The Baldwin Boomerang

Parting Shot

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:39:00 +0000

So here we go. Our last official post to this old blog. If you don't know where the new one is, contact us and we'll let you know. In the meantime, enjoy this video of My*nm*r shot and edited back in November. It is curiously cropped here in this blog so you can go to the actual link below to see it in all of its widescreen glory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qKWICh9CMs

Report Back Presentations This Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:11:00 +0000

This weekend provides two great opportunities for you to come see our report back presentation on the work we did last year and to hear firsthand of our plans for the future.

Friday, February 26^th

7:30 pm – Make Your Own Sundaes!

Middleton Congregational Church

66 Maple Street, Middleton, MA

Sunday, February 28^th

12:15 pm (after the 2^nd service)

First Congregational Church of Hamilton

Heritage Hall (Next to the church parking lot)

624 Bay Road, Hamilton, MA

At both of these events we will share with you some exciting things that God has taught us and to show you some specific examples of the exciting things God is doing today in Asia through the work of Create International. You will also hear about our upcoming plans to go to India in March and much, much more. Please come and find out how God is actively working around the world today through video production.

You are officially invited. We'd love to see you there.

Lastly, this is likely to be our last post to this blog. Primarily due to the sensitive nature of our work in closed countries, we are creating a new blog without reference to our names. You will be invited to subscribe to this new blog in the days ahead. Feel free to contact us directly for more information.

Volume 15: Next Stop India

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:29:00 +0000

4 out of 5 Baldwins agree that 2009 was the most amazing year of our lives—not to mention the most challenging. We survived malaria and diarrhea, conquered tropical climates, preached the gospel on street corners, shot footage of Asian peoples behind closed borders, and experienced amazing new cultures in seven different countries. Together we rose to the occasion and survived an exhilarating year that has paved the way to our future in full-time missions work. Our commitment to this work has never been stronger and we are even more ready and willing to go than when we originally departed in 2008.

Best of all, we are ahead of schedule! When we set out in 2008 we had anticipated being in Australia for up two years. Yet God always seems to put us on different paths that inevitably work out better than what we initially anticipate. Originally, our plan had us completing our Create International training this coming June 2010. Instead, the unusual circumstances of last year lead us to go to Thailand for the School of Frontier Media last July. Steve completed this crucial training in December and Allyson is half-way through this program. Consequently, we are able to begin serving now with Create International as official associate staff members. First on the list, we expect to contribute to an upcoming production for the Punjabi people of India in April. More on that exciting project in a moment.

It's no secret that Samuel's experience this past year was not the same as the other four of us. Instead, Samuel has exciting plans that put him on a different path for his future. One of our biggest priorities this year is to see Samuel graduate from high school and help him through the transition into college this fall. He has applied to UMASS Amherst in the hopes of entering their Computer Engineering program. Please join us in praying that Sam will be accepted with a generous scholarship to make it possible for him to attend college this fall. Appropriately, we do not anticipate making our home overseas again until Sam is firmly entrenched in his college experience.

We are now officially on our first furlough and need to spend a lot of time raising additional funds so we can go back to full-time media missions work. Our support is currently insufficient for our budget here or overseas, so we have a lot of hard work to do this year to increase funding for our ministry. We learned in 2008 that support raising is very nearly a full-time job of its own, so plenty of our time this year will be devoted to the networking needed to increase our funding levels. Consequently, we also don't have a set time-table for our future yet, preferring to depart again when we have received all the funds we need to sustain us long-term. Please pray for us that our time of support raising will be abundantly blessed as it was so beautifully in 2008. If you are not already supporting us financially and would like to start, contact us and we'll show you how to get started.

We our also contributing to a few other video projects this year, including a lot of editing of material shot in Papua New Guinea (PNG) last year. One of those video projects is an HIV/AIDS video intended to help educate the people of PNG about appropriate HIV prevention. We will be posting this video along with others online later this year as they are finished. We also eagerly anticipate screening the Sh*n videos we helped to produce last fall upon their completion later this year.

We will be living in Falmouth, MA until the end of June, and looking for some freelance video production work to subsidize our income to make ends meet this year. We will also be participating in a number of media missions projects providing video production support like the one with Create International to India this April. Please pray for us to be able to set aside the crucial time to contribute our expertise and resources to these missions projects while also working part-time.

In the meantime, we have two opportunities for you to come see our report back presentation on the work we have been doing recently. The first is Friday, February 26^th at the Middleton Congregational Church, 66 Maple Street, Middleton, MA at 7:30 pm at an ice cream social event. The second is at our home church, First Congregational Church of Hamilton, 624 Bay Road, Hamilton, MA at 12:15 pm in Heritage Hall on Sunday, February 28^th. At both events we'll be sharing some specifics about our journey reporting back on the past and looking ahead to the future. We'd love to see you there. Feel free to contact us directly if you require additional information.

Create International has been invited to India to produce a series of key videos. There are over 80 million Punjabi people presently on the planet. They represent over 40% of the population of Pakistan, and the majority of the Indian province of Punjab along the border with Pakistan. Their culture is an ancient one stretching back over several thousand centuries and often fraught with conflict along ethnic and religious lines. Today, the Punjabi people are largely Muslim, Sikh or Hindus roughly in that order. We will be providing an evangelistic film in the Punjabi language and culture similar to the work we recently did for the Sh*n people of B~rm* with a special focus for the Sikh peoples of the area.

We will travel to India at the end of March for a Create Staff & Family Conference in Jaipur near New Dehli. Then Steve will remain in India for a few weeks to provide video production assistance to the teams at work in the Punjab district, while Allyson will return to the States with the girls. We need several thousand dollars for the roundtrip travel and outreach fees for the events taking place in Northern India. Please contact us directly if you are able to assist us in this important endeavor.

Can you contribute to our upcoming expedition to India?

Just like last year's outreach to Papua New Guinea, this year's spring project requires a considerable amount of support to get us to Northern India at the end of March and back.

We require $6500 by March 1^stto pay for our roundtrip travel tickets and ground fees in India.

Please prayerfully consider whether you could make a special contribution at this time. Contribution information is on the top of our blog. Thanks, mates!

Vol. 14i Mynmr Memories 8: Kids!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:51:00 +0000

For security reasons, we will be using a code for these communications. Contact us via email if you need assistance deciphering any words. Please do not repost this message.

You can double-click the photos to see them bigger!

Today's focus will be on the children of My*nm*r. This one features a young man wearing a longee, which is a long skirt worn by men of this country. What everyone woman knows is that a skirt is cooler than pants, but here in Burm* the boys get to stay cool too. This is a tropical land near the equator, so every little trick to stay cool helps!

We had a photo of this young woman earlier in this series. She's the one who attempted to sell us a bird so we could receive a buddhist blessing by releasing it. Here she is featured with her bowl full of trapped birds. That's just something you don't see every day.

In the center of the country, we met a heartbreaking group of kids up in M*nd*l*y. We met the mom so at least they had one. I just can't imagine what it must be like to have to send your children out to beg so that you can get enough money to eat every day. Yet, millions of children beg for their daily bread all over the world.

Here is the girl's little brother. We never did find out what happened to his arm. My*nm*r has one of the worst health care systems in the whole world, so it's likely he never saw a doctor and this sling was gerry-rigged by his mother.

And here is one of the other brothers. We got these kids some snacks and hung out with them on the street for an hour or so while we waited for our taxis to arrive. They didn't understand any English at all, and we didn't know any B~rmese, so you can imagine how tricky it got. And, still, fun was had by all!

Most kids understand the Funny Faces game, and after making funny faces with them for a while, they were rolling in the road with laughter, literally. I think about these kids a lot. If you want to see a moving documentary, I highly recommend Born into Brothels. Different country, but similar situation.

Before long we had an audience and other kids from the neighborhood showed up to see our shenanigans. “Those crazy people!”

Later on we arrived in a small town in Sh*n St*te, and walked the streets to find a restaurant. Along the way, we met many Sh*n people like this mother and child by the side of the road. I wonder how many older children in this family have worn this well-worn hat before this child?

