Backswamp

You can take the soil scientist out of the dirt but you can't take the dirt out of the soil scientist.

Monsoon season.  That's a fancy term for a seasonal rainy season.  Practically it means that for part of the year, it is very wet.  Add to the normal rains a tropical storm pushing in from the east and, well, its kind of soggy in Phon Phisai right now.

To our regional climate we will add some humans.  Humans often began to settle in areas that were near rivers.  It made sense.  Rivers were transportation channels and a source of food.  Phon Phisai is on the confluence of the Mekong River and a smaller river called Huai Luang. It was a good place to settle.

Now we'll add s small geomorphology lesson.

Geomorphology is the study of landforms.  A typical landform associated with rivers and streams is a floodplain.  A floodplain generally has two main parts:

The levee is a relatively high part of the floodplain located adjacent to the river. The soils here are generally coarser (e.g. sand and fine gravel).

Adjacent to the levee is the backswamp.  This is a relatively lower position. The soils here tend to be finer-textured (e.g. silt and clay).

When we combine landforms, climate and humans, we can get some interesting results.

Because the backswamp is lower, it tends to be wetter. And because the soils are finer-textured, they hold onto water longer. As a result, when people would build adjacent to a river, they would often build on the levee, as opposed to the backswamp.

But as villages grow, people need a place to build, so they will often fill in areas of the backswamp and build there.  In some places there are grading ordinances and such regarding the filling of low areas.  Here in Thailand, if there are such rules, there is no obvious indication.  And people don't seem to think much about what happens to the water that falls on the landscape.

So the basic rule is, if I am going to build, I need to build higher than what is around me.  If I build next to someone who has built already, I just need to build higher than them.  If the water that falls onto my place goes onto their place, well , that's not my problem.

The house we are renting, like many other houses in Phon Phisai, is built on a backswamp.  There are a lot of areas that have been filled in, but some low areas remain that are generally used for growing rice.  However, the field adjacent to us has been filled in on all sides and is the recipient of much of the runoff from the filled in areas.  The only way for the water to get out of the field  is through a small culvert that drains to an area where the water is impounded to protect other fields. The lowest part of that field is so wet, they can't even grow rice, though they tried last year.  So last year we had this beautiful reflecting pool next-door. This year it is just aquatic weeds.

The Field Next Door - Last Year

Most of the houses are built up higher than the street, so the street is subject to flooding.

Our Street

Most of the water on our street clears off a few hours after flooding.  However there are some nearby streets on the same landform where the the water has no place to go.  I was out for a walk earlier this week and when I came to this, I decided to try a different route.

Phon Phisai or Venice?

But flooding is not the only problem we face.  As I mentioned earlier, most of the houses are built on fill. Most the the soil they use to fill with is fairly clayey.  Not the greatest stuff to build on, but it is what they have.  And they don't engineer the fill, they just dump it.  So the houses are built on unstable fill on top of mushy soils.  Unless someone goes through a great effort to put in decent footings (not so common), the houses tend to crack with time.  The house we are renting is less than 10 years old, yet there are several full length cracks.

Glad we don't have earthquakes

 
Because I used to have a job making soil  maps, I tend to think about these things.  When we bought our first house in Bakersfield, one consideration I had was whether it would flood if one of the dams on Lake Isabella gave way.  (A geologic fault line runs between the two dams on the lake.)

Jesus taught us that we should think about what we build on as well:

The people who come to me, who listen to my teachings and obey them—I will show you what they are like: They are like a man building a house. He digs deep and builds his house on rock. The floods come, and the water crashes against the house. But the flood cannot move the house, because it was built well. (Luke 6:48 ERV)


If we want our lives to be strong and endure, we need to  build them on the right stuff.  And the stuff to build our lives on is the teachings of Jesus.  Jesus spoke the words above after giving what is called "The Sermon on the Mount."  That body of teaching contains some things that are very difficult to practice.  Yet, it is in the doing of these things that make for a strong house.

