Haze over Malaysia - June 2013

Clear blue skies after the haze's scare - 29th June 2013

Haze was something new to me as a greenhorn in the city. I guessed the same went for the rest of the KLites on that one fine day in 1983. The haze came in thick. It smelt acrid. None knew what it was all about. Perhaps this marked the onset of the critical mass for slash and burn practices. In the past, it was localised, this time the smoke and ash were carried across boundaries. Sad to say, thirty years later, we are still having these smoke and ash blown to our land on a regular basis.

I personally experienced the damaging effects when these micro-particulates were breathed in and subsequently lodged in the lungs. On different occasions in Malaysia and in North Thailand, I had to put on the N95 mask. Failing to do so will induced wheezing and red-eyes. My heart goes out to those who can't afford medical care especially in countries where free government medical services is non-existent. Really these poor folks cannot afford (pun intended) to fall sick.

In 1997, satellites’ photos pointed out conclusively the source of the haze. Despite the evidence, concerns raised by the affected countries were brushed aside. The politicians from where the haze came from made cynical remarks some were bordering on idiocy.

Forest burning in times past had limited impact even as these shifting cultivators practised the slash and burn method when they moved on after exhausting the nutrients on a particular piece of land. Their land was small and these were subsistence farmers. Still the results are there to see in Sarawak, Malaysia in the mid-80's and Mae Suay and other districts in North Thailand in early the 90's. Hills after rollicking hills were denuded.

We used to joke in the mid-90’s that if we were to bring these folks over to the green forests over our side they will be grinning from ear to ear. Imagine, once again they can hunt and plant. I recalled these tribal people were so willing to sell their traps as they have no more animals to hunt. In North Thailand, reforestation and education help and stiff fines convey the message clearly. Forests are once again thriving through concerted tree planting campaigns by government and NGOs. The greening of the land is happening.

Today, we are dealing with mass land clearing and burning. Thousands of hectarces of land are alienated at a go and given to agricultural conglomerate. The burning usually takes advantage of the dry season and all and sundry want to do it at the same time. Hence the environmental, health and economic disaster! USD9 billion was estimated to be lost during the 1997 haze season. The days of localised impact caused by shifting cultivators is over. And now the joke is being taken out on us by those who have learned their lessons well.

And for those who trusted ASEAN to solve the problems were in for a shock. Sixteen years on and the same issues are still on the diplomatic table: stop the burning, prevent a recurrence and deal with companies and individuals that practice open burning. There will be better action if only the Asean way of doing diplomatic business is done away with, at least for the sake of the populace’s health in these 3 countries. The practice of non-interference and consensus decision-making must be suspended and concrete action taken so that the saga of dangerous suspended particulates is eradicated once and for all.

Is that too much to ask?

King of Fruits - Durians

Enjoying a few arils of durians when it is in season is a popular past-time when I am in any of the South East Asian countries. Known as the king of the fruits here, there are many ways to say durians in these countries but all of them ring the same! Vietnamese – sau rieng, Thai – tukrian, Khmer – touren, Lao – thulian, Malaysia, Indonesia, Tagalog, Singapore and Brunei – durian.

We have fun especially calling on westerners who have just landed in South East Asia to have a go. Many contort their faces while having it. This riddle will be abundantly clear after they have tried it? What taste like ice-cream and smell like sewage?

To me the best durians in the world must be from Balik Pulau. There are so many varieties in smell, colour, size and texture. Generally Malaysians like the arils soft but having body and texture, strong smell, sweet with a hint of bitter and come with a small seed.

Every Malaysians, me included, want to believe we have an extensive database of durians’ knowledge. All culled from good and bad buys! And mind you bad buys are more than good buys. That’s where we learn. So imagine a local posing this question, “How do you pluck a durian?” It was almost sarilegious and go to show a lack of knowledge. You never pluck a durian in Malaysia. It is allowed to drop on its own at night and then rushed to the market by mid-day

I had enjoyed durians in Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand. In the last few years I have seen more Thai varieties grown & sold in these nations. Thais like their durians hard (kaeng), we prefer them soft (nim). But whatever texture we want the seller with experience would be able to select the fruit in accordance to our preference. I used to get soft Chanee & Monthong at fraction of its price in Bangkok as it is considered spoilt goods!

We may boast of the best durians but it is un-exportable compare to Thai varieties which can be easily found in markets around the world. Durians in Thailand are plucked off the trees. Yes it's not ready to be eaten. But then it can be shipped around the world. Sellers use a slender stick to hit its shell to find out if it is ready to be consumed.