This little guy greeted us from the local DVD vendor's shop. Southeast Asia is notorious as a place where you pirated copies of Hollywood blockbusters are bought and sold. The people here are certainly not going to pay Best Buy prices for DVDS, they simply would not be able to afford them. Instead, unscrupulous vendors make copies and sell them for a dollar or two. I'm always a little embarrassed by what sells and what doesn't at street stands like this one. Let's just say that horror is a real hit here.

Here is one of my favorite photos! This mom has done her shopping for the week and now she and her child are going to bike back home to make dinner. What a cutie! Sadly, there is little or no enforcement of safety rules here, and in most cases such laws don't even exist. Consequently, it's very common to see babies being held by parents on motorbikes or a pile of kids hanging off the back of pick-up trucks.

This young man lives at the local Sh*n temple and is probably responsible for its upkeep. I can't help but think about him and the other children here who have never had a Christian as a neighbor or a friend. Situations like this remind me that the task of taking the gospel to the world is far from done. Someday, Lord willing, this young man will know God as we know Him and thank us in his prayers for our joint efforts to bring him the Good News. Join me in praying for the salvation of the Sh*n people and the timely completion of the Sh*n evangelistic film being worked on right now.

Thanks for being a part of our team that made this expedition possible. With your partnership we expect to contribute to many more projects like this one.

This is officially the last My*nm*r Memories photo-journey post. We hope you have enjoyed the journey. Let us know!

Vol. 14h Mynmr Memories 7: Monks

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:41:00 +0000

For security reasons, we will be using a code for these communications. Contact us via email if you need assistance deciphering any words. Please do not repost this message.

You can double-click the photos to see them bigger!

In Southeast Asia everywhere you look there are monks! In this place everyone is reminded of their religion constantly by numerous temples and the consistent presence of monks, the keepers of Buddhist teaching.

Through extensive Buddhist law or Dharma, the life of a monk is shaped specifically to support their spiritual practice, live a simple life, meditate on the Buddha's teaching, and work toward that goal of attaining Nirvana: the “great Nothingness or Obliteration” that awaits Buddhist followers.

All monks must take the five vows referred to as the "Five Precepts" of Buddhism:

I will not take the life of a sentient being (you shall not murder)
I will not take what has not been given to me (you shall not steal)
I will refrain from sexual misconduct (you shall not commit adultery)
I will refrain from false speech (You shall not lie)
I will refrain from becoming intoxicated. (You shall not get drunk)

Most Monks have over 200 other rules that govern a wide range of behaviors including their speech, entertainment, sleep patterns, and use of cosmetics.

Monks can also be some of the most educated and affable people in these Buddhist communities. Most of the monks I have met are as curious about us Christian visitors as we are of them. With a little help with translation you can strike up great conversations with monks you meet along the way on a number of relevant subjects of spiritual interest.

One of the words used for Monk literally translates as “beggar” or “one who lives by alms.” It is part of Buddhist cultures that orphan boys are often taken in by monasteries and raised as monk novices as a sort of social service solution in countries lacking state welfare programs. Early in the morning you will witness a procession of monks collecting alms that are used for their support as well as upkeep for the numerous temples.

We visited a remote monastery in Sh*n St*te where monks and their novices live and work by the Vinaya framework of monastic discipline that governs their conduct and education. These Vinaya or rules vary from country to country, but in this community they have 227 specific ordinances to live by.

In the countryside, the local altars are much more homespun than the lavish gold altars found in major cities. In an attempt to devote themselves thoroughly to the Buddha's Dharma or teaching, most Buddhists use rituals in pursuit of their spiritual aspirations. Buddhist will often kneel before these altars and offer prayers or meditations while burning incense.

The largest of the big cats, the tiger is indigenous to this region and serves as an important symbol in local mythology. Animal Planet recently voted them the world's favorite animal (just beating out the dog of course), which should help raise awareness of their status as an endangered species in most of their natural habitats. I confess, they are one of my favorite animals, too, how about you?

Tiered-roof buildings for religious functions in this area are commonly called pagodas. Here some monks oversee construction of a pagoda that will be used as an altar to receive the adoration of Buddhists worshipping their enlightened teacher. Somehow I think this wasn't actually what Siddhartha Gautama Buddha had in mind when he founded Buddhism, but since his teachings were not written down for at least 400 years after his death there is plenty of room for misinterpretation today.

Here is a rare glimpse of Bhikkhuni, or female monks. Women monks are not often well accepted here and even looked down upon. It seems that these patriarchal societies are not quite progressive enough to accept women in these spiritual roles yet. Although women have been monks since the founding of Buddhism, their second-tier status continues 2500 years later.

Giant statues of the Buddha are quite prevalent in this culture. Depending on the culture, depictions of the Buddha can vary widely. Some feature the Buddha as a gaunt, seated ascetic and others as a fat, laughing wanderer. Every attribute is chosen carefully to reflect some purported truth about the character of the historic Buddha himself.

With somewhere between 230 to 500 million adherents, Buddhism is far and away the most popular religion in Asia outside India and the world's fourth largest religion after Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Join me in praying that Buddhists everywhere will truly become enlightened and see the one we know as the “Light of the World.”

Vol. 14g: Mynmr Memories 6: Transportation

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:53:00 +0000

For security reasons, we will be using a code for these communications. Contact us via email if you need assistance deciphering any words. Please do not repost this message.

You can double-click the photos to see them bigger!

I thought it would be fun to take a look at transportation in My*nm*r today. In the big cities like Y*ngon, one of the most common options for getting around is by bus. They really know how to decorate their buses here. This busy intersection is also a good look at the city, which by our American standards is fairly relaxed in most all ways except for the consistent speed of vehicles.

Of course, if you want to get around the country a bit faster, an airplane is always a great choice. There are only a handful of domestic airlines that operate inside the country and regrettably none of them have a great reputation. The only international flights allowed must come into Y*ngon and from there a number of smaller planes like this one run a shuttle service to other small airports around the country. What time you arrive at your destination will depend on whether you get the jet or the propeller engine plane that day.

Most of the vehicles around here look about 50 years old. With soaring inflation a constant problem here, nobody can afford to acquire a new vehicle. Consequently, you see a lot of fixer-uppers that are exceedingly well maintained to keep them on the road. These little blue cars may or may not be running at this time.

We spent more time in a taxi than any other vehicle, since the trip into Sh*n St*te was basically 6 hours one way. These are the two taxis we took at a gas station where the gas is brought out to you in cans. No pumps!

Here we are going through one of the many tollbooths that are used to restrict the movements of people in the country. The population is very much controlled here and nobody gets far without government officials or their network of spies knowing their whereabouts.

Even in the city you will see a lot of people on bicycles. Motorbikes, however, have been outlawed within city limits. Some government official decided he didn't like them and had them banned from city streets. What a contrast from Thailand where motorbikes and scooters are everywhere!

Once we got out into the country, we had to cover a lot of ground for shooting so we used these bicycles to get around. We think these bikes may be about 50 years old too and they were difficult to maneuver. Nevertheless, we were grateful for them because even a tricky bike beats walking! It does make you wonder if Jesus and the disciples would have enjoyed some bicycles had they been an option to footing it everywhere.

You just don't see a lot of horse buggies in the United States unless you're in Amish country or on a tourist ride. This buggy doesn't fall into either category. They really do use these here. Feeding a horse may still be cheaper than putting diesel in your auto.

And if a horse is not readily available, why not hook up your ox to the cart for a ride into town. Truth be told, I saw many more ox driven carts than horse buggies, making the old ox cart the working man's main means of transportation in the field or on the road.

And should your cart break down, there is a handy mechanic nearby ready to repair your cart and get you up and running as soon as possible.

But the most interesting form of transportation around town may be the number of people we saw driving their trusty old tractor through town. We'll end here with a series of fun tractor shots and see if it makes you want to trade in your American made car for one of these dual-purposes vehicles.

More to come: Kids and Monks!

Vol 14f Mynmr Memories 5: Sh*n People

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:21:00 +0000

For security reasons, we will be using a code for these communications. Contact us via email if you need assistance deciphering any words. Please do not repost this message.

You can double-click the photos to see them bigger!

We've recently taken a photographic journey into the beautiful Sh*n countryside, now let's meet the beautiful people who live and work in this land.

