Bookends 2019

One way to measure things is by doing a before and after comparison. This is one way I like to look back at my year, by looking at photos from the first and last day on which I took photos in a given year. But this is not just the beginning of a new year, it is also the beginning of a new decade. So this year I will look back not just to January 1, 2019 but also the first day of the decade: January 1, 2010.

Another way of looking back can be found in Top Twelve 2019

January 1, 2010

It was my first winter experience in Alberta, Canada. I've always said I don't want to live where Fahrenheit and Celsius come together on a regular basis (-40), and this was one of those years. We just missed the record breaking cold by a day or two when our bus arrived in Edmonton. But it was still cold.

This was my first Christmas visit to the farm where my wife grew up. It was also to be the last Christmas visit to the farm, as he parents would end up moving to the town not long after this.

It was a time of transition for us as well.  We had only recently found out that we would eventually be going to Thailand and we had also just finished our training with MB Mission (Multiply) before we traveled to Alberta.

The bright sun brought in the new decade. But unlike Thailand, where sunny means very hot, in this case it might that the temps would go up into the -20s C. Pictured below is the henhouse at the farm in Freedom, Alberta. Rex, the dog, is taking a break from hunting mice in the snow.

Winter at the Farm

January 1, 2019

Nine years later, we find ourselves delighted if the temperature drops down to +20 C at night. The climate in Thailand has little in common with Alberta, Canada.

A normal New Year's Day activity here in Thailand is to go to the mall.  You know—where lust for stuff has brought crowds together in a frenzy in what appears to be training for Armageddon. Where four-wheeled dragons belch black smoke (the dragons here tend to consume diesel) in the "Battle for the Parking spot".

I suppose we could have joined them. So I asked my wife, "do you want to go swamping?" And my amazing wife agreed. I suppose it's not surprising. Who wouldn't jump at the chance to go visit some swamps? Wouldn't you?  I wrote more details about that trip here.

Our first stop was at Nong Nguem Noi. (หนองหงึมน้อย) There was not a lot of floral variety here, but there were a lot of red lotus flowers (บัวแดง) blooming. This is a type of water lily that is native to this part of the world and can be found scattered everywhere, but not always in such abundance as in this swamp. I only wish I had a canoe or kayak to get out amongst the blooms.

Many people in this world are looking for a sign from God. If they don't believe in God, some might waiting for the universe to speak to them instead. Many people travel great distances to see a miracle. Not a few will go after a counterfeit sign yet ignore the miracle right in front of their faces.

On January 1st, we witnessed a miracle. We saw the handwriting of God—a New Year's Card, if you will. "See how the lilies of the [pond] grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:28-30 NIV)

December 31, 2019

The drinking starts early on New Years Eve. People seem unconcerned with the police checkpoints that are set up all over the place to try to cut down on drunk driving. Since everyone knows where the checkpoints are, they just find ways to avoid them.

But there was no alcohol at our party. Our church gathered for a feast of fire-roasted tilapia, stir-fried pork, stir-fried squid tentacles and steamed clams. Afterwards we gave the kids some marshmallows to roast and served up some "New Year's Cookies" (aka fritters) that Ingrid made for the occasion.

Next there was a time of singing then a we heard the word of God. A good way to finish up the year.

After all this,  we were in bed before 11 pm. The fireworks at midnight barely woke us.

Good-bye 2019. Good-bye 2010's. A new decade is calling.

New Years Celebration

Top Twelve 2019

In my annual review of pictures this year, I tried to contain myself to 12 photos, but in the end I ended up with a baker's dozen.

January - Follow your heart in Phu Ruea

For my birthday, I told Ingrid I wanted to go to the mountains. Going to the mountains isn't as easy here as it was in California, where I could be in the mountains in just over an hour. From where we live now, we are talking about a 5-hour drive or longer.

We decided to go to Phu Ruea (pronounced poo rur-ah), which means "place of the boat." We've driven through Phu Ruea on several previous occasions, traveling back and forth to Northern Thailand. I had always wondered how a mountainous area is named "place of the boat," a name that would seem more fitting for a beach town. It turns out that viewed from the valley below, the mountain is shaped like a boat.

There are several national parks near Phu Ruea, one of which bears the same name. You can drive almost to the highest point in the park. From there, you can hop on a tram (pickup truck with benches in the back) or walk to the summit. We opted to walk, and we had the trail mostly to ourselves, as most people took the tram.

