September/October 2011 Newsletter

Hey guys,

In my last newsletter, I briefly mentioned a seminar that I planned on holding for Lao church and business leaders later in the year. I've just returned from the seminar and a subsequent trip into Laos and I'm happy to report that it was a huge success. The seminar was hosted by a good friend of mine, Pastor Chetta, (pictured with me here) and spearheaded by a missions team from the Promise Centre church in Wagga Wagga, Australia who accompanied me into Laos as well.

The seminar targeted church leaders from southern Laos. I had visited that area once before in August of last year. During that initial visit, I was able to identify a major need hindering the effectiveness of their church planting efforts in that area, namely the establishment of a regional Harvest Center. The churches in Laos have developed a great plan to reach their nation for Christ based on using micro-businesses to financially support a church planter in a new area and provide him with a practical way to engage the community. As the country of Laos is one of the poorer nations in the world and controlled by a Communist government that routinely persecutes Lao Christians, the churches there have found it difficult to organize effective leadership training and fund the establishing of micro-businesses to support their church planting efforts. Thus, the idea of establishing Harvest Centers - regional hubs of economic and leadership development that will serve as a base of operations for the region and spur the continued growth of the churches in that region. The financial profits produced by the business enterprises of the Harvest Center provide the funds for further church planting while leaders can be gathered together for training under the guise of workers needed to fulfill the various tasks associated with running the business.

Due to the climate in southern Laos, the leaders there have identified fish farming as a potentially profitable enterprise that can serve as the basis for a regional Harvest Center. So, during the morning sessions of the seminar, a member of the team experienced in aquaculture, Keith Barron, taught the Lao leaders about developing their fish farms into a profitable business while the afternoons were used to bring them to visit various agricultural projects in the area. On the second day of the seminar, we brought the attendees to a nearby fishery to observe the techniques and technology used in Thailand. The members of our team and the workers at the fishery were able to give the attendees several suggestions on how they could increase the productivity of their fish farms. In the evenings, the mission team leader, Pastor Mick Baker, taught the Lao pastors and leaders about developing simple but effective leadership structures in their churches.

After wrapping up the seminar, the team and I then traveled to southern Laos to visit the fish farm project that will be used as the basis of the regional Harvest Center. The Promise Centre church had raised a sum of money to donate for the establishment of the Harvest Center and the development of the fish farm business. The Lao brothers were deeply moved by the gift as it was an answer from God to many years of prayer for the establishment of a Harvest Center in southern Laos. The team and I were able to spend a few days with them, visiting the fish farm project and listening to their testimony of God's goodness in the face of tremendous persecution. On the last Sunday morning of the trip, we were able to worship and pray with them before returning to Thailand.

God is really beginning to move in the nations of IndoChina and I believe that we will see a tremendous harvest of souls coming into the Kingdom of God over the next few years particularly from the nation of Laos. I feel honored and humbled that God has allowed me to be a part of what He is doing in this region of the world. Through your faithful prayers and support, you have not only enabled us to accomplish this work but have joined in the work of expanding the Kingdom of God in IndoChina as well. May God richly bless you as we work together to see a harvest of souls among the peoples of IndoChina!


With much love and thanks,

Chad and Nan Cocran

July/August 2011 Newsletter

Since our last report in June, I have been busy preparing for several seminars on Christian leadership in the church and business that we will host later this year. We expect to have leaders from both Thailand and Laos attend the seminars. I have also been visiting several new churches that will be part of our group of church plants this year. Beginning this month, we will begin helping 3 new rural churches get started in virtually unreached areas of the Thai countryside besides the urban church that we are also assisting in our city of Korat. I will share with you in more detail about these 3 new rural churches in a later newsletter.

Speaking of the work in Korat, the church here has been progressing well. The growth that has taken place reminds of the process of a planted seed growing into a mature tree. At first, there is no obvious growth but, under the surface of the soil, life is beginning to come forth. Then green shoots appear, breaking through the soil and reaching for the light and warmth of the sun. As the young tree continues to grow and flourish, fruit and flowers are borne that are a blessing to all. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 teaches us that, as workers in God's harvest field, our job is to plant and water but God gives the growth. Last year, our first year of the church in Korat, was a time of planting. Pastor Yod and I spent much time in prayer, building relationships with people in the community, and declaring in faith the vision of what we felt God wanted to accomplish in our city through this new church. During this first year, there were hardly any tangible results from our efforts and we had to fight thoughts of discouragement. But in this second year, the green shoots have begun to appear! Beginning the year with no members, we have seen 3 discipleship groups established in the past 7 months and we are meeting regularly with several other families and individuals who are interested in learning more about Christ. One of the new discipleship groups is comprised of students from a local university. Beginning this month, we will begin holding an informal Sunday afternoon worship service on the university campus for the students and some of our other members. Pastor Yod and his wife Mu have done a great job of building a family-like relationship with these new converts and mentoring them in their faith and we recently baptized our first member! We are excited to see God beginning to move in answer to our prayers and are expecting to see even more green shoots appear in the second half of this year!

