History
The Hmong people (also called Miao, Meo, or Hmu) share a common ethno-linguistic heritage and culture. Their history is filled with wars and suffering. Hmong stories tell of coming from a land of snow and cold, possibly Siberia or Mongolia. References to them appear in Chinese documents that go back to 2000 B.C.

Over the centuries, oppressive governments have pushed the Hmong further south and higher into the mountains as they sought refuge from their enemies. Today, they are scattered throughout China, Laos, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, and Vietnam. In the last two decades, yet another migration occurred as many refugees from the Vietnam War emigrated to western countries.

Hmong children

Population
There are about 8.5 million Hmong worldwide. Of these, about 7.6 million live in the southwest provinces of China; 450,000 live in Laos; 558,000 in Vietnam; and 124,000 in Thailand.

Their dispersion and isolation has resulted in three main dialect groups with 80 sub-dialects. Many of these dialects are unwritten; 30 of them are unintelligible to each other. Likewise, Hmong dress and customs vary from region to region, sometimes even from village to village.

Livelihood
The main economic activity is agriculture. At higher elevations, opium poppies have been a traditional crop. Mulberry, hemp, cotton, corn, rice, maize, and vegetables are also grown. The Hmong also raise ducks, chickens, pigs, sheep, and some cows and horses.

Few Hmong have an education past elementary school. In fact, most drop out of school to help on the farms.

Culture
The Hmong are a friendly affectionate people who enjoy entertaining guests. They have a keen sesnse of who they are, and they prize independence. Governments or outsiders trying to compel them to conform, or to "civilize" them, have traditionaly encountered the Hmong people's deep love of independent freedom as a group.

Religion and World View
The Hmong are animists or spirit-worshippers. Ancestors are also highly venerated. Their world has three tiers of reality: at the highest level are the Creator God and Satan; in the middle realm is the spirit world; the lowest tier consists of man.

Most of their attention is focused on the middle realm, the spirit world. Though there are good spirits whose protection is sought, much of their life is driven by fearful efforts to prevent evil spirits from harming them or their possessions. Every house has an altar where protection is sought.

One of the water wells built with Trinity funds. This well serves an entire Hmong village.

Every Hmong household has spirits associated with key parts of the house. For instance, there are spirits associated with the main fireplace, or the main door mantel, or the pig food hearth. By far, the most significant house spirit is the one connected with the central house post.

Many Hmong appease the spirits with offerings or animal sacrifices. The shaman ventures into the world of the spirits, going into a trance with the assistance of powerful spirits without which he cannot do the ceremonies. Divinations are also used to determine the future, or to find out causes of illness.

Christian Missions
Missionaries began working among the Miao (Hmong) in China in 1904, but work ceased with the communist takeover in 1949. Today, it's estimated that 4% of the Miao population in China is Christian.

In Laos, missionaries worked from the 1950's until 1975, when communism again pushed missionaries out of the country. Only 0.2% of Hmong in Laos are thought to be Christian.

White Hmong down from the mountains for market day.

Hmong radio programs beamed into Southeast Asia have particularly borne fruit in Vietnam. Often, radio is the only contact some Hmong have with the gospel or Christians.

In Thailand, missionaries work with the Hmong to train and encourage church leaders by assisting with translation, literature production, and Bible teching.

Barriers to the Gospel
Demon worship, geographic isolation, Communist discouragement of Christianity, persecution, unwritten dialects with no Bible, and lack of Christian witness — these have hindered the spread of the gospel to the Hmong.

The majority of Hmong have never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus. Missionary activity among them is currently restricted in many of the countries where Hmong live.

Our vision is to see a church planted among the Hmong/Miao, a church that is strong enough to propagate the gospel among its own people across the various dialects. Prayer is the key to seeing them reached with the Gospel that can truly set them free.

Trinity Church has supported outreach to the Hmong by various agencies, although primarily we have chosen to work with Springboard, a ministry which focuses on the Farwestern Hmong, one of three main language groups among the Hmong.

We have helped sponsor several projects to benefit Hmong people in Southeast Asia, including:

• Printing Bibles

• Contributed to an agriculture project

• Built six water wells in Hmong villages, to provide clean water

• Supported May Ga Law Children's Hostel for Hmong schoolchildren

• Supported Hmong broadcast of Christian programs, by Far East Broadcasting Company

• Supported development of a Hmong radio broadcast teaching the Bible chronologically

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Thailand Construction Trip March 4-18, 2005

New Hmong and Mien lay leaders are trained at a Bible training center in Chiang Kham, in Northern Thailand. [This area is far from the coast and therefore was not directly impacted by the December 2004 earthquake or tsunami.] Here, these national lay leaders grow in their knowledge of the Bible and learn to how to govern their churches. While the students have classroom buildings, they currently have no kitchen or dining hall.

The center's existing kitchen is nothing like the kitchens we would imagine in America. In fact, it is not even a room. The current "kitchen" is actually outside, next to a classroom building, with a tarp for a roof and one small cooking surface. Add in a few rough benches and now you have the kitchen and dining hall. For the missionaries who staff the training center, one of their biggest prayer requests for the past four years has been for a simple building (23' x 26') with a Thai-style kitchen, a dining hall, and meeting/study rooms.

In March 2005, Trinity Church will send a construction team to work alongside locals to do walls, rafters, roofing, doors, and any other finish work needed, time permitting. The team will be in Thailand from March 4 to March 18.

Construction team members from Trinity Church:

James Johnstone (team leader)

Bob Relyea

Micah Bariteau

Kevin Werner

How you can help:

• Pray
• Provide financial support
• Provide family care support
• Provide local audio/visual/technical support
• Loan construction tools to the team
• Provide missionary care items to encourage them (yes, chocolate!)

For more information, please contact the team through the Trinity Church office.

Photo Album

The building when we arrived

The building as of March 8, 2005

James at work on a "saw horse"

Bob and Micah stamping dirt

Kevin up high