Phu Ruea has a flower festival over the New Year's holiday, and we came in on the tail end of it. So many flowers! The dominant flowers were poinsettias in red, pink, yellow and white. The main theme of the flower festival is hearts. Flower gardens shaped like hearts. Big heart-shaped signs. And even heart shaped pavers winding through the poinsettias. For more photos of Phu Ruea, see here.

Heart-shaped pavers in Phu Ruea

February - Phu Phrabat

Our second entry also has a "Phu" in it. (December's entry does as well.)

In February, we had a visit from a couple from Canada. They are friends of our co-workers and we were told that they like outdoorsy stuff. Since we have a vehicle and know about many of the outdoorsy activities to be had in the area, our co-workers made us responsible for one day's activities. So we put together as list of possibilities and presented it to our visitors. They decided to go to Phu Phrabat.

We like Phu Phrabat because it has some of the most well-groomed sets of forest trails for walking in the area. The park is considered an "historical park" and is run by the Arts and Culture ministry rather than the forestry department. That must be why the park has one of the classiest restrooms in Thailand!

The geology of the area includes some hard layers of sandstone which are underlain by softer material. This has contributed to the formation of lots of unusual rock formations. Several hundred years ago, these features were used for human settlement, either for living places, animal shelters or religious worship sites.

The picture below is from one of the most famous structures on the park. It is called Hor Nang Usa (หอนางอุสา), which means, "Ms. Usa's Tower". Nang Usa is a character in the anecdotal stories of the history of the structures.

More pictures from Phu Phrabat can be found here.

Hor Nang Usa - what would happen if you jumped up and down on the part that sticks out?

March - Tokay Geckos

Anybody want a pet lizard? I'd be happy to part with these cute, (no so) little, lizards. The tokay gecko is the type species of the gecko family, hence its scientific name, Gekko gecko. I like the Thai name, tookay (ตุ๊กแก) because it aptly describes the sound of this creature. Nothing like the "tookay, tookay, tookay" blasting from the ceiling from above your bed to wake you up at night.

The home of the creatures in the photo is above our front porch. They even have a trail mark from the hole where they get in and out. I would seal it, but I don't want them to die in the attic because the smell of rotting gecko bodies makes the fragrance of a dead rat like sweet perfume in comparison. Mama and papa had two babies this past year, one of which shows in this photo. They are cute, in a way, with their turquoise colored bodies covered with bright red spots. (The photo doesn't really do it justice.)

Calling Geckos on the wall of our house

April - Pretty in Pink

We're always in the mood for a good coffee shop. When your home is your office, sometimes it's nice to have an "away office." There are lots of chain and independent coffee shops in Thailand, but price, coffee quality and quality of internet connection vary greatly.

Sometimes on our day off, we drive north to a place called Pak Khat for dinner. Along the way there is a small town called Rattanawapi. There are several coffee shops in the town that have closed, but one day we noticed a new one, Ban Card Coffee. For a while it seemed like this one, too, succumbed to poor planning because it closed down soon after it opened (a common occurrence with restaurants and coffee shops in Thailand).  But then, to our surprise, it reopened.

The staff in this cozy establishment are friendly and they make our coffee the way we like it. Prices are good and so is the internet connectivity. And it has some cuteness value—especially if you bring along a pretty girl with an outfit to match the decor.

May - Dining Adventures

On most Thursday evenings, we meet a with a couple that helps lead our church, Tha and Nok. Nok is from Laos and she comes from a poor background, so she has learned to live off the land. She amazes us with the food she can prepare from whatever they caught or scrounged up in the forest on any given day.

One day, we were presented with a plate of...

   ...something.

April is the season that the termites swarm. These species of termites (Macrotermes sp.) somehow manage to acquire wings and they gather by the thousands around light sources at night. The Thai name for these, Malaeng Mao (แมลงเม่า) refers to their appearance being like a way that rice is sometimes prepared (Mao). The insects are very fragile and usually the floor under a light is covered with the bodies of these creatures, On many individuals, the wings may have already fallen off.

It is easy to gather a huge bowlful of these creatures. After pulling the wings off, they can be stir-fried and served with your meal.

Bon Appétit!

June - Cutting the Cord

On a steamy Wednesday morning, several of us piled in the truck and headed off to Ban Klum Pattana—a village about 14 kilometers north of the main town of Phon Phisai. We were on our way to visit some people who were interested in hearing the story of Jesus.

Our first visit was to a man who has had difficulty walking for several years due to a motorcycle accident. The second was to a woman who had an inoperable condition in her spine. In each place, we explained the gospel message to the people, then they prayed to confess belief in Jesus.

