Myopic Adventures

A few weeks ago I was looking at some travel information and I saw a picture of a waterfall.  When I read the details about it, I found out it was called Huai Kaew waterfall and it is in Chiang Rai province.

So yesterday, while we came to Chiang Rai on business, we decided to detour to check out the waterfall.

The travel distance was about 20 kilometers but Google maps said the driving time was just over an hour without traffic.

Just over an hour!  Why!

Oh--that's why.

The last 6 kilometers we drove up and then down a very steep road which was only one lane wide and had lots of blind corners.  There were very few places to pull over and so we hoped we would not meet up with any four-wheeled vehicles, as it would likely mean backing up a long distance to a wide spot on the road.

So while on the one hand I wanted to drive very fast in order to: 1) minimize the amount of time I was on the road and therefore reduce opportunity for meeting up with another vehicle, and 2) try to get there and back to the two lane road before the impending storm hit.

However, it was necessary to drive slow so that: 1) I wouldn't hit any vehicles going around blind corners, and 2) I wouldn't lose control and drive off the pavement which would result in serious damage to the vehicle and its contents.

Due to all of this, I was rather intently focused on the road and so was not paying very much attention to things not related to that.  I'm sure there was some really nice scenery.  I might have taken a photo if there was a place to pull over and park the car--but there wasn't.

We ended up parking about 1 kilometer from the waterfall because the pavement ended and the road condition beyond that was not very good.  But the walk up to the waterfall was well worth it.  We passed through a tea plantation being run by the Akha people who live there.  At the falls, the piercing whine of the cicadas added to the roar coming from the water as it tumbled over the rocks.  I wish we could have stayed longer and just enjoyed the natural sights and sounds and smells, but the dark clouds above were roaring out their plans for the near future, and I wasn't too excited about them.

So we rushed back to the truck.  The rain started falling gently while we were on the downhill stretch.  Fortunately, the heavy stuff did not come until we were back on the two-lane road. All-in-all, it was a fun adventure.

Sometimes life can be kind of like our trip to Huai Kaew waterfall..

Just a couple of weeks ago, my brother-in-law was being examined for a suspected--and verified--kidney stone.  While performing the scan, the physician noticed some signs for what appear to be a fairly advanced cancer.  But without any other symptoms, it was not even known what the source was.

All of the sudden George and Dawn's lives have become like driving a narrow, mountain road, with much of their attention very focused on figuring out what is happening with George's body.

Please pray:

1) for skill in navigating the course ahead
2) for places along the way to pull of the road and enjoy the view
3) that they won't encounter "vehicles" causing them to have to back up and start over
4) for some pretty waterfalls along the way
5) that they will finish the course before the heavy rains hit.

You can follow their journey here.

O my soul, bless GOD.
     From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name!

O my soul, bless GOD,
     don't forget a single blessing!

He forgives your sins—every one.
     He heals your diseases—every one.

He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
     He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.

He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
     He renews your youth—
     you're always young in his presence.

GOD makes everything come out right;
     he puts victims back on their feet.

He showed Moses how he went about his work,
     opened up his plans to all Israel.

GOD is sheer mercy and grace;
     not easily angered, he's rich in love.

He doesn't endlessly nag and scold,
     nor hold grudges forever.

He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve,
     nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.

As high as heaven is over the earth,
     so strong is his love to those who fear him.

And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
     he has separated us from our sins.

As parents feel for their children,
     GOD feels for those who fear him.

He knows us inside and out,
     keeps in mind that we're made of mud.

Men and women don't live very long;
     like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,

But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
     leaving nothing to show they were here.

GOD's love, though, is ever and always,
     eternally present to all who fear him,
     Making everything right for them and their children
     as they follow his Covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said.

GOD has set his throne in heaven;
     he rules over us all. He's the King!

So bless GOD, you angels, ready and able to fly at his bidding,
     quick to hear and do what he says.

Bless GOD, all you armies of angels,
     alert to respond to whatever he wills.

Bless GOD, all creatures, wherever you are—
     everything and everyone made by GOD.

And you, O my soul, bless GOD!

Psalm 103:1-22 (MSG)

Huai Kaew Waterfall, just west of Chiang Rai

Don’t Judge a Book…

Just down the street from where we live is a large shed.  Until a short while ago, we had not seen any activity going there.  There was a large conveyor across the back of the shed, so we assumed it was for some kind of agricultural packing operation.

Then, we noticed that there was a refrigerated semi-trailer running beside the shed.  What kind of packing would they do that needs refrigeration?  Most produce here is shipped in open trucks.

So on the way back from an evening walk we stopped by and found out that they pack pummelos.  That night they were packing a load for China.  They also ship to other nearby countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.

(If you’re in the import business and would like to import some pummelos from Thailand, I can get you the contact info.)

Who would have thought that our little town would have such an operation.  A little shed in Wiang Kaen, the least populous district in Chiang Rai, is impacting the diets of people throughout Asia. How cool is that?

There is an English saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” that seems to fit this situation.

