BACKGROUND AND PROPOSAL
The Lord had called us from Canada to serve the
Hmong people in Southeast Asia. We have decided to base our mission work in
Chiang Mai, Thailand since the year 2012. In the past three years, we have
worked closely with The Friendship Church, which is located in the heart of
Chiang Mai. Currently, the goal of the church is to evangelize and build up
discipleship and leadership, particularly among the college and university
students, who make up the majority of the church. There are approximately
thirty students presently attending church services on a regular basis.
The past three years of serving at the church had
shown us that there is an urgent need for the church to focus on the youth,
young adults and student ministries. The young people are a vital part of the
church and will become the future church leaders. They are the strength of the
future generation. Hence, it is important that they are properly built and
equipped to serve the church.
The majority
of the students who attend The Friendship Church come from the underdeveloped
countryside. Many of them are from poor families and lack adequate financial
support for their education. When they moved to the big city to seek better
education they are faced with many challenges. Many students confided with us
that their biggest struggle to being successful is the financial burden of rent
and tuition. Their struggle has been a burden in our hearts for the past three
years and we have been praying that the Lord would guide us with a way to fund
male and female dormitories for these students. We would like to help relieve
their financial burden so that they can fully focus on their education as well
as serving at the church at their full capacity.
Currently, we already have a small male dormitory
which is located across the church. A portion of the rent is being sponsored by
a church member, while the students help contribute to the rest. The students
also help pay for the utility costs of the building. There are six student
church members who currently reside at the male dormitory; however, the
building can accommodate up to ten people.Going forward we are seeking to establish a female dormitory for our female
student church members.
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| The Covenant Church (Mississauga, ON) members visited the male dormitory (2014) |
Since The Friendship Church is a newly established
church and the majority of the members are students, we do not have the
financial capacity to provide subsidized dormitories for the female students.
We have been praying and seeking for guidance in this matter and would like to
reach out to the churches and Christian organizations that may have the burdens
to provide and fund dormitories for these students.
PURPOSES FOR THE DORMITORY PROJECT
1. To
encourage the youth and young adults from the underdeveloped countryside to
seek better education.
2. To
provide a gathering place for youth and young adults, and create opportunities
to share the Gospels, build discipleship and train future church leaders.
(Currently, Bible study and discipleship training are being held every
Wednesday night at the male dormitory).
3. To
help relief the students of their financial burdens so that they can be
successful with their education and contribute to the future working force of
the country.
4. The
dormitory will give us opportunities to minister the students closely and
provide a safe place for them while they live in the big city. This will
prevent them from being misguided and fall into temptations. Many of these
students are young and are inexperienced living in the big city. They came to
the city alone without having their parents nearby. They will need to have
guardians to help provide guidance and support.
5. When
the students complete their education, some will find work in Chiang Mai and
will continue to serve at the church. They will help strengthen the church.
6. The
church will continue to follow and keep in touch with the students who have
completed their studies and moved away from the city to find work elsewhere. We
will continue to encourage them to help serve their local churches.
7. In
the future, we would like to expand the dormitory project to other cities and
towns as a way to evangelize and minister to the students and expand God’s
kingdom. We plan to focus on areas near high schools, colleges and universities
to facilitate accessibility.
BUDGET
We have surveyed the areas around Chiang Mai Rachaphat
University, where the majority of our students are currently attending. The
following are approximation for the costs of rent and maintenance for student dormitories.
Female Dormitory (capacity 10)
฿15,000 THB ($600 CAD) per month
12 months = ฿180,000 THB ($7,200 CAD)
Utilities
฿1,000 THB ($40 CAD) per month
12 months = ฿12,000 THB ($480 CAD)
Yearly maintenance costs
฿5,000 THB ($200 CAD)
Total estimated budget = ฿197,000 THB ($7880 CAD)
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