On our way into and out of the Sh*n St*te we had to pass through a number of military checkpoints. The government uses these frequent outposts to restrict the movements of people around the country. In fact, much of the country is completely off-limits to tourists, and the military completely controls interactions between foreigners and indigenous peoples. We had secured passes to go to certain points, but we were not free to move about the country. Needless to say, this shot was taken discreetly.

The lack of an educated workforce with skills to use modern technologyy perpetuates the growing problems of the economy. However, along the roadsides between villages you will often stop at various vendors for refreshment. These stands offer the local people an opportunity to share their wares with travelers. The bananas from Southeast Asia are quite tasty.

And if bananas are not to your liking, there is also the watermelon women to help satisfy your cravings for fresh fruit. Suffering from decades of stagnation, mismanagement and isolation, the country is one of the poorest nations in southeastern Asia. Therefore people are very resourceful, using what they can glean from the land to make ends meet.

It is a very common sight to see men and woman carrying large loads along dusty roads. Not many people here have access to a vehicle. To move their produce and other wares from their fields to their markets requires a lot of sweat equity and a tough noggin'.

Here a woman sits at a cigar rolling device that allows her to make nearly 1000 cigars per day. This country is also one of the world's largest exporters of opium and drug abuse is a common problem among the population.

The country's slow economic growth has helped to preserve much of the environment. These woman do their best to support themselves by selling these fun pancake thingies.

And this man sells a sort of dim sum or dumpling filled with bean paste. If you like crushed bean, he's your man. After the cyclone devastated entire communities a few years ago, many men were forced into new occupations to support their families.

What a journey! After leaving the big city on the coast we took an early morning flight at the crack of dawn up to a large city in the center of the country called M*nd*l*y. We took a taxi into the center of the city and had a long lunch there. Around midday we began a six hour taxi ride up into Sh*n St*te.

Averaging 60 mph without seat-belts we were barreling through country roads and windy mountain passes to get to our destination. For those of us who are motion sensitive it's really quite an adventure sort of like a nauseating roller coaster without the safety features. And it's worth every second!

Around every corner there is another gorgeous vista expressing the tremendous beauty of God's creation in this forgotten corner of Southeast Asia. Because of the country's bad reputation, not many tourists brave this land. Those that do are witness to breathtaking landscapes and the hospitality of these courageous people.

Along the way we also stopped to record the sun setting over the mountains. Any chance to use a video camera to capture the glory of God's creation is a good one by my estimation.

It's also good to stretch the legs and answer “nature's call.” This country lacks convenient services such as rest stops, so you get to make your own as needed!

Soon we were barreling full-speed into Hsip*w, our new home for the next few days. The next two days would be very full running around the countryside getting as many shots as we could get during the time we had. I was often heard saying “I love this job! This is what I signed up for.”

Here are some examples of where the Sh*n people of this area live. These homes have no electricity and little furniture, but they still have plenty of charm. You can imagine how having one of these delightful homes burned to the ground would be a great loss to the families that live here.

And here is where the Sh*n people work. Their economy is largely agrarian so their livelihood is based on what they can grow or raise. We heard the stories of many Sh*n people who had survived attacks by the military who had robbed them of their food. It is not uncommon for armies to come through and appropriate everything in the area for their troops leaving the people of this land destitute in their wake.

And here is where the people worship. The Sh*n people are known for being devoutly Buddhist, yet their rituals add a lot from animism and astrology. These people live in fear not only of their government but a whole host of spirits that keep them in bondage year round in an endless cycle of hopelessness and despair. Our desire is to sow seeds of hope into these communities with a message of freedom through Christ.

The spiritual poverty of these oppressed people contrasts with the abundant beauty of their setting and I'm reminded of Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Pray with me that these people will come to know their Creator in the fullness of His truth and beauty.

Coming next: an up close look at the Sh*n people.

Vol 14d Mynmr Memories 3: Sh*n New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:45:00 +0000

A balmy Monday night in November found us at the local Sh*n monastry in Y*ngon to usher in the official Sh*n New Year. After praying for these people for months, it was such an honor to be in Burm* to celebrate with them.

Under normal circumstances, this many Sh*n people would never be allowed to congregate, but the military restrictions are eased for important festivals such as this one. As one of the largest ethnic groups in the land, their sheer numbers pose a threat to the establishment. The Sh*n have been engaged in an intermittent civil war with the authorities for decades.

Hours and hours of entertainment are promised including many local dance troupes who entertain the crowds with traditional Sh*n dances to distinctive Sh*n melodies. This a chance for talented local folk to shine and show their pride in their culture and traditions—especially in a political climate where to be Sh*n is to be oppressed by the government.

This event draws huge crowds of Sh*n people from the surrounding area and very few tourists. During their frequent conflicts with the government, many Sh*n are burned out of their villages and forced to fleet the country into Thailand.

Monks are highly revered by these people. A cordoned off section is set aside for the monks to come and take part in the festivities. Every male Sh*n will likely serve as a monk at least twice in their lifetime. When it comes to events like this one, even monks know how to have a good time.

Every year important dignitaries from the local Sh*n community are honored at events such as this one. Young Sh*n men are often conscripted into the My*nm*r Army or enslaved to provide road work for months with no wages or food. These people are survivors under the most difficult of circumstances and any chance to honor their heroes is moving and meaningful.

Local legend “Sarah” is a much beloved rock star in this land and delivers a passionate performance reminiscent of a rowdy Asian Joan Jett. After hours of traditional dance routines and honorific events, “Sarah's” passionate performance took the audience enthusiasm level to unparallelled heights. Rock and roll is alive and well!

Even a couple of visiting tourist-types can get a coveted chance to pose with their favorite local rock star. (Note the sweat from our labors destroying another t-shirt—this job requires lots of frequent hydration.) A high-profile Christian in a land of less than 1% Christian population provides “Sarah” with a rare platform for breaking down stereotypes that all Christians are foreign devils. Pray for her.

Due to the horrible circumstances, there has been a massive exodus of young Sh*n males to neighboring Thailand, where they typically find low-paid work in construction. Every day spent in Thailand is another day that the My*nm*r regime cannot repress or enslave them. Pray for the young men like this one who remain and serve in a country under consistently tyrannic conditions and the threat of death or oppression.

Here is a photo of a Sh*n Flag taken in a local restaurant. It goes without saying that such displays of ethnic pride are not flaunted publicly on the streets of My*nm*r for fear of brutal retaliations from the military-controlled government.

The next morning we would start our exceedingly long journey into the official Sh*n St*te, the home of these proud people.

Vol 14c Mynmr Memories 2: Shwedgon Pgod*

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:43:00 +0000

Also known as the Golden Pagoda, this gilded stupa is over 300 feet tall and dominates the city's skyline. This is the most sacred site in the realm for the buddhist relics including eight hairs from Gautama's head (the historical buddha).

There are literally hundreds of colorful temples, stupas and statutes reflecting thousands of years of architectural design. It is rumored that the golden shrine itself is 2500 years old and created while the Buddha still walked the earth—although that claim has been contended.

We spent over two hours on Sunday morning shooting footage here in this sacred site for our video. You can watch some of this footage later on when our video will be available for viewing. There is no question that this place is very much beloved by the local people.

Visits to these holy sites are of great importance to the people of this land. These pilgrimages have karmic value, and you can earn what I call “Buddhist bonus points” towards your karma by contemplating the infinite compassion of Buddha as you scale the steps to the stupa.

Although most people in this land are devout buddhists, they also believe strongly in a form of Astrology originating from Hindu Brahmanism. It's very important when you come to the Pagoda to know your day of birth (such as Monday, Tuesday, etc.) so that you may make the appropriate prayers and devotional acts at the correct altar devoted to that day of the week. I was informed that I was born on a Sunday. Didn't know that.

When the devout go up to the pagoda they believe they are treading the noble path where their human nature may manifest itself in good deeds of love, generosity and compassion for humanity. For others it's just a great way to pass the time on a Sunday afternoon with a peaceful stroll around the stupa.

To aid worship, the devout can secure items from vendors at the entrance including lucky charms, buddha images, candles, prayer flags, gold leaf, incense sticks, flowers, streamers and mini umbrellas!

