Consistency

Today I was working on an Excel spreadsheet, and I wanted to edit a cell. There are two common ways to do this—double-click the cell (which doesn't always work on my Mac) or highlight the cell and then make changes in the formula bar at the top. But since I was using the PC, I just hit the F2 key.

I started working with computers when we had a mainframe system at University. This was before the days of personal computers.Then, when we were working in Haiti, our mission had several PCs that we could use to help put together newsletters and publications. At one point, I was able to borrow a portable computer to use in our remote work location. It weighed about 40 pounds and had a 5 inch CRT screen. It boasted a 5-1/4 inch floppy drive and a small hard drive. It had Microsoft Word for DOS on it as well as a spreadsheet program called Lotus 123. I started using Lotus 123 to do personal finances, clinic finances and to keep track of data from some of our ag projects. In Lotus 123, the way to start editing a cell was by pressing the F2 key.

In 1993, we got our first personal computer—it was a small notebook with a 10MB hard drive and a 3-1/2 inch floppy drive. It came with Microsoft Winows 1.1 preinstalled. At this point, I started using Microsoft Excel instead of Lotus 123; fortunately I could easily migrate my Lotus 123 files to the new platform. One of the things I quickly discovered was that Excel borrowed the process of using the F2 key to edit a cell.

The early versions of Excel were quite limited. A lot of formulas that are standard now, one had to enter manually back then. It only supported one worksheet per file. Summarizing data from several worksheets onto one was not such a simple process as it is now. But one thing the Microsoft has kept all this time is the use of the F2 key to edit a cell.

As time progresses, a lot of things change—and these days things change so fast I can hardly keep up. So I appreciate these little things that stay the same in the midst of a universe in flux.

But more than this, I appreciate a God who doesn't change. If God were fickle, we would not know how to approach Him. What worked one day might not work the next. But, as the writer of Hebrews reminds us, Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) If He loved us yesterday, He will love us tomorrow and He will love us in all eternity. Thanks be to God! His love is more certain than the F2 key.

Bookends 2019

One way to measure things is by doing a before and after comparison. This is one way I like to look back at my year, by looking at photos from the first and last day on which I took photos in a given year. But this is not just the beginning of a new year, it is also the beginning of a new decade. So this year I will look back not just to January 1, 2019 but also the first day of the decade: January 1, 2010.

Another way of looking back can be found in Top Twelve 2019

January 1, 2010

It was my first winter experience in Alberta, Canada. I've always said I don't want to live where Fahrenheit and Celsius come together on a regular basis (-40), and this was one of those years. We just missed the record breaking cold by a day or two when our bus arrived in Edmonton. But it was still cold.

This was my first Christmas visit to the farm where my wife grew up. It was also to be the last Christmas visit to the farm, as he parents would end up moving to the town not long after this.

It was a time of transition for us as well.  We had only recently found out that we would eventually be going to Thailand and we had also just finished our training with MB Mission (Multiply) before we traveled to Alberta.

The bright sun brought in the new decade. But unlike Thailand, where sunny means very hot, in this case it might that the temps would go up into the -20s C. Pictured below is the henhouse at the farm in Freedom, Alberta. Rex, the dog, is taking a break from hunting mice in the snow.

Winter at the Farm

January 1, 2019

Nine years later, we find ourselves delighted if the temperature drops down to +20 C at night. The climate in Thailand has little in common with Alberta, Canada.

A normal New Year's Day activity here in Thailand is to go to the mall.  You know—where lust for stuff has brought crowds together in a frenzy in what appears to be training for Armageddon. Where four-wheeled dragons belch black smoke (the dragons here tend to consume diesel) in the "Battle for the Parking spot".

I suppose we could have joined them. So I asked my wife, "do you want to go swamping?" And my amazing wife agreed. I suppose it's not surprising. Who wouldn't jump at the chance to go visit some swamps? Wouldn't you?  I wrote more details about that trip here.

Our first stop was at Nong Nguem Noi. (หนองหงึมน้อย) There was not a lot of floral variety here, but there were a lot of red lotus flowers (บัวแดง) blooming. This is a type of water lily that is native to this part of the world and can be found scattered everywhere, but not always in such abundance as in this swamp. I only wish I had a canoe or kayak to get out amongst the blooms.

