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Shayne's monthly, bi monthly, whenever news and information about his life in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.
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Life in a Northern Town
My name is Shayne Rochfort and I am a servant of God,
volunteering in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
I am Legal Advisor at Christian Outreach Centre Thailand (COC)
and helping coordinate visas and work permits and the whole
work in local churches and communities all over Thailand.
My main role involves everything and anything, STILL.
Please consider partnering with me, building God’s kingdom in
Thailand.
Welcome to “Life in a
Northern Town”, I have
changed jobs and I
have been learning all
about the new
foundation and its
work in Thailand and
surrounding nations.
Hello everyone!
My life just seems to be a never ending opportunity to
help people in their walk through this life, AND LOVING IT!
God is so good to give me the gifts of service or helps,
administration and encouragement. These are
invaluable at times when others
come calling for a bit of advice or
assistance through their
challenges. Praise the Lord that
He is patient with me and gives
me patience and wisdom to help
others.
GET READY!!! I will be in Australia in October and November!
I would love to catch up with as many people
as possible. My time will be split between
Brisbane and Melbourne (17th-28th Oct ish).
I hope to see you then!
Highlights -
Moved house in
to Chiang Mai
Completing my
TESOL course in
February
Started working
for Christian
Outreach Centre
Thailand
Foundation and
The Haven
Foundation
The year started with a
bang! A new house, a
new church, a new
course, then a new job,
then new friends, a new
local restaurant, so many
new things to take in, but
it was so good to be in the
middle of all the new
things God had for me!
Life in Thailand can
sometimes be
challenging, yet once you
are a little more
comfortable in the culture
these big challenges can
be overcome more easily.
It has just turned six months in my
little house/apartment. It is so cool,
well it is more than that! I live in an apartment building
called Baan Rom Yen, which in English is Cool Breeze
House or House of Cool Breezes. Well my apartment is
the reason for the name! I get constant cool breezes
due to my positioning at the end of the building and the
4th floor being above the surrounding rooftops.
The building occupants are about half Thai and half
foreign, so it is a good mix of people and many are long
term residents. The surrounding area is very Thai, in the
middle of several universities and technical colleges, so
it is quite a young population.
There are so many things to love about my place -
cleaning takes 15 minutes, including sweeping, cleaning
the bathroom and toilet, sinks and shower, NICE!
The only downside is some nights it is a little close to the
local bar area if they have the music turned up!
Please pray that I can make some solid relationships
with the others in the building and that I have
opportunities to share Jesus with them.
New House
My new church is
Christian Outreach
Centre (COC)
Thailand and my
Pastor and Boss is
Ajarn Jonathan Vickers. It is a
unique church in Chiang Mai.
Most of our church members are
full time missionaries in weird and
wonderful places doing amazing
things for God. I am helping on
the worship team every
month and loving being a
part this great church.
We have Thai and
Burmese services also
every Sunday morning.
New Church
Baan
Rom
Yen
Highlights -
COC
Conference
Meeting heaps
of new people
and feeling like
an integral part
of the whole
COC work
Songkran
Couch Surfing
meetings going
well
Well, late last year
I applied to do a
special TESOL
course in Chiang
Mai. The course is
specifically for
Christians who wish to use TESOL as a
ministry and it is extremely cheap
compared to the other courses around. I
was accepted and given the pre-
reading book so that I might know some
theory and other information before the
course. Well it bored me to tears, but I
got it done.
The course is the real deal when it comes
to studying TESOL. With this course you
learn or teach the full 120 hours, then
head off to prepare lessons for your
assigned English learners. I loved the
course, as every single lesson we learnt,
TESOL - Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages
was prepared and taught using the
techniques we were learning to use
ourselves. The class was multicultural
and lots of fun, we all worked really well
together. About half of the class is still in
Chiang Mai.
Well I worked very hard for that five weeks and believe me it
was not easy, but it was fun and a necessary challenge. The
assignments, the teaching, the debriefing and just all the extra
little bits made it for a great time overall.
The practical part of the course was
run at COC Thailand with many of the
trainees in the project there. Well, that
was a great beginning to taking up my
new role. I was able to get to know
many of the young men I am now
working with.
I wish that I had done the course 3 years earlier so that it would
have been a greater benefit to me. Nowadays, I don’t teach
anymore and it is a little frustrating to
have gained this certificate and
training and then not use it. Ah well,
maybe one day!!!
I am now working for COC
Thailand Foundation and The
Haven Project.
COC is a relational network of Spirit filled
churches and ministries whose mission is to
equip and empower national leaders to fulfil
the Great Commission through church
planting and evangelism (Matt 28:18-20).
The goal is to establish compassion, education, and justice works that
meet the practical needs of the communities we serve.
http://www.cocthailand.com/
The Haven Project is a not for profit welfare organisation which seeks to
help the disadvantaged in South East Asia. Standing for Hope, Aid,
Vision, Education and New Life we endeavour to respond to the unmet
needs of people struggling with basic rights of life.
