Bookends 2022

One way I like to look back at the year is to compare the beginning of the year with the end of the year using photos. They aren't necessarily the first and last photos of the year, but will be within a day or two.

We started off the year with a bike ride. I took Ingrid on a journey to show her some of the places I discovered on some of my morning bike rides. About 6 kilometers west from our house there is a temple located close to the Pao River. Like many of the temples around here, there is a forest associated with it. Someone put a paved walkway through part of the forest. We decided to take our bikes down the trail, but it was a bit challenging because of all the vines crossing the path—the one's pictured here weren't the worst. A few times we had to get off our bikes to get around the convoluted stems crossing the path.

Path Through the Forest Temple Grounds

Later in the day, we went to Doi Chang Coffee that it is on the eastern edge of Kamalasai District. Their coffee is a bit more pricy than some places (though not near as much as Starbucks), but they have the best blended mocha around. There are lot's of pretty plants at Doi Chang coffee, and here we found another vine over the "trail." This time it was the pretty clusters of lavender-colored blossoms of Queen's Wreath (Petrea volubilis).

Queen's Wreath at Soi Chang Coffee in Dong Ling

After leaving the coffee shop, we took a detour down a dirt road that runs along the edge of a nearby community forest. We parked the car and walked down a trail that we spotted. Here we encountered even more lengthy (and knotty) lianas.

Vine Maze

Sometimes the vines seem to bypass the tree trunks on the way to the canopies above, at other times, they seem to want to choke the trees like a woody boa constrictor. Or maybe it's just a love-hug.

Hanging on for Dear Life

Maybe the vines were supposed to be a metaphor for the year ahead—lots of twists and turns in the road but beauty to be found along the way.

• We began the year working on our own, but in May and intern came to join us and help with the work.
• We have periods of excitement when so many people are participating in our activities that it is hard to keep up. Then there are other times when there are just three or four of us gathered for times of worship and prayer.
• On some occasions we are so frustrated we want to just go back to the "normalcy" of North America. And there there are times when we can't imagine leaving our adopted country.
• There are times that we think we have identified a potential leader. And then comes the time when that person decides that there are better things to do than try to follow Jesus.

Amidst all the changes in activities, there is one constant, and that is my companion of the past almost 40 years. I don't know how my wife manages to get more beautiful each year, but somehow she does it. So it was only fitting that we end the year by checking out this new coffee shop:

Gorgeous Coffee in Khong Chai

I'm not sure why they chose this English name for their coffee shop. They don't even have a Thai equivalent or Thai phonetic anywhere. But I suppose our going here also shows another constant in our life: coffee. Both our first and last day stories involve that wonderful beverage.

The flavor of the blended mochas at Gorgeous Coffee are as good as Doi Chang, but they were more watery. They also came in these weird pop-top containers that did not hold as much coffee, though the cost the same. While the idea of this sealed coffee is kind of cute, I don't really care for the resource heavy nature of it with heavier plastic and the aluminum lid.

Blended Mocha from Gorgeous Coffee
Resource Heavy Packaging

Here is the blended mocha from Doi Chang for comparison.

Blended Mocha from Soi Chang

So was last year. While I can't guarantee that the coming year won't have as many twists and turns as the last one—in fact, it will probably have more—the important thing for us is to be following the path God sets before us. And so we echo the prayer of the psalmist:

Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)

And we trust in the promise of God:

This is what the LORD says-- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17 (NIV)

A Year Ago Today

This week marks one year since we returned to Thailand after our COVID exile. And today is one year since we were let out of our quarantine room for 45 minutes to go out on the rooftop garden. So here are some of our quarantine photos from a year ago.

Breakfast that day was the American Breakfast. This thing they call an American Breakfast is something I've only ever had in Thailand. Before that, I never thought to eat hot dogs in the morning.

American Breakfast

After breakfast, we were escorted to the roof for 45 minutes in the fresh air.

Doing Laps in the Rooftop Garden

Rooftop Garden

Bangkok Views

For lunch that day we had Pad Thai. Something we have not had much since then since we have not found a place in our town that sells it. Along with that was a tapioca dessert shaped like flowers.