Many people in this world are looking for a sign from God. If they don't believe in God, some might waiting for the universe to speak to them instead. Many people travel great distances to see a miracle. Not a few will go after a counterfeit sign yet ignore the miracle right in front of their faces.

On January 1st, we witnessed a miracle. We saw the handwriting of God—a New Year's Card, if you will. "See how the lilies of the [pond] grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:28-30 NIV)

December 31, 2019

The drinking starts early on New Years Eve. People seem unconcerned with the police checkpoints that are set up all over the place to try to cut down on drunk driving. Since everyone knows where the checkpoints are, they just find ways to avoid them.

But there was no alcohol at our party. Our church gathered for a feast of fire-roasted tilapia, stir-fried pork, stir-fried squid tentacles and steamed clams. Afterwards we gave the kids some marshmallows to roast and served up some "New Year's Cookies" (aka fritters) that Ingrid made for the occasion.

Next there was a time of singing then a we heard the word of God. A good way to finish up the year.

After all this,  we were in bed before 11 pm. The fireworks at midnight barely woke us.

Good-bye 2019. Good-bye 2010's. A new decade is calling.

New Years Celebration

Adventure-us

Ten years ago this month we finished up a week in Abbotsford, British Columbia. We were participating in an event called Spring Adventure. Little did we know that the adventure would begin after that week.

Spring Adventure was a time for us to get to know an organization called MBMS International and for them to get to know us. While there, we stayed on the campus of Columbia Bible College.

Less Adventurous

There were times for meeting in groups and some times for more adventurous activities.

One adventure we had was to hang on some cliffs.

More Adventurous

At the end of that week of evaluations and such we were invited to continue to further explore working with MBMS International.

The ten years since have been quite the adventure both for us and our organization.

The organization has changed a couple times and and with each change came a new name. The first change came shortly after we joined, to MB Mission, and more recently the name has changed again to Multiply.

As for our adventures, well, the most obvious has been the moves.  First to Canada for a few months, then back to Fresno for just over a year. Then to Thailand.  Just over a year in Bangkok, where living in a mega-city was a bit of an adventure for us country folk. After conquering the concrete jungle,  we moved to a nearby province named Chonburi seven months. That Christmas we moved just north to Chachoengsao where we lived for almost a year.  After a few months in North America, it was onto the far north of the country to Chiang Rai province for a few years. Then a few more months in North America before settling into Nong Khai in northeast Thailand for the past two years.

New places. New faces. New assignments. New languages.  New teams. New opportunities to see God at work in different circumstances. Opportunities to see churches birthed and to see people come to new life in Christ. Opportunities to have our faith challenged.

It's good that God has blessed us with a love of exploring.

We're never too old for new adventures. Abram was a young 75 years old when God told him to leave his nice home in Haran and go to a place that God said He would show them. (Genesis 12:4) He didn't have his first kid until he was 100! Imagine having to wait until you're 122 years old to watch your first kid graduate college.

Sometimes, though, we'd like there to be a little less adventure. While getting to live in different places and meeting different people can be fun, it can also be a bit wearying.  As we age, we find we don't have the energy that we used to have.

One thing we are sure of though is that the changes will keep coming.  Ten years ago, we went to Spring Adventure.  Since then there have been ten years of adventure.  In the next ten years the adventures will continue. We will meet new people and make new friends.  We will experience joys and sorrows, blessings and loss. At some point during that time we will probably officially retire (whatever that is). We will probably move at least one more time.

I thought it was hard to start over in my 50's! I hope that when I get to be 75 I will still have faith like Abraham and be willing to embark on whatever new adventures God calls me to.

Moving on

With a bit of sadness, this past week we went to Rim Khong Coffee and Steak for the last time.  It's not that we wanted to stop going there, it's just that the proprietors were moving to Kalasin Province, a four-hour drive from here.

Khun Yai ran the restaurant and his wife, Rung Arun, was a captain in the local police department.  (Rung Arun means "Dawn", and so has the same name as my sister)  They were our closest adult friends outside of church.  Their daughter would come to our English classes.

But Rung Arun is from Kalasin and they wanted to move closer to family.  So they built a house there and she got a transfer.  Now, only thirteen months after opening up Rim Khong Coffee and Steak, they closed its doors.  Khun Yai will open up a coffee shop in Kalasin, but it is a long way to go for a cup of coffee.  But I know where to find them when the occasion arises.