Our goal for this year is to establish 5 discipleship groups with at least 5 members in each group. Our hope is to reach this goal by the end of the year and begin an "official" Sunday worship service in the early part of next year. Please agree in prayer with us to reach this goal, and particularly for Pastors Yod and Mu, as we work together in obedience to Christ's command to make disciples and see the Kingdom of God established in the city of Korat.

With much love in Christ,

Chad and Nan Cocran

The Art of War for the Believer

I recently finished reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu, the classic Chinese military strategy manual. Sun Tzu's insights into the nature of competitive activity and the tactics necessary to achieve victory have been applied in a variety of contexts (such as business, sports, etc.) to ensure success. Though my motive for reading this literary classic was purely personal interest, I was amazed to find many parallels between Sun Tzu's description of the nature of warfare and the Christian life. I shouldn't have been so surprised though. The Bible tells us that, as believers, we find ourselves in the midst of a spiritual war that has raged for millienia. This war originally began as a battle for supremacy in Heaven but the battleground quickly shifted to Earth where the battle continues to this day, not only for supremacy in Heaven, but for the souls of men as well. There are several passages in the Bible, particularly in the book of Ephesians, that detail our role in this war.

Ephesians 6:10-12 vividly describes the nature of this spiritual war in which we find ourselves embroiled. The verses of this passage state that our enemy is "the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places", not other human beings. Our efforts are to be directed at destroying the evil influence of demonic spirits upon mankind, not the people who have fallen under their spell. This is an important point to remember as we move from defensive to offensive action in our spiritual warfare. Though sometimes a particular man or group may seem to be the face of evil or represent the wickedness that we are actively engaging, we must remember that our real enemy is not "flesh and blood" but the demonic influence behind that person or group.

"Survival depends upon your own actions. Success (or victory)
depends upon the actions of the enemy." - The Art of War, Sun Tzu

SURVIVAL

For us to survive in this spiritual war, we must focus on doing the things that keep us in the fight. In any battle or contest, the winner is usually the combatant who has the greatest proficiency in the basic strategies of the contest, not the one who is the most talented or knows the most techniques. For the Christian, this means that our spiritual survival depends upon being consistent in doing the basics of the Christian life: regularly meeting with God in prayer, worship, and studying the Word; joining with other believers in fellowship, worship, and accountability to the Word; and being alert and ready for opportunities to share the Gospel and disciple others (Matthew 4:4, Acts 2:42, Ephesians 6:13-17). These are the spiritual disciplines that keep us alert and active - ready to seize an opportunity for victory when the moment presents itself.

VICTORY

Our spiritual survival depends upon our consistency and proficiency in implementing the spiritual disciplines that defend us from the attacks and deceptions of our enemy, as detailed above. Our ultimate victory depends upon taking advantage of opportunities caused by the actions of the enemy. This is the offensive side of our spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:17-20 teaches us that this occurs primarily through prayer. In verse 17, the Word of God is described as a sword - an offensive weapon. It is through praying the Word - declaring God's promises of victory in faith - that we defeat the spiritual darkness in our life and the lives of others and realize the promises given to us in His Word (James 5:13-18). A problem or crisis in our life can be a sign of spiritual conflict. If we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by doubt, discouragement, and bad attitudes, we will be defeated. Instead, we need to change our mindset to viewing the situation as an opportunity to achieve greater victory in our life. Again, as Sun Tzu says, the actions of the enemy provide the opportunity for victory. The area of spiritual conflict highlights the area of our life where God desires to bring deliverance and greater freedom. Just as in the life of Samson (Judges 14:4), God uses the actions of the enemy to bring about ultimate victory. Instead of feeling victimized or dismayed by the obstacles we face, we need to realize that in every problem is an opportunity for God to display His power and glory in our lives (2 Chronicles 16:9). It is a chance for our faith to grow. Just as our natural muscles respond and grow by exercising against the resistance of weight and gravity, so too our spiritual nature grows in the same manner. It is through exercising our faith against spiritual resistance that we grow spiritually and receive the rewards of our faith - the realization of the promises of God in our life.