I pray for strength and wisdom from the Holy Spirit to embrace the teachings of Jesus in my life and I am thankful for the grace that comes through Christ Jesus when I fall short. I want my life to not be like a poorly built house on a backswamp.

Kilometer Posts

Thailand is very good about putting up kilometer posts along almost all the highways in the country.  The side facing the road will have the highway number, and the sides facing traffic will have the distances to the next towns ahead.

8 Kilometers to Phon Phisai

In the past five years or so, it has become popular to make signs with similar form, as the way of advertising your business or perhaps some landmark, having a distance of "0" to wherever the sign is and then distances to other places.

0 Kilometers to This Intersection

While kilometer posts may not always be very good at letting you know where you are, they are helpful in determining progress towards your destination or from a starting point.

In my home country, these things are more commonly known as milestones, a term that has grown to have significance beyond just measuring distance.

Bicycle in Rubber Plantation

This past month I reached a milestone on my bicycle—I reached 10,000 kilometers on this particular bike.  I realize that this is not much compared to what serious bike riders do (it took me 26 months), still, it was fun to see the odometer put on a fifth digit.

Last month was also another significant milestone for us--it was a year since the official launch of our church.

Official Launch of Phon Phisai Fellowship Church

Because they help measure progress, milestones can help fight discouragement.  Sometimes we are tempted to compare where we are to where we would like to be, and the difference is so great that it can be discouraging.  On the other hand, we can compare where we are to where we used to be and then things might look a bit better.

So while it may be discouraging to look at the above photo and count those who are no longer attending our church, I can also see in there some who a year ago were just "coming" to church who are now beginning to lead.  At the same time there are new faces that are not in the picture.   I can also rejoice in that there is still a church in our sub-district, while a year and a half ago there was none.

The main reason I ride my bicycle is for my heart health.  It's good exercise.  I keep track of my miles in order to make sure I am getting enough exercise.

Our spiritual lives need checkpoints as well.
Our lives have milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  At these times we can take the opportunity turn and look back and say, "I used to..., but now I...".  Paul writes about this kind of thing, comparing the church at Colossae as it was to how it used to be, "You also did these things in the past, when you lived like them." (Colossians 3:7 ERV)

On the other hand, if we look back and end up saying something like, "I also used to do these things in the past—and I still do," maybe it's time to use the milestone to instigate some change in our lives. We don't want to be like the Corinthian church, to whom Paul had to write, "I could not talk to you the way I talk to people who are led by the Spirit. I had to talk to you like ordinary people of the world. You were like babies in Christ. And the teaching I gave you was like milk, not solid food. I did this because you were not ready for solid food. And even now you are not ready." (1 Corinthians 3:1b, 2 ERV)

Maybe I can use the kilometer posts on the highways as reminders to check for progress in other areas of my life as well.

Justification

Recently, I read an article about a televangelist who said that God told him he needs to get a 54 million dollar jet (to augment his other 3 aircraft).

In asking for money, he told his listeners that Jesus "wouldn't be riding a donkey."

Mind you, Jesus didn't actually own a donkey, he borrowed one—once—when he went into Jerusalem the last time to be crucified.

I don't know whether God actually told this televangelist to buy a plane or not.  That is not the point of this blog.  What I wanted to point out was his use of justification—the reasons why he has to have this particular jet.

Here are a couple of reasons given, according to the article:

"Standing beside framed pictures of his current fleet, he said that the jet he bought 12 years ago was no longer sufficient for his ministry because he could not fly non-stop, meaning he had to pay "exorbitant" refueling costs."

 (It's going to take a long time to recover the cost of the plane in saved refueling costs. Nor would we want to consider that even flying first class commercial would be a lot cheaper.)

"Mr Duplantis justified the request by saying that Jesus had told people to "go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, now how we gonna do that? I can't live long enough to travel by car or by ship or by train, but I can do it by an aeroplane"."

