A True Compliment

I walked up to the ticket counter to enter Doi Inthanon National Park, home of Thailand’s tallest mountain, Doi Inthanon.  The following brief conversation took place (in Thai):

     Me: Two adults and one car.
     Ticket agent: That will be 110 baht.

I walked away with my 3 tickets (one for each of us and one for the car) with a smile, having received one of the best compliments I’ve ever received for Thai speaking abilities.



You see, in Thailand, attractions such as parks and museums often have two prices—one for Thai people and one for visitors.  The visitors don’t often know this because there will be two signs-one in Thai and one in English—with the Thai one using Thai numbers (0-9=๐ ๑ ๒ ๓ ๔ ๕ ๖ ๗ ๘ ๙) to help conceal this fact (most of the time they use Arabic numbers).

Sometimes, they will let foreigners with a long-term visa pay the Thai price.  Usually to get this price, one has to request the price and then show their visa or a Thai driver’s license (which I had to do the following day at another park).  However in this case, I was offered the Thai price just on my speaking ability.

To me this was a better compliment of my language skills than a direct one.  In Thai culture, being nice is a higher value than being truthful.  So people might sometimes give a false compliment because they don’t want you to feel bad.  There are occasions when I have been given compliments about my Thai speaking abilities when I KNOW I just butchered their language.  (And I’m sure there are many more times when I’ve been given a compliment when I UNKNOWINGLY butchered their language.)

Learning this cultural aspect of language use is just as difficult as grammar and pronunciation.  We are much more used to direct and even confrontational speech.  Here the emphasis is on making the other person feel good and especially to NOT offend.  And we can offend not just with our choice of words but also with they way we say the words.

The apostle Paul wrote: Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6 (NET))

I pray, then, the God would help me not only know the correct words to use when I speak Thai, but that I would also use the correct words correctly.

Reflected light

I remember a night, many moons ago.  Our team of 3 guys had climbed up in the hills above Montrouis, Haiti, to a place called Kournol.  It was my first time in the tropical mountains under a full moon.  It was so bright—Randy was out reading by moonlight.

But as bright as that moon was, it’s nothing compared to the light from its source, the sun.  For the moon only reflects a small portion of the light from the sun.  So even under the most optimum conditions, I would not want to try to do things like driving by moonlight (unless I was going really slow) or doing something like embroidery.

Here in northern Thailand, the air is seldom clear enough for the moon to be anywhere near as bright as what I experienced that time in Haiti.  In the rainy season the moon is obscured by the clouds and in the dry season, smoke and smog dim the its light.  Though there was that day last week—the day before the eclipse—when the haze wasn’t too bad and I was able to capture a great photo of the moon (wish it was so nice the day of the eclipse.)

Almost full moon the day before the eclipse

Trying to understand God can be like trying to do delicate embroidery by the Hazy moon of Wiang Kaen.

Hazy view of the moon coming out of the eclipse

Paul writes:  Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT) 

I’m grateful that God is a God of revelation.  He has revealed Himself through His creation (Romans 1:19, 20), through the prophets (Hebrews 1:1) and ultimately through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:2).  And I’m grateful for all those who faithfully recorded the activities and prophecies and words of God in the Bible.  So there is a lot we can know about God.  Still, even with the Bible there is so much I don’t know about Him.  Not only don’t I know a lot of things about God, I am incapable of it.  And so, like Paul, I look forward to that day when I will see God face to face.

Watch out for the little guy…

It was probably a couple of weeks ago that a little virus taunted my 6 foot tall, 180 pound body saying, “Watch out, big guy, you’re going down.”

To which my body replied, “Says who?  You’re so small you make a grain of sand look like a mountain!”

“Don’t be too brash,” said the virus, “I got people.”

And my body brashly replied, “Where, I don’t see anyone?” 

At that point the virus found a nice comfy place in a mucous membrane, and self-replicated until there were probably a few million of them, wreaking havoc on my throat and sinuses.  So my body is using most of its available resources trying to quash the rebellion—leaving me not much energy for anything else.

Watch out for the little guy—with friends.

There was once a little guy named David.  When David saw the giant, he ran fearlessly toward him with his sling.  David wasn’t afraid because the giant made fun of his God and he knew God would give him the victory.  So David let loose the stone and the stone hit true and the giant fell in a heap. (1 Samuel 17)

Watch out for the little guy—with a friend named God.

There was once a working-class man from a part of the country that was looked down upon by the rest.  Being a fisherman, this guy didn’t have time to invest in a quality education.  When he spoke he had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth, so much so that, on more than one occasion, Jesus had to rebuke him for speaking brashly.

