Laos Church Report

LAOS CHURCH REPORT
{Hay 19AB)
Souvanh
Kounpanya
S_ggy".h Ko.npanya
is the' ysl'taS__}(h!!g_Et lEr
e{hE has just
come to
Vientiane
tE-EEFFy--6uf, a province-wide
ministry
to the Khrnu.
just
During
our meeting
at the church,
Souvanh explainrd
nhat that
entails
the ssid that
Sionh had written
asking him what he does).
Ag agsigtant
to Bee Thao and se'cretary
to the Vientiane
Frovince
church,
he does office
work.
He also visits
with peopleHe goeg
tc villages
and wisits
the people,
and gathers
information.
His
{irst
trip
But lasted
13 days (during
this
trip
t w o f a m i .l i e s
believed
and burned their
spirit
thingrl
trip
, and his most^Fecent
lasted
4 days.
The people
sieem to really
apprecia
visitsi
apparently
it
is something which has }ong been
ed.
has had
just
many people
ask him to lead them ts trhrist;
thi
week he
ta1 ked to a l*lorrnon r.'rho was very
i nteres
Ei ts trl
the villages
the people' request
help
tofics:
Bibl€',
singing,
hymnE,
ti
S(]uvanh. Bee Thao'g
asst stan
days a neek--for
the chur1:,h(
Heeli-support himself),
is
fi
th has
had.
The church
si
Souvanh
prepar i n g
church
l ead
the past.
Con{erence
ano
5.
in
"i l-d":
This
process
of
for village
they have had in
1 n the
*tg:,a'Ie
gl (]n
sE
ongEr
than
b1,3Y.
At the ai rp
hone gave me a Letter
to mail tp" East
Germany containihg
the filled
out forme for
thern to attend
the
con{erence
in East Germany.
Khamphone said that
Haha Khamtan was
goinE tt] Eagt 6ermany,
and that
he wsuld check into
the confeFence
while
there.
he iE in
If he nakes the arrang€rments while
Eerrnany, thst
shtruld help the church
to
leaders
to get perrnissit:n
p
e
o
p
l
e
f
l
r
r
.
K
h
a
n
t
a
n
i
n
g
t
h
a
t
t
h
e
w
a
s
u
n
d
e
r
t
h
e
m
i
s
u
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d
90.
who are arranqing
the conference
in September
are the siatne peoFlt
r+hs invited
hin to visit
Eut when I was in LaBs in
East Gerrnany.
+ron
February,
the head sf the Department of Religious
Affairs
East Gerrnany was staying
in the Lane Xang Hotel , and Khamtan's
visit
is Frobably
a resFsnse to that
visit.
CONFIDENTI AL
************
LAO CHUFCH -
page - 2
May 19EB
CONFIDENTIAL
*{.**********
Contact
with
the
Soviet
Union:
Dave l"lerchant informed
us that
the Director
o+ the Department
of Feligious
Affairs
of the Soviet
lJnion recently
visited
Laes,
and did nt:t make contact
with the church
until
he drove past the
church
a.nd asked about it.
He was then given
an opportunity
to
talk
to Kharnphone and Fee Thao.
Neither
thE, Protestants
nrrr the
Catholics
Herel Bn his official
itinerary--only
the Burddhists.
He
was also given an opportunity
to talk
to Hhamphone directly
in
Enqlish
besause the translatoF
r+as having
tr
le nith the
religirlus
vocabulary.
Khamphone was quite
egged f,hat when
they parted he cal led him his "brotherl
susoects that
mrans that
he is a believerThe Rel ati onshi p of
Church
and Stat
.expl ai ned
The church
leaders
church
and state
in Laog'vari
hetr4een
In Vi ent i ane the.
r.li th the gtrvernment
ad
(and some
gevernment
be hi erarchi cal l \,
vi11tsge levei
aut
church
has not
l evel s--provi
ryele qfi{, r6i I I
churtrh"":Y
"i"*fln
1n
::-.5
l;i' s.r,"\t#r*"h$ih
sood rel a{.i onshi pE q\!*
.Thby (]nl
y have two
ay -'
se of this
the Vientiane
h the Savannakhet
Chur€h.
ls
.)
y
otral
ea5yi
and
the
church
has
very
soverilment,
In
difficult
it
is jr-rst the opposite--very
year no wor=hip services
for the chur
this
are permitted
in churches
at
It
roughout
Hhamphone
Luang Prabeng Province.
recently
met
even
in Luang Prabang,
and Boun Fli said that
he has rtopped
they feel
that
having
worship
servirrs.