The Bible, too, is full of examples of misjudged expectations.   King David is one of the prime examples.  Here he was, the smallest guy from a large, insignificant, family chosen to be king and also the one to take down a giant.

"Do not consider his appearance or his height,” LORD said to Samuel, “for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

Many of the surprising examples from scripture are women.  Rahab, a harlot, is instrumental in the fall of Jericho and becomes an ancestor of Jesus and David.  Just down the genealogical line, Ruth, an unknown woman from Moab, enters the same line.  And Jael, remember her?  Didn’t think so.  She took out Sisera, the commander of an army that was tormenting Israel.

In the New Testament, there is Mary, from an insignificant town in an unimportant place called Nazareth.  But now millions of people know about Nazareth because Jesus is from there—because Mary was from there.  Then there is that other Mary—the woman of the streets who anointed Jesus feet.  We don’t know the names of many of the important people of that time—but we know her name.

These people weren’t trying to make names for themselves—but we know their names anyway.  No one would have picked these people as “most likely to succeed,” yet their names have been recorded in history.  We know the names of these people, not because they were prominent people in their day or because they sought glory and fame, but because they chose to love and serve God rather than men.

Some people have a goal in life that they want to be famous.

A better goal is that we be found faithful.

Pummelos in plastic baskets waiting to be packed

Unloading pummelos from a pickup truck

Putting labels on pummelos prior to putting in boxes

A 2 kilogram pummelo

Beyond my Ability

Last week, during a break between rainstorms, we took Ingrid’s sister and niece on a drive into the mountains near here.  For the first 16 kilometers, the road generally follows the course of the Ngao River.  It has a fair number of very steep, but relatively short sections.  I’ve been bicycling that portion quite a bit lately for exercise.

But as we turned off the main road, I noticed that our path was becoming quite steep for sustained distances.  As we entered the first such section of road I said that, in regard to my bicycling, this was “beyond my ability”.

I’ve heard that there are those who ride their bicycles all the way to the top—to a small park called Pa Tang.  But I couldn’t see myself ever doing that.  Some parts even seemed a challenge for our truck.

But the other day I decided to try to attempt at least the first grade.  As I thought, it was quite hard.  I think I was pedaling about 5 km/h (3 mph).  The threatening clouds had me thinking maybe I should head back before I got to the top of that first grade.  But then a smidgen of sunlight would break through the clouds and I would keep going. And then, after what seemed like forever (but was probably only 10 minutes), the road leveled off at the base of this hill that protrudes awkwardly from the landscape.

The hill at the beginning of the road to Pa Tang with the first steep grade marked.

Suddenly what seemed so impossible now is doable.  (Who knows, maybe one day I’ll even get to the top—there are only about 12 more kilometers of the remaining 13 that are as steep or steeper than that.)

Our work in Thailand is often like this.  Sometime it seems impossible.  Truth be told, it even IS beyond our ability.  But it IS NOT beyond God’s ability.

I think of a recent occurrence here in Wiang Kaen.  Samyo is a young Khmu man who was born and raised in the US.  He was on an Action Team that spent about 2 weeks in our area.  The locals would tell you that his Khmu language skills are not that great.  But one Sunday morning he preached in Khmu in one of the churches.  God gave him Khmu words to speak that he didn’t think he knew.  People listened with rapt attention.  Some people decided that they want to believe in Jesus.  Praise God that Samyo did not let his lack of ability keep him from speaking that day!

One day, Jesus was chatting with a wealthy person who wanted to know how he could have eternal life.  After giving him some advice, which the rich person was loathe to follow, Jesus said to his disciples, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24)

Get through an eye of a needle!  I have trouble getting into the pants I bought last year!

The disciples must have been on the same wavelength as me, for they said to Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” to which Jesus responded, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)

Some things are, in fact, beyond my ability, but they aren’t beyond God’s ability.  The challenge for me is to walk the same path Jesus is walking so that I can see the impossible take place.

A New Word

God.

How can we describe God?

How can we talk about God to a people who don’t even have a word for God?

I mean the kind of God who isn’t just a minor being like us, but that we can’t see.

Not the kind of god that can be confined to a building.

Not the kind of god created by a craftsman.

But the God who created the craftsman everything else in this world and who is over everything in the universe.

THAT kind of God.

We had the opportunity to introduce God to some school children last week during an English camp at Wannasorn Wittaya school in Wiang Kaen.  Many of these children have no sense of God in the way that we would.  An Action Team of six people helped us with this (Kelly, Samyo, Samson, Josh, Kim and Lorren).  Ingrid’s sister and niece (Ruth and Kaira) also helped out.

One of the ways we teach English is by telling stories.   Listening to and retelling stories gives people a chance to see how words connect together to convey ideas.   This is especially important in a country where children are taught lots of words but cannot think for themselves to create a new sentence.

The story we taught this last week was the creation story.  It’s a good teaching story because it has a nice pattern (Day 1, Day 2, etc) that help the children be able to put it back together.  AND it also tells them about a different kind of God than ones they have heard about.