Pad Thai with Shrimp

Tapioca Gelatin Desserts

Then in the evening we had massaman curry.

Massaman Curry

After being cooped up for a couple of weeks, I am much more appreciative of how nice it is to be able to get out and around. And we are glad to be living in a rural area where it is pleasant to bicycle through the fields and forests. Often when I'm out pedaling among the paddies I praise God that I get to live in such a beautiful locale. So, by contrast, here are some scenes from this past week.

Pink Water Lilies

Canoe in the Pao River in Kamalasai

Newly Planted Rice Paddies

Pedaling the Field Roads

Palak Paneer at an Indian Restaurant in Kalasin

While the environment we find ourselves in now is much different than it was a year ago, the two are similar in that God is present in both situations. Whether we're stuck in a building in the big city or surrounded by the hope represented in the greening rice paddies, God is close by and ready to visit with us.

But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
Psalm 73:28 (NLT)

Bountiful Hill

One of the things we like to do in rainy season in Thailand is to visit waterfalls. Many of the the waterfalls are practically dry for much of the year, but then they come to life towards the end of the rainy season. The early part of the wet season here was not particularly wet, but we've had a lot of good storms in the past few weeks. And finally we weren't so preoccupied with other things, we could actually get away on our day off.

This time, our destination was in Khon Kaen Province, just over the line from Kalasin. Ba Luang Waterfall Forest Park is located in some sandstone hills. The main waterfall is adjacent to the parking lot. The sandstone has both hard and soft layers. Here, the water flows over some hard layers, and as it falls, it undercuts into the soft layers below.

Ba Luang Waterfall

Above the water fall is a smaller cascade as the water passes over the unevenly worn rock.

Small Cascade Above the Waterfall

There is a 1 kilometer long nature trail that includes two smaller cascades. It was a quiet day at the park, and we were the only ones on the trail. After climbing a bit, we came to this pond. Water oozed out of the soil above and poured down off the cliff into the pond. A sign posted said that the waterfall is strongest in the early morning and gets weaker as the day goes on.

Small Waterfall Along the Nature Trail

There was a small cave behind the waterfall, and there were a few clumps of these things that reminded me of sea anemones, except that we were nowhere near the sea and these were on land. We assume they are some kind of plant, but they are nothing like what we have ever seen before.

Land Anemones

As we were exploring by the pool, some creature flew by Ingrid then landed in a small tree. Turned out to be some kind of walking stick.

Walking Stick

Walking Stick Trying to Hide

Leaving that pool of water, we continued up the hill, then the trail dropped steeply down to an area where there was only a thin layer of soil over the sandstone. There were no trees in this area, only shrubs and grasses adapted to the harsh environment.

Shrubs of the Shallow Soils

We heard the sounds of children talking and yelling nearby, and eventually we found the source of the clamor. A small creek had eaten its way into the rock below, and there was an old whirlpool etched into the creek bed. A group of boys was taking turns jumping off the two meter deep chasm into the pool below.

Diving Pool

Just above this, we spotted a tiny waterfall flowing into a shallow pool.

Small Waterfall

It was after 1 pm when we left the park, so we were ready for some lunch. The first village came to with a restaurant was Non Somboon. Khrua Yai Puy restaurant was marked by a colorful sign. There was a menu on the wall, and we were happy to see that they served Pad Thai, something we have not eaten in a long time. The couple that ran the place were friendly, though somewhat intimidated by having foreigners as guests. But they relaxed a bit when we spoke Thai to them and behaved as though we understood how these kinds of restaurants function.

Khrua Yai Puy Restaurant

After confirming that they had the dish, we ordered two plates of Pad Thai. We were eager to have this noodle dish, and the 10-minute wait seemed like a long time. Finally it came.

Pad Thai or Omelette

What an awesome looking omelette. If I had ordered an omelette, this would have been a great one. But why did they bring us Khai Jiao instead of Pad Thai? The names of the two items don't sound anything like each other, other than the vowel sound ai that occurs in each name. Did they really misunderstand us? Is our Thai that bad? Or maybe they didn't have Pad Thai noodles but they didn't want to say "no," so as to save face. I'm not sure the reason. But we didn't want to shame them, so we ate our omelettes and went on our way. They good thing is that the omelettes did not have cilantro, which they usually do, so I was able to eat it.