SS2 police station road will be packed with durian lovers big-spenders when it is in season - one for RM50 for a guaranteed fruit. Or for convenience, durian fixes can be administered at Giant supermarket especially after 9:30pm where these packed in Styrofoam trays can be had at 50% off.

Beyond eating it fresh, I like the sticky rice durian dessert. Thai sticky rice steamed to perfection. Top off with durians flesh cooked with coconut milk and lots of sugar. Off course we have durian puffs, ice-cream, doughnut etc and the redoubtable durian cake (dodol) made from less than desirable and rejected durians. The 'bad' durians (not ripe enough, over-ripe and with worms) are put in a huge wok & cooked in slow fire where it goes from gooey till firm enough to be rolled into cylinder shape.

And to the final frontier - Is there a market for genetically modified durian – a variety without thorns? Will it be a money losing venture? Durians without its thorns are unthinkable. “Duri” means thorns – in all its glory. So I can't imagine not donning gloves in splitting up the fruit. It is almost a ritual and this difficult exercise makes the eating of durians even more appealing. Bon appetit!

Banana – Food from God!

Well, Maria Sharapova bit into her banana at every break during the French Open. I for one like to have one for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While overseas, having a hand of banana in my room would be nice. Each bunch will have about 10- 15 hands yielding 200 bananas. Banana is grown all over the tropics, from Australia to Bangladesh and is shipped around the world.

Eating bananas take different art forms in different cultures. Some peel just a third and start eating - working the peel downwards till the delectable fruit is completely devoured. Some peel till mid-point others till end before they start eating. We're used to peeling from top. However, some break it in 2 & peel. Some break/split the skin from the middle and peel sideways i.e. to the left and right thus exposing the banana for consumption.

There is one culture that is hospitable to a fault. They peel the bananas and handle it with their bare hands and place it on serving plate. Of course many find it objectionable.

The Thai infants have banana as their first solid food. Thais believe that they will grow strong with this initial diet. They will be fed until they reject it. My favourite local bananas are the local Pisang Mas', Berangans and Rastalis rather than the Montels, Cavendishes and Doles. It is packed with potassium and is an energy-boosting fruit!

Banana can also be baked and fried. We have caramelised and savoury chips. When fried in oil it makes a great snack. In fact it is one of the favourite snack in South East Asia. If you are in Bandung lookout for Pisang Molen. My favourite is in the form of a Thai dessert. The bananas are sweetened and cooked with coconut milk and sago. Absolutely divine!

I consider the banana to be a really special food from God especially in the missions field. It is hygienic, nutritious, easy to eat, readily available, and tasty. Perhaps a very important factor is hygiene. It did not need any preparation thus would not need to compromise its natural state. It can be eaten by removing the protective peel. When I am travelling with group to the interior, I may buy a bunch. With a shelf life of at least three days and ready-to-eat familiar food, it promotes confidence when venturing into the unknown.

Dare to Dream

Abraham was called to enter into his Promise Land.

“Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’ (Acts 7:2,3).

Following paths of least resistance, settling into the comfort zone and desire to be near the family will not deliver the promise of God (Gen 12:1). There is safety in numbers and birds of the same feather flock together but uncommon valour is seldom common commodity there.

Terah and King Uzziah

It is sad that sometimes Terah (Gen 11:32) and King Uzziah had to die (Isaiah 6:1) before we can continue on our journey to the Promise Land.

Dare to dream and live your life, not somebody's. Follow your dream or follow mediocrity.

Reasons and Excuses

Translating our dreams into the Promise Land requires sound reasoning. Abraham has to reason with his family and household to follow him (Gen 12:4,5). Coaxing, cajoling & persuading are leadership skills & not traits exclusive to the ladies' club. A sure winner when backed by great dream.

How else can we put that dream into practice? Let our reasons be persuasive and move hearts to a greater goal & good. Let reasons not be a camouflage for excuses to deflect, deny & delay.

Quantifying the Dream

Quantifying a dream is the first step to size down a gargantuan task into manageable portions. Without it expect complaints and discouragement. Quantifying will also provide a logical and proportionate response in resource and energy.

Do a work study. Check out the industry standard. How many units of resource is required? What kind of resource and when? Derive the units per hour or cost per hour etc.

Resoluteness and Discouragement

Discouragement is one of the greatest stealers of that dream. Entering this door will bring poverty of the spirit, creativity & joy. We need all these to navigate the various paths leading into the Promise Land.

Finally, resoluteness is a powerful intrinsic motivation to continue the journey no matter how difficult it has become. It is the desire to press on to the very end i.e. reaching the Promise Land. Resoluteness is not used just to face adversities only but also in the face seemingly irresistible temptations/distractions.

Nothing must detract us to secure that Promise Land the God of glory has given to us! (1 Cor 15:58).

