Insanity

The dirty skies of Bangkok (normally it is not THIS bad)

Yesterday I had to go see a  doctor to see if I am healthy enough to renew my work permit here in Thailand.  Among the conditions that are not acceptable for a work permit:

• TB in the infectious state
• Alcohol additction
• Drug addiction
• Stage 3 Syphilis
• Severe manifestations of elephantiasis
• Insanity

I’m glad he didn’t question me too hard on the last item.  I could see it now, “So you quit a nice job in order to take on a new one with much less pay and harder work.  You then moved out of a nice house in the suburbs and into a city where the air is toxic to breathe and it is so warm and humid all the time that you work up a sweat going upstairs in an elevator.  You must be insane.”

In my darker moments I sometimes wonder the same thing.  I remember when we started this adventure that I laid it all on the line—willing to even give up my life so that others may hear the good news of the gospel.  But somehow, subjecting my body to extreme physical conditions doesn’t seem to have the same glory attached to it as being a martyr for the gospel. 

I’ve been reading a book by a Thai author who paints a very dark picture of Bangkok and what people endure in this city because, as bad as it is, it offers more than they had in NE Thailand.  As I read it I find myself wondering if I want to agree with him or not, because if it is really that bad, then why did I purposely come here?

But it is all a matter of perspective.  We quit our jobs and moved out of our nice house in order to follow our Lord to a place where we can bring hope to a people who live in a culture devoid of such hope, which makes their spiritual environment far worse than  their physical one.  The joy we see we the eyes of people who come out of darkness and into light far outweighs any environmental conditions we may have to endure.  And if we do endure these conditions to better reach those who also must endure them, then it becomes not only an acceptable cost of doing business but a pathway to joy.

Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19a (NLT)

Terryville Tunnel

Not far from where I used to live, there is a mile-long train tunnel called the Terryville Tunnel.


One night when I was a teenager, some friends and myself decided to go visit the tunnel.  It was quite dark, no lights anywhere around.  We entered the tunnel with our flashlights and walked to about the halfway point—which we estimated by when the dark gray openings (which we could barely see) on either end of the tunnel were about the same size.  It was a strange feeling to be in such a dark place where the light was not much brighter than the dark.  Kind of like this image I made here—see if you can even see the light colored spot.

Last night I wake up and was not able to sleep for a bit.  So I decided to pray for Isaan, that part of Thailand where we may one day bring the light of the good news of Jesus.  As I prayed, the image of our night-time visit to the tunnel came to mind.  This is a part of the Thailand where in most places no one has heard the the name of Jesus and in in a few places there are only a handful that have found hope in Him.  It is a dark place where even the bright places aren’t very bright. This makes me think of the words of Jesus, “If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Matthew 6:23 (ESV)

How grateful we are that God provided a way out of darkness: the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned (Matthew 4:16-ESV)

Sunrise over Isaan

Welcome to Isaan

Driving the Friendship Highway (Highway 2) east out of Saraburi you come to a crack in a narrow ridge of mountains (a feature that I presume gives rise to the name of the nearby community, Pak Chong=”mouth of the hole”).  This seemed an appropriate location for someone to put a dam, so there is a very nice lake here.  But as you pass through this gap in the hills, you enter the elevated portion of Northeast Thailand called the Khorat Plateau.  This is known as the Isaan Region (variously spelled in English, Isarn, Isan or Esarn). 

Map Showing the Isaan Region of Thailand
CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51258

Lake at Gateway to Isaan

Gateway to Isaan

Isaan is an area that is more Lao than Thai.  The language (Isaan) is more similar to Lao than Thai as is the food and culture.  While most people can speak Thai (it is taught in schools and heard and seen in mass media), the older people all speak Isaan.

Social Issues

Over 30% of Thai citizens live in the Isaan, but it remains the neglected and poorest part of the country.  For that reason, many people have left Isaan to work in Bangkok or other cities, or work overseas.  It is the goal of many parents to have a child marry a foreigner, for it offers them a way up.  I heard somewhere that there are about 100,000 Isaan people are married to foreigners and living overseas.  Another 20,000 foreigners are married to Isaan people (primarily foreign men and Isaan women) and live in the Isaan.  It seems most villages have at least one foreigner living there-though they often don’t speak the language.

