SURFER BOB: Boo Who?

MR. CHRISTOPHER: Well, there’s no need to cry about it, Bob.

SURFER BOB: NO CHRISTOPHER! I ain’t teary eyed, it’s just that Penny asked me to surf up some info on the country of Boo somethin’ or another.

MR. CHRISTOPHER: That’s Bhu-TAN [boo-TAHN] Bob, not BOO HOO!!!!

PENNY: (Penny enters the shop) Hey Mr. C, what’s with the crying?

MR. CHRISTOPHER: Well, Bob was crying about not being able to find Bhutan, and he was confused about the name and was calling it Boo Hoo and … and … I don’t know what’s wrong with him today!

SURFER BOB: NO CHRISTOPHER! I WAS ASKING BOO WHO … like who, what, where, when, why! I wasn’t crying … I was asking!

MR. CHRISTOPHER: Why?

SURFER BOB: AAAARGH!!!! OOOH CHRISTOPHER!!! YOU'RE GETTIN’ ON MY LAST NERVE!!!!!

PENNY: You better let me take over Mr. C.

MR. CHRISTOPHER: GLADLY!

PENNY: Here Bob, let me load up this Geographic Locator. This will help you with your surf coordinates. Bhutan is kind of a tricky place to find.

check out Geographic Locator here

SURFER BOB: Real interestin’ Penny. Alright, you two talk amongst yerselves and I’ll wrangle up a whole bit-load of net-formation!

PENNY: I’m not really sure what you’ve just said … but thanks Bob.

MR. CHRISTOPHER: Steering Surfer Bob in the right direction with the Geographic Locator brings up a good point about Bhutan.

PENNY: What’s that Mr. C?

MR. CHRISTOPHER: Well, Bhutan is a very isolated country. There are reasons for this; most of the reasons are political. You see, Bhutan is squashed, geographically speaking, between two of the world’s most important superpowers … that being China and India. These countries have always had influence on the politics of Bhutan. Therefore, in order to maintain their own identity … their government, culture, religion and traditions, they have closed their borders and made it very difficult for foreigners to visit.

PENNY: Is that why many of the Bhutanese have not heard the good news of Jesus Christ?

MR. CHRISTOPHER: That is exactly why. And that is why we need to pray for the people of Bhutan as Kids On Mission. Although the physical borders of Bhutan might be closed to the spread of the gospel, we know that the spiritual borders can be removed … through prayer.

PENNY: Prayer is essential, in the case of sharing the gospel with Bhutan, largely because of the obstacles in personally taking the gospel to the Bhutanese people.

MR. CHRISTOPHER: Exactly!

PENNY: I understand that their religion is very important to them. They consider their faith to be the very basis of who they are as a people. What do they believe?

MR. CHRISTOPHER: That, I’m afraid, would take years to understand and even longer to explain. But we should attempt to cover some of the basics. Let’s watch this factoid, for openers.

click here to go to the Factoid

MR. CHRISTOPHER: We’ve talked about Buddhism in the past, but here’s a refresher. Buddhists believe that life operates in a cycle of birth, death and rebirth. It is a round concept of belief … round like this globe. For a Buddhist, breaking out of this cycle is the goal … this goal is called ‘Nirvana.' Tantric Buddhists believe that we can all break out of this cycle and reach ‘Nirvana’ through the help and guidance of scriptures, known as Tantras, and through the help of spiritual leaders.

PENNY: Like Lamas!

MR. CHRISTOPHER: Yes … like Lamas! When these Lamas die they are capable of attaining Nirvana or, it is believed, that they are also able to choose to be reborn into this world and help others to obtain Nirvana.

PENNY: Oh yeah, I’ve heard that the people look for these reincarnated Lamas and can determine who they are through signs and omens.

MR. CHRISTOPHER: That’s right! The people of Bhutan also believe that spirits inhabit all of the things around us like the trees and mountains. They have very mystical beliefs … unfortunately they haven’t even heard that true salvation from a life of hopelessness can only come through Jesus Christ.

SURFER BOB: Hey Penny, Christopher! I met a good buddy named Ricky there in Bhutan. He’s a Christian and agreed to be our guide through the countryside. Ya’ll wanna see?!?!?!

PENNY: Sounds great, Bob! Let’s take a look!

to watch the Features, click here

SURFER BOB: I’ve got a surprise for you amigitos!

MR. CHRISTOPHER: Hey Bob, what do you have hiding behind that flag of Bhutan?

SURFER BOB: He’s not a ‘WHAT’ … he’s a ‘WHO!'

MR. CHRISTOPHER: Oh great, don’t start with THAT again!

PENNY: OK, Bob, so WHO is he?

SURFER BOB: Oh, this here’s my good friend and KOM correspondent … TRICKY RICKY!!!!

PENNY: Hey Ricky! We had fun watching you in Bhutan!

MR. CHRISTOPHER: We sure did! Do you mind if I ask you a question before we leave today?

RICKY: No, go right ahead!

MR. CHRISTOPHER: What are the Bhutanese people like, and why do we need to pray for them?

RICKY: Well Mr. C and Penny, the Bhutanese people were absolutely wonderful. The Himalayan Mountains were just picturesque. It’s absolutely beautiful there, Bob. And you know what? The Bhutanese people just come up to us on the street, they talk to us, they say, “Hello,” and try to speak what English they could, and just really made us feel welcome. But, you know what? The important thing to remember Bob, is that the Bhutanese are Tantric Buddhist, which means they don’t know Jesus, like you and I do. So, they don’t have Him in their hearts. So, Mr. C and Penny, it’s very important that folks like you and I, and you, too, Surfer Bob, pray for them.

MR. CHRISTOPHER: Well, thanks for sharing with us, Ricky.

PENNY: Yeah! And, thank you for watching. If you want to know more about Bhutan or anything else about missions, write to us at: Kids On Mission, International Mission Board, 3806 Monument Ave. Richmond, VA 23230-0767. We’ll be waiting for your letters!

MR. CHRISTOPHER: We sure will! Until next time … remember … if you’re curious, we’re curious!

PENNY: Bye!