Hope of the Church - The Gen - Y

Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew. Psalm 110:3 (NASB)

When God in its sovereignty starts a movement there will always be an army of volunteers. They will volunteer freely and God's movement will never suffer lack and will have a dynamic positive inflow of workers. The army will serve with youthful vigour and will bring refreshing, like the morning dew to the movement as well as to those who are impacted by it!

But then let's take a look from another fresh angle, God's "youthful" and "dewful" people may just formed a God's movement with a Godly purpose and vision. The same way as when God started the movement, here the army of God seems to take the initiative. The brought what they have as well as who they are and parlayed it into a powerful movement.

The word "youth" here is more of a figure of speech referring to the motivated army of God (of all ages) serving with youthful enthusiasm and strength. But then it won't be difficult for me to have a literal interpretation of the word "youth". The young people especially the Gen - Y (aged between 18 and 31) can easily fit into the phrase, "Your youth are to You as the dew." All young people are important to any movement. They are the energy and the encouragement. And it is so easy for any church to miss this generation if we are not intentional in our efforts.

Gen - Y are characterised by at least these 5 common traits and we better leverage them for the Kingdom's sake.

1. They are digital natives.

They are the generation with the most tech brains and inclination to handle the tech tools of this age. Gen - X and the Boomers have to learn and navigate through these difficult waters in order not to come out short. Honestly, if we feel threaten by them and suppressed them it will be of no use as they will be able to open other doors of opportunities with or without our help given their skills and talents.

Engage them where they are. Use and showcase their innate talents and skills. The church will definitely need their talent in the sound, light, music, social media, communications etc etc. They are out there. Open doors for them to serve. Removed our stuffy and suffocating management, procedures, work styles and structures. Think digital scalability and opportunity rather than physical encumbrance and lack of resources.

2. They are trusting and optimistic. 

Who is not when they grew up well-provided and the most educated. When they are first thrust into the job-market they are idealistic and are ready to change the world with the best tools in hand. These tools are scalable digitally meaning there is no physical limitations and the sky is the limit. Let us build warm, trusting and genuine relationships with them. Don't take advantage of them and ride them as a donkey for they will wise up and we will lose that chance of a great relationship.

Policies of containment, curtailment, glass ceiling will drive these Gen - Y away. Dream with them. Open doors and believe in them. They best we will offer to them is to try to understand and learn they language of their tech and hearts and from there we will be able to surf with them through the complexities of today's world and learn to solve them together. It is not without the generation gap but at least a steady bridge is built to accommodate a two-way flow of trusting communications.

3. They are quick learners. 

Those that take their opportunities and work hard will move fast in matrix and project-oriented organisation. They don't want climb corporate ladders. It is only one route with one ladder. They rather spread their influence and burnish their reputation through quick take-up of new technologies and ability to function as a team. They can handle multiple responsibilities and answer to more than one superiors. The more web space (I mean spider matrix web) they have the better they will showcase their talent.

The  Boomers who understand them will appreciate these Gen - Y and will promote them faster and give them quicker and better raises. This will raise the ire of the Gen - X especially for those who are in the 40's and have become a deadwood and a liability to the organisation. This is compounded by the top management who is mostly boomers seeking to oust these Gen - X and replaced them with Gen - Y.

4. Google is their coach. 

Manuals are their instructors. Observe the Gen - X and Boomers. They talked a lot about trainers, mentors and coaches. These Gen - Y don't need any of these human detractors. They get on with it quietly learning and upskilling. Another obsolete work for the word for Gen - Y is the word term "course". The older generation will go for a course for anything new that requires learning and as usual they are more concern with fighting for a worthwhile "cause".

These Gen - Y may not be comfortable with the old buzzwords but we can rally them with "causes" and grandiose ideals and provide group mentoring and discipleship so that they have strong fundamental and platform for a long and lasting ministry.

5. They are communitised through the social network.

They tweet, we chirp (or cheap). They humanised themselves through social media while we hide through our masks. They rally in causes they believe in and quickly mobilised thoughts and signatures while we sit back and blamed society. They moved as a community and are very mobile. They jumped from causes to causes as our complex and sophisticated society comes out with more and more problems and issues.

We need to come out of our provincialism and insularity to engage them on societal wide issues and even issues of a global perspective. We can't hide in the walls of the church and play church while the world is changing and these Gen - Y want to engage the world and change the world through communitised efforts. Is the church having causes that are worthwhile and fulfill these criteria? Sometimes it is in the language our projects are couched in that need adjustment or maybe it is patronising attitude towars the younger set that drives these Gen - Y away.

