Hello ,

I hope you are well and thanks for taking 10 minutes to read about what happened with me in Thailand in 2019 ...

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.

It's Christmas Time

What a year! And again I say rejoice!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I am sitting down to write this Christmas greeting, a couple of days before Christmas with all the other Christmas updates flying around and hitting our inboxes at the same time, so I hope you will get some enjoyment and encouragement from my message. To say, the same story as last year is pretty much true again, with this year being bigger and better and busier than last year.

I have been working with Hope Connections Foundation in Chiang Mai for nearly 3 years and this year’s major project was building a meeting hall/church in a school in the Northwest of Thailand. We also had our first Thailand OMS Retreat in November and it was great to meet with our International and Asian Leadership teams and the rest of the Thailand team.

All through the year, my side projects of Chiang Mai Clean City and Safe City have continued to grow and a few hundred thousand views of a video about Clean City helped a lot. We have a long way to go with both of these projects as they are two big ones affecting Thailand, with our small country being in the World’s top 6 for plastics into the ocean and also closer to the top of the World’s most dangerous roads. We stand at the top of the list, slightly disputed, but still way too high for my liking and Chiang Mai itself is up there when looking inside Thailand’s provincial scores. The last two New Year’s “Deadly 7 Days” we were 1st or 2nd alongside much bigger populated provinces.

I have been assisting a few businesses and groups with some marketing stuff along the way. The Chiang Mai Expats Club is one of them and I have been looking after their website, and some social media, whilst being a guest speaker midway through the year.

I also bit the bullet after seeing myself in a few videos and pictures, to take some time to look after myself a bit better and hitting the gym. I was down up to 10 kilograms, but now around 5 kilograms, but still motivated to get to double figures! Which is a little way off still.

I have been to hundreds of government meetings, foundation meetings, environmental meetings, social meetings, nomad meetings and met some very well known people along the way, with regular bumpings into the Chiang Mai Governor, Deputy Governors, district leaders, city council leaders and a few movie stars, singers and actors. I also represented foreigners in Chiang Mai at a combined Immigration and Ministry of Foreign Affairs event in Chiang Mai.

I have been very lucky to also be featured in several videos, regarding waste in Thailand and trying to create more awareness about the rubbish issues. There have been a few opportunities to lecture at Chiang Mai University in different faculties, which may increase in the new year.

I will touch on several of these throughout this newsletter.

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

1 Corinthians 20:19-23 (NIV)

Hope Connections Foundation

What we do on the ground.

Hope Connections Foundation is just a very small foundation but we have many connections in Korea and around the world and have a lot of projects to do in Chiang Mai. What we try to do is see what projects need to be done for a community and try to find appropriate donors and assistance to make it a reality.

We have three main focuses -

Educational support through physical, technical or financial support where government funding isn't available

Community development

Quality of life

Last year a Korean Family contacted us and wanted to donate to a project building a church/meeting hall. We worked very hard this year to make it all happen and the project was completed in October. See the project below from start to finish.

We had a very special grand opening on October 15 with the family and friends who had made the donation and the building a reality.

We have also been working with some local migrant camps and looking at what projects we can do to assist their daily lives.

Chiang Mai Clean City

Chiang Mai Clean City has been gaining momentum and I probably was involved in around 20 cleanups this year, but after last year's video, it was featured in a Chinese language video for the Singapore market. It's been seen 30,000 times already. Part of the video included looking at the way Chiang Mai processes the daily 300 tonnes of rubbish collected in Chiang Mai City area, not including the surrounding districts.

We had our own cleanups and also partnered with many other government departments and other organizations. Early in the year, we spent a few days cleaning up the Jai Thep Festival and recovering around 2000 kilograms of recyclable products, keeping them out of landfill. We are working with Chiang Mai Nayu, an exciting new sustainability initiative in Chiang Mai and again promoted World Cleanup Day in Thailand on 21st September as well as cleaning up the Chiang Mai Citylife Garden Fair in November. I am always out there wearing our shirts and promoting the work.

Cleaning with Tono, and others!