Marketed as “one of the wonders of the religious world” the monument to My*nm*r Buddhism is an impressive site. There are donation boxes located around the temple to spontaneously attract cash and coins most of which are used to maintain the property, which is meticulously kept.

A busy day at the shrine finds monks mediating, people worshiping, and tourists bustling about with cameras. Apparently, the top of the stupa is encrusted with over 4000 diamonds including a 72 carat one.

Young and old flock to this place to offer prayers for a better life. Next up: A time of celebration with the Sh*n people as they usher in a new year on their holy calendar.

Vol. 14b: Mynmr Memories 1: Y*ngon

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:46:00 +0000

For security reasons, we will be using a code for these communications. Contact us via email if you need assistance deciphering any words. Please do not re-post this message.

Having secured our coveted entry visas, we arrived safely in My*nm*r and gratefully received no hassle getting through customs or airport security even with all of our video gear. Next thing you know we were being whisked through town in taxis when I snapped this welcome sign shot.

Y*ngon also known as R*ngoon is the former capital of B~rma and is still the country's largest city and center of commerce. The population is about four million and the outlying suburbs are especially impoverished.

We wasted no time and two hours after arriving in town, we were downtown shooting video. Here we are shooting out the windows of Tr*der's Hotel just like CNN correspondents and famous photographs during the 2007 revolt. Not so long ago locals monks lead a pro-democracy movement against the military junta that has ruled despotically here since 1962.

Featured here in the center of this downtown shot is the Sulep*god*, an ancient Buddhist temple in the heart of the city that served as a rallying point in the recent revolutions.

Crowded streets find the B*m*r peoples busy about their business. Much of the city is without basic municipal services like uninterrupted access to electricity and regular rubbish removal. This doesn't keep the throngs of people from seeking to make a living.

Unlike other major Asian cities, Y*ngon does not have any skyscrapers for one simple reason: few can afford to build one. According to official regulations, buildings over eight-stories require elevators. Due to frequent power outages, local generators are required to ensure elevator function. Costs add up quickly! Most buildings are less than 20 years old but look much older because of shoddy construction and lack of proper maintenance from lack of funds.

In the local market you can find all kinds of goods and services, including this vendor eager to sell you some tasty bugs for snacks. Yum!

You can also get some great deals on postcards like this local tourist did. There are no ATM machines and few locals have a debit or credit cards. Consequently, friendly locals are always eager to trade your money for you and will gladly exchange your American dollars for the local currency. Tourism has declined since the devastating Cyclone N*rgis.

This young girl wants us to buy her birds for a small fee. For centuries, Buddhists in Asia have released their sorrows through this ritual. Buy the caged bird, bring it to your lips with a kiss and a prayer, and then release it for an instant Buddhist blessing. Unless, of course, it's infected with an Avian flu or you are convinced that it's really mumbo-jumbo.

This child is decorated with local make-up paint made from the t*n*k* tree. Not only is this considered a traditional way of beautification, but it also works as sunscreen. Looking into this child's eyes, it's hard to imagine the horrors this country has seen under the regime for over 50 years.

The sun sets over Y*ngon. No light = no video so we would soon rest from our labors. Next up is a tour into the Shwed*gon P*goda, Y*ngons most famous Buddhist temple and the center of local worship.

Bangkok: Ancient Modern City

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:51:00 +0000

Journey into My*nm*r: Part 1

My colleague Peter and I had been selected to form a team to go into My*nm*r to shoot some footage we needed for our mobilization video for the Sh*n people. In Chiang Mai we had attempted to secure the necessary visa for entering the country, but we were unsuccessful. The embassy requested we travel to Bangkok to get the visas from them directly, which meant we were going to have a few anxious days hoping our visas would be approved on time before our expected departure date.

Bangkok is the heart of Thailand: her capital, largest urban area and primary city of commerce. Bangkok is both a thoroughly modern city while also an ancient city with a rich heritage.

The city is absolutely sprawling with over 11 million people in the surrounding area.

We stayed outside the city and had to go in and out every day through a variety of transportation means. Bangkok is notorious for massive traffic jams, however, recent construction of multilayered, elevated expressways and an extensive train system are helping to make travel around the city more efficient.

Or in the case of these monks, there are always fancy buses to get where you need to go. Sounds like a bad punchline.

It's hard to convey just how big and long this giant reclining buddha is. Bangkok is also the spiritual home of Thailand's many Buddhists. Although religion doesn't play as influential role in the modern capital as the rest of the country, a good portion of the population devoutly offers alms to monks daily.

Tourists flock to the many temples in Thailand where they can receive Buddhist instruction at the feet of golden Buddha altars. No shoes in the temples, please.

Here is a wide shot of the Grand Palace, the former residence of the Kings of Siam. After suffering from what I call “temple fatigue” we decided to save some money and not to pay the entry fee for the grand tour. You'll have to settle for this wide shot of this famous landmark taken from a distance.

Thailand is literally home to thousands upon thousands of Buddhist statues. Maybe millions. I'm not sure anyone has tried to count them. Regardless, you can't get very far in Thailand without one of those golden idols to greet you. Here a man sleeps at the feet of his lifeless master.

At first it struck me as strange that this temple had a basketball court, like an absurd anachronism. But then I thought about how many churches had gyms or hoops and thought “Why not!” Young monk novices don't pray all day anyway and exercise is good for the soul.

A handsome farang (white foreigner) poses in this portal at a famous Bangkok temple.

Buddhists often stop to worship outside the malls before doing their shopping inside. In America we worship the almighty dollar by just skipping straight to the purchasing part. Can you imagine a modern world where everyone stopped to pray outside our major malls and shopping districts across our country?

Downtown Bangkok is a series of malls: lots of massive malls upon massive malls in a seemingly endless aisle of shopping opportunities. You can definitely shop til you drop there. The affluence of the malls is a mighty contrast from the country we were headed to in a few days. Can you imagine that almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day? We were about to meet some of them.

Thailand may not know Jesus yet, but they do love a good Christmas tree. There is none of that silly pretense of calling them “Holiday Trees” in Thailand, one of the few countries in Southeast Asia with religious tolerance—even if 95% of the people are Buddhists. Muslims are the next largest religious group at over 4% and Christians are less than 1% of the population today.

When I think back on my experiences in Bangkok, I think most of the beautiful people who live and work there making the city the bustling center of Thailand that it is today. Pray for their transformation into a world-class city of people that are no longer remembered for their sex trade and corruption.

This parting shot is a young woman on the train heading out of the city just like we are. We were pleased to have our visas granted the day before we were scheduled to leave. Our next step was over the border into an entirely different kind of place where our work begins.

Merry Christmas from the Baldwins!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:27:00 +0000

Merry Christmas to our friends and family!

Steve has been back in the good old United States for about a week now and it's great to be reunited as a family after such a long absence. Thanks again for all your prayers.

We recently posted two new posts on our blog. If you read our blog regularly, you already know that. If not, one is a brief wrap-up about the completed training program for Create International called "One Night in Bangkok." The other is our Christmas greeting to all of you. We know that not everyone follows our blog so we wanted to email these two posts to everyone--here you go! Apologies for the redundancy to all of you who faithfully read our blog AND receives our email and/or Google Group reports.

We have postponed our Mynmr photo journey posts until after the holidays.

Email us if you would like us to send you the official Create International newsletter for the end of 2009. Inside is an article about the Sh*n people co-written by Steve among other great reports from the ministry.

If you are wondering how to better prayer for us during our furlough, we do post our recent prayer points on our blog in the left-hand column from this post.

Some of you have asked us for our mailing address so here it is: 23 Red Brook Road, East Falmouth, MA 02536 (This message will self-destruct in a week, but then you can email us for our address).

Lastly, Ripe for Harvest has recently changed their address for receiving donations on our behalf to: Ripe for Harvest, POB 487, Monument, CO 80132. Please make a note of that change. You may continue to send gifts and donations for our support to this new address and please continue to designate Account #247 in the memo line without including our name on the check.)

We are looking forward to catching up with all of you in 2010!