 (Mind you, I don't recall any scripture directed at Mr. Duplantis, specifically, that this was his job. )

As I thought about my response to these justifications, I was reminded that as I pointed my finger at this man, I had several fingers pointing back at myself.  How often do we have to try to come up with "excuses" to do the things we do.  Sometimes we want to justify acquiring something or doing something we know deep down is not necessary or commanded by God.  Sometimes we are deceiving ourselves with our excuses, we may actually think that God wants us to do something that perhaps He does not want us to do.  Sometimes, God may actually want us to acquire goods or services for our ministries and there may be a very good reason to spend more money on a better product or service.

It's a challenge to honestly evaluate our decision-making, because advertisers are very good at coming up with all the reasons why we have to have the product they are hawking.  Plus its good for the economy: if I keep up with all the latest gadgets then all the industries involved in making and marketing the products do well and the economy keeps growing.  "Yeah me! I'm helping keep the economy strong!" I can always absolve my conscience by giving away my old iPhone to a needy person. (I don't actually own an iPhone, but you get my point.)

I would suggest we need to pray about procurement related decisions, but it may not be a good idea.  Why pray if we've already made up our minds and aren't willing to truly hear from God?

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. (Proverbs 21:2 ESV)

 It's probably good to have other people in your life to help you with these kinds of things. As we read in Proverbs: The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. (Proverbs 12:15 ESV)

While it might be easier to condemn others for the choices they make, it is probably more important that we examine our own hearts and our own choices.  I don't want to be like the ones Paul addressed: Therefore, anyone of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. (Romans 2:1 HCSB)

And while I think the person mentioned above is probably in the wrong, I don't know for sure, and he will have to answer to God for his actions not to me.  I'm sure others judge me as well, but I am not trying to please others, but God.  However, I do well to listen to my critics, because perhaps they may be right and perhaps God is speaking through them.

I've gotten off track before and I'm thankful for those who have gently and with humility (not with a judgmental spirit) helped me back onto the right track. As Paul writes, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. " (Galatians 6:1 NIV)

Going Back

Recently, my brother posted a blog about memories of growing up in Wolcott, Connecticut.

I, too, have many memories of growing up in Wolcott, many similar to the ones he mentioned, though not all the memories are good.

But there is one good memory that stands out.

Sometimes, on the way home from church on Sundays, we would take the back way home and in so doing, we would pass a Dunkin Donuts store at the end of Lakewood Road at North Main Street in Waterbury. This was before Dunkin Donuts became famous for being a coffee place and there weren't that many around. ( I don't think that particular store is around any more--it was across from the Burger Chef (the fast food place we went to before we had McDonalds)).

Occasionally, we would even stop at Dunkin Donuts.

It was at Dunkin Donuts that I learned the term baker's dozen, which meant if you bought 12 you got one free.

Dunkin Donuts originated in the nearby state of Massachusetts, and for many years was generally a regional chain. After moving from away from the Northeast, this brand eventually faded from memory.

Until 2010.

In 2010 we visited Thailand to begin to explore the country to which we would soon be moving.  We traveled around a lot, by just about every means of transportation possible (not by choice, it was just that's how we got to the places we were going.)  One of those trips brought us to the Northern Bus Station in Bangkok.  We were looking for the vans to Lopburi, and fortunately there was someone who knew a little Thai with us, because there were almost no signs in English.

Except this one:

I was amazed to see a Dunkin Donuts in Thailand as we did not even have them in California.  We did not have much time, so I only paused long enough to take this photo.

In Thailand there are two major donut brands: Mister Donut and Dunkin Donuts.  For many years now, these brands have both been owned by the same corporation.Mister Donut is far more common in Thailand, and franchises can be found at shopping centers even in small towns like Phon Phisai, where we currently live.

For many years I hardly ate donuts, but since moving to Thailand, we will occasionally stop at a Mister Donut for a morning coffee break.

To get to a Dunkin Donuts, we have to go to the larger city of Nong Khai, where there are two outlets in two different shopping centers across the street from each other.  Last week, as I walked past one, I noticed a somewhat familiar looking sight:

This looked somewhat familiar, like the Boston Creme donuts that were my favorite as a child.  I looked at the label and sure enough, there were the words, in English, "Boston Creme."