Khun Yai making coffee

Last cup at Rim Khong Coffee and Steak

The week after the coffee shop closed, we received word that another friend had moved on.  Betty, a long time supporter of our ministry, went to be with the Lord last month.  We met Betty and her husband Glen when they would come to volunteer at the Baptist Haiti Mission when we worked there about 30 years ago.  Glen and I had common interests in agronomy, photography and bird-watching.

Visiting with Glen and Betty

Their farmhouse in Vermont was a beautiful refuge.  The garden was full of vegetables and flowers, many planted to attract birds.  On a visit to their place back when we still lived in Haiti, Glen, upon hearing that we only had one set of binoculars between us, ordered another pair for us on the spot.

Bird feeders were everywhere at their house, and the whole family was involved in keeping track of when different species would come and go.

Chickadee on one of the Wood's many feeders

Glen has not been with us for several years, and now his wife has joined him.

There is yet another Haiti/Vermont connection that has moved on as well.  Elsa came to work at Baptist Haiti Mission with her husband, Pete, a retired music instructor, shortly after we did.  Pete passed away after a few years in Haiti, but Elsa stayed on volunteering with the child sponsorship program until just a few years ago.  Elsa was always such a cheerful and encouraging person to talk to.  In September, Elsa went to be with her late husband.

Visit with Elsa

Some of those who have moved on we may still see this side of heaven.  But we are grateful to have had all of these people as part of our lives.

As people move on from our lives, we are reminded that our lives are not static.  Changes are constantly happening and we move from one thing to the next.  We don't know what tomorrow brings, all we have is today.

James reminds us of the transience of life: Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.”  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15 NLT)

 Since we don't know what is in store for us tomorrow we would be wise to cherish those we have in our lives while we have them.

Decisions, Decisions

The other day I was out exploring/exercising on my bicycle.  I was trying to follow a dirt track which, according to Google maps, went back out to the main road.  But Google maps has not always proved correct when it comes to some of these back roads.

At any rate, I came to a fork in the road and it was time to make a decision.  The road to the left was newer, wider, in better condition, and went in the general direction I needed to go.

But I took the other road—and it turned out to be a wise decision.

The reason for my decision: it looked like the road to the right had been around a while and was well used.  Hence it was narrower (overgrown with time) and in poorer shape because it was used more.




People tell me I can be a fairly good navigator.  Since I was a child I’ve loved maps.  I remember studying the maps on a cross-country road trip that our family took when I was seven.  Back then, most gas stations gave out free maps--that was always a highlight for me!  And it certainly helped to have good map reading and navigational skills in my previous occupation where I made maps.

But navigating is not just about maps—it’s also reading road and traffic conditions.  One trick I will often use in unfamiliar territory is to follow the dominant traffic flow—at least if I’m trying to stay on a through road.  Occasionally that backfires—as when I once ended up at a Coscto.

I think of my crossroad decision—where I followed what appeared to be the more “traveled” road—and I compare it to the last lines of Robert Frost’s famous poem:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost has a different take on navigation here.  And his take is perhaps a bit more relevant to how we navigate through life.

Often, if we want to do the right thing, we will not be doing the popular thing.  Or if we are leading in a given area, we will often be blazing a new trail.

Jesus said:

¹³ "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. –Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)

This well-know verse comes near the end of the Sermon on the Mount.  And in the Sermon on the Mount there is a collection of sayings that go like: “you have heard it said…, but I say to you…” where Jesus contrasts the normal way of doing things with God’s way.  The implication is that God's way of doing things is often along the "road less traveled".

Sometimes it can be lonely when you take the road less traveled.  It is a road where we can find ourselves misunderstood quite often.  It takes courage to walk that road.

Today in church, a young woman got up during the sharing time and started telling a story.  I had a hard time following what she was saying because she was talking very fast and in a mixture of Thai and Khmu all of which was muffled by her tears.  The young woman was confessing some sin in her life and apologizing to those she had offended.

It took a lot of courage for her to do that.  Afterwards, one of the church leaders got up and reminded people about the importance of what had just happened, commending the young woman for daring to do what she just did, and trying to make sure that she was not misunderstood. This opened the way for mending of relationships that had been broken or messed up because of her behavior.