Let's pray today that in the day of God's power the Gen -Y is there to offer their youthful strength and dewful encouragement.

Reference and adaptation from:
Randy Conley - http://leaderchat.org/2013/01/24/four-considerations-in-building-trust-with-millennials/

Hot, Lukewarm and Cold

15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  (Revelation 3:15,16)

HOT
(10%, 0.7 billion)

Know Jesus And Want Jesus

• Great Commission Christian
• Pray, Give and Go
• Hot for God/ God chasers
• Resisted the devil and submitted to God
• Act on their faith / Bear fruits
• Passionate about their faith
 
Action: Win the lukewarm and the cold

LUKEWARM
(20%, 1.4 billion)

1. Know Jesus But Do Not Want Jesus

• Lost their first love / Back sliden
• Deny their faith / Gone rogue / Sleeping with enemy
• Post modern faith
• Conform to the world. Entice by worldliness. Rom 12:2
 
Action: Repentance and Revival

2. Do Not Know Jesus But Want Jesus

• Nominal / Professing Christian
• Christian out of habit/tradition/family practices / own set and structures of beliefs
• Want to know God on their own terms
• Can be real stiff-necked and stubborn
• Religiosity / Legalistic
• Faith is in their mouth not heart / Faith in their head and not heart
• Head/mind knowledge vs heart faith
• Missed knowing God by 9inches.

 Action: Renewal and some to be Born Again

COLD
(70%, 4.9 billion)

1. Do Not Know Jesus And Do Not Want Jesus
(30%, 2.1 billion)

• Heard the Gospel but rejected it
• They are lost, unsaved, irreligious, and cold.
• Stone cold dead and honest about it

 Action: Need evangelism

2. Do Not Know Jesus Because Have Never Heard of the Name Jesus 
(40%, 2.8 billion)

• Have not heard the Gospel
• Exposed only to Indigenous pagan faith
• No chance as yet as never heard the gospel

Action: Need Missions

World Population of 7 Billion in Missions' Snapshot

The world's population had passed the 7 billion mark in Oct 2011. If I may divide the 7 billion into 4 Groupings using standard statistcis made available by missiologists it will simply look like this.

• 40% Unsaved that needs missions (2.8 bil),
• 30% Unsaved that neeeds evangelism (2.1 bil),
• 20% Nominal and Lost First Love Christians that needs renewal and repenrtance/revival respectively (1.4 bil),
• 10% Great Commission Christains who will Pray, Give and Go (0.7 bil).

I have added under the Nominal Grouping another segment called the Lost First Love Christians. They need revival and repentance to move back into the Great Commission Christian Grouping.

Forming Successful Partnerships

Lasting, mutually satisfying and God-honouring partnerships are keys to the missions' harvest. Knowing the face and the place are crucial first steps toward establishing a partnership in the missions field. The first impression and careful preliminary observations will give the Missions Director a lot of clues as to the potential success of the relationship that is about to be formed.

Six crucial observations to be made:

1. Are we on the same page in terms of vision and ministry? If not keep looking rather than settling with one that is bound for breakdown along the way.

2. Are we comfortable with their Board, leadership team and structure? Look for transparencies, accountability in their structure and men and women of integrity of serve in it.

3. Are they honouring and taking care of the field workers?

4. Are they just interested in aggressive marketing of their ‘products and services’ without trying to understand our vision and philosophy of ministry? 

5. Take in a big picture of their past history as well as what they have in store for the future. In short check their background and also their outlook of the future. Some are long on past success but short on present projects.

6. And finally, is there a future for the partnership envisioned? Be honest as at times short-term interest overwhelms our philosophy and convictions.

How far we move beyond the initial meetings will depend on the above 6 questions. There is also the consideration of magnitude and depth of the partnership to be built. Some are one-off while others may be short- mid- or long-term. These will be translated into a budget which reflects the potential partnership.

Vetting will takestime. There is an exchange of confidence and friendship. It goes beyond the dollar and cents. So the best way to build up the partnership will be doing a small pilot project together to gauge and build trust and working relationship. We will quickly come to grips and reality of this partnership very quickly when we work together.

By working together on a pilot we allow issues to surface and we determine if this working relationships is workable or due to differences on vision, operational, leadership perspective etc it will not go far. Then finish the pilot on a high note and terminate partnership and move on.

Who are the true mentors? What do they do?

In my 27 years of working life I have many friends, allies, teachers and even coaches but only a few mentors. They are hard to come by but when they do, they are gems. I do hope that a few more will be forthcoming in the second half of my career.

Most aspiring executives will go through these phases in their career. Hopefully as they climb the corporate ladder, opportunities will avail for them to lead in bigger companies with wider geographical responsibilities.

