to other men.

12.  The Hmong may not look you in the eyes when talking.

 

Hmong Culture and People

 

  1. Hmong are clan oriented people.  There are about a total of 22 clans.  They consisted of the last names of the people.
  2. Family is very important to the Hmong.
  3. Sometimes 2 or 3 generations living in the same house.
  4. Most of the houses are built very simple with dirt floor and with only a few things in the house.
  5. The Hmong dress very simple.
  6. Usually Hmong women wear the Hmong traditional skirt rather than pants.
  7. Usually the Hmong men wear the Hmong traditional pants.
  8. There are many children around.  Children are meant to be running free in the village.
  9. People will sit outside of their house to do work or when meeting guests.
  10. Most of the Hmong are farmers.
  11. The Hmong are self-sufficient and hard working people.
  12. Hmong women often do not shake hands, especially with men.  As a rule of thumb, DO NOT shake hand with any Hmong woman in the village.
  13. The Hmong speaks the both Hmong and Thai languages, but most of them read and write the Thai.  Very few can read or write in Hmong language. 
  14. Many of the Hmong have their own cars and motorcycles.
  15. There are two Hmong dialects—White Hmong and Green Hmong (Hmoob Ntsuab—not Hmoob Leeg) in Thailand.
  16. The Hmong group themselves as White Hmong, Black Hmong, Green Hmong/Hmong Leng, Flower Hmong, Red Head Hmong, and Stripe Hmong.  These are determined by the traditional dresses.
  17. Very few Hmong intermarried with other groups of people.
  18. The Hmong religion and culture are some-what similar to the Old Testament.
  19. The Hmong children show high respect to the elders.
  20. Relationship is very important to the Hmong people.
  21. All Hmong have a history that can trace back to China.

 

Hmong Religion

 

1.       The Hmong do have natural knowledge of God.

2.       Everything has a spirit.

3.       The Hmong are very fearful of upsetting the spirits.  They could bring sicknesses, bad lucks, death, and other misfortunes to the family members.

4.       The Devil is the major enemy of the Hmong people.

5.       Ancestral spirits have a part of protecting the living.

6.       The belief in the practice of shamanism, animal sacrifices.

7.       Fate is very much expressed among the Hmong people.

8.       Re-incarnation is the focus of their belief.

9.       The non-Christian homes usually have a spirit altar at the front wall of the living room.

10.   Sometime there are wood knives, spirit papers, or branch of leafs tapped or hung on the door post for protection and prevent the evil spirits to enter the home.

11.   Sickness has spiritual significance and consequences.  Sometime it expressed as the soul of a person is lost.

12.   Death is always a sad and sorrowful event.  Life after death is all about sufferance and facing starvation.

13.   A Taw Kev (A Guide) will perform a journey ritual to guide the dead person to the place of his/her ancestors.  There, the individual will live a life of sufferance and facing starvation.

14.   Funeral services are long with lots of eating, grieving, and drinking.  It is both spiritual and communal affair.

15.   Hmong life is very much intertwined with the physical and spiritual worlds.

 

What you should and should not do

 

  1. Always greet people with a smile and put your hands together in front of your chest and say “Na Zone”, which mean “Good Health, or hello”.
  2. Shake hands with the Hmong men.
  3. Woman missionaries DO NOT shake hands with anyone.
  4. Men do not shake hands with the Hmong women.
  5. When the Hmong offer food and drink, eat whatever is set in front of you.  With a group of people visiting, MEN always eat first.  Therefore, WOMAN MISSIONARIES please do not be offended by waiting to eat after the men. Watch the women of the house and follow them during time to eat.
  6. Don’t criticize the Hmong lifestyle.
  7. Don’t criticize the Hmong religion.
  8. Show interest in the Hmong when you talking or when they talking.  Be patience, your interpreter will do his/her best to translate for you; but be aware that sometime it may not be appropriate for translation to occur so your interpreter will inform you of what is saying or going on later.
  9. Show interest in what the Hmong are doing while you are visiting them.
  10. When people ask for help with certain projects, DO NOT make any promises that you cannot absolutely deliver.  Missionaries ARE NOT to make any decisions in regard to the mission of the ministry without consulting with the Thailand Hmong Mission’s Project Director.
  11. For married missionary couple, DO NOT huge or kiss each other at the present of other people.  DO NOT hold hands while walking in the village.
  12. Man should NEVER be alone with Hmong village women/girls. 
  13. Man MUST NEVER sit next to a village Hmong woman on the same bench.

 

Teaching the Bible

 

  1. All the lessons will be provided to you prior to your trip to Thailand.
  2. Be very simple—don’t put down their religion, but point out the difference (compare/contrast).  However, to compare and contrast is a very tricky thing to do.  If you are Hmong and you know about the Hmong religion and culture, then you are qualified to compare and contrast.  But, if you do not have a good understanding of the Hmong religion and culture, then please stay away from comparing and contrasting. 
  3. Interpreters are to be knowledgeable about the Bible so that they can be effective interpreters.
  4. Make sure to share that Jesus is also the Savior for the Hmong people.
  5. Apply God’s Word in Hmong contexts—to here and now situations.
  6. Don’t criticize other Christian groups
  7. Ask questions to make sure they understood what you have just taught them.
  8. Encourage the Hmong to ask many questions as they can.
  9. Encourage the Hmong Christians members and leaders to stay faithful to the end.

 

How to Witness to the Hmong

(Please keep in mind that the Holy Spirit does the conversion.

You are only God’s instrument to share the Good News.)

 

1.    Get a basic understanding of the Hmong religion by asking them some of these questions: