Hello ,

I hope you are well and thanks for taking 10 minutes to read about what is happening with me in Thailand...

There are a few ways you can help me included at the bottom of the email. Please don't hesitate to contact me about anything in this. I love sharing about what I am doing here in Thailand.

This newsletter finishes off 2018 very nicely!

Quick Family Holiday

I am a very lucky person to have a very close relationship with my Thai Family, who own a restaurant very close to where I used to live. Now if you have visited me in Thailand, you will have probably eaten at "my" restaurant. You probably would have enjoyed it!!!

So in early December they told me about a trip they were taking on the second weekend in December. Each time I went to eat, they insisted I join them on a trip to the mountains. Not many more details except we leave at 5am for one or two nights. So I rearranged my schedule and made arrangements. All up around 15 people joined the adventure in two nice new four wheel drives, with about 7-8 stuck in the open air trays of the trucks.

I got picked up and we headed off, anyway, I was told that I was driving, so funny, they don't really ask, but just tell. Live and learn because TIT, "This is Thailand". So I proceeded to drive for 10 hours at least that day and another 8 hours the next, only getting out of the driver's seat for about 2 hours to try and rest.

We had several stops along the way, at Chom Thong Temple, the pine forest, Mae Sariang for lunch and then a cave before we got to our destination for the evening. We continued on to Baan Khun Yuam and visited a Japanese-Thai War Memorial and the market before heading back to our accommodations.

Next day we woke up and headed to the sunflower fields, but were too late or too early for the best blossoming and then a beautiful waterfall. After an hour's backtracking, we were heading home, via Mae Hon Song. We had lunch and tested out some hot springs and mud springs. We had a shortish ride to the Fish Cave, which was pretty cool to see, except the fish were so over the fish pellets they get given every day.

We then drove to Pai and I was able to rest, before hitting Pai walking street and the last few hours home. Eventually getting back to Chiang Mai about midnight. Now I can say I have completed the Mae Hon Song loop in two days.

Eventful finish to 2018

After I sent my Christmas Newsletter, I still had a couple of weeks of December to complete and one of the exciting things was meeting the Governor. We had a great chat about Chiang Mai Clean City, but it was just the beginning.

Mid December, I joined with a couple of environmental groups and we met at City Hall with the Chiang Mai Department of Environment, looking at how we can work together to make Chiang Mai more beautiful.

Next thing I knew, we were meeting with one of the Deputy Governors about joining and presenting Chiang Mai Clean City to the big monthly provincial meeting. He was very impressed with the activity and watched my video.

The very next day we were invited to the landfill site and that was an eye opening adventure. This place accepts 600 tons of rubbish per day, and 300 of the total being from Chiang Mai city, with the rest from various places around the province. At least they are capturing methane and making some electricity from the project and also trying other methods to recycle some things.

Christmas to New Year

I had a fairly quiet Christmas and I joined with about 20 others at an English friend's home and we had fun and amazing food.

The big meeting was 8am on the 27th December and all Provincial departments were represented along with all district leaders and the Governor and his deputies, all up around 200 people. First things which means highest importance, was a ceremony and watching the video with 250,000 views and applause. Next was presenting some shirts for my partner's project, "Conscious Bags."

At the end was a second round of applause after some more kind words from the Governor. Throughout the morning two other departments acknowledged Chiang Mai Clean City and my assistance with their projects.

Just before New Year, there is a Government Sponsored Winter Festival, where there is the obligatory beauty competition and a showcase of goods made locally across the 25 Districts of Chiang Mai.

The ladies in blue are High Society Ladies who are very involved in organising the event. The ladies in white are from San Kampheang area and had their OTOP (One Tambon or District One Product) wares on display.

I went around the OTOP display area with one of the Vice Governors and he suggested each district leader pass on a little gift to me. It was very well received.

January Happenings

Cleaning and Reporting

January each year starts with Foundation Reporting, so I was slowly preparing the reports for the foundation until around the 5th, when my boss advised that he wanted to present the reports to the Foundation Board AGM on the 12th January. Anyway I got them done in English, in a few days.

The picture above is sharing in Thai with about 60 school students who were learning about the environment and waterways of Chiang Mai. Part of the day included a quick cleanup around the area, visiting the big food market, a visit to one of the local hotels to see their water treatment facility and a drive out to the Waste Water Treatment Plant south of Chiang Mai. It was fun to join with the students and also learn a bit more.

January is very much a birthday month, with 3 of my Thai Family having birthdays. At birthdays in Thailand it is customary to use the fake cream on top of the birthday cake as a facial cream.

January is also Children's Day and I visited 3 locations, the Airport, the Police and the PR Department. At the airport, I saw plenty of cool stuff and got a football from King Power, which I have passed on to a community we are working with. The army have very cool displays with guns and other cool things to play with, but the highlight is always getting to see some jet fighters up close and personal. See Facebook on January 12 for some live streams.

I was also very lucky to join in my friends' wedding! It was very beautiful and special to be invited.

Imitating Christ’s Humility

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:1-4 (NIV)

February Happenings

Khon

Thai Traditional Masked Dancing known as Khon, had a roadshow to Chang Mai in February. The whole event was choreographed and narrated beautifully. It was something I've never seen before in such a full-scale event and they played two nights in an outdoor venue and had around 5000 people each night.

It tells us a story of love and war and has a whole lot of scenes telling various stories along the way. Scenes can be intimate with just two characters captivating the audience or action packed with constant movement across the stage and swords and spears slashing and hacking.

After the event I was able to get a whole lot of photos with many of the cast. The photo in the top right is with the Deputy Governor who is right behind my projects and seems to be a can do guy.

The whole show was in Thai but you could follow the story quite easily. The narrators participated on stage along the way and the actors sometimes visited and interacted with the crowd and taking lots of selfies.

This free show will be on the road and heading around the world later in the year.

Nomad and Networking

I helped out with the Nomad Summit again this year and there were around 400 people to register and look after during the 3 day event.

My friends Dezmon and Maria hosted several events at The Entrepreneurship Center all around business and networking and watching some interesting documentaries or movies.

And we also had a quick clean up one day near one of the local shopping centers, in just one hour we picked up around 250 kilograms of trash within 400 meters of our starting position. There's still so much to do!

I also help friends with visa options for staying in Chiang Mai! Click the image below for information!

New Old Friends

It was exciting to meet up with some special friends who are also partners with OMS in Australia. They were in Chiang Mai for a bit of a holiday and we talked a lot about life in Chiang Mai and we also ate a lot of yummy food.

It was very funny when we had interactions with some other tourists from a big country neighbouring this part of the world, you see my friends have around 50 years speaking their language and don't look like the typical people who would understand everything they were saying. They enjoyed eavesdropping a little on breakfast convos, well it wasn't hard as that country isn't known for quiet conversations.

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Acts 20:24 (NIV)

March Happenings

Conference, Wedding, mini Holiday and Bad Weather in Chiang Mai

Lots of cool and interesting stuff happens in my life because I often ask, "What can I do to help?"

One of those was a chance to help at a conference in Bangkok and work with some awesome people in a 5 Star Hotel. The conference topic wasn't something I really understand, but what I understand is helping people and meeting needs and making things go smoother. Task accomplished!

After the conference, I went to my friend, Friend's Wedding (Yes, her nickname is Friend), in the very south of Thailand. It was a beautiful occasion and my friend Aaron was able to don the Scottish Family Kilt and the Bridegroom to wear dress uniform! A very windy ceremony on the beach followed, but it was enjoyed by all and a chance to see this lovely couple join together.

There a few more random pictures here of me networking and connecting, including the picture in the top left with high ranking Chiang Mai Army Officials, a "mayor" and the Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Department of Chiang Mai Province, an avid supporter of my work.

Chiang Mai Football

We have 2 Chiang Mai Football teams and I was out supporting one last weekend. As you know me, you know that I love my football. It's another circle of friends that I regularly connect with.

I was invited by the PRD Department in Chiang Mai, actually Northern Thailand region, to talk about Chiang Mai and the projects I am working on currently. The meeting was for foreigners who live in Chiang Mai and used as a networking and promotions tool.

The other panellists were from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok and Department of Immigration in Chiang Mai. It was a morning to share a little and then there was a time for Q & A.

These type of events are good for raising profile and I have been blessed to be able to share about my volunteer work throughout my time in Chiang Mai and for the future also. The immigration officers are becoming good friends and the lady is the one who assists with volunteer visas. You can never have too many friends at immigration. So it is wonderful when I go to immigration, I always say hello, connect and see where I can help them.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO PRAY

• Praise God for Thailand. It is a place which is challenging in many respects but also a place where you can build networks of friendship and impact.
• Praise God for my quite busy last three months with all the projects I have going and reports and daily life.
• Praise God for a short and wonderful week helping friends in Bangkok and a few days "holiday" including a friend's wedding.
• Please pray for Thailand. It's a beautiful and wonderful place. Please pray that peace will continue through any things that may happen regarding upcoming elections and following.
  
• Please pray for the weather and the smog, smoke, haze, dust, pollution, it's currently the "worst" in the world and without rain will continue to be dangerous to people's health and wellbeing.
  
• Please continue to pray for my family in Australia, it has been a very tough year for members of my family in many ways and continuing.

December 2018
One Mission Society Australia
PO Box 897, Ringwood, VIC 3134
44 Dublin Rd, Ringwood East, VIC 3135
ph: 03 9870 8559  email: info@omsaus.org

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From the One Mission Website

Our One Mission

One Mission Society unites in partnership with more than 180 organizations and denominations for one purpose: to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread throughout the world, with the greatest number of disciples made, and to see God glorified in all that we say and do — to help fulfill the Great Commission. This has been, is and always will be our One Mission.

Here's a look at One Mission Society by the numbers:

• Every 31 seconds, on average, someone comes to know the Lord through the ministries of One Mission Society.
• OMS-related ministries are carried out in more than 45 languages around the world.
• OMS ministry includes more than 14,000 indigenous coworkers.
• OMS plants more than 6,000 churches every year.
• OMS is an evangelical, interdenominational faith mission that has 30+ denominations represented within its missionary membership.

Our mission is succinctly defined by our mission statement:

By God's grace, One Mission Society unites, inspires and equips Christians to make disciples of Jesus Christ, multiplying dynamic communities of believers around the world.Our One Calling

One Mission Society was founded on the principle that the most effective way to share Christ is by training a nation's people to lead and multiply their churches. These principles, along with enabling ministries and compassion ministries, are the basis of our dynamic four-fold focus:

• Intentional Evangelism: We become vessels of Christ, leading people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus, and then, we ensure that each person is discipled.
• Planting Churches: We encourage, empower and support new believers to form vital, thriving and life-changing churches.
• Training Leaders: We equip leaders in our training centers and seminaries worldwide so the future leaders of the national churches will be from within that country.
• Forming Strategic Partnerships: We show the world that Christians are united to spread the Gospel by working together with other mission organizations, ministries and churches in the countries we serve.

‘By God’s grace One Mission Society unites, inspires, and equips Christians to make disciples, multiplying dynamic communities of believers around the world.’

Final Thoughts

Congratulations for getting this far. I do a lot of Chiang Mai related Facebook things and I will share a few, especially if you want to know about Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai Ambassador

FACEBOOK or WEBSITE

Chiang Mai Events

Chiang Mai Locals

Thanks heaps for continuing to pray for and support my work in Thailand.

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Thanks for your continued prayer and support! I love you all!

In His Service,
Shayne

The new initiative from One Mission Society to give the opportunity for 1 billion people to hear the Gospel of Jesus.