What happened next was the string cutting. Sacred strings are tied around the wrist to indicate a binding commitment. In most cases, it is as symbol of belief in Buddhism. But even some Christians will use these cords as part of a marriage ceremony, akin to the wedding ring used in western weddings. To cut the string means to say you no longer trust in the old way of doing things as a way to earn religious merit. Instead, you confess that you are now placing your trust in Jesus.

The man we visited first that day later bowed to pressure from family and reneged on his decision. The lady, however, has remained true to her new faith.

For more about family relationships and choosing Christ, click here.

Tha cutting the string from Bor Wan's wrist

July - Seven Hearts

In a previous blog, I wrote about our Sweetheart Plant (Hoya kerrii), and the patience it took to wait for a leaf stuck in the soil to take root and start growing. Once the vine started growing, however, it put out new leaves relatively quickly. By July, about 11 months after it started putting out its first leaf, the Hoya had amassed seven leaves.

Seven leaves. Seven hearts.

I grew up in a family of seven, and while my parents are no longer with us on this side of heaven, I still think  of our family as a family of seven. So my Hoya with seven hearts was a symbolic reminder to me of family.

Interestingly, the vine has not made any new leaves in the six months since then. It still sits in its small pot with seven hearts attached to the vine.

August - Celebrating Life

We had big plans for our 25th anniversary. But when the time came around, our life was full of too much uncertainty, and not much happened. So we figured, maybe we'll do something big for our 30th. But when that came around, we were in the midst of a very hectic schedule and settled for a couple of days in Monterey, California. Five years later we took a few days attached to a retreat I was on in Switzerland, but it was still not what we had in mind. So we figured we'd do something special this year.

We made plans to visit some relatives who live in Jordan, and to combine that with some visits to some Biblical historical sites.  We had most of the details figured out, but had no peace about them. "I need to visit George," I told my wife.

My brother-in-law had a rare form of cancer, and we did not expect him to be around much longer. Better to visit him while he's alive than to pay homage to a box of ashes after he's gone.

George was not very strong during our visit, but he did rally a bit and made it to church one Sunday, when this photo below was taken. I'm glad we went. A month and a half later, George opted for a better life with neither pain nor sorrow. Since I could tell his days remaining were few, I penned a eulogy ahead of time, so that he could read it. Better to enjoy the company of our loved ones while they are with us than to regret it later.

Enjoying our last weekend with George

September - Yung Thong Waterfall

Our wet season this past year was less than spectacular. The rains were fewer and they stopped over a month sooner than usual. Usually, September and October are a great time to visit waterfalls, because it is the end of the wet season and the rivers are at their peak.

In spite of it being so dry, we decided to visit a waterfall a 3 hour drive west of where we live. The last time we visited Nayung Namsom National Park it was dry season and the waterfall was nothing but a rock bluff.  This time around, things were slightly better. The climb to Yung Thong waterfall is challenging in some places, and we did not go all the way to the top because my knee had still not fully recovered from an injury incurred while in California the previous month. We did make it to the main viewpoint of the waterfall, though. And while the waterfall was not spectacular, as waterfalls go, if was a nice quiet day for a walk in the forest. And a bonus was that we did not have to pay to visit the park!

Yung Thong Waterfall in Nayung Namsom National Park

October - Reunion with Friends

Shortly after we moved to Phon Phisai, we made friends with the proprietor of a coffee shop in town. Yai is a man from the southern peninsula of Thailand. Yai's wife, Rung, is a police captain. Rung had recently been transferred to Phon Phisai.  They have a daughter named Khao Hom. Khao Hom came to the English / Bible story classes we had and often her mother would stay and listen to the stories as well. Rung is originally from Kalasin province, about a four-hour drive south of Phon Phisai. About once a month, they would travel there because they were working on building a house there so that at some point, Rung could move back to her hone area.

It seemed like we were just getting to know this family when Rung got a transfer to Kalasin province. Since they were the closest friends we had made, we really missed them.

The missionaries working in the Isaan region gather to pray together about three times a year. We meet in various places. We don't get to join with them all of the time because of our schedules. In October, the meeting was in Kalasin. We made use of the opportunity to visit Yai and his family. We had not seen or spoken to them since they had moved, but they were happy to see us again.

Rung Arun, Khao Hom, Ingrid and Yai by their new home 

November - Nong Ngaeng

One of my favorite bike rides is to follow some irrigation canals to a pond called Nong Ngaeng. (That's okay,  I can't pronounce it either.) The Acacia mangium trees planted along the east side of the pond provide a shady respite from the tropical sun. Often, while riding under this treed canopy, I will take a break to enjoy the peaceful setting.