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:03:00 +0000

Merry Christmas everyone! What a joy it is to be writing to you from Cape Cod, Massachusetts where I am reunited with my family and preparing for a white Christmas. I've been home now for a few days and finally getting over being a jet-lagged mess. I stopped feeling like I was still flying sometime Friday night, which helped. The tree is up and so are our spirits. It's been an amazing year of training, practice and preparation and we are privileged to get a chance to tell you about it in 2010. Thanks for keeping us so faithfully in your prayers and financial support as we continue to serve the mighty God who we celebrate as a helpless infant this season. See you soon.

One Night in Bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:08:00 +0000

Photo taken at Kad Suan Kaew, Chiang Mai Thailand

It's official. I am now a graduate of Create International's training program "The School of Frontier Media." It's been a powerful experience and I'm ready to go to work serving in media missions. Thanks again to all of you who have made this important training experience possible through your prayers and financial support.

Today I begin my 40 plus hour journey home. I'll leave Chiang Mai later today for literally "One Night in Bangkok" and then early tomorrow morning I start a 24 hour period of travel all the way back to Boston through Tokyo and Chicago. Please pray for safe travel both for myself and all my gear. I am especially praying that they won't make me check my overweight camera bag. Please also give praise in advance for the reunion with my family on Wednesday evening!

I dearly hope I get to see all of you sometime in 2010 during our furlough.

Thanks.

- Steve

Back from B~rm*

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Self-portrait from Tuk Tuk Mirror in Bangkok

Due to the sensitive nature of this post, please do not re-post or publish this information elsewhere in print or online without permission from the authors.

The production for our evangelistic film for the Sh*n people of Burm* has been going exceedingly well; however, to complete this project there was a need for authentic footage from the Sh*n St*te. Peter and I were selected to go. Our mission was to slip into My*nm*r under the radar of the oppressive, military dictatorship. The first hurdle was to secure a coveted visa to enter the country. Because this land is considered a closed country, we had to be extremely careful in how we completed our paperwork—even humanitarian NGO workers have a hard time entering these days despite their beneficial contributions after the tsunami. We attempted to secure the visas from Chiang Mai and were informed we would have to appear at the embassy in Bangkok to have our paperwork processed instead. Flexibility in planning is key in this line of work.

Yngn from Air

We arrived in Bangkok about five days before our expected departure date and prayed that the process of securing the visa would be both timely and successful. In the meantime, we were able to explore downtown Bangkok's shopping and tourist districts during our free time. We discovered that bustling Bangkok is quite a contrast from the underdeveloped city we were heading to. Praise God, our visas were finally issued on late Friday afternoon and we departed for Y*ng0n on Saturday as scheduled.

Yngn Cityscape Shot from Tr*der's Hotel

We went to work right away capturing cityscapes and urban life in this country's largest city. Having passed through immigration at the airport we were essentially free to roam about the country—except the prohibited parts of course—and we soon learned that you can't get far without crossing through an armed checkpoint.

Shwe D*gon in Yngn from Fence

Sunday we watched as faithful Buddhists made their weekly visit to Shwe D*gon, the most famous of all My*nm*r pagodas. From the top of the famous Tr*ders Hotel where foreign correspondents often hide out to cover the local uprisings, we got some great scenes of this creaky old city. Paradoxically, we attended an underground church that meets at the top of a tall building (with no elevator!). And in a sure sign that God is great, we also feasted on amazingly awesome Mexican food downtown in this bustling Asian city. Who would have guessed?

Beggar Girl from M*nd*l*y

On Monday we went to a local Sh*n monastery to celebrate the Sh*n new year where local talent sing and dance and local dignitaries are honored. Early Tuesday morning at 6 am we were heading to the airport to fly up to M*nd*l*y in the center of the country. Once there we had a grueling 6 hour drive into Northern Sh*n St*te over treacherous road conditions with hairpin turns and unguarded drops into deep valleys. A quick stop to capture the glorious sunset was time well spent.

Shooting the Sunset in Sh*n St*te

Regrettably Tuesday night into Wednesday morning found me hovering near the toilet with the worst case of traveler's diarrhea I've ever had. Too much information? Perhaps, but being sick is a common hazard to be endured when you visit new places. It's suffering well worth it when the project is done.

Thanks be to God, by Wednesday afternoon I felt well enough to bike around the local town to shoot more needed footage in this beautiful plateau.

Sh*n St*te Vista

Thursday was a gift. I felt much better. The temperature was cool. The sky was overcast and just great for shooting video. We attacked our shot list by biking around the surrounding area from dawn until after dusk to get great local color and details for the video.

Friday found us driving back to M*nd*l*y and flying back to Y*ng0n in time to shoot some interviews late into the evening. Saturday we shoot more local scenes in the morning before taking two flights back to Chiang Mai! It was an exhausting yet exhilarating experience.

Protecting the camera from rain during a key shot

My understanding of this place based on my observation mixed with hearsay: not very forward thinking. The government seems bent on putting money in their pockets at the expense of the people. You can't get very far without hearing stories in hushed tones from victims of some government atrocity. The infrastructure seems to be about 50 years old and so are most of the vehicles and buildings. Beautiful new buildings have been built and then sit rotting on the side of urban roads unoccupied and forgotten. Busy street vendors hassle you to “change your money” because they are eager to secure some good old US dollars. Nothing gets accomplished without bribes and kick-backs and most businesses don't bother coming here because it's just too frustrating navigating the bureaucracy. Even Coca Cola doesn't bother, which says a lot. The food here pales in comparison to the great meals available in Thailand on every street corner. One local pastor told me how excited he was that he could get a cellphone for $1700, even though the local service is woefully inadequate and over regulated by the government. Power outages are frequent, often leaving people trapped in elevators or waiting for their luggage to scoot by on automated conveyor belts. We know about that last one firsthand.

Yngn Airport Mural

An example of the backward governmental mentality is this story we heard there. Because this land was once a former British colony it was completely constructed for driving-on-the-left. However, after consulting an astrologist one government official was encouraged to change that driving pattern and have everyone now drive on the right (like North Americans). This was done without any real reasons to back it up except some horoscope. Unfortunately, none of the roads were ever changed to match this new way of driving and the result makes for some awkward intersections. This is further proof that people can be really transformed by adjusting their worldviews.

Grandma

Nevertheless, this country is also home to a diverse group of people who try to live their lives despite governmental interference. Most have not heard of Jesus and consider Christianity a religion only for foreigners. People have gone to great lengths since the days of Adonirim Judson to bring the good news to this great land, but without neighboring Christians living out their faith and demonstrating the love of God the distance to go is yet to be reached. Please pray especially for the six million or more Sh*n people who live desperate lives without hope. They are ravaged by wars and drug and alcohol abuse. Their lives of quiet subsistence are frustrated by a regime that demands the best of everything they produce. Generations of people are losing their language and culture in an attempt to homogenize the people. The result is an internally displaced people group on the verge of losing their cultural identity.

Child with B~rmese beauty make-up that doubles as sunscreen

We felt humbled to have the opportunity to be in this land and meet these people. We overcame many obstacles to be here and saw evidence of how much God abundantly blessed our experience. Thank you for your prayers that provided us great peace and provision during our journey. We are most grateful to you for standing by us in prayer during this time and we are happy to report that our mission was accomplished thanks to your faithfulness.

I will remain in Chiang Mai for a few more weeks to continue work with the team on post production of the mobilization video for the Sh*n people. It's going to be great and I'm eager to share it with you next year when it's completed.

Monk in Yngn

In other news, I'm eager to see my family after such a long absence and gratefully will be returning home just in time to celebrate Christmas. We'll be sharing more about our future plans in 2010 and I look forward to seeing you all again face-to-face soon. Thanks again for all your support of our work. We are most grateful for all you've done for us these past two years!

Back Across the Border

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:41:00 +0000

West of the border from my present location is a land that is as backward thinking as it is beautiful. I have just returned from that beguiling place and I'm grateful for your prayers which sustained me and my colleagues while we were away. Our mission was accomplished. We came and went from the country without hassle or hindrance and secured the video footage we required. Over the next week or so I plan to release a fuller newsletter providing some details of the trip. If time permits I will also release a multi-part photo journey like the popular one we provided after our time in PNG.