A few days later we had to go back to Nong Khai, so I dared to get a Boston Creme donut to see if it was anything like I remember.  They say that memories can be tricky, and can even change with time.  It's probably been 40 years since I had one of these, so my comparison may be bit off.

First, the most obvious, the chocolate.  The donuts I remember from youth did not have a full covering of chocolate on top, like this one.  It was also creamier. (Eating Nutella actually brings back memories of that chocolate.) This chocolate was a bit hard, which may be a good thing, given the climate here.  Flavor is okay, but certainly something I can pass on.

The donut.  The donut is a bit chewier than the ones we had growing up.  But I actually prefer that. So that, for me, is a positive difference.

The creme.  The thing I really liked about the Boston Creme donuts as a child was the filling.  The filling in this donut was a big letdown.  Reminds me of the vanilla pudding you buy prepacked and ready to eat.

There is a saying, "you can never go back."  I don't know the context of the original saying, but for me it means that over time places and circumstances you remember have changed and you have changed, so that things or places you once thought you could never leave behind you now no longer want to go back to, or, if you could go back, it would not be the same.

Unlike my brother, who has kept in touch with many of his high school classmates, I have kept in touch with only one, and even that one I lost track of about 6 years ago.  My high school memories are generally not that wonderful.  I don't have a desire to walk those halls again. 

The one thing that sticks out to me from the end of my high school years is being rescued.  Rescued from depression.  Rescued from misery.  Rescued from the darkness I felt inside.  Rescued when I discovered that no matter how miserable I thought I was, Jesus loved me enough to give up his life so that I might have life.

Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Rome, "For while we were still helpless, Christ died for the ungodly."  (Romans 5:6, NET)  That was me. Ungodly.  Helpless to do anything about it.  I've been rescued from that and I don't want to go back.  I'll treasure the positive memories and leave the rest behind.

As for the donuts,  I'll stick with the memories and not eat these Boston Creme donuts in Thailand any more (though maybe on my next trip back to New England, I'll give them a try).

Resurrection

I have to confess that I have couple of weaknesses.

I have a hard time walking past a bookstore.

And I have a hard time walking past a plant nursery.

I like plants.  And flowers.  My yard will never be big enough for all the different flowers that I would like to plant.  Last year we acquired a couple of exotic plants.  (I call them exotic only because I am not from here.  They are actually native to Thailand.)  Both of these plants are in the ginger family (Zingiberaceae).  I have to admit I have a special fondness for plants in this family.

Lotus ginger (Curcuma alismatifolia) is typically grown as an ornamental.  Several of its close relatives are grown as herbs, mostly unknown outside of SE Asia, except for tumeric (Curcuma longa). We first encountered this plant at a flower garden in Chiang Mai back in 2011.  But there are places in Isaan where there are large fields of lotus ginger that bloom at this time of year.

Lotus ginger - Curcuma alismatifolia

The other plant we acquired is Globba winitii (I don't know of any English name for this plant.)

Globba wingtip

There are several species of Globba that grow in Thailand, usually as forest understory plants.  Some species are fairly common.  Most species do not have the pink (or white) bracts like the one in the picture above.

The problem with many plants in the ginger family is that, come dry season, they die.

Well they don't really die, but it seems like it.  The blooms fall off and the leaves dry up and all that is left is a pot full of potting soil.

I had never grown these species before, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect.  I tried not to give up.  Do I water the "empty" pot or leave it alone?  I figured that the plants are adapted to dry season, so I left them alone.  I only had to remember which of my empty pots weren't really empty.

Finally, my patience was rewarded.  Little green shoots started breaking through the brown soil.  The lotus ginger wasted no time in sending up a flower shoot. (I'm still waiting for the Globba to flower.). The bloom is even richer in color than last year.

Lotus ginger - year 2

At any rate, I am very happy.  That which was dead has come back to life.

So it is with us who believe.  One day, if Jesus tarries, these bodies of ours will die.  That which was once alive will be placed in the ground.  To human eyes, this patch of ground where the body is placed may appear lifeless.  But one day, that which was planted will come to life again.  It will come back to life even better than it was before.