Even as I list the four steps here there are of course other factors that work for and against the executives. Factors like learning, being high touch, networking etc.

Four Possible Steps to the Top

1. Logistical and Operational Competence - ability to understand and to work and get the work done right.

2. Organizational and Tactical Competence - ability to sync and manage the company with other parts within the organization to do the right things.

3. Mobilization and Strategic Competence - ability to sync and position the company taking into consideration the competition and the environment (internal and external).

4. Creative and Imaginative Competence - ability to interpret current signs and extrapolate into the future ultimately thriving the company and/or creating new profitable products and services.

A mentor is not just a coach. He challenges and points me to the right direction. He releases dreams and visions. Nothing is impossible. But most importantly he needs to be creatively fertile that he can father many 'babies'. I called my mentor for the last 4 years as my tor-mentor. He likened our meetings as tough squash games. Drenched completely in sweat.

One very interesting meeting we have was in a coffee shop where we have chicken rice, char siew and roast pork. He was hungry when I picked him up from the KLIA. There was a lunch crowd. We ate and talked.

It went 'animated'. The decibels were rising. He told me to "Get real and grow up!!" But in between he also told that he will not start this project in this East Asian country if I am not committing myself to mentor and handhold the local partner. Such trust and honor. From one mentor to another.

In every meeting my mentor will challenged me mentally. Each meeting will moved me up the creative scale. This is what I value most. The day I lose my ability to be creative and be imaginative it will be day I become a deadwood. It is so easy for me to slipped into the paths of least resistance rather than to take the steep, narrow and winding road. It is so easy to say, "It won't work," "we've tried that before," "we can't afford it" and scores of other excuses.

Hip, hip hooray to wonderful mentors!

Breezing through Immigration

One of the hazards of traveling is being asked for money by some government officials in some banana republic. You fear being shaken down if you don't comply. For a first time independent traveller this can be intimidating business.

And for those who are male, travel alone and into the same country often, you are the perfect candidate. Some tips:

1. Keeping a straight but friendly face. Stay 'Hello' or smile. Do not be chatty. Talk only when talk to.

2. Getting your papers in order esp. your Immigration Forms. Fill up the part on your place of stay carefully and completely. Otherwise you risk being asked and you are stuck. Do your research. If for whatever reasons best known to you have not booked a hotel and want to do so at the airport counters, have a name in hand. You can change your mind later.

3. Keep all your documents ready and at hand esp. your return ticket. I have been asked many times for my return ticket.

4. The Immigration officials may not know everything. For example in ASEAN, all ten countries except Myanmar have 'no visa' bilateral agreements for each other citizens. I have been asked a number of times by Immigration officers on my visa. My answer is always a straight forward, "I do not need a visa to enter your country."

5. I observe that if you are at the end of the queue the chances of being asked a lot of questions are very high. "Why are you entering my country so often?", "You have a girlfriend here?" Are you doing a business here? You will need a business visa." Try to get a seat in the front part of the plane to facilitate your disembarkation. Try to walk briskly to the Immigration Counter and be the first in line. Facing a long line the officer is under pressure to clear the line you they will let you off.

6. What if you are asked to give money like, "Give me ten dollars." Reply with a firm, "No." It also pays (pun intended) not to lean on the counter. Keep half a step away. This way the officer has to speak up and it is embarassing if he/she is asking for money.

Time and Space - Most Valuable Commodity

It was time off from the razzmatazz. Skipped breakfast to get some perspective. I wanted to change my thinking channel to a more contemplative one. There is no better place than to be in the midst of nature. A business opportunity was presented to us and we need to inspect and then study it.

Humans are being surrounded by time and space. And we are good (and bad) at harnessing (losing) the time and space that each has. I am placing 'good' first as the human race has survived and thrive, that is till now.

Opportunities are time based and missed opportunities are also denominated in time. Space literally is like the physical land. And figuratively speaking it means any resources. In times past we have the great agriculturist and today we have the financial-Warren Buffets and new media-Bill Gates. Each harnessing both the time and space.

From the Pesta site in Sg. Nibong it took us 20 minutes to reach the turn-off from the Balik Pulau road. Here it is another 2km of slow maximum 10 degree downhill drive through the one lane macadam and cement road. Then we reached the valley. The land was blessed with a flowing stream. Despite the hot and dry weather the water is flowing. Obviously it is fertile land and we have remnants of very old trees fringing this orchard and farm that is producing veges and fruits. No pesticides and only organic fertilizers were used.

Now what can we do with this big tract of land. Plenty. Time and space have been bestowed on the human race from time immemorial. Space in the form of a tract of land is here. And when enjoined with investors of time there is a potent mixed that may yield results beyond what the piece of land can do. Time must come in the arena of creative ideas, knowledge, management and business acumen.

