Bamboo Shoots & ASEAN Theology

Bamboo shoots are a local delicacy in Myanmar, Borneo and some other Asean countries. ASEAN hope to celebrate a common market and doing away with trade barriers next year. It is a good time to be in ASEAN. For the past 6 years, I have gotten to know students from 8 Asean countries. My first MTh graduate is a Burmese who is serving in northern Myanmar. One of my best students was a Vietnamese who was in my first NT class in 2008 and I was thrilled to receive news that he would be getting married soon. Perfect excuse to visit Vietnam and meet my former students. I have only been to Thailand once for ministry and did not stop even for an hour to tour Bangkok. It was from the airport to the place of Retreat and back to Airport after the Retreat ended. My Thai visit was memorable as I watched the news of Osama's killing on a TV (I take no delight in the death of the wicked , saith the Lord) at the Bangkok airport waiting to fly back to Singapore with airport security suddenly increased considerably.
My second MTh is an Indonesian serving now in East Jawa. Indonesia is a country I love largely because I share an affinity with the culture and language having read the Alkitab Bahasa Indonesia since 1988 until now. God willing, I will renew fellowship with my former students one day and see Asean theology prospers. I have not given up on my dream of SEAT, South-East Asia Theology, perhaps a series on the theology of NT books one day by South-East Asian scholars. The other is EAST, East Asia Society of Theologians which will include East Asian countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, South Korea and Japan plus ASEAN.