(Our little corner of Bangkok is almost like little Isaan.  The streets are filled with vendors selling all kinds of cooked food—much of it Isaan style food cooked by people who have migrated to the city to improve their economic outlook.)

The cities have a lot of problems common to cities throughout the world.  Drug and alcohol abuse.  Infidelity. (Infidelity is a problem throughout the country. A Bangkok Post commentator (originally at http://m.bangkokpost.com/opinion/271595, but link is not longer valid) referenced a survey in which just over 50% of both men and women reported cheating on their partner.) Incomes that are not on par with the standard of living or, more likely, not on par with a desired lifestyle. While in the past women might have been sold into prostitution, these days women enter the trade because they can earn for more money than they can with a "normal" job.  So it is not surprising that there are a significant number of people that are HIV positive.  In one province for which there is data, 16.66% of children under the age of 2 are HIV positive.(data originally from http://www.unescap.org/esid/psis/population/database/thailanddata/northeast/NakhonRatchasima.htm, but link is no longer valid)

There are a couple of reasons for Isaan being economically depressed. One is that it is a bit remote. It is not on the way to any place in particular except Lao, which is also much poorer than Thailand. There are not many resources there to cause factories to locate there. Agriculture is the dominant industry, but the area is also dry. It is the driest part of Thailand and there is no irrigation water in much of the area.  As a result they can only grow one crop a year, unlike the 2 or 3 crops that are grown throughout most of the rest of the country.

Isaan Produce-Note the Red Chilies!

Hog Farm

Sugar Cane Truck

Photogenic Cow

Religion

The Isaan is strongly Buddhist.  The temple remains the center of community life.

There are few or no Christians in most towns and villages. Some of the cities might have several churches but they are generally quite small.  (For more detail, you can view the map at http://e-star.ws/harvest/christian-presence-map.html)

Sakon Nakhon Baptist Church

Living Water Community Church in Borabue

At this point it looks like we will be moving to the Isaan in the near future.  There would be many opportunities for us to use our technical skills and abilities as we start building communities of faith.  Pray that the light of Jesus would shine brightly through us.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (NIV)

Focal Point

Nymphaea lotus Nymphaeaceae-Water Lily-Queen Sirikit Park
Originally uploaded by SierraSunrise

When designing things or taking pictures, we often use the concept of focal points.  The focal point of an image or object is that part or parts which our eyes are drawn to without even thinking about it.  Advertisers are masters at using these.  But the idea is not original to man, God had the idea first.

Often when we look at flowers, the design is such that insects or pollinators attention will be  drawn to a certain part of the flower.  Some of these may be obvious to us, others only to the pollinators that use them.

Our lives need focal points as well.  We may call them goals, objectives, targets or any one of a number of things.

As we finish up language study here in Bangkok, the concept of focal points becomes very important.  During our time here in Thailand so far, we have become aware of all kinds of good things that we could be doing.  But just because something is good, does not mean we should be doing it. We have to constantly go back to the question: Why are we here in Thailand?

While originally we had an idea as to the specific location and type of ministry we should be doing, for a lot of reasons it looks like that won't be happening--at least right now.  So where do we go?  What do we do?  We have been presented with various options and have prayed for God to help show us the next steps.  All of the options have been good, in that they are meaningful ministries that are helping bring the Kingdom of God to Thailand.

But we go back to the question, Why did we quit our jobs and leave the location we loved to embark on this journey?  Back in 2008, when we were still enjoying our lives in Fresno, the message we seemed to hear from God is this: that we should be on a team, starting faith communities among the least reached.  This is our three-pronged vocational focal point.  We don't always quite understand why we have this compulsion to be doing such a thing when it seems so far removed from who we thought we were or what we thought we should be doing.  But that is why we left our jobs, left Fresno, and left our family and friends to come here to Thailand.