Christina taught the creation story.  She was helped by Samyo and Lauren from the team.

Samyo, Christina and Lorren telling The Story

We also taught using music, since music helps people retain words.  Samson and Kim did a great job getting the kids singing and dancing to English words.

Kim and Samson following the lyrics

Ingrid and Ruth helped the children do crafts.  The children learned new words and got to practice using them in sentences (e.g. “May I have some scissors, please?”).  Pat, our office administrator in Wiang Kaen, also helped out.

Ruth, Pat and Ingrid helping with crafts

Children also were able to practice English in the context of playing games.  Josh and Kaira took the lead here with some help from Boonsert, a intern from Laos who knows a little bit of English (along with Lao, Khmu, Korean and some Thai).

Kaira and Josh supervising games

At the end of camp, we had a closing ceremony.  Even the teachers couldn’t help but join in as they danced to the lyrics of the Chaa Chaa song.



In the end, about 180 school children, along with their teachers, got to have fun while learning English.

And they learned a new word.

God.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

Who is my neighbor?

That was the question put to Jesus by a man who was trying to justify himself with his own self-righteousness.

The man had knew in his head that which is most important in life, for previously had answered Jesus: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself." (Luke10:27)

But the man did not understand the application of the two greatest commandments. So Jesus answered the man’s question by telling the story of the good Samaritan.

We shared this story in our kids club last week.  This week we added to it by sharing another story Jesus told, the story of the foolish rich man.

This rich man was considered foolish because he was “one who stores up riches for himself, but is not rich toward God” by pursuing God’s kingdom (Luke 12:21, 31)

After telling this story, we gave the children opportunity to be good neighbors to each other.  We had them draw names and then create a card for the person whose name they drew.

It was fun to see their creative juices flow.  We put out lots of materials but didn’t direct them as to how to create their cards.

Some of our neighbors showing off the cards they received

Explore

Last week, while we were driving home from Chiang Rai, we decided to take a different route than usual.  The route took us through an area that has a fair number of these bizarre hills that stick almost straight up out of an otherwise very flat landscape.

A limestone hill in Wiang Chai district of Chiang Rai province.

I noticed that there seemed to be some kind of statue on the side of one of these, so we turned off down a dirt road that headed in that general direction.  The road quickly narrowed until it was just wide enough for a vehicle to pass between the rice paddies on either side.  It also turned away from the hill we wanted to get to.

A quick question to a farmer assured us that the road would take us to the hill, we only needed to turn left up ahead.  And, sure enough, we eventually made it.

Buddhist shrine in Wiang Chai

While we were climbing around the shrine, Ingrid noticed a small “tunnel” formed by some pieces of limestone that had fallen off the mountain.  She suggested that we go through the tunnel (letting me go first to scare any snakes out of the way).  We were rewarded by coming to a small cave formed by a large slab of rock sloughing off the mountain.  But what this cave lacked in size, it made up for in the sheer number of bats that were hanging around inside.

Bats hanging from the wall of the cave,
even after scaring off many of them.

Both Ingrid and I have this curious bent that makes us want to explore new places.  To us, the phrase, “we haven’t been that way before,” is an invitation to a new adventure.  Sometimes we even get rewarded by the sight of something new or especially interesting or beautiful.

Last week I was wandering down a farm road on my bicycle when I happened upon an almost random Curcuma flower growing at the edge of a rice paddy.  Well worth the flat tire incurred along the way.

Bloom of Curcuma latifolia.

Since I’ve taken to bicycle riding as a form of exercise in lieu of going to the non-existent gym, I’ve been able to explore a lot of the roads in the area.  Often I’ll get a big smile from some farmer driving his truck down the road (after the initial look of surprise a seeing a foreigner on a bicycle in the middle of nowhere).  One time I even got cheers from a bunch of people planting corn, who were impressed that I actually rode a bicycle up the hill that far.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising, then, that it was at a workshop called Explore that we were launched on a new trajectory towards service with MB Mission.  With a compass on the logo like that, who WOULDN’T want to go?

Since coming to Thailand, we've had the opportunity to explore different parts of Thailand. 

On our explorations of Thailand, we’ve noticed a few things.  One is that there are large areas of Thailand with no churches.  Another is that some areas, like where we currently live, have lots of churches—but they are generally in villages of some of the hill-tribe peoples that don’t worship in the Thai language.

One of the challenges facing the church in Thailand is how to mobilize some of these people groups with a fair number of Christians to reach out cross-culturally within Thailand.  It is our privilege to work with a number of our Khmu brothers and sisters who have a desire to do exactly that.  So now we are exploring  together with them how it might happen.

Working with some of the Khmu church leaders.

There are a lot of challenges to make this happen.  Like some of our journeys, sometimes the road seems to go in the wrong direction.  And just like how driving down the back roads brings risks of getting stuck or a flat tire, we also will likely run into obstacles along the way.

But in the end we have the hope that we will encounter something beautiful along the way.

Then all of you came near me and said, 'Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.'

Deuteronomy 1:22 (ESV)

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