But then the day came when Peter stood before a huge crowd and people marveled at the preaching of the uneducated man from Galilee.  And people were cut to the heart and many responded positively to his words. (Acts 2:1-40)

Watch out for the little guy—with a friend named God.

Last Saturday, three high school girls listened in rapt attention to this irrelevant old white guy as I struggled to tell them, in Thai, some of the things that Jesus has done for me and the reason we came to Thailand.  I’m sure if there were a Thai language instructor present, his face would be all distorted from the constant wincing and biting of the tongue.  But somehow, in spite of me, God was able to keep the attention of these three young women.’'

And so my prayer is, “God, don’t let my Thai language abilities get so good that I think that I can accomplish something worthwhile in Thai without your help.”

Some of those who listen to our teaching in spite of us.

Love who?

Last weekend we wrapped up the biannual Anabaptist Conference that was held this year here at the Changing Life Center.  We had participants from many different parts of Thailand and from nearby L*os.

For this  conference, the theme was The Sermon on the Mount.  These words of Jesus are always very challenging to hear because Jesus takes the common wisdom of this world and turns it upside down.

A good portion of time was spent on this section:

⁴³ "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  Matthew 5:43-45 (ESV)

It was amazing to hear testimonies from people with real experience loving enemies.  I’m not talking about those who love some enemy who lives far away and is no immediate threat to one’s life, health and well-being.  Nor am I talking about enemies who dislike you because of your bad behavior or social status.  I’m talking about enemies who, at any moment, can arrest you, beat you, throw you in prison, disown you, ostracize you or confiscate your property or your family members because you talk about what Jesus has done for you.

Listening to teaching during the conference

How to you love the person that beat you into a coma?  Or the one who threw you in prison?  The one who makes it difficult for you to even make a living so that you can survive?  The parents who ostracize their child for trusting Jesus in a culture where family relationships form the fabric of the culture?
 

These are the kinds of stories we heard from people who have persevered in their faith in Jesus in spite of the persecution.  Some have seen their persecutors become brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
It is very humbling to be in the midst of such people, for I come from a very luxurious background by comparison.
 
These persecuted brothers, Jesus tells us, are the blessed ones.
 
That’s not what I would say.  If we were to write out the beatitudes, it would go something like this.
 

• Blessed are you who have a nice job and a fat bank account for you shall never want.
• Blessed are you who have a great family and a faithful partner for you shall enjoy love all your days.
• Blessed are you who have a nice house in the suburbs for you shall be comfortable.
• Blessed are you in good health for you shall live a long life
• Blessed are you who have a good education for you will succeed in life and be respected by others

But Jesus said:
³ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
⁵ "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
⁶ "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
⁷ "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
⁸ "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
⁹ "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
(and this last one really strikes me)
¹¹ "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:3-12 (ESV)

Ouch!

This seems so backwards.  But the things we often perceive to be “blessings” are actually things that cause us to abandon God.  If I have all I need in this life, then why do I need God?

That’s not to say that God will never bless us with good things, nor do all who have some of the good things in life abandon God.  But we need to be careful lest we end up seeking a good life more than we seek God.

And be careful when you pray asking for God’s blessing.

God, I thank you for the opportunity to learn from these truly faithful servants of yours.

I’ll end this with a poem from Amy Carmichael:

From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
(Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified)
From all that dims Thy Calvary
O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire;
Let me not sink to be a clod;
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God

I’ve gotta see a man about a horse…

“Never do anything alone.”

I was recently going through notes on some of the books about missions I have read and I came across that piece of advice.  It has to do with the role of mentoring when it comes to trying to disciple others.  Those who are includers can greatly impact others.

Maybe this is why I was reminded during my waking hours of the night of those who impacted my life by including others in their life.  And so my mind went back a lot of years to a man named George Libby.

George Libby was a volunteer who maintained a good portion of the Tunxis Trail (Part of the Blue Trail system) in Connecticut.  But rather then do this on his own (which my more introverted grandfather did on the Mattatuck Trail), George had a well developed system for including young people on the task.

There were two levels on the crew, Juniors and Seniors.  One began as a Junior.  We earned points based on the number of hours we worked, which was reduced by things we missed or did wrong.  Upon earning enough points, one could qualify for the “Junior Trip”, awarded to the top 4 point earners of the season.  This was an overnight stay in a cabin in new Hampshire and a one day hike up Mount Welch.

Standing on top of Mount Welch

After completing the Junior Trip, one became a Senior.  Seniors worked to qualify for a Senior Trip, which was a overnight hike to one of the AMC huts in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  There was no limit as to the number of these one could go on. Again, it was awarded to the top 4 point earners of the season.