As we think about all the things we could be doing here, we weigh the options in light of the focal point mentioned above.

During the next few weeks we and some others with us will be trying to discern what exactly that will look like during the next period of our lives.  The uncertainty is at times disconcerting but it is also exciting.  We look forward to seeing how God will use the persons He designed us to be to move us toward the focal point of our lives.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

Bookends

 
Yesterday, it occurred to me that one way to look back at a year is to look at the first and last photos I took during the year. 

Last year was full of so many changes, January seems but a distant memory.  So how did my last year begin, photographically?



There it is—the place in my old truck where the catalytic converter used to be—before it was stolen.  I found out that Toyotas have a good reputation for quality catalytic converters—which must be the case since this one was 11 years old.  I also found out how loud a vehicle can be without noise suppression devices attached to the engines.

Skip forward a year.

We’re living in a new country and in an urban environment that is more foreign to us than the country of Thailand itself. We have no vehicles.  We haven’t even driven a car since March, we drove a rental car to Los Angeles airport on the way to Thailand.  While we sometimes lament not having a vehicle as it would be nice to have a vehicle to get away from the city, we really have no desire to drive in Bangkok itself.  And so we are like many millions of others in this city who manage to survive without one.

(I have driven a motorcycle a couple of times in the past year—first time doing that since the first year we lived in Haiti (30 years ago).  I used it to get around Chonburi a little—I’m not brave enough to try driving one in the big city.  I found out that big feet are not terribly compatible with small motorcycles.  It is a bit of a trick to downshift.)

So how do we get around now?  Here are the options we have used since moving to Thailand:

• City bus (with and without air conditioning)
• Sky Train
• Subway
• River ferry
• Canal ferry
• Tour bus
• Public van
• Motorcycle taxi
• Three wheel taxi
• Four-wheel taxi
• Airplane
• Walking (not so easy in Bangkok)
• Elevator (I throw this in because in Fresno it would be easy to go a year without using one, now we use them every day)

As  for my photographic year-end, I would have thought that it might have been some photos of end-of the year fireworks as the Thai people celebrate New Year’s eve.  But that would be my second-to-the-last photo.

Instead, I photographed this beautiful (?) moth that Ingrid spotted in the house where we spent New Year’s eve.



If this moth was on an old tree trunk or if it was sitting amongst a bunch of dried up leaves, it would be almost impossible to see.  However it’s camouflage is not terribly effective on an orange tablecloth.

Reminds me of how God has designed each of us in a unique way so that we can fit in with the environment He has created us for.  And God gives us spiritual gifts that enable us to be effective members of the Body of Christ as we work together with the other parts of the body.  When we work in an area where we get to use these gifts and where the way we are created is compatible with our environment, there is much joy and peace.  And when we do otherwise we are like this brown moth on the orange tablecloth.

There have been a few instances this past year where we have been like this moth and we’ve found two different ways to deal with it.

Change Yourself
 
When we first moved to the BIG city, we were definitely out of our environment.  But God gave us grace to adapt—like some animals that can change their color to suit the changing environment.  Now we find that there are aspects of city life that we actually like!  Who would have thought?

Change Your Environment

Another way we have experienced the brown-moth-on-the-orange-tablecloth syndrome is in regard to language learning.  As Ingrid tried to study language in a classroom environment, she experienced a lot of frustration.  So, we had to find a different-colored tablecloth.  Now she is enjoying language learning as she works with a private tutor.

But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 1 Corinthians 12:18-21 (NLT)

I might add to the above verses, “If the eye tries to do the work of the hand, it won’t be pretty!”

The next set of bookends

I haven’t taken my first photo of this year yet.  I wonder what it will be?

Honoring the King

Monday, December 5th of this week was the birthday of the King of Thailand. 
In Thailand, the King’s birthday also becomes Father’s Day, as he is seen as the father of the Thai people.  His birthday this year was an important one as it was his 84th—which is a multiple of 12.  The 12 year cycle has astrological significance.  So this year was his 7th cycle birthday.  Though the king has little official power in the Constitutional Monarchy here in Thailand, he has earned a great amount of authority because of his love for his people and the country and the things he has done for them.