What will be the 'fruits' when time and space intermingled purposefully? What if the space is harnessed using sustainable practices, without greed and malice? What ifs?My stomach was growling by noon but instead of dimming my mind it only serves to fertilize it. And a dosage of the fruit from the land coming in the form of a young coconut with pandan fragrance refreshed and intensified my thoughts even more.

Taxi Drivers and Communication Channels

The roads in Thailand are not as horrendous as they were described to be. Generally it is in good condition and the major arterial roads are world-class. There are more roads in Bangkok than is in KL by virtue of its size. With a population of at least 10 million depending on where the limits of Metropolitan Bangkok are demarcated there are at least 4-5 times more cars in Bangkok than in KL. This is a perfect place for a perfect storm with regards to traffic snarl-ups especially when the right conditions conspired together. It may be rain, an accident, road closure and on Friday.

Living in Bangkok without a car, freed me from driving in bad traffic conditions but continuous usage of taxis gave me another problem. After using taxis for almost two years to move around, I discovered that some of the drivers refused to admit that they need help even when they are having difficulty in getting to my destination. Sounds familiar? This seems to be a universal attitudinal problem. According to folklore it most often happens to men especially when it comes to asking for direction.

My observation is that this is not because I am a foreigner. I can speak good enough Thai and give instructions if I know how to get there and have got there before. If I am not sure, I would usually get the address written in Thai and give it to the driver on boarding. So, it is not the language issue but that of pride which spring from two personal conditions.

First, the driver could not read in his own vernacular. He is an illiterate or semi-illiterate and refused to let people know that. He will pretend to look at the address and feign comprehension. He will nod his head to signal understanding. Then, along the way he will try to figure it out with me by using a combination of English and Thai all the while trying to hide his lack of reading skills. This is thinking on the feet at its best! Just that it is not good on the wallet of the paying passenger.

It took a while for me to learn that oral speakers may not be able to read well or not at all. Their lack of education renders their extensive knowledge of roads useless.

Then there are those who are educated, could read but do not know the destination. Similarly, they will pretend that they know the destination as they are too proud to say the contrary. Again, they will figure it out as they drive. This again costs the paying customers extra fare.

So herein lies two learning moments. Do not assume that an oral communicator can read. A further illogical extension of this fallacy is that the speaker can write too. Language learning usually involves at least three components i.e. speaking, reading and writing. This is formal education. But there are many who may not have a chance and those who deliberately learn how to speak but not read or write.

I went to a twice a week night class for a year to learn conversational Thai in 1995 in Petaling Jaya. Seven years later, seeking to improve my Thai to include reading, I studied for four months in Bangkok’s Yen Akat, two hours a day, five days a week. And in Bangkok many long-staying expatriates are in my shoes, they can speak, read but not write. We figured that it is more important to be able to read and easier to can get someone to do the writing part as we simply don’t have the time or the energy to learn the difficult Thai script.

Language is like a bridge spanning and uniting two divided landmass. It is a communicative tool that can bring understanding to an idea that may be abstract or concrete in nature.But then it must be delivered in the preferred channels of the intended audience.

A practical application of this understanding can be put to work in the distribution of printed tracts. We cannot assume the intended audience can read especially in the rural areas and those who can read especially the urban young may not want to read as they may prefer audio-visual media in their acquiring of news and knowledge.

The tactics for the rural areas may be to use oral story-telling, CDs and DVDs and radio broadcast to communiacte the message. Better still empower local story-tellers and teachers. For the urban dwellers Youtube, podcasting, E-books, audiobook and the world wide web predominate their learning environment. To reach them we must knock at their door with their preferred communication channels. Only then, there will be a connection.

So before you communicate know the target group well. Analyse and determine what is the most acceptable and effective communicative tool. Otherwise noone will lend you their eyes and ears.

Urban Church Planters in a Restricted Access Nation

A noted missiologist said that the best way to church growth is to plant churches. But how do we get churches to plant churches that will plant churches? And especially in the urban centres in many of the world’s developing nations! In 2008 half of the world’s populace lived in urban centres. Many are migrants from the countryside and ill-fitted to live in the city. In the sea of humanity, they are so many needs and on many occasions these tapestries of human lack are compounded by persecution and continued harassment by the authorities.

On reflection, and working in restricted access nation for more than 10 years, it may not be the authorities that really hampered the work in the city. Materialism and the lack of passion in church planting are slowing the work of church planting. As materialism creeps in there is a need to present the message of the gospel in more relevant ways to these urban dwellers. Church planters need to understand the current socio-economic situation and present the gospel according to the present urban context. Passionate workers with the call of God must be released into the field.