This young woman had come to one of the many crossroads in life and had to decide whether she was going to follow the well-traveled road—and pretend like her misbehavior was okay or did not matter—or whether she was going to follow the less-traveled road of obedience to Jesus.

She took the road less-traveled…

…and it made all the difference.

The Word

I’ve never considered the concept of having a “word for the year”.

But two days ago I read another missionary’s blog about her Word for the Year.

Then, yesterday we received an e-mail from another missionary about her word for the year.  That same day she commented about a facebook  post of ours, referring to our present house-hunting trip to northern Thailand as a “vision trip”.

And so now I have a word-a transformational word that has been planted in my brain, which spun my whole day around and removed the haze that was obscuring the bright sunlight.  It may be the word for the moment, the word for the day, the word for the week or maybe even the word for the year (but I don’t know that I will repeat this annually, so I hesitate to call it that)…

Vision

In 2007 we went on a Prayer and Vision trip to Thailand.  At the time, we were not thinking of becoming foreign missionaries, not even at the conclusion of the trip.

But a vision was born, none-the-less, and a few years later we found ourselves in training with MB Mission.  At the end of that, were we asked to consider moving to Thailand.  And so, in February, 2010, we made a vision trip to Thailand, to see what our work there might look like.

And so we developed a vision to be on a church planting team in northern Thailand.

So we moved to Thailand in the spring of 2011.  But, about a year into our our stay, we were asked to put that vision aside and consider a new vision: form a new team to move to Isaan—northeast Thailand—to bring the good news of Jesus to that part of the country.

After several trips to Isaan with our team-mates, a new vision was born in us—to bring the good news of Jesus to a region desperately in need of it.

But then, due to some health issues with our team-mates, we were asked to lay that vision down.

And then we were asked what our vision was.

And we made a proposal.

And we were asked to think of something else.

And I found myself reluctant to dream again—reluctant to develop some new vision out of fear that I’d just have to lay it aside.  I’m not a great visionary in the first place, so I don’t just pull these things out of a hat.

Vision is important.

I have a problem in my eyes that makes it hard for me to see details.  I especially notice this when I try to take photographs.  I often cannot tell whether something is in focus or not.  It may look OK, but when I take the photo and enlarge it, I can tell that it was not in focus. 

But it is not just in photography where bad vision leads to poor results.  Our lives need clear vision to get good results.

We read in Proverbs: Where there is no prophetic vision, the people are discouraged (Proverbs 29:18, ESV, alternate rendering).

And we definitely felt discouraged after having having to lay aside our vision so many times.

But someone else had a vision.  A Khmu believer in northern Thailand had a vision to move to Isaan to bring the good news of Jesus there.

So then we developed a plan—I hesitate to call it a vision at that point.  The plan is to join with this person who has a vision to see if we can develop that vision together.

We really don’t know how this will work.  We believe God CAN do something with this—we also know that WE don’t have the wherewithal to make anything happen with it.

And so now we are moving northern Thailand.  Right now we are headed to there to look at possible places to stay.  We have a lot of questions.  Since we don’t know exactly what the ministry will look like at this point, we aren’t sure what the best location is.  We do have some ideas.

But what we really need to do—more so than find a place to live—is to form a vision.

And so, we will pick up our friend’s comment and call this a Vision Trip.

It makes a difference what you call it.

A house-hunting trip sounds like work.

A vision-casting trip sounds exciting.

SO my word of the day—and my word for this trip—and perhaps my word of the year is

Vision

Vision of Northern Thailand

Inevitable Change

We are back in Barrhead, Alberta, Canada, to spend time with Ingrid’s family.

Since my first visit here over 30 years ago, many things have changed here, though some changes are more significant than others.

As I walked around town, I notice many new names on storefronts.  The IGA has moved and enlarged and is open 24 hours.

Several years ago, the trains quit servicing the elevators, so that now the farmers have to truck their grain and canola long distances.  The elevators still stand, though under private ownership and being used by a grain trader/middleman.

The grain elevator in Barrhead, Alberta, Canada

The big change for us is the location of Ingrid’s parents.  Just after our last visit 3 years ago, they moved off the farm and into town.  So this is our first time staying with them in the new place.

