Posted by Ric and Sharon on Friday, February 10th, 2012
Sometimes we say words like “culture” but don’t take time to explain what it is that makes this job of adjusting to a new culture so hard. In this article I’ll briefly describe three major areas in which Thailand and the US would fall into different categories culturally and I’ll explain some practical outworkings of each distinction in our lives. As primary source material I’m using Human Communication, the Basic Course by Joseph Devito. It’s important to note neither category is superior or inferior to the other. Each represents a different way to approach communication and interpersonal relationships.
Individualist vs collectivist: Individualist cultures emphasize the achievements, responsibilities, goals and successes of the individual while collectivist cultures focus on the goals, cooperation and responsibility of the group. The US fits better in the “individualist” camp. Americans tend to focus more on individual goals and responsibilities, compete with others and emphasize personal success more than their collectivist culture counterparts (such as Thailand) would. Adjusting to group dynamics has been painful for a guy raised in an individualist culture. Here are a few practical ramifications of that working itself out in my life: (more…)
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
This summer we’ll be in Michigan for a few months beginning in June. Our current plan is to come back to Chiang Mai sometime in October. Our primary purpose is to attend Sharon’s sister’s July wedding but we’re excited to reconnect with our churches, families and with you. We’ll let you know the exact dates later on but wanted to get an advance warning out there as a general announcement. Thanks and God bless.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Sunday, January 1st, 2012
As Sharon and I think back on this past year we’re reminded that a year ago we couldn’t sound out a single word in the Thai script or even say a complete sentence in Thai that we hadn’t memorized first. We’re also hoping that a year from now will continue to see more and more improvement as we continue building relationships and digging into Thai culture. Thank-you for your help, support and prayers during this past year that have sustained us and kept us going down this path. We appreciate you all more than we can express in words. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! -Ric and Sharon
Last night we went with some of our Karen friends to Hoi Geaow and sang a bunch of Karen Christmas songs with them-
Here are pictures on our Picasa account of our trip to Turtle Mountain, our church’s sister church. The bullet holes in the cross are a from an incident a few years ago where two men came onto the church property at night and blasted the church building several times to scare off the members.
Up, Up and Away is video we posted a while ago that no one really noticed. During November youths in Chiang Mai compete to make the biggest and best “Com Fai”s. Here are a few of the entries:
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Saturday, December 17th, 2011
(c) Norman Murphy
Life around this time of year is nuts. Whether it’s caroling all night, preparing special songs, or passing out tracts our friends hardly sleep this time of year. It’s true that we work hard but sometimes it seems like we “play” even harder with our friends. Unlike back home, people don’t get work or school off during this time of the year leaving schedules packed full and little end in sight until the new year.
A common question we get is, “How’s your language learning coming?!” Language learning is a lifestyle. It’s like trying to lose weight, eat healthy, get enough sleep or read through the Bible in a year. It’s hard work and requires a lot of discipline. It also requires sacrifice. You won’t lose weight unless you stop drinking that six pack of Pepsi for breakfast. Language learning has its ups and downs but overall we’re very encouraged with our progress.
We moved. Our new neighborhood is awesome. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know the people that walk around our neighborhood at night and the people that loiter around the local snack shop. Mostly we’re thankful for the lower rent outside the city as it helps us cover our expenses better. Thank-you to those of you who gave to cover our moving expenses.
A recent trip to visit a tribal team about six hours from here was incredible. There are people groups here in Thailand who need to hear God’s live-giving message, the gospel, in their heart language. During this Christmas season our hearts go out to you, our family and friends who have cheered us on to this point. We appreciate your love and support.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Thursday, May 19th, 2011
Sent by a blog reader.
We have a few general blog announcements as we prepare to fly to a province we haven’t visited yet. This past week we were so encouraged by the comments, emails and notes showing your support. Thank-you!
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
We eat rice at almost every meal.
