Ten Years
Camille Porter
Each of my (Camille’s) last ten years has been embedded in a marginalised neighbourhood of the bustling, cosmopolitan, yet dreadfully unequal, city of Bangkok. And each has brought me the gift of experiencing depths of relationship, hospitality, and care beyond what I could imagine far from my birthplace of Australia.
Ten years of following and meeting Jesus in the most unexpected places. In emergency room visits; in comforting relatives at far too many funerals; in adults experiencing their first ever birthday cake; in English lessons with little ones; in times of shared struggle and both spoken and silent prayer- just to name a few. Ten years of faces and names I will carry with me always.
So as I reach this milestone and reflect on the variety of life experiences, the struggles of language and cultural learning, and even falling in love and growing a family- I find myself yet again at a crossroads and a new beginning.
Eviction is looming. 60+ houses facing land uncertainty have had the land sold from under them, and this eviction does not discriminate. As of April, the land owner will reclaim the land he purchased, and around us the walls are already being torn down. A literal undoing and unraveling; each day the neighbourhood is changing shape. It will soon cease to exist, and we will all scatter.
We knew this was a risk theoretically when we moved in, lack of land security is what makes a slum, well, a slum after all. And yet we also know that Jesus led us to make our home amongst the poor, tying our well-being to theirs, and extending his love in these places despite the uncertainty. We now find ourselves wondering, and wandering new streets, grieving and dreaming of what might be.
There has not been a day in these past months where I have not been asked the same question as I stepped outside. Even people I don’t know the names of seem to be seeking solidarity:
“Where are you moving to?”
“Good morning. Well, I don’t actually know yet, but we are looking for a rental.
Hopefully not too far away. Tell me about your family… Are you being evicted too?
“Yes. I also don’t know where we are going yet.”
So this has been the story. Not the one that I expected to share with you on this anniversary. But we are beginning again. And with only weeks remaining, we have found a new place to live! Thank you for praying with us! We look forward to sharing more, but for now we share our gratitude for the unlikely answer to prayer that this community, located 15 minutes from our current home, has been.
Final Stretch
Derek Porter
We have been blown away by the outpouring of love and support from friends and family around the world helping us, both practically and financially, to relocate. First of all, thank you so much! We could not have done this without you! Second, we have to say a huge thank you to our dear friends “Ah-moo and Ah-may” (uncle and auntie in their language) who have championed and served us by working on the house non-stop over the last month and a half. We would not have dreamed of taking on such challenges nor even hoped for the kind of beautiful craftsmanship they have unleashed upon our house.
Unfortunately, the house will not be ready in time for our eviction on Mar 31, so we’ll have to move much of our stuff twice. But we are now in the final stretch, which has also meant shifting focus from building to disassembly and packing things away. In reality, we would have been move-in ready had it not been for some significant and unexpected setbacks. The most significant being the extensive termite damage, which required welding an entirely new platform for the kitchen and replacing several structural boards with steel beams elsewhere.
These setbacks and more have put us about $2,200 USD over budget. But after all the incredibly generous donations so far, we only need about $6,200 more to finish the house. We would be so grateful if you would consider helping us reach that goal.
We have been so surprised and blessed by the positive reception in our new community. It’s been such a gift to see Emmaus and Jubilee enjoying the new space as well as to witness our somewhat shy boy be so warm and friendly towards our soon-to-be neighbors. There have been a good share of faux pas (e.g., a fender bender with a neighbor’s car; complaints about noise and dust from construction; our various deliveries blocking the road when the vegetable truck comes), but we have been met mostly with grace. These positive interactions have been the much-needed injection of hope amidst an otherwise sorrowful few months.
If you would like to support the Porter family as they make their big move, please visit:
https://unoh.org/derek-camille-porter/
The Story Remains the Same
Brad Coath
As I sit at my desk to write, I look out across the neighbourhood through the window. I can see the tomatoes and basil, the silverbeet and the capsicums growing in the veggie garden just outside. Over the fence, I can see the cars parked in the street, watched over by eucalypts that rise above the nature strips. And on the other side of the street I can see the primary school which for many forms the centre of neighbourhood life. The delighted squeals of children playing fill the air and the sound of the school bell marks the onward march of time through the day.
I feel incredibly grateful to be a small part of this neighbourhood. Our place in the community is one that has grown deep roots over a decade of presence, conversations, meals, and work. Of relationships built over time with neighbours, community workers, and school staff. My role as chaplain in the school is one that has emerged from these relationships like a seedling emerges naturally from well nurtured soil.
Over the last few months, as I’ve reflected on the Story of Shalom that we find in the Gospels, I’ve found myself being drawn deeper into the healing character of Jesus’ activity. We know that Jesus lived out his vocation amongst a people for whom dis-ease was the norm. Wracked by the effects of economic exploitation and poverty, and terrorised by the forces of occupation and political domination, the people whom Jesus lived amongst were characterised by malnutrition and trauma. And while Jesus was most certainly about confronting the sources of the peoples’ exploitation and domination, he was also about healing the effects of their dis-ease.