In honor of the King’s birthday, there were many celebrations throughout the country.  The King himself made an appearance at the Grand Palace.

We joined the festivities at Queen Sikrit park.  This park was named in honor of her 5th cycle birthday.  It is a beautiful park—my favorite in Bangkok—because it has a wide diversity of plants.

For the King’s birthday there were many things going on—there were performers putting on shows and vendors selling plants and food.

The day culminated with fireworks throughout the country.  From our 22nd floor balcony we could see about a dozen different sets of fireworks throughout Bangkok—including one from the temple grounds next to our apartment building.

In December we also honor another King’s birthday.

Christmas is a day when we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.  In recent years I have been less and less into celebrating Christmas because the holiday in many places has been turned into a celebration of self and wealth.  Even here in Thailand the Christmas displays seem more designed to draw you to the shopping malls than to make you think about Jesus.  The holiday has little to do with Jesus anymore and in my home country it is almost illegal in public events and institutions to associate the holiday with the person it was named after.

But this celebration of the King’s birthday in Thailand has got me wondering—do we citizen’s of Christ’s Kingdom celebrate and honor our King as much as the citizens of Thailand do their King?  I realize that there is more to this than just throwing a big party once a year.  In fact, Jesus himself talked down public shows of faith in lieu of day-to-day honoring God with the way we live our lives.  He was not impressed with those who made a big show of their prayers (Matthew 6:5ff) and giving (Mark 12:41-44).  Though he did allow people to worship Him in an out ward fashion such as the woman who washed his feet with her hair and anointed him with expensive perfume (Luke 7:36-50) or when he went to Jerusalem for that last time in an event we now refer to as Palm Sunday (John 12:12-14).

Instead Jesus’ teaching seem to make it clear that the way to show our great love for Him of to show great love for others—especially those who can’t reciprocate. (Matthew 25:31-46 is just one example).

So how will I celebrate the King’s birthday this year?

Fireworks viewed from our apartment

Chinese magicians perform

Clown getting directions

The tallest Thai person I've seen :)

Mailbox for birthday cards for the King

Coconut sherbert served in the shell.  I'm wearing a bracelet to commemorate the King's birthday

    

Down the River

We could do without the noise.

For the past several days, the fireworks have been going off throughout the night.  And last night was the worst.

But there is a reason to celebrate.  Don’t you sometimes wish you could take all the bad things you have done and just send them away out of your life so you can start over?

Sending away your flaws and bad deeds is part of the symbolism in the Thai festival known as Loy Krathong.  The center of the celebration is not the fireworks, but the small “boat” (krathong) on which your flaws and bad deeds float (loy) away.

The small boats usually contain a candle and some incense and perhaps a few other things as well.

This symbolism is similar to a ritual in Judaism where the scapegoat is sent off into the desert:

But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:10-NIV)
Loy Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. This usually happens sometime in November.
 
The Loy Krathong celebrations in Bangkok were a bit muted this year because of the flooding.  Often the krathongs are placed in the rivers and canals—but the authorities are trying to keep those clear so that the flood waters can escape more easily.
 
We went to observe the festivities at a nearby park where the krathongs were placed in a small pond.  Because there is no current, people had to help shoo the krathongs away.
 
As I was watching this happen, I kept thinking about how John the Baptist described Jesus, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29-NLT)
 
How grateful I am that Jesus takes our sins away.  All of them.  Forever.  And I don’t have to shoo them away.  As the Psalmist writes: “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12-NLT)  And we don’t have to wait twelve months.  We can confess our sins and put them away from us at any time.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9-NLT)
 
God, I thank you that because of what Jesus did for us on the cross,  I can send my bad attitudes and my bad deeds “down the river” at any time.  Thank you, too, that you clean up in us the things that we are unable to clean up on our own. 
Some scenes from last night:

Flickr Tags: Bangkok,Thailand,Festivals,ลอยกระทง