However,
Peto is probahly
stilL
having worship
seFvices
in Houai Thao
village--likely
The reason
the BnIy place in the r.rhole province.
party
for
the restrictiong
is that
the Luang Prahang Province
chief
is very strict,
and has recently
ernbarked on a massive
program of province-r,lide
social
change, of r+hich forbidding
services
that
rrorship
is only one part.
Khamphone suggested
issue
Brganizations
thtst provide
aid to Luang Prabang raisEr this
CONFIDENTIAL
**+*********
LAO CHURtrH -
page - s
l'lay l9Eg
trONFIDENTIAL
*********{c**
with the authorities!
because the authorities
are very interested
in receiving
aid and increasing
the aid they are receivingI
agreed to write
to Eoger Wal!-.
ol l4orld Vi
who has projects
in Luang Prabang to r+i-s6 thl s issue
in Luang Prabang,
the next
time he is there:
He should
a=l< about churches
innocrntly
in
Luang Prabang,
and if
they are gtill
spen +oF wsrshipHe should
alsc] ask if
he can wrrrship
l.|ith them.
Throughout
Laos the provincial
authorities
have considerable
autonEmy in determining
with
Htlwever as
relations
the trhurch.
pointed
Sirivanh
sut these relationships
dcr not only depend on the
prr:vincial
authoritieF,
they also depend on the church
leaders.
prc:blems in their
O+ten the church
leaders
themselveg
cre€te
relationshi.ps
with the government.
.
\
trlhile the gowernment
does exercise
influence
the govtrnment
dses riot really
dictate
the pr
of the church In Laos there
i s r.e,al I y nc!
adershi
Ehurch outside
the church itself.
Sirivanh
explained
that
(which was retspons;ible
+trr
a net4 policy
+or religions
standardE
and Euggerti on
within
Lao soci etyeven though
the Dep
the l'li n of Ed , t
ln
f
rel
church,
and actl wi ti es
t r of o r t h e
$'"t;
c e t i Ln
5 ; y ' -o f F d uucht
at
a{rti
me)
up
*\f
peop I e
gi on
s e t , and
I t]nger
under
E.nt]
nal pol icy.
angel ipm i s ..not permi tted
ta the Lord;
but they come
ristians.
Hence "Eal t " and
ant today
in Laos..
This
v\\F'e.Y
y, E May, in Hhampht:ne's sErmon (he
was emFha5rvrd
on
conrept
preached on I Fet ?{1;
verse
I?
.
l.iharnphone sai d that
have--thev
descri.beg the kind
ives believers
in Laos ghould
Christians.
should be "salt
and liqht"
It
The church
at a1l in LaosHowe.,rer4$p
primarily
becau
, of
off td{e
t$e }i"w
lives
)i1
t.|{e
"light"
t r h r i g t i a n g,yi\pvery
policy,
can
religions
to the religious
the various
According
but
own locations;
pursue their
own religious
activities
in their
prior
permission.
lrlhen askedr
the church
nowhere else vrithout
prcrgratns
said that
they have never asked to have religious
leaders
f
e
l
t
w
o
u
l
d
b
e
t
u
r
n
e
d
d
o
w
n
.
el=ewhere,
because they
they
CONFI DENT IAL
************
LAO CHURCH- May 1988
page
-
4
CONFIDENTIAL
************
The church
leaders
al1 agreed that
the government
and people
sf Laos view trhristianity
as an imperialist
religionHowever
they said that
the Neo Hom (the l.'lational
Front
Reconstruction
for
of Laos) o{ficials
say that
there
is no true Lao religionThey
people are naturally
believe
that
all
bad, and that
the purpase of
religion
is to make people goodAccording
ttf their
understanding
al I religiclns
teach people how to be good.
Stati
sti cal
Informati
on:
-4
Sirivanh
=aid that
he has heen working
on gafiferln|.
\'has
statistical
information
for Vientiane
Proving;{
but it
been
p
e
o
F
l
F
,
ratheF
difficult
recently.
