Hidden Kingdoms

I feel so privileged tonight. There are only a few thousand Christians is Bhutan, and one of them is sitting in my house! Where is Bhutan? – east of Nepal, south of Tibet and north of the remotest part of India. A beautiful Himilayan country, an ancient kingdom and one of the most ‘closed’ countries in the world. Rohit (not his real name) became a Christian whilst serving in the army some years ago and, after some years heading a mission organization in Bhutan, now looks after a Christian network stretching across the Himalayas – my sort of person!

Christians are still heavily discriminated against, and sometimes persecuted, in Bhutan – hence the need for security about Rohit’s real name – but the kingdom of God is growing in that place. As small groups come to faith in Jesus Christ they choose their own pastor and begin a small ‘hidden church’. The network which Rohit has built up brings together over a hundred churches across the Himalayan region, in and beyond Bhutan, to train these new church leaders, to encourage the youth, and to strengthen the Christian presence in the country. In Bhutan, the 'hidden kingdom' of the Himalayas, Christians are seeding another Kingdom, hidden now in their homes and small meeting rooms, but one day destined to be revealed as the glorious Kingdom where God reigns in peace and justice. Will I be able to sleep tonight – knowing I have such a precious jewel hidden under my roof?

Understanding numbers

It takes about 1.5 seconds to say "Two point one million". To say "Ashok and Jemin, Caleb, Mohammed and Saraj, Hussein and Ghazala, Usama, Yalda, Malik and Imran, and ... and ... and ..." - all 2,100,000 of them, I just calculated would take about 16 and a half days, much longer than it took those 2.1million people to flee their homes in Pakistan this last week. No I'm not bored out of mind this evening looking for some crazy mental game to keep me occupied - no, I was trying to make sense of that number which trips too easily off the tongue - 2.1 million!

I was talking this morning to two colleagues in Islamabad who had just returned from northern Pakistan (thank God for Skype!) and they reminded me that this is the largest movement of displaced people in the region since the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. Reports I received yesterday say that many left in such hurry and confusion that they did not bring any food or change of clothes and some even lost their children in the crazed and panicing crowds. The UN has been totally surprised by the speed and size of this 'stampede to safety'. Asked why he left with only half his family one Swat valley resident is reported as saying, "We know the brutality of the Taliban, now they are under attack everyone is their enemy, every child, woman and man."

Please don't pray for 2.1 million people - trying praying for Ashok and Jemin, Caleb proudly carrying his small bundle and little Mohammed in Jemin's arms, and ... and ... and ....

Kimchi Mission

"A couple of years ago a leader of a British mission agency asked me, 'What can we do to help Korean mission movements?' and I told him, 'Nothing!' He looked rather shocked but it was a truthful answer - he came 50 years to late." KeungChul Jeong was in my office today and that was his frank comment on the attitude of western mission movements towards Koreans. KeungChul, who leads the work of Interserve in Korea, was, of course, right in most respects but I still wished we had a little longer to talk - he had to rush for a train or something. He was correct in that a lot of us from the West underestimate Korean missionary maturity. He also saw that we have a difficulty in receiving, we prefer to give. He was also rightly reflecting the self-understanding of Korea as a nation which now sends more cross-cultural missionaries than any other except India and the USA. But then he might just (if I may be allowed to suggest it) be making the same mistake as the British. Collaboration, partnership, sharing (call it what you like) is important for the strong as well as the weak - Koreans need Africans, Indians and Peruvians as partners in mission, just as much as do we Brits.

Well, I'm in Seoul in October so perhaps we can talk some more then. We discovered we have a mutual friend there - Henry, a Korean mission leader from whom I learnt much in Southern Russia ten years ago. Perhaps we can enjoy Kimchi together and discover some new recipies for partnership.