This post will change your life. While generally this is not a lifestyle blog tonight I’m going to tell you the secret to losing weight; and it’s EASY! Just eat more rice. In just a few months I lost 25 pounds on this diet and you can too! Read on for secret rice diet tips: how to eat loads of rice for weeks on end, how to get your boyfriend to make the switch to rice and how to integrate rice into your diet without changing what you currently eat!
My best advice is simple: serve up a heaping plate of rice then take whatever food you would normally eat, throw it on the rice and enjoy! Let’s tackle the classic hamburger problem: one doesn’t fill you up right? (more…)
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Saturday, May 14th, 2011
Friday afternoon we napped on and off during the bus ride back to Chiang Mai. It had been a long week and we were looking forward to getting back home and sleeping in our own bed. A slow drizzle soaked the road and sheets of lightning over the mountains provided occasional glimpses of the winding road ahead. I jerked my head up when the screams started and saw two dim objects lying in the road a few hundred yards ahead. The brakes slammed and we flew forward but it seemed to make no difference on our speed. As we skidded along the wet road in the dark the bus’s back end began to swing slowly around to the left. A split second later we hit something. Or maybe a couple things. Hard. (more…)
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Sunday, April 17th, 2011
On our website we’ve embedded a YouTube video of a parade passing by our house during Songkran. At first we thought it was the Irish guy who lives down the street playing his bagpipes but as the parade drew closer and louder we realized the wind instrument was a “pbi”, a traditional Thai instrument we recognized from November’s Loi Krathong festival. Upon closer investigation we saw (more…)
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Friday, February 18th, 2011
On our Youtube account and embedded on our website you will find a video of an important religious holiday here in Thailand. Days such as these see hundreds of people gather at local temples to make merit, light candles and incense and listen to sermons and chants by monks. As you watch the video think about the creative and unique ways mankind has devised to worship anything other than the one true God. Thanks for watching.
Rom 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
We love a plan. That’s why we took the Financial Peace University classes in the spring of this year and that’s why we ordered P90x just a few days ago.
Basically, we’re going to be completely ripped after P90x (okay probably not). But we do want to get in better shape and because we now own the program we can take it anywhere we go. It’s a nutrition, diet, and exercise plan that seems to push everyone who takes it seriously to change.
We’ll update you as we progress but it’s too embarrassing to post before pictures. We’ll post after pictures in 90 days. Here’s a picture of the box.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
We counted the coins from our recent garage sale and found that our stuff brought a grand total of $240.27!!! Volunteers of America is coming to pick up the leftover stuff and we’re glad to see it go. We’re celebrating another step in a long journey that’s taken five years and will continue for a long time with God’s help. Thank-you for your prayers and help as we prepare for ministry in Thailand.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Monday, May 31st, 2010
Arguably the very best way to connect with us while we’re in Thailand is through a free service called Skype. Install skype here then add us as a friend. Our skype name is:
ric.sharon.bruce
Another fantastic way to keep in touch is through Facebook. Find our profile here and add us as a friend! Of course you can always send us a good, old-fashioned email. Our email address (omit spaces):
ricandsharon @ gmail.com
Thank-you for connecting with us. We look forward to talking with you. Let us know how we can serve you better.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
Listen to the sounds we woke up to this morning by clicking here. See if you can hear the distant temple gongs calling the village to the morning prayer and offering. This link will require download.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Interning at Trinity
Today is our last day interning for a while. Sharon will be analyzing Cherokee for the next three months in Oklahoma and I will be traveling in that area. I have family in southern Oklahoma, friends in Nebraska, and a church in Missouri to visit. I will also be coming back to Michigan for about a week while Sharon is studying.
In a matter of months Sharon will be completely done with her linguistics training and we will transition into raising support for our ministry full-time. After Oklahoma we will travel to Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee to continue getting the word out about our vision, purpose, and ministry in Cambodia.
We appreciate your prayers for safety in travel, finances for this final semester of school, and excellent relationship building as we share our ministry with churches and individuals.