November happens to be the month with the clearest skies. The rainy season clouds are gone and the smoke from burning all the forests and fields hasn't started to build up much yet. On this day, it was early enough that the morning breezes had not picked up yet and so the water was very still. The blue skies reflected in the pond made a nice backdrop for the red boat.

Red Boat in Nong Ngaeng

December - Phu Tawk

My photo for December is similar to my photo for November, last year.

In December, my sister came to visit from California. It was her first time traveling internationally by herself since her college days. Originally, she had hoped to come to Thailand with her husband, but that was not to be.

On one day during her visit, we visited Phu Tawk (variously spelled Phu Tok or Phu Thok). The skies were nice and clear and the cooler than normal temperatures made it more comfortable to climb the hundreds of stairs.

Phu Tawk is not for people with a fear of heights. Our teammate, Somdy, was with us and he was  constantly commenting about the safety of the handiwork. I've never heard of anyone dying here, so I'm guessing it must be fairly safe, even if it doesn't always look that way.

The mountain is a sacred site, and there are several shrines scattered about. They say there are seven levels, but I'm not sure how some of the "levels" are called such, except that seven is a sacred number (though 9 is more so) so it helps it the top is level 7, I suppose. Probably most of the people we saw were at the mountain as part of a religious pilgrimage, hoping to obtain special merit by making an offering  at level seven, if they make it that far (there are merit making opportunities on several of the levels).

For us, it was an opportunity to get out and get some exercise and marvel at the handiwork—not so much of the people who put all of the walkways together, but instead at the handiwork of God, who put the mountain together.

For more photos of this big, red rock, click here.

Ingrid and Dawn on the wooden walkway

December - Bonus pic

With our last wet season being not so wet, I was surprised at the number of people planting irrigated rice in the dry season. If water is less, why are we irrigating more? I've seen people pumping water in places I had not seen since moving here.

The reason for more off-season planting is that because the rains quit early last summer, the rice harvest in the area was much less than normal. Some fields were not even harvested because there was nothing to pick. Those fields that were harvested had a smaller crop than normal. For this reason, many families did not harvest enough rice to eat, let alone sell. So there is a push to get another crop in. We pray that the water supplies will last, because even the Mekong is at its lowest level Inver 50 years--and there are still several more months of dry season left.

A side benefit for us, though, is that even our neighbor decided to plant a second crop. So he plowed and smoothed his paddies, making a nice reflecting pond for us, at least until the rice crop comes on. So we finish up the year having to put up with sunrise views from our house like the one below.

Sunrise reflections in the rice paddy

And so another year has gone by. Some things have gone as expected, many things have not. There have been good times and challenging times. All of which makes it a normal year.

I count it a blessing to finish the year with the same wife that I have shared the past 36 years with. Not everyone is so fortunate.

I also thank God for His faithfulness in helping get through some challenges during the year. Several times, I have wanted to give up, as my faith and strength were not up to the task. Fortunately, God is up to the task.

There is a saying that God does not give us more than we can handle. I'm not sure where this comes from, for my understanding from scripture is that God never gives us more than He can handle. As Paul writes, "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."  (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, NIV)

We don't know what the coming year will bring. My prayer is that, no matter what happens, good or bad, we continue to rely on God.

Happy New Year

Traditions

Family traditions.

We grow up with family traditions. Without thinking, we assume we will carry these on all our lives. When we marry, we have to figure out how to blend two sets of traditions, which can be a source of conflict. Then we end up adding our own spin on things and figure we will pass these new traditions down to our children.

Christmas tree from the early years
before Alan was taller than the tree.

One tradition I remember is that on one of my brother's birthdays (December 15th), we would drive down the hill to a Christmas tree farm. Dad would go pick a tree his height and we would cut it down, bring it home, and decorate it.

On Christmas Eve, we were allowed to open one gift.

On Christmas morning, we kids were up early. We were allowed to open our stockings early, while our parents were sleeping. Then we would have breakfast. The staples of Christmas breakfast were scrambled eggs, Brown 'n Serve® sausages and Pillsbury Pop 'n Fresh® cinnamon rolls—two kinds: orange glaze and caramel topping. To drink there was orange juice and hot chocolate served in Santa Claus mugs.

Modern version of traditional Christmas breakfast

Ingrid's traditions were a bit different. Christmas Eve was a time to celebrate in the church, where the children would receive a Christmas Tüte, a brown paper bag with treats inside. In her house, the parents set up the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve while the kids were out of the way.