After 3 years, working with 3 different groups, each with 7 church planters, we must say that the urban church planting has mixed success. There are a lot of lessons that we have learned. Some of the lessons are as follows:

1. There must be an exit strategy from the start. That means we must plan to end our direct involvement esp. when finance is part of the support package. This avoids dependency. Build capacity and utilize local resources and wisdom as much as possible. 

2. Careful selection of Church Planters that have the call, vision and passion. THEY MUST HAVE THE ABILITY TO EVANGELISE AND CHURCH PLANT FIRST AND FOREMOST. IT MUST BE PROVEN IN THEIR VOLUNTARY MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH. This is translated into passion to win souls and the tenacity needed to plant meeting places and later turning it into a local church. Works that fail to take off are mostly because of the lack of these three traits. 

3. Church planters must have the ability to adapt and fit into their community and country. They have the ability to go beyond one station of life in reaching out beyond their status or profession. 

4. A willingness to be trained, evaluated and taught. We mentor and fellowship over lunch with them as well as praying together. 

5. New curriculum and modules to address the latest issues in that country and community. Subjects like, Theology of Urban Church Planting, Socio-Economic factors in Church Planting, Planting House Churches, Church Planting Movement Methodology and others are taught and discussed together. 

6. Co-operation from the local network is important: 
a) Selection has to be done for those who have the call, character, capacity, charisma and capability. They have to avoid favoritism and rewarding those selected with a paying position out of sentiments totally unrelated to the above, 
b) The appointment of a suitable supervisor to help the church planters. This may be a full-time position. He needs to have the proven and successful experience to help and direct in evangelism and church planting. 

But for the successful church planters, we are looking into cooperating with the training these 2nd generation workers to perpetuate the church planting efforts. This will provide the impetus for 2nd generation urban church plants. And if possible we will see church planting done into the 3rd, 4th … generations.

Multiplication Effect for Church Planting

I have been involved in equipping and training church planters (CP) for the last 17 years. This ministry while under my watch have trained close to 10,000 CPs and evangelists. Every week there is a training going on somewhere in Asia, year in year out.

The graduates are planting churches and some have even planted a few. From our observation most of them practised these ‘universal’ principles for successful church planting: 1) Much Prayer and Fasting, 2) Much Sowing of the Gospel, 3) Having a Ministry Plan, 4) Bible Teaching, 5) Having a Local Leadership Structure and Mentoring, 6) Planting of Cell or House Churches, 7) Regular Training for the Church Planters and 8) Having Most of the Functions of a Biblical Church 9) Believing for the Miraculous

However, we feel that the CP has the potential to do much more than adding churches one by one. It will be realized if we launch them to plant churches that will plant churches that will plant churches. If churches planted by them reproduce and multiply down the line then we have a scenario of a multiplication effect. In order to create this multiplication effect church planting needs to consider the following factors.

1. Empowerment of the new believers (Eph 4:11-16; 1 John 2:27)

Most evangelistic and church planting efforts will taper off in relation to the time the CP spent on the field. The CP will eventually be bogged down with issues like counseling, teaching, preaching etc. Sadly, the CP did not have confidence in the new believers’ abilities and take sole responsibility. Dependency happened and took root. To avoid this, believers must be mobilized immediately by modeling to them, assisting them to do the ministry, coaching and finally leaving them to do the job. This creates ownership and responsibility. This template together with the impartation of vision for multiplication and missions at its very inception will cause the church to reproduce.

2. Healthy respect for local/homegrown wisdom and resources

The release of the laity at the onset of church planting avoids the need of a paid worker. The unpaid leader commands more respect when it comes to sharing the workload when the CP is gone. To increase their capacity there is a need to extract them regularly for a systematic training. Another local resource that is neglected is the use of homes for meetings. It requires no rental. If the work gets too big it gets to reproduce!

3. Leadership by example (2 Cor 11:23-28)

Leadership is not by seniority (how long one is in the church) or by the amount of training one receives. Workers earned their credentials by proving themselves faithful to their people and work even despite very difficult working conditions. In certain countries one’s credentials is earned through how one face persecution and not through an ordination exercise. Usually the church flowers when persecution dies down.

4. Innovativeness in breaking barriers (Matt 19:26)

It is the people who say, “Why not?” against “I have never done it before.” One leader learned from the FEBC radio broadcast and used the lessons learned in the church. This broke the barrier of isolation and the lack of training. Another brought the church to meet in the open e.g. garden, coffee shop etc. It broke the barrier of the need for a meeting place. In some areas of intense persecution getting a host is difficult. The key is to gather the church/people first.