God has called us to be ambassadors for Christ in Cambodia. That’s our motivation. This one purpose gets us out of bed in the morning, we find. The more we learn about Cambodia and pray for the work God is doing in the country the more excited we grow. Here’s what God has called us to do-
Catch a Glimpse of Our Purpose:
Few people can say they knew exactly what they wanted to do and be when they were in high school. We were both sure of two things six years ago – we were committed to each other and we were committed to Paul’s attitude toward evangelism in Romans 15:20:
" I have been eager to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation."
To us, this verse reveals bit of God’s heart: he wants all people to have equal access to His truth and to the gospel. But they don’t. Inequality still exists, so we’ve dedicated our youth to fixing the situation in one part of the world: Cambodia.
The Specifics:
Our specific ministry location within the country is to be decided, but we have a timeframe of what we will be doing when (this is all subject to change).
July of 2010 we will move to Cambodia and begin studying the national language, Khmer.
Fall of 2012 we could be assigned to a local ministry location with a team. This would be in a Cambodian "Hill Tribe".
Immediately we will begin relationship building, community development, and language and culture study.
Depending on the length of time it requires for our team to learn the local customs and language, the team may begin training leaders, teaching bible lessons, and translating scriptures in 2015.
Our purpose is to see a fully independent, functioning church that will continue for years after we’re gone.
That’s the work we’ve been called to do and trained to do, now we are asking God for the financial and prayer support needed to see the task completed. God has called us to represent Him in Cambodia and you can be an important part of seeing that happen! Please visit our ministry page to learn more, send us an email, or give to our ministry!
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Sharon and I are avid long-distance hikers. We’ve spent months relying on the power of our legs, the few things we can carry on our backs, and kind people we meet along the way. More than once we’ve gotten lost and had to re-focus, find the right path again, and continue.
The "trail" we have to keep coming back to as missionaries is our vision. God has called us to be faithful in following his leading and the needle points to Cambodia. We’re walking.
Or said another way, "Faithful to God’s leading, we’re walking."
That’s the short answer. Here’s the long answer:
Faithful to
Much of what the New Testament teaches is not about doing things for God. It’s about becoming the person He wants us to be. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
For Ric and Sharon Bruce, transforming means giving up some things and totally changing our lives. It means moving to Cambodia because God has called us to be a part of giving every person there the chance to hear the good news of the gospel of Christ at least once in their lives.
God’s Leading
Can we trust it? In today’s world God may start to seem like a cruel puppeteer who quickly pulls strings, suddenly bringing missionaries home from the field sick, divorced, dissolusioned, or worse. I submit for your consideration my grandfather’s compass (pictured above). He carried it sixty years ago as a scout and it pointed north. Today? It still points north.
God’s leading is not fickle. In a bet against man or God changing their mind first, I’ll put my chips on man every time.
We’re Walking
Yes, we’re going to Cambodia, but that doesn’t make us super Christians. We’re doing exactly what you do every day. Where ever Christians are walking with God, God’s power will change lives, but in Cambodia 99 percent of the country doesn’t acknowledge God. In fact, whole people groups in Cambodia have no gospel witness, no bible in their language, and no one walking with God among them.
Our steps will take us right to the heart of one of these groups to live among them, learn their language, and walk with God along side them when they hear the good news of what Christ has done for them. Three ways you can help:
Please take this journey with us. We can’t do it without your support.
Please pray for us as we stay true to what God has called us to be.
Please send us an email letting us know that you’re tuned into our ministry.
Our vision: Faithful to God’s leading, we’re walking.
Ric and Sharon Bruce On a journey with you to Thailand 
On our website we’ve 
We love a plan. That’s why we took the 
Blog Announcements
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Thursday, May 19th, 2011Sent by a blog reader.
We have a few general blog announcements as we prepare to fly to a province we haven’t visited yet. This past week we were so encouraged by the comments, emails and notes showing your support. Thank-you!
A friend sent us the picture you see in the thumbnail of this post. In just seven words it sums up what we spent 383 words explaining in our post about eating more rice. Speaking of pictures have you seen the pictures I took today at the temple? Personally, I prefer videos like the one we posted about the monk parade on Tuesday. Our most popular post this week was definitely a short summary of the “Rigors of Missionary Life.” (more…)
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