Later it dawned on me that Non Somboon is the same name as the village where we ate lunch on a waterfall trip in Mukdahan back in August, which I wrote about here. The name of the village translates as "Bountiful Hill." I think there are a lot of villages with that name in the Isaan region, but what a coincidence that we happen to find roadside restaurants to eat lunch at in a village of the same name after leaving a waterfall park on two occasions in two different provinces.

I like the name Bountiful Hill. It sounds like an inviting place to live. It also expresses hope for abundant harvests. And the name often seems appropriate, being that the villages are surrounded by lush rice paddies and forests in which to gather wild food. (This is unlike how we name things in California. When we lived in Bakersfield, California, we lived on River Mist Avenue. That was in a desert with no river to be seen. The name of the subdivision was Silver Creek. The only Silver Creek I ever saw in that area was a mirage.)

Bountiful Hill reminds me of the Biblical promises to the nation of Israel. They were going to a land "flowing with milk and honey." This phrase is used to describe the promised land twenty times in the Old Testament, beginning with Exodus 3:8. It as a poetic way of saying that it will be a bountiful land. It is a reminder that God loves us and cares for our needs.

Bountiful Hill reminds me of the words Jesus uses to describe the life that we can have when we believe in Him. He said The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 ESV) I don't have to travel to some small village in another province to experience God's bounty. An abundant life is available to all who put their faith in Jesus, wherever they are.

An abundant life does not necessarily mean that I will be rich in the stuff of this world. Jesus said, Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. (Luke 12:15ESV) An abundant life means that I can have peace and satisfaction that comes from God's presence in my life no matter what storms may come my way. Jesus wants us to trust Him, to be satisfied with Him. This is often easier said than done, however. It is something I am slowly learning to do.

Thank you, God, for being our bountiful hill. Thank you for your promises of an abundant life in Jesus. Thank you for the peace that comes from the presence of Your Holy Spirit in our lives.

Pioneering

My wife and I have a bit of a pioneering spirit, and sometimes we even find ourselves being the ones breaking new ground. For example, we were the first ones (and only ones) of our organization to do language school in Bangkok. Another example is that we were part of the first team our organization sent to work in Isaan. Earlier this year, we were the first ones in our organization to go through the complicated process of getting back to Thailand. But yesterday, we had a different kind of first.

It was our day off and we were tired of hanging around our house all the time because of COVID-related travel restrictions. So we decided to go check out a couple of waterfalls on the edge of Kalasin and Mukdahan provinces. The first waterfall we went to was in Kalasin Province. We almost didn't find it because the sign was overgrown and even the parking area was washed out from the road such that we couldn't get our car onto it. Tat Thong Waterfall was fairly dry due to the lack of rain this year, but there were some pretty rock formations in the creek bed.

Tat Thong Waterfall

It was not too far to the next waterfall, but it took a while because the road was not in great shape. This was not your typical tourist route. Eventually we arrived at Kaeng Pho Waterfall Park. This park had had both some smaller upper rapids and a larger waterfall downstream. Upstream from the rapids was a popular wading spot. Fortunately, it was a weekday and there were not a lot of visitors.

Rapids at Kaeng Pho

Kaeng Pho Waterfall

After visiting Kaeng Pho, it was getting to be lunchtime. At this point we were in a very rural area that did not look like it saw a lot of tourists. We went through several villages and finally came to a larger one (still quite small, but larger than some of the others) named Non Somboon, which translates, "Bountiful Hill". (There are actually a lot of villages by that name in Isaan.) We finally saw a place that had several pots out on a counter and some picnic tables so we figured it must be a restaurant, even though there was no kind of signage to let us know what it was.

Restaurant in Non Sombun

The shopkeeper made us feel welcome and she even spoke a few words of English. After we sat down with our meal, someone came out all excited and took our picture. She said we were the first "Europeans" to eat there. I guess it was a "first" for us to have that kind of honor. And even though we were unusual guests at the restaurant, they didn't make us feel like oddities. (She also used the term "European" instead of "farang," which may also be a first for us.)