In verse 19 of Ephesians chapter 6, we see that offensive prayer also complements our evangelistic efforts. Through praying the Word over others, the power and effectiveness of evil spirits is lessened and the realization of the power of God in the situation is increased. This is how we fight an offensive warfare that pushes back the spiritual darkness and expands the Kingdom of God. By aggressively targeting the activities of the enemy in a city or in an unbeliever's life through offensive prayer and being prepared to share the Gospel in every situation, we can take advantages of opportunities for evangelism that occur as the spiritual "veil" (2 Corinthians 3:12-16, 4:3-6) of demonic wickedness begins to be removed from the unbeliever's understanding. Just as modern armies use aerial and artillery bombardment to weaken an enemy's defenses in preparation for a ground assault, so our prayers weaken the demonic influence in an unbeliever's life and can prepare that person's heart to receive the message of the Gospel unhindered by demonic obstruction.

This is the Art of War for the believer. Our survival and ultimate victory in our Christian walk depends upon using these strategies effectively. My hope and prayer is that this insight would guide you in "waging an effective warfare" (1 Timothy 1:18), gaining greater freedom in your life and becoming a productive servant in the Kingdom of God.

Your fellow soldier in the faith,

Chad Cocran

May/June 2011 Newsletter

In May, I went to Laos for 5 days to explore ministry opportunities among some of the tribal groups there. During a period of fasting and prayer earlier this year, I felt God placing an increasing burden upon my heart to begin working among these peoples, particularly several Tai groups known as the Red Tai, Black Tai (pictured left), and White Tai tribes. Over 99% of the population of these Tai ethnic groups have yet to hear of Jesus and are considered to be among the people groups in the world that are the least reached by the Gospel. Over the past few years, we have been able to develop relationships with several key national leaders in Laos and the purpose of my trip was to strategize with these leaders about reaching these Tai tribal groups with the Gospel.

I was joined on my trip by two young, aspiring missionaries - Johana Vargas from Mexico and Brandon King from the US. We began our trip from the capital city of Vientiane, joined by a Thai pastor friend, who partners with me in our church planting efforts, and two Lao brothers. We drove for 3 days along mountain roads in northern Laos, stopping to visit churches and pastors along the way. Besides meeting Black Tai and Red Tai believers, we also visited churches among the Khmu and Hmong tribal groups. In every place, we heard tales of the persecution faced by the believers there - church members' homes being burned, families being forced out of their ancestral homes by government restrictions, beatings, and even murder at the hand of local authorities. It was such an awesome sight to see the local pastors' hearts strengthened and encouraged as our team ministered to them!

During our trip, I was able to hear the Lao leaders' national vision for their churches and discuss how we could partner with them to open new churches among the Tai tribal groups. They told me that, due to intense pressure from local authorities in the tribal areas, their greatest need is to establish regional leadership training centers outside of the heavily persecuted areas. These training centers will allow them to train Christian workers from these ethnic groups who can then begin the work of bringing the Gospel to their people and opening life-giving churches among them. These training centers will also serve as small businesses, providing a cover for the leadership training and supporting the ministry activities of the Lao churches.

God is beginning to do an awesome work among the peoples of Laos and I'm excited about the opportunities we have to be a part of it. I'll be raising funds this year to assist the churches there establish 2 leadership training centers. If you would like to contribute to this project, contact me at ccocran76@yahoo.com . Thanks again for all your prayers and financial support as we work together to see the Kingdom of God established in the nations of IndoChina. God bless.

Chad, Nan, and Sam Cocran

Off The Record Update - Spring 2011

Hello again! Hope you are doing well and enjoyed a blessed Easter weekend, full of resurrection power and plenty of chocolate Easter candy! We had a wonderful time ministering in a small country church on Easter Sunday. Many of the members are new believers so it was the first time they had ever heard a teaching about the Resurrection of Christ. It was such a blessing just to see their hope and excitement begin to rise as they learned about the many blessings and promises found in the message of the Resurrection!

Every now and then, I'd like to send out an Off The Record update just to keep you informed about various family and ministry activities that don't make it into the regular monthly newsletter. Nan and I are involved in many different projects and ministries and don't always have the space to mention them all in the monthly newsletter. So hopefully, these Off The Record updates will give you greater insight into our life and work here.

Upon returning to Thailand in January from our visit to the US, Nan and I decided to enroll Sam in a local daycare/nursery. In Thailand, parents place a premium on their child's education and try to give their children a head start by involving them in educational activities as early as possible. Most children of Sam's age will spend a full day at a daycare, being prepped to enter the 2-3 years of preschool/kindergarten required by the Thai government. Our reasons weren't necessarily educational but, since there aren't many children available for play dates, etc., we felt enrolling Sam in a daycare would be the best option in providing him with some social interaction with other young kids. We have been pleasantly surprised at how well he has done in adjusting to the school. Besides quickly adapting to the rountine of getting up and going to bed early, we have noticed a marked improvement in his social skills, manners, and ability to speak both Thai and English. Many of the things that we have been trying to teach him for months (like potty training), he picked up after the first couple of weeks in daycare. I guess peer pressure can be a positive force as well!