I remember our first Christmas together we had to work out what our blended family traditions would look like. What things would we like to pass on to our children? Even the Christmas cookie offerings had to be figured out. From my childhood there were almond snowballs, Starlight mint surprise cookies,  thumbprint cookies (yuletide gems), and peanut butter blossoms. Ingrid brought Pfferneuse (which for many years Ingrid's mom made and sent to us) and Stöllen into the mix. Both of us were used to the sugar cookies and cookie-press cookies. A sister introduced us to almond Rocha.

But then there were no children. No one to pass family traditions down to.

And then we ended up living places where we could not get the things we associated with family traditions.

So we improvised. One year, some friends sent us some coconut-based fruit cake. They did this for several years and eventually we started making our own. A new tradition was born, added to the various cookie receipts we inherited from our families.

Many years I ended up making my own cinnamon rolls. Brown 'n Serve sausages were seldom an option, but usually we could find some other kind.

When we lived in Haiti, after breakfast on Christmas Day, we would drive two hours to our mission's main office to have dinner with the other missionaries. Then we would head to the beach house in Montrouis for a few days. There they had palm trees naturally decorated with green, coconut-shaped ornaments. Now that's my kind of Christmas tree.

Montrouis, Haiti, a nice place to spend Christmas

One year we spent Christmas Eve in Morro Bay. In our hotel room on Christmas morning we turned on a television station that had a video of a burning fireplace with Christmas carols playing. Lunch was a picnic on a cool, misty beach with smoked salmon and crackers.

But this year, things are really different.  In addition to the usual busyness of Christmas outreach events (one of which was on Christmas day), we are preparing to leave for the US for a few months shortly afterwards. So our theme for presents was things that took up no space and had no weight. There is also a lot of prep to do before traveling back to North America. Add to that all the stuff to do for visa renewals.

Who has time for Christmas? Not much time for tradition. No Christmas cake this year. Limited variety of Christmas cookies.

No tree this year—not even our tiny artificial one. But we did take out some manger scene ornaments and set them out on a table.

Christmas Eve was mostly working. So for Christmas Eve dinner, we picked up a cooked ham leg at the grocery store on the way home from rehearsing music.

I did not make homemade cinnamon rolls this year, as we are trying to empty our cupboards and didn't have all the ingredients. But there was some leftover sticky rice in the freezer from some Khao Lam someone gave us a couple weeks ago. How about we add some cinnamon and coconut milk to that? And there were some British-style sausages in the freezer, too. No orange juice, but fresh oranges instead. Thus, Christmas breakfast is born.

On Christmas Day, I told Ingrid that as I thought back over all of our Christmases together, there is only one constant tradition—that we spend it together.

I was never one for much in the way of Christmas decorations, and this detachment from tradition makes that tendency even stronger. But this year even I felt myself missing some of the trappings of the season.

Some may decry me for lack of "Christmas spirit" since I don't buy into all the glitter and glam. But, on the other hand, I think I have even more "Christmas spirit," for what makes Christmas special is not a tree, or stockings, or a fat man with a long white beard in a red suit. The Spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate on this day.

Here in Thailand, many think that Christmas is Santa Claus' birthday. That is probably more true than I like to admit, because December 25th is more closely associated with Santa Claus than it is with the actual birthday of Jesus. I actually don't have a problem with separating Jesus from this celebration of   stuff that happens each December, because I don't think Jesus is all too happy if we get the latest toys and tech gadgets and then let those things take us further from Him. The greatest Christmas present of all time was wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.

It makes no difference if we have the greatest nativity scene in town and then live our lives as if Jesus doesn't exist.

We may not have much in the way of Christmas traditions, and even if what we do have should pass away, I pray that my heart, like a manger, will continually be a place where the Spirit of Christmas dwells.

The angel said,

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

Luke 2:10, 11

The Lame Will Walk

And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. (Luke 7:22 ESV)

We first met Wari in November last year. For over a year she had suffered from a condition that left her unable to walk except with a walker, and when she did walk it was with great difficulty and great pain. The doctors said there was nothing they could do for her.

We went to visit Wari at her home. We explained the good news of Jesus to her and she made the decision to follow Him.

Each week we would visit Wari's house to sing songs, study the Bible and pray for her. Slowly her condition improved.