He explained )fi5t
Rany
v irllllaaggeess
and churches
have recently
m o y) rd€6d, , a .qFd€ l hheegl hhaass n (oftt.. , bbeeeenn
able to find
aIl
the neH locations- , z S o r y 1 f o f f , t i f t - e "p e q p d d ; . h { v e f l e d
'
to Thai I and as wel I Thi s relc'c96on.f,4p$EL
6+ tt{h.. eenerllnent
s
plan
to get the people
y +rggl",llwiAden
out of-,lfi'e gfr\aSs',
ap$w\
cultivation.
He did say t!.x'E t!6S,,{r foe- recg{vBjvhiany
gdquests
Vehicles
f or
,tt
the
s
.r.12\
c-hrdrch4-''-':lrl
-. ' .b'P
,,'
f*..
'...
The
rhe church
churc-h'6ou1#
6""1uaitr3i
!
\"-*+
otorb,flle
for Souvanh to use sE
vi
v i fI lfaaqd.qlf
qAe,.f n Vt frtftrlttice.
aFe ltroliing
into
-Zhey
used
s e dd S
Suz
uzu[i${8,8'c,c
ng>{orbike
in Thailand,
h,hich they
a u
q
g o e s te
h e goes
to
p u r ccchasinq
hhaassiinngg
thoueht mien\ ..=:^F3\3
\
-.f,
\ .f\\
The church \+Sll=
Nal:hon Phanom. \They
arrangements
Bibl es in
reg\rdifg
tssoo>'so.
\-
-/
i n the Land Rover
eu,gr4==a an i nterest
Bz6mised to try to make the netressary
holr tc
get
it
to
Laog
befr:re
we left
in
Laos.
Thai I and
I'hamphone
said
that
when he met
!|getr| ) at the trhurch o{ Christ
Somkit
tChinese
elder
from
in Tffid
him that
he had IO,OAO Lao Eideon New Testaments
which he troul.d
hawe.
Khamphone Eaid that
he would worl: out Eome Eystem for
getting
them over to Laoso and asked me to ask Soml:it to call
him
in Vientiane.
CONFIDENTIAL
***********+
LAO trHURCH - f'lay l9BA
page
-
CONFIDENTIAL
****{********
Sornsani th:
Sawat's
ta BibIe
school-trained
Hhrnu in Sayabouri
Frovince)
son is going to marry Strmsanith
in August.
Ss,nsanith,
{rorn
younq perscrn this
Savannakhet,
is the sliarpest
church has.
She
has an importaffie
position
in the mr:st
well-known
high school
in Vientiane,
and is rrspEnsible
for the
children's
and young peopl€r's prc'grams in the church.
trhurch
Servi
ce
{g I'lay )
- They have finishrd
putting
in a plywaod ceiling
area underneath
the church. where they have fellowship
cei I ing FreventE
dirt.,From
falling
through
the cratrkg
tables
and fsod.
-
They
are
PrePar 1ng
lor
,el eEti ons
- A Vietnamese Christian
chursh had a Biece trf wosd
wlro is a
get into
h
'\"
nofBe.
-
Some of
the
people
- Lung S i i f r
to thE, Stat
to
h i m h o w I ong
for
id he thought
y
e
a
r
.
a
- Twcr young
n Champassak Pravi ncel
trne is Nya
is Ta-Oi and something
eI se,
- Tws ol der
o a r e i n t h e procErss of movi ng
Vi entiane
wi th their
vill
rgm Somey|nElre
I n western
Province
to Phou tihao Hhwai,
- The rnan who found trhrist
in the Na Fho carnp and then
returned
to Vientiane
to serve the Lord in Laos (c{.
previous
Church Report).
sslnv#
trtrNFIDENTIAL
************
5
f
irl
EHURtrH - l'lay 19EB
..
page - 6
li, n*'*- "
Other
'
,*uut*
Rel i gi
Dave .and
carne to
ctfnnecti
strong
c
truesti ons
sorne Austr
br
t{HB
that
whB recentl
th twith
no
they are veFy
GlrGl Eietern:; to
they
flot to
Laos.
organization-
CONFIDENTIAL
*l******.lt****
be
a
They claim
I of
y
of
t o b e wi th