5. Aggressive and bold leadership (Matt 11:12; Acts 4:29-31).

Pioneering new fields, facing off demons and human persecutors requires aggressive actions. A church can lose as much as 90% of its membership during persecution. A long term approach is to go low profile and train shepherds. A rather short term strategy that has proven to work in certain situations was practicing one’s faith openly unafraid of persecution. This requires aggressive leaders. Christmas and even funeral services are used to showcase the Christian faith. I knew of two places where strong persecution was broken due to the above aggressive actions. Thereafter church growth will be guaranteed.

6. Working speedily (2 Thes 3:1).

When the Lord moved quickly the people has to follow and act speedily. A recent student revival in one country was started during the Christmas season and is still continuing months later. In less than a month about 400 students were saved. Due to the rapid move of God there were not enough workers to serve. New believers were quickly organized and given responsibilities. New leaders were taught two Bible lessons and they in turn used it to teach their groups. Then they came back for more. The ability to cope with this kind of speed is important to reap and contain the harvest.

The Book of Acts chapter 11 in verses 21 and 24 describes the multiplication effect succinctly, “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord….For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.” The mathematical difference between the addition effect compares to the multiplication effect is immense. Let us go for the higher calling.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for Mentoring Strategic Missions Coordinators (Part 2 of 2)

Specific	KPI	Measurable
1. Strategic Performance (15%)	Growth through Strategic Match · Able to match Field Partner’s philosophies with ours · Awareness of new opportunities available	· Plant ____ new projects a year · Results closely resemble those predicted
2. Leadership Performance (20%)	Mobilising and Influencing · Raise faith, friends and funds · Raise awareness and vision · Raise Material Resources · Raise Human Resource	· 1st Year (30%) of Projects Resources · 2nd Year (50%) of Projects Resources · 3rd Year (75%) of Projects Resources · 4th Year (100%) of Projects Resources · Field Partner motivated to progressively take responsibility towards part or all of the grounds expenses
3. Operational Performance (30%)	Logistics, Operations and Organising · Can assess viability, allocate resources and plan and control a project effectively · Able to motivate volunteers to exceptional efforts · Effective progress planning · Seamless and smooth operations. · Effective HR plans · Effective training programs · Effective and regular monitoring and feedbacks system · Plan B option · Work flow is monitored and according to Standard Operating Procedures · Documents/files are well organized	· All projects completed within budgeted resources · Able to manage each project while following all standard procedures · Reports and records are easily retrievable · Timely updates of reports and records
4. Project Performance (10%)	Satisfaction of Stakeholders · Satisfied Financial Partner based on project progress · Satisfied Field Partner based on project progress · Fully aware of Field Partner’s learning curve and sensitive to detect changes in needs	· Positive comments from Field and Financial Partner regular solicited feedbacks · Progressive improvement in Field Partner’s performance using agreed to performance measurements · Allow for changes according to Field Partner’s learning curve
5. Job Upskilling and Empowerment (10%)	Knowledge/Skill · Familiar with the objectives, concept, forms and templates of all levels of work, systems, processes and SOP	· Ability to learn and carry out diverse functions is deemed exceptional · Attend all in-house training classes · Attend at least 2 HQ meetings per year conducted anywhere in South East Asia · Study all the relevant articles in the monthly newsletter as well as those related to work function · Take own initiative research to improve work knowledge and technical skill
6. Communication (5%)	Soft Skills · Able to maintain open communications with superiors and team members · Open to feedback and critique · Able to communicate with Partners/Clients and gain their confidence · Able to communicate and encourage clients to improve · Able to communicate and release more resources from Partners	· Evaluation by superior/peers/partners/clients to be conduct on half-yearly basis · Give timely and immediate feedback to the supervisor and discuss the issue to address any anticipated problem without delay
7. Work Attitude (5%)	Work Ethics · Reliability · Initiative · Team work · Commitment & Discipline · Integrity · Positive attitude · Conscious of cost saving and productivity	· Take initiative to suggest improvement or corrective action · Carry out duty and function without reminder or prompting · Punctual /Sense of urgency · Not abuse resource /privilege
8. Appearance & hygiene (5%)	Deportment and Hygiene	· Always appear fresh and energetic · Cheerful · Neat & tidy

PERFORMANCE LEVEL	Percentage Obtained
Exceptional	>90%
Expectation Met	80%-90%
Improvement Needed	60%-79%
Unacceptable	<60%
Instructions: 1.             Appraisal on performance will be conducted on half-yearly basis 2.             Agree on performance plan during appraisal 3.             Implementation of performance plan according to agreed schedule

Part 1 - Mentoring Program