Apologies to everyone who received old versions of our “Boomerang,” while I was away. In an attempt to fly under the radar to secure the needed visas to enter the land, we attempted to decrease our internet footprint by unpublishing a few recent posts that mentioned the land and its people. Consequently, the automatic service released old posts as if they were new ones. When we republished them, the service then sent them out again! This should not happen again and does not require any action on your part. Thanks for your patience. This is a guaranteed new post at this time and there are more to come.

Short Update

noreply@blogger.com (Allyson) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Hello everyone,

Just a note to let you know that Steve is waiting for his visa today to go into a closed and unfriendly country tomorrow for a week. Please pray for him! We have unpublished our posts that mention the country specifically because the government may check on Steve online. Please be discreet in any messages you post. We'll let you know when he's back!

On the home front, things are good. Samuel leaves today for a Model UN conference at Brown University. He is representing China in talks on nuclear arms. Last time he won an award.... I'm so glad his skills in debating have found a constructive outlet! The girls and I are planning a quiet weekend. It should be nice.

Thank you all for you prayers for us. We greatly appreciate them! We love you all.

Allyson for Steve and the family

Volume 12 - Film Production Completed

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:33:00 +0000

To protect the identities of workers in sensitive areas and the integrity of their work, we will be adopting a new coded method of communicating in our newsletters. Vowels will be substituted with symbols so we can avoid showing up inappropriately in internet searches. If you are having trouble figuring out the code, just contact us directly and we'll help out. The reason for this will be more apparent later on in this newsletter.

This past year continues to be the most professionally and personally fulfilling of my life. God has repeatedly confirmed to me that my calling involves standing with a camera in cross-cultural experiences. Directing scenes cross-culturally was definitely a humbling experience for me, yet also incredibly exhilarating. I never doubted that I would find the experience professionally and spiritually satisfying, nevertheless, working very closely with a Create team for the last few weeks has been a powerful confirmation of my calling and a dream realized. Praise be to God.

We have recently returned to Chi*ng M*i where we will be very busy editing the two films for quite some time. The first is an evangelistic drama specifically designed for the Sh*n people of Burm* and the second is a mobilization documentary introducing these people to folks back home and raising up prayer and support for them. While up north on the border, we worked closely with a few ministries focused on demonstrating the love of God to these people through practical ministry like children's schools, orphanages and biblical instruction.

The goal has been to create the tools that Christian workers among the Sh*n have requested for their ongoing evangelistic efforts. Working with a dedicated team of Create students and staff we partnered with the ministries to produce both films.

During the first week we worked diligently on finishing and translating the script into the Sh*n language and culture. We scouted locations, cast actors and shot footage for the documentary. The second week we hit the ground running with long days and nights shooting footage for the drama in a multitude of picturesque locations. The story centers around two brothers who are separated while young when the elder brother leaves to seek revenge for their father's untimely death. Years later the younger brother travels from Th*il*nd to Burm* to determine the fate of his missing brother. Along the way he confronts his fear and discovers the One who saves us from fear and death.

Personally, I was able to participate by directing a few scenes, shooting a lot of footage, editing some scenes, and providing other crew functions as needed to give others a chance to learn and shine. Basically, it was an opportunity to do a lot of things that I love while confidant that the work was eternally purposeful.

As a team we saw God answer all of our prayers abundantly. We were fighting time and translation difficulties to complete the production. We maintained team unity while we worked long, hard hours without conflict. We even saw God protect the integrity of our location when we were surrounded on every side by rain that threatened to cancel our shoot. Plus, we realized a number of Create firsts:

shooting an entire film in HD
using a dolly for a zolly in an alley
and showing a short movie trailer at the cast party!

As we prepared for the cast party, I was asked to whip together a short trailer for the film. We threw a cast party for the actors and they were incredibly enthusiastic about their movie! We ended our time by worshipping God together in a pub with songs and prayers. The believers from this area blew us away with their enthusiasm. This short trailer is available for viewing at the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aFIVXa5SWI

Because part of the story takes place in Burm* we need footage of key locations and events that take place on the other side of the border from Th*il*nd. Peter and I have been selected to go to Burm* in mid-November to secure this important footage. Burm* is an oppressive communist country with a record of human rights abuses. We'll need all of your prayer and support to discreetly slip in and out of this country on this important assignment.

You will now also understand why we are being more discreet in our communication so as not to send red flags up anywhere about the nature of our work. We also do not want to comprise our project partners who routinely work inside this closed country.

As we continue to work on editing these films, and providing the last bits of footage we need, will you stand with us in prayer? Can you imagine living in a land where there is no Bible or church or even other Christians who can encourage you? Now add a government that persecutes you relentlessly, political instability, religious bondage, drug and sex trafficking and extreme poverty and you have a picture of what every Sh*n person faces daily. Our deep desire is to see this gateway group of over 6 million people have the same access to the gospel that we enjoy—the good news that we are free in Christ. (Gateway groups are people in a prime position to influence other people groups.)

Pray for:

our team here in Chi*ng Mai to complete the postproduction on time
safety in travel as Peter and I cross the border to get more footage for the film
time and access to complete our shot list while across the border
needed finances to cover the expenses for this expedition
the gospel to be presented in a culturally sensitive way so the Sh*n can be free to worship God will remaining true to their cultural identity
the continued use of broadcasts to reach these people with the gospel
the Lord to raise up more people from both outside and among their own population to complete His goals for them.

If you would like to acquire a beautiful prayer guide for the Sh*n people, please send an email to sh*npr*yer@ gmail dot com

Meanwhile, back in the United States Allyson is settling into our furlough home in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Here in her own words she describes the transition and the families specific prayer requests.

We are settling into our lovely home in Falmouth generously loaned to us by our dear friends. God has clearly paved the way for us to be here by providing both a home and a car that meet our needs perfectly. How great is our God?! The kids are adjusting to their new schools here in town and are slowly making friends and beginning to feel at home. Abigail has begun studying French, Rachel has joined a creative writing club, and Samuel is playing ultimate frisbee and participating in Model UN. Sam is also looking ahead eagerly to college next year. We have the added bonus of being in the same town as my parents for the first time in almost 22 years. It's been fun.

Overall, our transition has been a smooth one. It was hard to leave Thailand and the energy that came with being on the field, but we are confident that God has directed this move. I know our missions career is only just beginning and it is exciting to be part of a larger plan even while packing lunches and driving our kids to school!

I appreciate your prayers as well and ask that you would pray with me for the following:

wisdom as I fulfill the role of two parents for a little while longer
frugality as we stretch our income over two continents
guidance as I help Samuel navigate the college application process
God's will as I look for part-time employment and manage the kids as well
opportunities to serve the unreached world from here.

Thank you! We love you all and are so grateful for your participation in our lives!

Please inform us directly if you would like to contribute specifically to the

Burm* expedition
the bring “Steve home for Christmas” fund
or Allyson and the families needs in Falmouth.

Film Production Starting

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:27:00 +0000

The Baldwin girls have gratefully returned safely to Massachusetts after over 36 hours of travel from Northern Thailand to New England. They will need your prayers and encouragement as they carve out a life in Falmouth over the next month, including starting new schools, securing cars, etc.

In the meantime, I remain in Northern Thailand a day away from heading north to a town on the B~rmese border. What is that all about? I'm glad you asked. Create International is entirely focused on reaching people around the world who have no significant Christian population. In missionary-speak, we call these peoples unreached people groups or UPG's. One of the largest UPG's today are the Sh*n people of Burm*. Our goal is two-fold. First we will create an evangelistic film designed to communicate the gospel to Sh*n people using the Sh*n language and culture. If you think that sounds tricky, you'd be right! However, this approach eliminates cultural barriers inherent when westerners attempt to introduce the gospel among Asians in Asia. In effect, this targeted media strategy will, for all intents and purposes, appear to be created in-house by Sh*n people. This breaks down barriers and increases gospel message effectiveness.

A Buddhist monk writes “I believe in
Jesus Christ. When will you come and
call us out from here? Please come as
soon as possible. I and all my villagers
here will follow.”

Secondly, we will be creating a mobilizing video that will introduce the Sh*n to Christians around the world so they can contribute to efforts to reach them through prayer and missions outreach. If this sounds like a major undertaking, you're right again. You'll get a chance to see this video when it's done sometime next year.