Currently The Haven Project has different works with children's homes,
trainee programs, medical programs, disaster and community
assistance programs, we reach out to
the sick, elderly and those who are
shunned by society.
http://www.thehavenproject.net/
New Job
My role is to assist and coordinate on the legal side, this includes
assisting people with visa requirements and work permits, Thai laws
regarding NGOs and labour, communications and reporting to the
Government about both foundations and various other duties.
So my few months here have been trying to get my head around who
is out there and what they are doing. I hope that soon I will be going full
steam ahead. I believe that this year will be one of great challenge
and learning, great personal growth and also one that will help God’s
kingdom to grow in Thailand and south east Asia.
The person I replaced left in May, so I have been flying solo ever since,
it is hard, but I will get there.
In March, we hosted a very successful Asian
COC Conference with around 150 delegates
and over 220 joining us for the free evening
sessions. My main activities for conference
were to meet all the foundation members
under both COC and The Haven Project, so I
was busy meeting and catching up with all that was happening in the
different parts of Thailand. Its starting to make more sense to me now,
but it is still a little unknown how big it all is. I am loving being able to
serve all the special people doing the work around Thailand. During
conference, I helped out a bit with worship, welcoming, cleaning up
after morning teas and had a fair bit of paper work to help with also.
Wherever I go, I meet people, at my job, I meet
people, in and around Chiang Mai, I meet
people and every week at our Couch Surfing Meetings, I meet
people.
When I meet people, I try to connect with them and then connect
them to others. I answer their questions (or find someone who can),
I try and meet their needs.
I have been fortunate to continue to meet awesome people and
just being out anywhere in Chiang Mai, I am always running into my
friends.
Though I am not the evangelist type, I am the one who will make
things happen. I am the one here to serve the goals of the team,
and I am the one to back up my leader in any way I can.
Firstly, one of my new dearest friends, Dr Jeff Brodsky,
http://joy.org/index2.html and
http://www.facebook.com/joy.org , is
an amazing man with 30+ years bringing joy to
the "least of these". His organisation is working in
many countries to eradicate child trafficking. His
team works closely with local law enforcement
and authorities to not just rescue a child, but to
incarcerate the perpetrators. This amazing man
has clocked up three years being barefoot to
raise awareness of the children caught in these
situations. It is a great conversation starter.
New Friends
Dr Jeff
If you know me, you will know
that I am a very simple man (OK,
maybe not!).
Well this last little bit is about
“my” restaurant! I am lucky
enough to have a fantastic
“personal chef,” May, who cooks
for me at least five or six times
each week. Her food is consistently fantastic.
I order from & eat from a menu of three or four dishes and they are
always awesome. I like stir fried veges with egg and rice, a fried
chicken with rice and special sauce, and my current favourite is her
special spaghetti. Her staff are great and since I started going there
when I moved in to town, the crowds are now flocking to her for
simple fast scrumptious food. In the midst of a fairly poor Thai student
area, her (“my”) restaurant is always busy. She must be doing
something right!!!
The best part is that it is between my house and my office. So it is
very easy to get lunch just a short walk away, or do dinner on the
way home. Win, win, win!!!
If you want to meet me or to talk or thank me or do anything we will
meet at “my” restaurant and we will both be very happy afterwards!
Just next door is a good alternative and they make my Pad Seeiw!!!
New Restaurant
Clockwise from above left … My
elephant friend, CS Friends, Lunch
with more CS friends, TESOL Boys and
the trusty 400cc Honda which got me
to Pai and back through 762 turns
each way.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO PRAY:
Praise for God’s blessing on the work of COC Thailand and the
Haven Foundation and all its subordinate members and organisa-
tions.
Please pray for the finances and ministries of COC Thailand and
the Haven Foundation. It is a massive work and without the finan-
cial support from individuals in Australia, UK and other places, the
work would not continue. Please pray with us as we pray that you
will prosper those who support the work.
I would like to Praise God and thank the people who have started
to support me. However, I still need to raise more support to
continue to serve here in Thailand. I will be in Australia October
3 - November 20 this year.
Any questions please do not hesitate to send me an
email, [email protected] or give me a call.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of
believers. Galatians 6:9-10
PO Box 90
PRASING POST OFFICE
CHIANGMAI 50205
THAILAND
Phone +66801202074
Email -
Skype or Line -
shayneinthailand
COC Thailand Foundation inc The Haven Foundation
Shayne out
and about
I am committed to being in
Thailand. I would like to let
you know that if you are
able to partner with me in my work, then you can do so through
One Mission Society. There are many ways you can support me,
through prayer as well as financially. This partnership is helping serve
the great need for Thai people to come to know Jesus.
My prayer card with all the details is available at
http://issuu.com/shayneinthailand/docs/prayercard .
Please include my missionary number #803833 with any donations.
You can support me financially by :-
Cheque - Please make cheques payable to: OMS International, PO
Box 897, RINGWOOD, Vic 3134. Include a note with my name.
Direct Debit - If you wish to make a payment directly through your
bank, pay to: Westpac.
Acc Name: OMS International Australia- Inc.
Acc Number: 733172 BSB: 628724.
NOTE: In the transaction details please be sure to include your name
and ROC.
Credit card donations - can be made
through the website.
http://www.onemissionsociety.org.au
OMS phone – 03 9872 4209
Supporting Shayne