In March I had a guy liked my Instagram account and mention me in his post. He is a young Thai guy who is pretty passionate about picking up trash and changing children and youth’s thinking. He is a singer and his name is Tono and he has over 2 million followers on Instagram.

Anyway, he and several young Instagram influencers, TV stars, models and other actors came to Chiang Mai and held two school seminars and clean-ups. It was deafening at times walking through school grounds full of young kids squealing at the top of their lungs, mobs crushing him. I have never been the idol of mass attention, but I got a peek into a life in the limelight it was overwhelming and I was just on the sidelines following the pack.

We would meet 200-300 students, out of 2000, in an assembly and talk about their school trash, separation and recycling systems and the do a quick pickup around the school and then come back together. After the obligatory photos with everyone, a group of students would go walk around the local area for a trash collection.

For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
   there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
   and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
   with justice and righteousness
   from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
   will accomplish this.

Isaiah  9:6-7 (NIV)

Influence and Growth

A few pictures from the start of the year until Christmas Eve with the New Chiang Mai Governor in the top right. Other pictures include many other influential people and friends in Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai Ambassador meets some REAL Ambassadors

Just recently, I have been lucky to be able to meet the fairly new Australian Ambassador, His Excellency Allan McKinnon, the new United States Chiang Mai Consul General Sean O'Neill and the Swiss Ambassador to Thailand, Helene Budliger Artieda.

With the Chiang Mai Governor

On many occasions this year I have been lucky enough to meet with the Governor and other government officials at projects and events around Chiang Mai. These events are mostly Thai events and I am usually the only foreigner there.

Significant events this year have included being honored for my work in the major monthly meeting of 200 government officials, department officials and district leaders; several river and canal cleaning activities; smog and pollution events and a special garden opening. It has been an honour for me to be involved and included in this way.

Unfortunately, this Governor retired and I also participated at his leaving ceremony and gave him a parting gift. Later on, the Governor gave me a wonderful momento, a photo book highlighting his time in office. It was very special and I later found myself included in several photos in the book.

I have only just met the new Chiang Mai Governor and I hope to have a good relationship with this Governor also.

At last December's large Government Meeting, the Governor, his Deputies, heads of all Departments of Chiang Mai and district officials watched the Municipality's viral video about Chiang Mai Clean City and were recognised with several partner organisations.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO PRAY

• Praise God for blessing, connections and influence. Many people relate to me daily as someone who is trustworthy and reliable. With opportunity comes greater responsibility.
• Praise God for my health and abilities to continue my work here.
• Please pray for Thailand. It's a beautiful and wonderful place. Please pray the Thai Government leaders as they lead Thailand through difficult times.
  
• Please continue to pray, I have many opportunities to serve Thai people and others also, inside and outside of my “work”.
• Please pray for my family in Australia, it has been a very tough year for members of my family in many ways.

From the OMS Australian Executive Director

December 2019
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

Please let us know If you can help us save money and receive newsletters by email.

PriorityONE

The Great Commission is a huge responsibility for the Church.  Living in a world with more unreached souls than ever before, we as Christians need to be playing our part in obedience to Jesus' command to reach the nations for Him.

As an world-wide organisation, One Mission Society is committed to the vision of reaching one billion people with a genuine opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is a huge vision which requires a huge response.  We are calling our partner churches, organisations, and individuals to share in this vision - committing to being increasingly intentional about the Gospel.

One way I am responding personally is to pray daily that the Lord of the harvest will send more workers into the harvest field.  As a missionary recruiting agency, OMS Australia seeks to send God-called workers into the harvest field.  Jesus Himself gave us our priorityONE recruiting strategy when He said 'Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field' (Matt 9:38).  

I am seeking 100 Australians to join with me, praying every day, asking God to send more workers to be sent as missionaries.  Without limiting God to these six countries I am focusing my prayer on Japan (.6% evangelical Christian), Taiwan (1.5%), Thailand (.5%), Israel (.3%), Spain (1%), and Ireland (.9%).

Could you commit to praying daily for God to send more workers into the harvest?   

I will continue this commitment until we have at least one missionary in each of these six countries.

Sincerely,
Ian Bongers
Executive Director
One Mission Society Australia

‘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

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.