Who are the Sh*n? They are considered one of the great peoples of Southeast Asia and they dominate the Northern My*nm*r (AKA Burm*) state that bears their name. The Sh*n people are an Asian people who make their living traditionally as wet-rice cultivators, shopkeepers, and artisans. The name Si*m likely sprang from a mispronunciation of Sh*n. Their total population in Burm* is estimated at over 5 million and represents approximately 10% of B~rmese total population, not including a significant and growing population in Thailand that may be as high as 2 million. As confirmed by local experts, the Sh*n people article on Wikipedia does an excellent job of describing the issues the Sh*n face today.

Here is a compelling account of their current plight:

“The Sh*n have been engaged in an intermittent civil war within Burm* for decades...During conflicts, the Sh*n are often burned out of their villages and forced to flee into Th*iland. There, they are not given refugee status, and often work as undocumented labourers. Whether or not there is an ongoing conflict, the Sh*n are subject to depredations by the B~rmese regime; in particular, young men may be conscripted into the B~rmese Army indefinitely, or enslaved to do road work for a number of months—with no wages and no food. The horrific conditions inside Burm* have led to a massive exodus of young Sh*n males to neighbouring Th*iland, where they typically find low-paid work in construction. However unsatisfactory these conditions may be, all of these refugees are well aware that at least they are being paid for their work, and that every day spent in Th*iland is another day that the B~rmese regime cannot repress or enslave them.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh*n_people

Provided by my colleague Wendy Hudson, the photos in this newsletter are of Sh*n construction workers and their families here in Thailand. Additional Sh*n issues include rampant drug trade because of the opium grown here in the Golden Tri*ngle, and sex trafficking of young Sh*n girls and boys.

Most Sh*n are strict Ther*vada Buddhists, and all Sh*n community life is centered around their religion. “Unlike most Buddhists who believe in karma, the Sh*n believe they are protected from evil by the spiritual power of Buddha idols and spirits.” This indicates a level of animistic tradition present in their worldview. They believe their lives are controlled by spirits and spend a lot of their religious activity trying to appease them. This sort of religious bondage is as pervasive as it is destructive.

Media alone will not be the only tool to introduce an entire people group like the Sh*n to the gospel. Nevertheless, an appropriate tool in the right hands as part of a concerted effort by caring Christians can break through cultural barriers to provide a consistent, clear and compelling account of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The goal of this production, therefore, is to create the tools that Christian workers among the Sh*n have requested for their ongoing evangelistic efforts.

Please join us in prayer for:

logistical concerns of finding appropriate locations and working in adverse shooting conditions
favor with the local authorities and decision-makers
identifying and hiring Sh*n cast members
breakthroughs in further deciphering Sh*n contextual metaphors
clarity in translation from English to Thai to Sh*n and back
unity for our team as we work long hours on a complicated project . . . in the heat!
safety (whereas we do not anticipate any problems from the My*nm*r government or military at this time, we must admit that the possibility exists)
for victory against the spiritual warfare we face daily on a project of such strategic significance.

In the end, God's love for the Sh*n will prevail and we look forward to contributing to a significant harvest of Sh*n believers for His glory. Accordingly, we would love to see a church fellowship planted in every major city and town throughout the Sh*n states in Burm* and Th*iland. God never does anything half way and neither should we, so let's go for it together in prayer!

Please remember Allyson, Samuel, Rachel and Abigail in your prayers as well. Specific prayer requests were mentioned in our last newsletter and they remain in effect today. I imagine that Allyson's building a temporary home on the Cape on a reduced income during our furlough is a bit like making bricks without straw. It's a good thing we know a God who historically handles those kind of problems for his people all the time. Contact Allyson directly through her Facebook page or allybaldwin5 at gm*il dot com

Photos by Wendy Hudson

September Prayer Requests

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:39:00 +0000

Here is a brief note focused on our upcoming prayer requests. As you know from reading our last newsletter earlier this month, we are about to undergo a major transition. The Lecture Phase of the School of Frontier Media ends officially at 1 pm this coming Friday. At 5 p.m. that evening we all fly to Bangkok and crash for a few hours at a local hotel. Early Saturday morning at 5 a.m. Allyson, Rachel & Abigail will board a plan from Bangkok to Tokyo. They have about a 90 minute layover before flying to Detroit and then on to Boston. After 24 hours of traveling, they will arrive at Logan Airport early Saturday evening. Meanwhile, Steve will return to Chiang Mai to being outreach on the B~rmese border.

Please pray for:

safety, energy and alertness in international travel
timely return of luggage
finances – we have an immediate need for $300 to cover unanticipated expenses including the hotel in Bangkok on Friday night

If you are able to help, it would be best to send these funds directly to our banking account in the States or through Paypal. Contact us for instructions.

In this upcoming transition, please pray for Allyson, Samuel, Rachel and Abigail as they:

adjust to new circumstances again
start new schools and seek out new friends
survive on a reduced income
acquire an automobile, insurance and other needs
pay off the loan for the airfare home
manage without Steve for three months.

Steve will also be very sad to be away from his family for so long and will require special attention in prayer. He will remain in Thailand where he will be participating in an Evangelistic Film project for the Sh*n people of B~rm*. Please pray that the team will:

remain unified and focused even in challenging circumstances and long hours
overcome all obstacles to successfully create an effective film appropriate for the Sh*n
receive all of the remaining funding we need to pay for this time ($1500)
stay safe and unhindered in travel for both staff and equipment
continue to have God's heart for these great people.

Rachel and Steve are back from their border run to B~rm* so Steve could refresh his visa and Rachel could add another country to her passport! Thanks for your prayers.

If time permits, we will hopefully be posting some information about the Sh*n and this outreach on our blog soon, so stay tuned for more information.

Thanks, Team! We are confident that God will answer these prayers. We thank him also for those of you who will also serve as an answer to these prayers for provision. We are also grateful to know you are praying for us regularly.

Boomerang Vol. 11: Land of Smiles

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:08:00 +0000

Thailand is often called “The Land of Smiles” so here we are to greet you with grateful hearts and big grins on our faces. We pray for you regularly and are always keenly aware that our ability to be here is because of your love and kindness. We are very pleased to report that our School of Frontier Media (SFM) tuition was just paid in full. Thank you for providing the means we required to pay for this part of the program.

Our days in the SFM lecture phase are winding down rapidly, so we are checking in with you before our next transition. This training program has been an exciting, rewarding experience that has given us great skills and confidence for our work. We moved from being at a huge base in Perth with over 300 people, to interacting with a small team of a few staff persons, five classmates, and their families. Quite a change!

We have really loved getting to know the nuts and bolts of Create International through the class and interaction with the international directors and other staff members. We have received instruction on all the major relevant topics:
• Cross Cultural Communication and Research
• Developing Media Strategy
• Photography & Videography
• Arts and Evangelism
• Documentary Production & Directing
• Evangelism to Buddhists
• Scriptwriting
• ... and the list goes on.

Steve was very proud of Allyson directing her first film; Allyson was impressed with how adept Steve was with the Illustrator program; Abby got to join us in class for Photoshop week and Rachel is taking guitar lessons and writing songs! Though it's been a while, we've even both written a research paper. We've also mastered a few Thai phrases—mostly at meal times. Thai food has spoiled us forever. It just doesn't get any better than a giant bowl of Khao Soi or Moo Pad Nahmen Hoi or (Insert your favorite Thai dish here _____). . . we love them all even when the spices make our tongues numb. Pad Thai featured below.

Most YWAM schools have a practical, outreach phase, so our team is now preparing to head up to northern Thailand on the Burmese border to work on an evangelistic project for the Shan people. The Shan are an unreached group of over 6 million Buddhists who have no viable church, virtually no Christian population (less than 1%) and live under the ruthless oppression of the communist Myanmar government. With the hope that the good news of Jesus Christ can bring them freedom, we seek to clearly communicate a powerful message of salvation to the Shan. After extensive research this semester, we are currently refining the script for an evangelistic film we are making in their language and cultural style. Our team will also be making a mobilization film to motivate Christians around the world to engage the Shan people for the gospel.