As Paul writes:

But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. - 1 Corinthians 15:23 (NLT)

We look forward to that day when we will bloom again with new life after Christ returns.

Last Day of Green

Summer here in Thailand falls in the Spring.  The hottest time of the year here is March through May—It's when the temperatures begin to rise, but the cooling rains of rainy season have not shown up yet.

This is also the season of summer vacation for the local schools.  The last day of the school year is in late March and the new year begins in early May.

This year is special for several girls in our church.  Four of them are graduating elementary school (grade 6) and moving to high school.

It was fun when they showed up for music practice on the last day of their classes.  This was their last day to wear their green uniforms.  Next year they get to don the light colored blouses and dark skirts/pants of high school.

Music practice on the last day of classes

It's a bit of a scary time for for these new high school students.  The local high school has about 3000 students that come from all over.  There are 150 teachers!  The faith of these girls might be tested a bit.  We're thankful that there is a Christian teacher in the school who is willing to look out for them, encourage them, and advocate for them.

Meanwhile, we've had some opportunities for fun activities during the school break.

Making "pigs ears" cookies

Intense Game of Bingo

Celebrating Birthdays

We're grateful for the time we have to encourage the young people and teach them and even learn from them at this stage in their lives. (They're not usually shy about correcting our Thai.)  We pray that they will have the courage to live out their faith in Jesus as they enter high school and that their lives might be a testimony to what they believe.

Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.
Luke 18:16 NLT

Coincidentally

Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to heaven, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
Psalm 139:7-8 (HCSB)

About thirteen years ago, a woman named June* was pregnant, and she had such a severe case of morning sickness, that she could not eat.  June lived in Phon Phisai, a district in Nong Khai province in Isaan, as northeast Thailand is known.  Like most people in Thailand, June was a Buddhist.

June had been to the doctors in Phon Phisai regarding her morning sickness, but they had not been able to help her.  So she made a trip to see a doctor in the city of Nong Khai, about an hour drive to the west.  The doctor she went to see was a Christian and there was some literature in the office explaining Christianity.  While waiting for he turn in the queue, June went to the chapel and, while there,  she read some of the literature and her interest was piqued.  Christianity sounded like a good thing to her.  She tried to pray, but didn't really know how.

June went home and that night, at one point, a small cloud appeared the room that came and rested on her head then drifted off.  Immediately, her morning sickness went away.  She attributed this to Jesus.  She decided she wanted to go to church, but the only church in the area was one where they worshiped "Mother Mary".  The nearest church where they worshiped Jesus was in Nong Khai city.

In January last year, Somdy and Chanh moved to Thailand.  There goal was to plant a church in Nong Khai.  They started out in the city of Nong Khai, but they could not sense God leading them to any place there.

After praying about this for a few days, Chanh suggested, "Let's go to Phon Phisai."  So they boarded a van and went there. Upon arriving in Phon Phisai, they just happened to run into a woman named Ping,* someone they had known from several years ago.  Ping and her husband Lee* lived in her mothers yard. (It is common for couples to move onto the same property with the wife's family in northeast Thailand.)  Somdy asked Ping's mother if they could have a Bible study at her house, and she agreed.  But the house was a bit cramped for the number of people that came.

Somdy and Chanh started looking for a place nearby would would serve as both a place to stay and for the church to meet.  It just so happened that Ping knew of a place that was available just down the street. They looked at the house and found it to be suitable so they made arrangements to rent it.  The house was located in the same yard as the landlord's house.  His children lived on adjacent properties.  Coincidentally, the daughter that lived just to the other side of his house was June.

After thirteen years of waiting, June now has a church to go to in Phon Phisai--and it's right next door.  She was baptized last month, but even before that, she was eagerly wanting to know more about God.

June getting baptized

Coincidence.

Even pioneer missionaries are never to first to go to places where there are no believers.  God always goes first.

Thank you, Lord, that you are already at work in people's lives even before we meet them.  Continue to lead us to those whose heart you have been preparing to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

* The names have been changed.