These stories of Jesus’ healing activity – healing people with fevers, with skin diseases, with seizures, with blindness, to just scratch the surface – are stories that we are called into. To be healers in a world wracked with injustice, poverty, and trauma. To join with the Spirit’s healing work not only in people, but – in a world marked by skyrocketing rates of extinction and environmental destruction – in all of creation. Jesus’ healing stories are ones that I feel increasingly called to participate in.
I’m looking through the window again and I’m reminded by another thing that is ever present in our neighbourhood: change. In recent weeks the school has entered a period of transition as our principal announced that he will move on – the second key person in the last few months. There’s an anxious sense of uncertainty across the school community. What will change? Will a new leadership value what has been valued in the past? Will good things be lost? Natural questions emerge which will only be answered with time.
Yet the Story remains the same. The Story of Shalom. The Story of healing. The Story of justice. The Story of hope. The Story that we not only read, but are actors in. In this Story, may we find our place.
The Coin of Life and Death
Dave Tims
In the midst of celebrations, when the coin turns and a loved one unexpectantly leaves this world we are suddenly catapulted into the reality that though life is a gift, we are not immune to its fragility.
It’s been a busy month of celebrations with weddings, a 21st Birthday, speaking engagements at a 3-day Salvation Army conference and sadly also the farewelling of an old friend, Don Pearson. Don had a heart attack while participating in a surf competition in Gisborne. He was 61 years of age and left behind his wife and beloved family. Before joining UNOH, I (Dave) was the Director of Youth for Christ (YFC) and Don served with us as a Board member. His kids played with our kids, he was a friend and a fellow surfer. I had the privilege of facilitating his funeral – a real honour, but also a hard role while I also grieved. As we gave thanks to God for Don and celebrated his life, many stories of his encouraging words, gifts and friendship were shared. He had the knack of knowing when someone was down and made the effort to visit. He was fondly remembered for his surprise birthday visits. As a skilled photographer, he would often arrive on the doorstep with not just a warm and encouraging smile, but also a stunning surfing action shot of the person he visited. Don knew who he was and the stories told at his funeral demonstrated how he lived out his values of loving God, family, friends and surfing.
Carl Jung said, “The world will ask you who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you.” In the gospels, Jesus said, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)
Life is filled with joy and sorrow. Saying goodbye to a good friend and walking alongside his grieving family, is a bittersweet reminder of how important it is to live in the present and to appreciate the moments we have with each other; our family, friends, neighbours and the communities we chose to dwell in.
On the flip side of the coin, we have had the joy of celebrating two family weddings, a birthday and sharing at a conference with fellow believers passionate about making an impact in their neighbourhoods. It’s been special to have quality time with family, and friends and make new connections. Learning how important it is to ‘be present in the moment’ for each other and for others is a lifetime journey for Denise and me. After 32 years of marriage, we continue to learn the art of being present for each other. We know that listening and being kind to one another, is a discipline and an act of love. It takes an awareness of our own needs and wants, reactions, and egos. An expression of love for the other requires us to ’let go’ of ‘self.’ The mystery of ‘letting go’, cultivates and nurtures life for the ‘other’ and transforms us ourselves.
This act of love for the other is reflected in recent stories told about Don who lived his life resourcing teachers to support children with learning and behavioural needs and who had a passion for his family, surfing and the surfing community. We felt this as we listened to our son Atawhai and his new wife Annie take their marriage vows as an expression of letting go of their single lives and committing to each other. We have seen this in our neighbourhood as grandparents sacrifice their time and energy for their moko (grandchildren), so their moko can flourish. All of these are an expression of love for the other, and it requires us to ’let go’ of ‘self.’ I’ll say it again; the mystery of ‘letting go’, cultivates and nurtures life for the ‘other’ and transforms us ourselves. We create who we are by who we love. We become who we are by our commitments.
“I am convinced that the self is not an essence waiting to be discovered through philosophical introspection. Quite the contrary! I believe that the self is an essence waiting to be created! We create who we are through the commitments we make. And without commitments, we have no identity. That’s why Jesus said, “Whosoever seeks to find himself, will lose himself. But, whosoever is willing to lose himself, for my sake and the sake of my Kingdom, will find himself.” Tony Campolo (1)
1 Campolo, Tony. “Lose Yourself.” Red Letter Christians, 29 July 2016, https://www.redletterchristians.org/lose-yourself/.
Meet & Greet
Catch Up With Dave & Lish Besford in Australia!
April 22nd | Interview at Missions Conference
April 23rd | Mt. Pleasant Church of Christ | 9:30am
April 30th | Diamond Valley Baptist Church, Melbourne | 10am
May 14th | Lifestreams Christian Church South Perth, Perth | 9:30am
Dave will also be running in the HBF Run for a Reason half marathon in Perth on the 21st of May to raise support to kick-start renovations for the local kindergarten community centre (Klong Toey Mission Centre) in the slums of Bangkok. If you would like to support Dave and the kids of the Klong Toey slum please consider making a donation. Every little bit helps. Check out the gofundme link below or contact Dave for more details. Feel free to share this and spread the word.