The new home place

The house is not far from downtown—but neither is anything else here.  This morning I walked almost the entire perimeter in about an hour and a half.

People change, too.  How is it that some of the younger cousins now have gray hair?  This struck me particularly this morning.  I see many people about our age thinking about retirement.  Yet we, only recently made a career change.  It seems to me that making a career change in one’s 50’s helps keep one mentally young, since it is almost like we are starting out in life again.  (Though I must admit that at times I feel especially old when we struggle at trying to learn a new language.)

The old home place

As much as I like many things about the old Barrhead and the pattern of life we enjoyed here, we cannot stop change.  Some things, I admit, are better now.  My trip to the library this morning gave me the fastest internet access I have ever experienced anywhere!

Still, it would be nice to step out of the house and onto the farm.  And while that is not possible, it is possible to enjoy the company of family and friends we have not seen in a while.  We can reminisce about “old times” while enjoying the present and looking forward to what God is going to do in each of our lives in the future.

And in the midst of all this constant change, we rejoice that we have a God that does not change, whose very character defines the word “faithful”. 

We pray that even though our bodies will go through inevitable changes our faith will remain strong until the end.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:7-8 ESV)

Dagwood

When I was a child, our family would sometimes eat at at a restaurant (I think it was Litchfield Farm Shop, later bought out by Friendly’s) where they served a sandwich called “The Dagwood”.  The sandwich took its name from Dagwood of the Blondie cartoon strip.  Dagwood makes these extremely tall sandwiches made up of all manner of whatever.  But they all have a commonality—a piece of bread on either end.

The bread is not the most consequential part of the sandwich, but the two slices to give you something to grab onto as you eat.

As I did last year, I am focusing on the first and last photos of the year I took—that may not be of the most consequential events of the year but they serve as kind of a way of to grab onto the year.




January 2 is Ozz’s birthday.  On his birthday, he and his wife, Sara, came to join us for dinner at our apartment in Bangkok.  Sara is a good friend of ours whom we have known since our early days in Fresno, California.  Ozz is studying at a seminary in Bangkok.

Jus a few days ago, Sara and Ozz again joined us for dinner—only this time it was Christmas dinner at our new place in Chachoengsao Province.  With them was their 8 month old son Elijah.  Elijah is their first child (and kind of like our first grandchild), so their lives have been filled with a lot of change.



Our lives, too, have been filled with a lot of change—first a move to Chonburi and then to Chachoengsao.  Our lives have been filled with some births as well—first the birth of a vision to work in Northeast Thailand and then (when some complications arose), birth of a vision to start a church in an isolated community in Chachoengsao Province.

But even as people are born into this world, others leave it.  And so we bid farewell to my mom in late July.



The above picture of my mom and me I took back in 2007.  It is at the location of another birth, of sorts.  The Haystack Monument in Williamstown, Massachusetts marks the location of the birth of the world missions movement in North America—something that is significant in our lives as we have become part of that.  So even though my mom is gone, there is new life rising up in her place.  Pray that God will use us to bring new life in Jesus Christ to the people of Thailand.

December 31, 2012.  It is a few minutes before midnight and the main street in Ban Phrueksa is relatively quiet—belying the fact that there are a bunch of noisy parties going on on a lot of the side streets.



We seldom stay up to bring in the New Year, but since this was our first in Ban Phrueksa, we thought we would stay up and see what happens.  So we watched the final two episodes of season I of The Mentalist and then broke open a new deck of Uno cards to keep us awake.


Just before midnight we wandered out onto the streets and son the sky came alive with fireworks.



The abruptness of that moment—from quiet to loud explosions—is kind of what our December was like.  At the beginning of the month we were not even imagining living in Chachoengsao.  And then the timing seemed right and so there was an explosion of activity with a lot of praying and then house-hunting and participating in a multitude of Christmas outreach events and then moving mixed in with all of this.

And here we are—starting a new year and kind of a new live in Ban Phrueksa, Chachoengsao, Thailand.  As I reflect back on the year and see death and new life, I am reminded of the transient nature of life on earth.  But God and His work are not transient—His work will last.

I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.  Ecclesiastes 3:14 (NIV)


I wonder what kind of sandwich we’ll have this year.