In March, Nan accepted a position as the director of Wesley International School here in Korat. The school is the vision of a Korean missionary friend, Pastor John Kim, and he desires to use the school to evangelize upper class families in our city. Nan has been working extremely hard in getting the school ready to open for the beginning of the school term in August. While the work of contacting lawyers and officials, managing the Thai staff, preparing curriculum, translating documents, and marketing the school has been exhausting, she has enjoyed the interaction and the variety of activities that come with the job. With Nan's education and natural organizational skills, this job is tailor-made for her and she has quickly become an invaluable member of the staff, helping Pastor Kim and the other international staff navigate the cultural intricacies of Thai society.

Also in March, I assisted the local churches in our city of Korat in hosting a 3 day healing crusade held by Pastor Henry Madawa and his international team. Pastor Henry Madawa leads a large church in the Ukraine and has held several large healing crusades in different parts of Thailand. More than 10,000 people attended the 3 days of meetings and over 3,000 people responded to call to receive Christ as their Saviour! Praise God! My role was to oversee the area that seated the crusade attendees who needed healing and to lead the international team who interviewed the sick attendees who had been healed. Each night, those who had been miraculously healed during the meeting would ascend the stage and share their experience with the crowd. Our job was to interview them beforehand so that we could communicate the details of the miracle to the ministers on the stage. It was so exciting to see God move in such a powerful way! Blind eyes and deaf ears were opened and the lame walked, some for the first time in their lives! Not only were the meetings a powerful testimony to the Name of Christ to the city of Korat, but the church members who were involved in the various roles and services necessary in hosting the crusade were greatly encouraged in their faith by Pastor Madawa's teachings and by the powerful acts of the Holy Spirit.

The week following the crusade, I hosted a pastors' meeting for friend and fellow missionary Tony Foster. Tony and his wife Margaret live in Penang, Malaysia and lead a church planting ministry in several nations of Southeast Asia. The Fosters' ministry, named the E5 Project, assists indigenous church leaders in starting new churches by helping them become financially self-supporting and training them to be successful in leading new groups of believers. I have hosted several of these meetings with Tony Foster and have been able to introduce him to some of our key contacts in Thailand and Laos. This particular meeting was focused on identifying pastors and Christian leaders who were willing to join in the vision of the E5 Project. Moving forward, I am positive that the Fosters' ministry will be a great blessing to the churches and leaders here.

The day after wrapping up the conference with the Fosters, I boarded a plane to Australia to visit a network of churches there that has shown some interest in working more closely with us in our church planting efforts. The host church, The Promise Centre in Wagga Wagga, is led by Pastor Rob Cunningham and is a thriving church with a great heart for missions. Two years ago, the associate pastors, Mick and Karen Baker, led a missions team to visit us and minister in some of our churches here. We made such a great connection during their visit that they invited me to visit their church to further cement our relationship. The 10 days that I spent with the members and leaders of the Promise Centre reminded me so much of my home church in the US. It was so refreshing to be with brothers and sisters who have such a burning passion and hunger to experience God in their lives! The church is excited about getting involved in our work in Thailand and Laos and Pastors Mick and Karen are planning to lead another missions team to visit us again later this year. We're looking forward to seeing them again and are confident that they will be a great blessing and encouragement to the churches here.

After several weeks of non-stop meetings, I was ready for a break. Thankfully, the week that I returned from Australia was the week of the Thai New Year festival, called Songkran. This celebration is the official beginning of the rainy season, the main rice-growing time of the year. During this 3 day holiday, the people fill the streets and pour water on each other as a sign of blessing for the new year. The festival has evolved into a huge 3 day water fight and is alot of fun. I was able to bring Sam to "play water", as the locals call it, with several friends from a local church. Celebrating the holiday with Nan and Sam and our family here was a great way to relax and recharge after an exhausting stretch of travel and meetings the month before.

Now that the Songkran festival has passed, life is returning to normal here in Thailand and we are getting back to our normal routine of school, work, and ministry. Thanks again for all your faithful prayer and financial support. Without the integral part you play in our ministry, our work here would not possible. Thanks for believing in us and the vision God has given us for the peoples of Southeast Asia.

