First Pres Newhall’s Third Mission Trip to Laos, Oct. 30 to Nov. 11, 2017
The 2017 Living Waters Project: Lao Partners’ Team will work with the Lao Evangelical Church (LEC) to visit two of the “Clean Water” Filter Systems at the villages of Yodh Keau and Ban Vanh in the Xieng Khouang Province for maintenance and repair and to conduct advanced training for the local operators and hygiene education for village leaders. We will relocate the sand filter at Ban Vanh and install a sand filter at Ban Yodh Keau to take out sediment . We will also conduct hygiene education for community leaders at each village or site. We will meet with the LEC to determine future projects which will expand from clean water filter systems to other types of assistance to our brothers and sisters in Christ in Laos.
Full Article and support form download here Flyer with Photos for Fall 2017 Laos Mission Trip
The Team: Our own Scott Bullock of First Pres will join the team from University Presbyterian Church, Fresno. John and Lorna Bosavanh, who will be the leaders and translators for the team, with three others from UPC, Fresno.
Lao Partners is a mission to the LEC founded by the University Pres. Church, Fresno in 2002. About 25,000 Lao settled in Fresno, some for 40 years. UPC has a Lao congregation, led by John and Lorna Bosavanh, who are PCUSA Commissioned Lay Pastors. Past Lao Partners projects with LEC included computer centers, medical facilities, sports equipment and uniforms, equipment for schools, and seven clean water systems. In 2015 Newhall Pres sent Jack Irwin and Art Moore on the Lao Partners Team to install a water system in Yodh Keau. Jack, Art, and Scott joined the Lao Partners team in Nov. 2016 when the team visited the 7 sites of the clean water systems, to train operators, give hygiene education, and carry out repairs to the systems.
Laos: a developing country Independent of France in 1954 and ruled by a monarchy, replace by the People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) in 1975. Suffered extensive warfare and bombing during the Vietnam War. 6.6 million people of 143 identified ethnic groups, the most populous being Lao and Hmong. Official language Lao (not much English spoken). Landlocked by Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and China. 58% Buddhist, 35% ethnic religions and 3.5% Christian. The LEC is a Protestant denomination that is one of the four religious groups recognized by the PDR (also, Seventh Day Adventist, Roman Catholic and Buddhist). Presently, the LEC of some 200,000 is growing at about 7% per year, planting house churches in many areas of the country, and even is invited to present programs in public schools that teach moral values and religious faith. Like most developing countries around the globe access to clean water is a dire problem. Over one billion people around the world do not have clean water for human needs.
Cost of the Mission: the cost for Scott’s participation is about $2600, including round trip airfare from LA to Vientiane (capital city) travel insurance and in-Laos expenses for travel, hotels, and meals. The cost also includes equipment and education supplies the team will take or purchase in Vientiane.
Join the Team: We are asking you to consider joining our Team. We need prayer and financial support. The benefits are eternal. Below is a form you can use to indicate your support.
Full Article and support form download here Flyer with Photos for Fall 2017 Laos Mission Trip