Leadership and Ministry in Southeast Asia

-By MA Leadership Faculty Member Randy Wollf

One of the added blessings of living in Thailand has been to connect with current and former MA Leadership degree students who live/work in Southeast Asia. During our first weeks in Thailand, Ladda Prasertsintanah and her fiancé, Nat, took us to a floating market outside of Bangkok. In December, we had the privilege of attending Ladda and Nat’s wedding. Ladda continues to work in the family’s hotel business.

I also had the privilege of visiting Ben Manickam and his family in Sri Lanka. They are involved in the strategic work of Lanka Bible College and Seminary (www.lbcs.edu.lk). The school is responsible for training many of the Christian leaders in Sri Lanka and is involved in publishing much needed theological resources in the Sinhala and Tamil languages.

We were also able to have two other MA Leadership students into our Bangkok home who are involved in the important work of Bible translation in this region. (I have not included their names due to the sensitive nature of their work).

As we anticipate returning to Canada on April 22, 2010, we are overwhelmed with all that God has done during our time in Thailand. It has been an amazing experience! We have had the opportunity to share the gospel with many of our neighbours and others. We have had the privilege of building capacity in local leaders who are doing a phenomenal work of making disciples of Christ. Yet, all that we have done pales in comparison to what we have received during our eight-month odyssey. We will return to Canada with great memories, new lifelong friendships, a renewed faith and passion for God, and new/sharpened understandings and skills for making disciples and serving leaders in Canada and around the world.