With much love,

Chad, Nan, and Sam

March/April 2011 newsletter

In March, I began working with a young church in the nearby district of WangNamKiaw. This church has been in existence for a few years but experienced a devastating church split. The pastor left and the church all but disappeared. The couple who were the founding members of the church, William and On Crowe, decided they wanted to try again to build a strong church in the district and came to me for help. In the months preceding their visit, they had organized a weekly Sunday meeting of about 20 believers but felt inadequate in teaching the people about their new life with God. I agreed to assist them in teaching the new believers and training leaders to strengthen the new church.



I have to admit that it has been much more fun than I had anticipated. We've begun by visiting the new believers in their homes on Wednesday mornings and teaching them the 7 miracles of Jesus found in the Gospel of John. We also give them homework every week - to read 5 chapters a week of the Gospel of John. This may not seem like alot but it is quite a challenge for them. These villagers do not have a high level of education. Many of them do not read at all and must have a family member read the passages to them. It is has been such a blessing to see God begin to work in their lives as they've begun to read and be taught the Word of God regularly! One elderly man constantly complained of chronic headaches. After reading the Scripture for a week, his headaches completely disappeared. I have noticed a distinct change in several of the other new believers as well as they have begun to grow in their faith through studying the Word. In our weekly visits, we've also had the opportunity to share the good news of the forgiveness of sin found in Jesus Christ with unbelievers as well. We use Buddhist concepts, such as karma, making merit, etc., to phrase the Gospel in such a way that it makes sense to them. It always excites me to see "the light go on" as they begin to really hear and understand the message and the meaning of the Cross for the first time. The Gospel's good news of the hope of eternal life is such good news to a hopeless Buddhist that, though they may not be quite ready at that moment to receive Christ as their Lord and Saviour, you leave knowing that they "...are not far from the Kingdom of God."(Mark 12:34 )

On Wednesday afternoons, I hold a leadership training meeting for a handful of potential leaders in the new church. I bring many of them visiting with me in the mornings so that I can model ministry for them. In the afternoons, we discuss our morning visits and I give them more in-depth instruction on mentoring new believers. I also have begun teaching them the basic doctrines of the Christian faith using the discipleship booklet One-to-One. After I have finished teaching the 7 miracles of Jesus found in the Gospel of John, this group of leaders will begin teaching the One-to-One booklet to the new believers we regularly visit. I will continue to accompany them on the visits to observe and encourage them in their ministry efforts and help them overcome any obstacles that they may encounter.

I'm excited about the opportunity of working with this new group of believers in WangNam Kiaw as there is no established church in this district. By the end of this year, I hope to see a solid group of disciples established and a strong leadership team taking the responsibility of mentoring the believers in their faith. Thanks again for all you do to assist us in our ministry to the Thai people. May God richly bless you as we work together for the glory of His Kingdom and His great Name!

Chad, Nan, and Sam Cocran

January/February 2011 newsletter

Upon returning to Thailand in January after almost 4 months in the US, Nan and I began re-establishing contact with our network of pastors and leaders and making ministry plans for this new year. Words cannot express how excited we were to hear about all that God is doing among our most recently planted churches! Each of the churches is continuing to grow in faith and in numbers. One church in TaBo district of UdornTani province has grown from a handful of believers to almost 60 members in just 18 months! Just as importantly, the members are becoming strong and active disciples of Christ, assisting in their churches' outreach to their communities. Another of our churches in nearby BaanPhue district of UdornTani province has developed a strong team of leaders. I remember meeting many of them for the first time 3 years ago when they had just recently come to Christ from backgrounds of prostitution, witchcraft, and idolatry. It is such a joy now to see them strong in their faith and serving as examples to the newer believers! The local pastor, Wijitra (pictured above on right), has done an excellent job of mentoring these leaders and several of them are now assisting in the work of teaching new converts and overseeing ministry activities in different areas of the district.



In February, Nan and I visited another of our more recently planted churches BaanMaiNaNiyom (pictured here), a rural area near our town of Korat. We began working with this church in January of last year when we were invited to help establish a new church there. On my first visit, I found a small group of struggling believers meeting in a partially built cinder-block building with no windows, electricity, and an unfinished roof. I am amazed now at the transformation that has taken place in just a year's time. The building has been completely finished and a small pavilion added for the children's Sunday School. More importantly, there is a dramatic difference in the level of faith of the believers. From the feelings of faith and despair that I first sensed among them, they are now joyful in their faith and excited about their progress. The membership has grown to around 30 members and several of them are beginning to take on leadership roles in the church.

Thanks again for your faithful prayer and support that makes our work here possible. God
bless. - Chad, Nan, and Sam