Shayne in Thailand
From Life in a Northern Town
My name is Shayne Rochfort and I am a servant of God, volunteering in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I am the Legal Advisor at Christian Outreach Centre Thailand (COC) and The Haven Project. I am 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.
The people of Chiang Mai are truly incredible and I have been very fortunate to meet so many awesome friends. Work and play in 2015 has been full steam ahead and full on.
Merry Christmas! Recap of 2015 What can I say about 2015? It has gone by so fast. It seems like yesterday since I was writing my last Christmas newsletter. There has been so much going on and so many different new and wonderful things have happened. It is definitely been a busy time! I may have told you already, what happened earlier in the year. So I will quickly recap again. After getting back from doing two thousand kilometers on my motorbike for Christmas last year. I spent two months preparing foundation reports so that they could be given to government officers when they were needed. Which is like with every set of documents that we give them for a foundation member. Whilst I was preparing the reports I was also putting together my book. I had it translated into Chinese and was putting all of the pictures and photographs into the book and laying it out. At that time there were many new foundation members and I was becoming sick and tired of actually telling them about what they had to do to become members of the foundation. So I made a website with all the details about becoming a member, the timings for visas and work permits, how to do proper reporting and all things legal wise to stay long term in Thailand. I then started working with one of our foundation members about creating a database that could make life easier for the legal department. It would be a website that people could log into and change the details, as well as hold all the necessary information to do visa renewals and work permit renewals. Phase one of the database has been going very well. The database gives us really good reports about whose work permit is expiring and about whose visa is expiring in the next few months, which helps us in our time management and processing. But unfortunately it cannot make any of the foundation members do this, it's just helps a little bit. Phase two will include some kind of mail merge system so that information can just automatically be entered into the documents that the government needs. So our developer has a little bit more work on his plate in the new year. In other tech news I spent time working with another foundation in the Philippines that helps out foundations to get Microsoft software for very cheap price. I was able to get 50 windows licenses and 20 Microsoft office licenses for around about $250. At least I was able to get pirated software off the computers or start to. This was also a fairly time-consuming endeavour because once I actually got the licenses I needed to reinstall the computers. My own work computer had crashed and burned with a dodgy hard drive, so that was a good place to start. My IT helpdesk days came back big time during the middle months. Many times this year, I've reflected on the skills that I've learned at different times in my life and how they are perfectly been given and used to serve God. That's how I know I am where I need to be. I have no idea how far behind I would be if I didn't have those skills. At every step, in every different role, paid or volunteer, I have gained knowledge and understanding and most importantly, skills that are useful in many different circumstances. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5 (NIV)
Shayne’s Extracurricular Activities Apart from my work website that has streamline much of my job , I have made a personal website www.shayneinthailand.com which is just a bit of fun but also helps me to get more skills about website building. If you have a look you'll understand why I enjoyed it so much to make this website. it was a lot different looking but one weekend I played around with it and haven't been able to finish it off and make it beautiful again. Time! I also spent a lot of time creating a website for my book. It also is not pretty and not quite finished but I'm trying to sell the book anyway. You can find it at www.chinatochiangmai.com . I have actually received a lot of assistance to make it from friends, but to just get to that next level cutting-edge I really need some assistance. if anyone has skills and would like to spend a couple of hours just making a bit prettier and functional, please email me. Yes it is not written the best it could be, but it is all I know how to do. It does need a lot of work to make it compatible and searchable and all that everything with the Chinese market in mind. I do wish I had a bit more time to put into it and hopefully that will change soon. I feel that this year has been just overwhelming but I have really accomplished a lot of good things and I'm very proud of that. About from some help on the websites I have pretty much been doing things alone and with minimal support. Most of these projects have been self initiated and projects to give major benefit to those they are for. I have really been trying to put in place systems that will last for a lot longer than I will. Personally this year has also been a challenge, like time management skills him and stretched to the max. I have worked very hard and helped lots of people, but it has been very tiring. In many ways I am glad I don't have a family to look after also. However, I have got it done, which is amazing. I also had a phone blowout in the latter half of the year which really messed up some things. Got a new phone and it’s going great. I need to say a big thank you to my guy, Pichai who despite more double the workload and training extra people for other provinces and putting up with me has survived also. He has been working untold hours to somehow get everything done. For new members there is always heaps of extra work, so at times he has had to prepare up to 10-12 sets of documents per day to just keep things going. I have no idea how many Facebook messages he has got from me over the year.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO PRAY: Praise for God’s blessing on the work of COC Thailand and the Haven Foundation. 2014 Approximately 80 foreign volunteers and currently 160 foreign volunteers and it is my job to try and coordinate their visa and work permit processes. Please pray for my work, it’s growing and it’s fun, but it is busy and challenging. We need another Thai staff member to help with processing of applications and documentation. Please pray for Thailand. It’s beautiful, but with the current political climate, we are experiencing continual changes to laws and processes. Please pray for all the Christmas events, that this December, lives will be changed for the King! Have a merry Christmas everyone!
COC Thailand Foundation inc The Haven Foundation PO Box 90 PRASING POST OFFICE CHIANGMAI 50205 THAILAND
Phone +66801202074 Email shayneinthailan@gmail.com Skype - shayneinthailand
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.
Supporting Shayne
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. BSB: 733172 Account Number: 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.omsaus.org OMS phone – 03 9870 8559