Our "Senior Trip" crew along with Dave Ford and his wife who were leaders-in-training.  (I'm the one with the stars and stripe shirt.)

I was probably about 15 years old when I started.  Our task was to clear a 6 foot wide and six foot tall trail way.  The tasks we did included clearing loose obstacles, swinging a weed cutter and assisting George who wielded the loppers.  Special trips were made for applying paint blazing or pushing the distance measuring wheel.

George even invited me to a meeting of the Appalachian Trail Club one year and later endorsed me for membership in the club (it was a bit of an exclusive club in the early days.)  I kept the membership up for many years—always expecting that I would one day end up living in northern New England.

George Libby died in 1986, but he left  behind a legacy that included more than just a well maintained trail.  It was people like him who helped others focus on doing something positive with their lives as opposed to engaging in self-destructive behaviors (which I did enough of anyway).

I learned from all of this the importance of inclusion, though I admit it is difficult for me as I am more like my grandfather who would rather do the job alone most of the time.  Paul alludes to this inclusive “passing of the baton” in his letter to Timothy.  “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses,” he writes, “Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”  2 Timothy 2:2 (NLT)

As we work with leaders of the churches here, there is also a kind of mutual inclusion that goes on.  We invite others to partake in certain activities and they also invite us to be involved in certain things and we learn from each other.

But I am challenged after reading that quote yesterday as to how we can include others more in what we are doing.

But before I finish, I should explain the title of this post.

One day, our crew (normal crew was 7 people) was all in the back of George’s  old International Scout as we made our way down some dirt track out to the paved road.  All of the sudden, he stopped, jumped out of the truck and said, “I’ve got a see a man about a horse,” and then he disappeared into the bush, leaving us young people wondering where on earth this horse was that he was talking about.  Then a couple of minutes later he appears and gets back in the truck and we continue on our way without explanation.  (Though by this time we were pretty sure we learned another way to say “I’ve gotta take a leak.)

Where there’s smoke…

Stickers.

The kids love to get stickers.  Whenever we teach, the children appreciate it if they get a sticker on their paper afterwards.

A former co-worker of Ingrid’s, who knows about this, recently sent us a bunch of stickers of all different kinds.

Among the stickers, were two of Smoky the Bear.

My (former) hero

It’s probably appropriate that this friend sent these stickers—her part of California has been besieged with some nasty wildfires this year, and this is a good reminder to pray for those affected by the fires.

Seeing this sticker brought back a lot of old memories for me.  Smoky was one of my heroes as a child.  At some point, I remember joining the Smoky Bear Fan Club and my Junior Forest Ranger badge was one of my prized possessions.  I found out about the club from a cousin who lived down the street.  His father was a Fire Warden for many years and his sons and my brothers and myself were part of putting out many a forest fire in our youth.

Smoky was a real bear.  Rescued as a cub after a fire in New Mexico in 1950, he was treated and then kept at the Washington National Zoo, where I saw him just a couple of years before he died in 1976. 

Probably the earliest calling I felt in life was to be a forest ranger.  I even steered my life towards that direction, studying forestry at the University of New Hampshire.  I loved being outside and enjoying the nature.  It was definitely my preference to be among natural things than to be among other people.  Back in my teen years, I probably pictured myself as an adult living off the land deep in the forest, far from my nearest neighbor.

But in all this, I was oblivious to other things going on around me.  It’s as if the forest all around me was on fire and I could neither see the flames or smell the smoke.

But then I, like Smoky, was rescued.

Jesus rescued me from myself.

When I put my faith in Jesus, and He put His Spirit in me, my life changed in revolutionary ways.   But the obvious changes were not the significant ones.  Giving up cigarettes and a speaking vocabulary that consisted mostly of cuss-words was obvious.  But the real change was much deeper. Instead of seeing humanity as an infringement upon nature, I began to see humanity as part of this whole created realm.   And I realized that life wasn’t just about me.  There were real people with real needs, spiritual and physical, all about me and that I was somehow supposed to be a part of meeting those needs.

And that changed the course of my life.

Instead of a career path that centered around nature, I found myself on one that centered on human needs or the interaction of humans and their environment.

Mind you, I still love plants and animals and all that.  I somehow still often find it easier for me to build a relationship with a dog or cat than with a person.  And I find being alone on top of a mountain much more refreshing than being in a mass of humanity.  But now these things are just part of a bigger picture.  A bigger picture that involves caring about the human suffering in this world and caring about those who have yet to find freedom and hope and true peace in Jesus.

I love the redemptive picture in Romans 8:18-25, where the fate of humanity and the rest of creation mix together:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.   And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?   But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Thank you, God, for rescuing me from me.

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