Green Curry with Chicken

We were surprised that we had the distinction of being the first Westerners at the restaurant. There are Westerners scattered throughout Isaan, usually foreign men married to Isaan women. It is sometimes had to find a village without at least one "European" living in it. What mattered to us, though, was that the food was good—we had green curry with chicken over rice. Two plates of food and two bottles of water for about $3.50 US. I would put a review of the restaurant on Google Maps, but I wouldn't know what to call it.

After lunch, we continued on our journey, not sure where we would end up or which route might eventually get us back home. But about ten minutes down the road from the restaurant, we saw a sign for another waterfall. We turned off the pavement and down a dirt track to a parking area. Then we followed an unmarked trail, assuming it would take us to the waterfall. This one was called Huai Lao.

Huai Lao Waterfall

This area seemed to be a popular hangout for teenagers.

It took us a few hours to meander home from this last waterfall. We caught some rain and some pretty cloudscapes along the way.

Cloudscapes Along the Way

It was nice to have a day out in the country, something that doesn't seem to happen much in these days of COVID-related travel restrictions. This was actually our first time to go into Mukdahan Province. Even though the driving was a bit tiring, we came back refreshed and happy to have a day to do some exploring around the place we call home.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 (ESV)

Symbols

We live in the province of Kalasin, Thailand. One of the symbols of the province is the dinosaur. The reason for this is that in the northern part of the province they have found lots of dinosaur fossils.

Sirindhorn Dinosaur Museum in Kalasin

So you can find statues or symbols of dinosaurs all over the place.

Not waiting to find out if they really are herbivores

Dinosaurs are surprisingly mobile. At this rate they should be taking over Thailand soon.

Dinosaurs invading the city of Kalasin

Some dinosaurs like to hang around coffee shops.

Dinosaur coming to steal my coffee

Dinosaur giving rides while we wait for out coffee

Earlier this week we found a dinosaur that had been trained to ring a gong.

Kalasin's trained dinosaurs

We humans like to use symbols. They can be an easy way to express the essence of something or even our emotions (emojis).

Emojis as symbols of feelings

Symbols can be powerful tools for making something easy to recognize—like the golden arches at McDonalds or the donkeys and elephants used to represent political parties in the USA. Back when we lived in Haiti, we happened to be there for their first democratic elections, ever. The ballots had the names of the candidates, their photograph and a symbol for their party. Even the illiterate people could recognize the symbols.

Haitian Election Ballot from 1992

For centuries now, the symbol for Christianity has been a cross. It is almost trivialized now, but in its day, the cross would be recognized as a brutal form of execution. Using a cross as a symbol is akin to using a gallows or guillotine, which makes it a really odd symbol. But it makes sense when you think that Jesus taught that the way to life is through death. Jesus died for our sins on the cross to secure our salvation. But He didn't stay dead. First came death, then the resurrection.

The Cross as a symbol of Christianity

Jesus, looking ahead to His crucifixion, wrote,

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. John 12:23-26 (ESV)

But Jesus wasn't just saying this about Himself. Whoever, He says, loves his life will lose it. Dying is the way to a life of fruitfulness.

Paul also writes about this. In Romans 8:13 (ESV) we read: "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." And again in Colossians 3:5 (ESV) "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."

The challenge with symbols is that after a while the symbol becomes more important than what it is supposed to represent. The cross becomes merely a fashion statement or a religious symbol rather than showing one's desire to die to self or even even die for one's faith. Some, ironically, complain when governments try to remove our cross symbols from public places. When someone wants to remove a sign that should say we are willing to suffer for our faith, we complain and can become belligerent even to the point of being obnoxious, even though we aren't actually suffering. We are very unlike the first century Christians who rejoiced because they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. (Acts 5:41)

When Jesus said we should be willing to take up our cross, I don't think he had in mind a piece of jewelry strung around our neck or a symbol erected on top of a building.