Our outreach team will travel north in late September to shoot the video and return to Chiang Mai in late October to edit the video until mid December. Please pray that the team will:
• remain unified and focused even in difficult circumstances and long hours
• overcome all obstacles to successfully create an effective film appropriate for the Shan
• receive all of the remaining funding we need to pay for this time of outreach ($2500)
• stay safe and unhindered in travel for both staff and equipment
• continue to have God's heart for these great people and insight on how to best communicate His story to them.

Our Lord used a friend back home on the North Shore to provide the HD camera that Steve and the team will be using to shoot Create Thailand's first HD film!

As this outreach phase begins Allyson and the girls will return home to Massachusetts at the end of September. As you know from our previous newsletters, Samuel has been living with his grandparents in Falmouth, MA. He just started his senior year of high school and joined the Math Team and Model UN clubs. Rachel and Abigail will also be enrolled in the local school there when they return. We are so grateful and blessed for the provision of a furnished home we can afford—another great answer to prayer. After the completion of the training outreach phase, Steve will return to the states just in time to celebrate Christmas with his family!

We will take our first furlough earlier than expected and for a longer time than anticipated to accommodate Sam's education and transition to college. This timetable is a bit different than we had originally thought it would be, but we've learned you really need to be flexible. In 2010 we will be actively engaged in full-time deputation to raise the funds we need for long-term service with Create International.

Lord willing, we also intend to serve Create International in the US by mobilizing, teaching and representing the ministry at conferences and key events around the country. The practical details of this plan are being worked out in partnership with the Create International directors. We know that the Lord has us right where he wants us and we are looking forward with anticipation to how this year will work out. It is our intention to then return to the field once Samuel is safely ensconced in college, and we are waiting on the Lord for a specific timetable. We currently have an open invitation to return to Thailand anytime in 2010 and serve with the team at the Create International base here in Chiang Mai.
In this upcoming transition, please pray for Allyson, Samuel, Rachel and Abigail as they:
• adjust to new circumstances again
• start new schools and seek out new friends
• survive on a reduced income
• acquire an automobile and other needs
• pay off the loan for the airfare home ($3000)
• manage without Steve for three months.

Steve will also be very sad to be away from his family for so long and will require special attention in prayer.

Best of all, we hope to see all of you in 2010. We look forward to sharing with you about our adventures and, even better, the great things God is doing around the world today. Until then, keep those prayers coming.

You may send gifts and donations for our support to Ripe for Harvest and please designate Account #247 in the memo line but please do not include our name on the check. Send it to:
Ripe for Harvest 2824
N. Power Rd #113282
Mesa AZ 85215-1674

http://www.ripeforharvest.org/donations.htm
Ripe for Harvest is able to issue a tax deductible receipt in the USA, whereas YWAM Thailand is not.

Illustrator and Photoshop

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:40:00 +0000

The School of Frontier Media has been an exceedingly positive experience for us here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Each week we have a different area of concentration. Not long ago we shared some of our best photos taken in Photography week. Last week we were introduced to two Adobe programs: Illustrator and Photoshop.

Photoshop is a wildly popular image editing and manipulation program used for photography, airbrush illustration, collages, special effects, etc. Photoshop is a different palate than Illustrator. As a computer program it acts like a canvas with paints and brushes for image manipulation.

The "Greetings from Thailand" postcard featured above is my photoshop project for the week--essentially a collage of eleven different images from photos I have taken here in Thailand. Except obviously the one of us taken by my friend Barry.)

Best of all our photoshop guru, Abby, got to join us for the week and even show us parents up. Illustrator is a vector-based illustration program used to create technical art, logos, cartoon art, charts, diagrams, etc. The best metaphor for Illustrator is a program that simulates creating art by layering paper cut-outs on top of other paper cut-outs.

Abigails says: "During my parents SFM week on Photoshop and Illustrator I was able to sit in on their classes. This picture ^ is an amine girl I made on the program Illustrator."

Here are the rest of the projects we made for class.

Allyson: "For my Illustrator project I copied a photo of Venetian beads. Getting all the layers correct and the little bit of shine was challenging for a first-time user."

Steve: "This is a butterfly fairy based on a statue I saw in Singapore. My goal was to create a fun character from Asian folklore."

Abigail: "This picture is of my friend Nicola. I created it on Photoshop. First I had to take a picture of the computer. Then in the same room I took the picture of the computer I also took a picture of Nicola so that the lighting was the same. Then came the hard part I had to erase around her body and add the shadow."

Allyson: "My photoshop project is a picture of Rachel farming where office supplies grow. Rachel helped me by making the sticky note/tack trees. "

We are very excited to have these new skills with these new tools.

Atheism & the Royal Thai Police

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:16:00 +0000

Just a quiet little post to let you all know that all is well here in Thailand. We have been exceedingly busy with the School of Frontier Media and are now more than half way through the lecture phase of the program. The girls are now starting to make their plans to come home to the states while I gear up for the outreach to the Shan on the Burmese border. We'll have more to say on these subjects in our next official newsletter.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a link to an article I enjoyed reading recently. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/08/11/o.faith.doubters.dilemma/index.html I believe this article accurately sums up how a lot of people feel today, caught between theism and atheism. I've been there so I really enjoyed this thoughtful writer's exploration on doubt. Maybe it will strike a chord with you from a time in your not so distant past. At the very least, it's bound to depict someone you know.

We'd love to upload some photos, but lately when we try we are given this message: "Sorry, the web site you are accessing has been closed by Royal Thai Police due to inappropriateness such as pornography, gambling or contain any information which is deemed to violate national security." We are also unable to upload any new photos through Facebook, which may be a related issue. Hopefully, this situation gets sorted out soon.

Thanks for your faithful prayers and timely support.

Soy Jet Cycles

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:13:00 +0000

Steve's short photo montage focused on the Wat Jed Yod neighborhood of Chiang Mai, Thailand with an emphasis on motorcycles. This was an assignment for "Photography Week" in the School of Frontier Media, Create International. Soy Jet is the name of the road in our neighborhood where most of these photos were shot.

Also featured here: Soy Jet Cycles

P.S., Steve is feeling quite a bit better, thanks for all the prayers. There is still some tummy trouble being treated, but the rest of the symptoms are now all diminished.

The Baldwin Boomerang

Parting Shot

Report Back Presentations This Weekend

Volume 15: Next Stop India

Vol. 14i My*nm*r Memories 8: Kids!

Vol. 14h My*nm*r Memories 7: Monks

Vol. 14g: My*nm*r Memories 6: Transportation

Vol 14f My*nm*r Memories 5: Sh*n People

Vol 14d My*nm*r Memories 3: Sh*n New Year

Vol 14c My*nm*r Memories 2: Shwed*gon P*god*

Vol. 14b: My*nm*r Memories 1: Y*ngon

Bangkok: Ancient Modern City

Merry Christmas from the Baldwins!

Steve has been back in the good old United States for about a week now and it's great to be reunited as a family after such a long absence. Thanks again for all your prayers.

We have postponed our My*nm*r photo journey posts until after the holidays.

Email us if you would like us to send you the official Create International newsletter for the end of 2009. Inside is an article about the Sh*n people co-written by Steve among other great reports from the ministry.

If you are wondering how to better prayer for us during our furlough, we do post our recent prayer points on our blog in the left-hand column from this post.

Some of you have asked us for our mailing address so here it is: 23 Red Brook Road, East Falmouth, MA 02536 (This message will self-destruct in a week, but then you can email us for our address).

We are looking forward to catching up with all of you in 2010!

Merry Christmas!

One Night in Bangkok

Back from B~rm*

Back Across the Border

Short Update

Volume 12 - Film Production Completed

Film Production Starting

September Prayer Requests

Boomerang Vol. 11: Land of Smiles

Illustrator and Photoshop

Atheism & the Royal Thai Police

Soy Jet Cycles

Vol. 14i Mynmr Memories 8: Kids!

Vol. 14h Mynmr Memories 7: Monks

Vol. 14g: Mynmr Memories 6: Transportation

Vol 14f Mynmr Memories 5: Sh*n People

Vol 14d Mynmr Memories 3: Sh*n New Year

Vol 14c Mynmr Memories 2: Shwedgon Pgod*

Vol. 14b: Mynmr Memories 1: Y*ngon

We have postponed our Mynmr photo journey posts until after the holidays.