To have friends is a great blessing. Anna and I are very happy to have many true friends, like
you in Church and Missions. We hope that we also can give true friendship.
In different cultures friendship is
cultivated in different ways. In South Asia the Christians in the Churches call
each other Brothers and Sisters. This is biblical.
In Southeast Asia many are afraid
of close friendship. They need time to build trust. Too many children have
experienced very hurting family bonding. Their father and mother left them early
and they feel themselves as: Left Behind. They too use the conflict
solving system: Smile
smile and disappear.
We are also in Ubon-Pakse doing rescue and restoration together with caretakers and the government, but we like to emphasis more and more on building trust and do prevention. And see this multiplied.
Thinking
after is good, but thinking before is better.
