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Dear Friends:
Hello from unusually cool northern Thailand (at night anyway!). It has been a while since I (Dean), have written. We have survived the Y2K event as it was a "non event" here in Thailand as in the rest of the world. We didn't really do any preparations. My sister, husband and two college-aged children showed up for two weeks of Bangkok, Beach and Chiang Mai vacation. It was a wonderful and much needed break over the Christmas and New Year Holidays. In all our time in Asia, family visits have been quite rare. It made this Christmas and New Years very special for our kids especially. What will this new year bring for our family? More language study! I am struggling successfully through two years of difficult Thai language studies and am on track for a final government proficiency test in December 2000. I will be taking all of April off to do four training weekends at four EFC churches who are bringing teams out for our summer evangelistic English camps with our Thai church planters. Then I will also take off the entire June, July & August months to lead teams. Then back to 8 hours a day study to cram for the Thai Government proficiency test (6th grade equivalent) September through December. It is a written test...no speaking...that is what makes it so hard. After much struggle to balance it all--Ada has quit NTM language school and will try her old tutor here at home; Ben especially needs consistency in his little life and after 15 months of this schedule, Ada has said "paw leow" (enough!). She was studying alone anyway at the school (with a teacher), but Ben is too much for most folks to handle! We have decided to let me go for the 6th grade Thai test this year and then Ada the next. Ada is more content with the decision; she was just not keeping up in the written studies. I excel in the written, she excels in the spoken. Since I will be away quite a bit, (see schedule below), Ada has the bulk of the child rearing. When I am home, I spend as much time as possible, but the fact is, sometimes I am many miles away... Jon loves his new school, Grace International, and seems to be contented with life at this point. Plays piano, some soccer and reads voraciously. Was Joseph in one play and the Grinch in another! Vivian turned five this past week, wants to be 21 tomorrow. She was Mary in a different performance--no lines, just "presence". After her part, she was to leave the stage...but no--Vivian decided to pull her headpiece off and sing with the 4th graders! Not part of the plan! Benjamin is VERY two.... He is our humorist and knows it. He will either be a crash test dummy or a super athlete as he just loves to crash around in life. We've had plenty of bruises, etc., keeps us alert. If you request one, I will send a recent picture of the family via attached file. God has surely blessed our lives with these children. Some day we will long for these "tired" years. Time flies! Enjoy each new day as from the Lord for truly each is is a gift from God! As far as the ministry in Thailand goes I can say that it is going far too quickly! Already I am doing Pastoral training as the need is great. Loyd Childs and I have been regularly meeting with both our Lahu group of pastors (30+ men) and our NE pastors (5 men) for planning and training, both Theological and practical ministry skills. This has been very rewarding, though it is hard to use translators. We are organizing as regional associations of churches and hope to have a foundation and membership as the EFCT in two years time. I also am scheduled for two seminars this month on drip-tape technology and organic vegetable gardening with our Lahu (Tribal, Northern Thailand) group on January 27 & 28 here in Chiang Mai and also with our Northeastern Group in Sisaket this next weekend, January 20 &21 (an 800 mile drive one-way!). I am demonstrating a 200 plant raised bed intensive vegetable garden technique using only 40 liters of water/day (10 gallons) to irrigate 100 plants in the 6 month dry season. Also included are how to compost (instead of burn everything!) and basic insect control management using low cost organic sprays that are homemade. I will teach how to make your own water soluble fertilizer in a "manure tea" to be used in conjunction with the drip tape. The key is the "drip tape" which we are introducing to 80 families for free to demonstrate its effectiveness. The biggest problem we have is sourcing drip tape locally as the imported stuff is about $9/100 plants. Still a bargain, but we want as low costs as possible. I don't have time to do the importing either. I have seen some crude drip tape at some of the research Universities, but nothing like Dick Chapin's stuff from Water-Matics in upstate New York. I am praying the Thai Ag research people can get this stuff going as we would like to use it to help the rural poor feed themselves in the dry season when the going gets tough for the farmers (60%) of the population of 60 million people! This past year we had five teams from the USA come and help with our fledgling movement. I was with each team. One in April for the first National Conference from Utah, three during the summer for English camps from Seattle, Santa Clarita, CA, and Vaccaville, CA. Then another team during the October school break from Utah for an English camp. Our Thai church planters are very impressed with the results from each of these teams. The teams are also great fun and last only 14-17 days. I enjoy this ministry immensely and have enjoyed the personality of each team. Jon and Vivian came on 2 of these teams and this was valuable for their experience in life too! If you'd like to join one of the teams this summer or pop out for the National conference in early April...let me know! It will be the trip of a lifetime! I am also looking for anyone interested in investing a year (11 months exactly) of their lives to come and teach English at a secular high school alongside of one of our Thai church planters. You will need about $500/month support and airfare (around $900 round trip). You only need a college degree (any degree) to do it and the materials for teaching are provided by the local schools. Easy for any native English speaker to do. You will be living with a Thai family and will be working alongside one of our neat Thai Pastor's family. Health insurance is provided along with three two-week team-building times and two weeks of vacation as well! This is all another part of our "Thailand Network" that we are trying to build up to help kickstart an evangelistic movement of church planting in Thailand using National Pastors and short term teams from networking local EFC's in America. Another means for any person's involvement in this "Thailand Network" is monthly or one-time financial support through the EFCM office in Minneapolis. The two categories of support are our ten scholarships of $500/person for our ten existing full-time Bible college students. We hope to add 10 more in the next two years. These are the backbone of future development. Yes $500/year covers tuition, food and transportation for two full semesters! We have such great students! If you'd like to support one I will assign you a name and you may correspond with them directly as they are all studying English. This will help them learn as well. English is equally hard for them! The second category is our seven year declining monthly support of our three existing church planters. Starts out 100% first year, than decreases for the next 6 years. We have two great men waiting in the wings for support as well. In the next five years we hope to have up to 15 church planters on a reducing support scale. After seven years the support is removed completely and the Church "should" be self-supporting. Other-wise these men will have to become bi-vocational. Some will need to be in the poorest areas. Our plan is to have this movement self-supporting in ten years time with 50 established churches. Sounds bold but these are harvest years in Thailand. These co-workers need $200 to $300 per month depending on the size of their family and location of their church plants. If you would like to be assigned to one of these men to pray or support them, I will gladly do that for you. Support must go through our home office in Minneapolis. I can get you the names and account numbers if you are interested. I am looking for individuals and churches to invest in these workers and their families. Loyd Childs, our EFCM/PRGI director, and I are overseeing these projects to the glory of God and to see His Kingdom come in Thailand in this next century while the Lord tarries! Thanks again for all your prayers and support for these past 13 years! In Christ, Dean for the Overholt family
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