Moving Up

Just after we moved to Chachoengsao, during our first term in Thailand, we had a housewarming party that included many members of the church we were associated with. During that time, we were given Thai names. Phi Chin was given the responsibility to name us. He decided on Mana and Nit. You can read more about the names here.

With our church in front of our Chachoengsao home,
where we first received out Thai names

Along with these names came titles: Uncle and Aunt. Uncle and Aunt are common titles for people who are older, but not quite seniors. So for the past ten years we have been known as Uncle Mana and Aunt Nit.

Now we have moved into a new community in the province of Kalasin. In our first meeting with the small community of believers we are part of, they were trying to decide what to call us. After some discussion, they landed on Grandpa Mana and Grandma Nit.

Enough gray hairs to qualify as Grandpa and Grandma

We are definitely old enough to be grandparents, but  at first it was a little hard to accept this constant reference to our oldness when we are called Grandpa or Grandma. But the nice thing about it, culturally, is that these titles also convey respect, kind of converse to North American culture. (See an earlier blog on this topic here.) To go from Uncle and Aunt to Grandpa and Grandma is an increase in honor. It is a move up.

The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.
Proverbs 20:29 (NLT)

Thank you, God, for the 60+ years of experience You have given us. Help us to use the wisdom we have acquired to use our lives to be a blessing to others.

Honoring Teacher’s Day-วันไหว้ครู

Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10b (ESV)
 
Wan Wai Khru is a day in which Thai students thank their teachers.  Typically this is done by presenting a gift of flowers along with performing a wai (holding ones palms together in front of the face while bowing slightly).  This year, the local high school honored their teachers on June 12th.

While we are not school teachers, one young woman who we have been helping to learn English and also helping in her walk with Jesus chose to make a card for us for Wan Wai Khru.

And we, of course, were very honored to receive the card.

Some days we wonder whether one is making an impact in the lives of people around us.  So it was great to receive a special gift like this.

The card was quite pretty and well made.  Lie was very creative in her use of dried flowers and seeds and in her use of color.

วันพฤหัสก่อนนักเรียนที่โรงเรียนเวียงแก่นวิทยาคมถวายเกียรติให้ครูในวันไหว้ครู

มีนักเรียนคนหนึ่งที่เราช่วยโดยสอนภาษาอังกฤษ  ถึงแม้ว่าเราไม่ได้เป็นครูประจำของเธอ  เมื่อวานนี้เธอถวายเกียรติให้เราโดยทำการ์ดสวยงามให้

เราก็ดีใจมากที่เราได้รับของขวาญแบบนี้เพราะเป็นการกระทำที่ให้กำลังใจเรามาก

Being Honored

Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12 (NLT)

It was Songkran (Thai New Year) celebration in Bang Saen—the last big day.  Pickup trucks carrying drums full of water had traffic paralyzed on the main roads.  Revelers in these trucks and on the street were throwing water at everyone possible—including themselves.  Even the driver of the van we rode from Bangkok had to take back roads just to arrive somewhere near the van station.

Traffic at a standstill in Bang Saen during Songkran celebrations.  Traffic in the right hand lanes is supposed tobe going the other way.

To stay dry and to keep our faces from being plastered with clay, we were walking the back way from where our van dropped us off to our guest house.  (We would have used public transportation, but it wasn’t running due to the traffic situation.)

Children preparing to throw water at us during Songkran celebrations.

One route we had hoped to take was pretty much clogged with partiers, so we decided to back-track half a mile to take a different route.  The hot afternoon sun beat down on us and we were getting weary.  Suddenly, a group of boys came running toward us bearing cups of water.

We were prepared to get doused.  But, instead, the boys had us hold out our hands while the gently poured water over them in a Songkran tradition of honoring elders.  (It is this tradition that has morphed into the present-day water-throwing festivities.)

The water was icy-cold.  Truth-be-told, I would have appreciated it if the boys had dumped this water on our head.  But amidst all the drunken revelry of the New Years celebration, we were honored as elders.  And indeed, we felt honored and blessed by the actions of these children.

Ingrid showing honor to an elder at Wattana church by pouring scented water over her hands.

In Thailand, many people feel that the old Songkran traditions are getting lost and replaced with wild parties and festivities—much like the traditional Christmas in the west has become lost in the hype and materialism of our present-day celebrations.

The Bible tells us to honor our parents.  This commandment seems like an odd one, stuck between the first four commandments about loving God and the last five about loving our neighbor.  Paul calls this the first “commandment with a promise” (Ephesians 6:2).  Clearly, honoring parents has high value to God.

We in America seem to have lost this concept of honoring our parents and elders a long time ago.  Age is seen as an enemy.  Youth and looking young are worshipped.  Old people are sent to homes where they are often forgotten.

This week, an older person, whom I respected very much, went to be with Jesus.  Harold was a gentle, humble man who loved the Lord.  His wife, Marianna, continues to faithfully serve and follow Jesus.  They had recently celebrated their 66th anniversary.  These are two people who deserve to be honored by having water poured over their hands.

Thank you Jesus, for sending people our way to remind us of something that is important to you.