The cross is a reminder that we are strangers and exiles on the earth. (Hebrews 11:13) We are willing to die to the things of this world because we are looking forward to a better one. We read in Hebrews 11:35 (ESV): Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.

I've found that this cross thing is not always easy. Sometimes I get to a place where I have to choose gratifying my human desires or pleasing God. At other times I have to choose between responding to situations according to the wisdom and ways of this world or according to the ways of the Kingdom of God. I don't always get it right.

We read James 3:15-17 (The Voice translation): The wisdom of this world should never be mistaken for heavenly wisdom; it originates below in the earthly realms, with the demons. Any place where you find jealousy and selfish ambition, you will discover chaos and evil thriving under its rule. Heavenly wisdom centers on purity, peace, gentleness, deference, mercy, and other good fruits untainted by hypocrisy.

God, when I see the symbol of a cross, help me to remember that not only did Jesus die on the cross for my sins, but also that He called us to be willing to die to the things of this world for the sake of His kingdom

Not As I Planned It

I like to ride my bike because it is a good way to get exercise and, while doing so, I generate my own wind, which helps make the activity more bearable in the hot humid climate of Thailand.

Usually, though not always, I start off with an idea of where I will go. Sometimes it is a route I've been on before, on other occasions it may be a route I picked out on the map. Such was the case one day last week. But while I was out exploring, I noticed the map showing a bridge across the Phan River, and when I got to that road that this supposed bridge was on,  I found it was a wide, paved road. Change of plans. I wasn't really thinking about how I would also cross the Pao River, which I would need to do to get home.

Shortly after I crossed the bridge there was a "road narrows" sign, but with the narrowing also came an ending—of the pavement. I kept going, checking the map now and then to see that I was still on roads that might go through to somewhere I would like to go. After a brief stretch on pavement, I found another road that, according to the map, had a bridge across the Pao River. Off I went.

After going about 50 yards I was wondering why there would be a bridge on that road, it was just a farm road and not even a good one at that.

Oh, that's why.

Bridge Across the Pao River

I'm not sure what kind of load the bridge was rated for, but I felt comfortable crossing on my bicycle. Just after I crossed the bridge, I hit pavement.

Yesterday was similar. I worked my plan for the first 8 kilometers. Then I got to where the map showed two options to get to where I was planning on going. But the option I chose turned out to not really be a road and I ended up on another track going in a different direction, but hey, at least the map showed the possibility of getting across the rice paddies to the road back home. The first part was a bit rough and I debated turning back. But then I came to a village and turned onto a better track. This next route, even though it wasn't paved, was smoother than some of the paved roads in the area. And there was another bridge to cross, this time over an irrigation canal.

Bridge Across Irrigation Canal

After crossing the bridge, it was quite scenic. The ride may not have been as I planned it, but it was probably better.

Scenic Spot Along the Way

Though there was a short stretch of less developed trail.

Road Narrows

Our ministry life is similar to my bike rides. We have a meeting with our core team on Tuesday mornings. Except on weeks when something comes up (most of the time)—in which case we switch to another day. We finally got a rhythm established of when we will do things like making house or hospital visits, teaching English, youth activities, and church worship meetings.

Planning Meeting

English Class

Hospital Visits

Sunday School

Youth Activities - Before Songkran Holidays (no masks required)

But then came the Songkran holidays, a time of year when people travel to their home provinces to visit their families. This year, Songkran corresponded with a new outbreak of COVID-19 in Bangkok and surrounding areas, so many of these vacationers brought the virus along for the ride. Next thing you know, there is a call from the village head to suspend church meetings for two weeks. Then things got worse, COVID-19 wise, nationwide and now there are even more restrictions on travel and gatherings. So we find ourselves spending most of our time at home and avoiding crowds when we go out. Nationwide, it is mandatory to wear a mask outside the home—this includes traveling in a car when you're not by yourself, even if you're with a family member—and the fine for breaking this law can be up to 20,000 THB (about $650 US).

This is not how we planned it.

But, hopefully it will be like yesterday's bike ride, where the road was be a bit rough at first, but it gives way to something better than we planned. We just need to push through the rough part and not turn back.

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)