By January, Wari felt strong enough to get baptized. At that point, she was still using a walker and we had to help her into the pool. But God continued to heal her, eventually she no longer needed a walker or cane. By springtime, she was able to ride a bicycle and in June she started riding her motorcycle to worship services. Several weeks ago, our truck got stuck in the mud when we were visiting another church member. She was quickly out the door of the truck to help push.

If you see Wari today, you would not recognize her as the person we first met. Her face is full of joy and she stands tall with confidence in Jesus.

God has given her a great voice which she uses to help lead praises to God during worship services. We praise God for the work he has done in her life. We praise God for the work He has done in her life. She is becoming one of the key leaders in our church. We are grateful to God for the miracles He has done in her life, but the miracles don't end there.

Wari’s father worked in central Thailand, but he developed a health condition that left him unable to work, so he came home. The first week he was back, Somdy, our team leader, went to visit him. At that time he didn’t want to hear the gospel. But the second week when Somdy met him he said, “If God will heal me, I will believe.” So Somdy prayed for him, he was healed and he put his faith in Christ and was baptized. Soon after that he returned to work in Central Thailand because God had healed him well enough to do so.

We thank God for these occasions when His love is poured out in the form of healing from medical conditions.

No less important is the miraculous work God does in our souls.

We lift our praises to the God who loves us inside and out.

Usury

usury - the lending of money with an interest charge for its use: especially the lending of money at exorbitant interest rates (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/usury)

Déjà vu. I'm sure I've heard this before, though it looked a little different this time. This person is in financial crisis because of debt. Again.

One of the major social problems in Isaan is debt.  Sometimes people borrow money because of real needs. But often it's just something to improve one's image—and having a good image is important in Thai society.

Sometimes people borrow from legitimate banks—there are 6 in Phon Phisai—but typically people don't qualify for these loans unless they have regular employment. But for government workers, getting loans easy. We know a school teacher who has unsecured debt of about US $200,000! She will probably not be able to pay it off in her lifetime, but the banks don't seem to care.

Even students aren't immune. We know a 16 year old high school student who got a 20,000 baht loan (about $600 USD) from a government bank to help with school expenses. And this is for a public high school! The worst thing is that the loan does not even cover all of her fees. Some of the fees are likely to pay for expenses that the school receives funds for, but then staff use the money for their own benefit. If the student is unable to pay back the loan when she graduates (that;s when it is due), she'll probably have to borrow more money to pay it back, essentially beginning a life of slavery to the government bank. Or perhaps she might look for an illegal was to make money to pay off the debt.

The next place to try for a legitimate loan is one of the 10 loan companies in Phon Phisai. Interest rates are higher than banks, but loans for vehicles or real estate are fairly easy to get.

Non-bank formal lenders in Phon Phisai

A more insidious kind of loan is something like a cell phone contract. The companies will give you a phone at a really low price but you have to pay the agreed-to plan for one to two years.  This was the kind of thing that got my friend in trouble. They thought that if they threw out the SIM card they wouldn't have to pay, but now the company was wanting the amount that the phone prices had been reduced by when they got them. And this was for phones for their young kids.

The worst kind of loan to get is in the informal loan market. These kinds of loans are very common and the cause of much grief in Thailand. Everyone dreads the motorcycle approaching with the rider dressed entirely in black. Typically you will pay twice what you borrowed—providing you pay it in time. We heard from one person who borrowed 4000 baht (about US $130) and pay off 8000 baht in 20 days! Why not wait twenty days and it would be like having an extra 4000 baht to spend!

The loan sharks often end up seizing the land of the borrowers, and they become very wealthy people.

One person we know borrowed a large amount from a loan shark and when they did not end up needing the entire amount, rather than pay off part of the loan, they just used the money for other things. Some was used for some fancy clothes and jewelry. In the end they ended up losing some land. Seems like a high price to pay for things that don't last.

Another problem with debt is that it can affect ministry. Sometimes people want to be in ministry or receive some training that will help their ministry, but they need to work long hours in order to pay off their debts and the opportunities are lost.

I don't think this issue is restricted to Thailand. How often to folks North America end up with large debts in order to have things to impress others? And the enemy is right there, throwing temptations at us 24 hours a day: "You need this!" "You can't do without this!" "Only $100 per month!"

I remember once going to buy a car and it was hard to find the price for a particular vehicle. All that was posted was the monthly payment. "How much if I pay cash?" I asked. The salesman gave me a weird look—this wasn't covered in the sales training. He had to go ask someone.

Here in Thailand the car dealers do the same thing. Poor people buy new cars because they get a good deal on payments. Car dealers will even throw in first class insurance (insurance for "collision" coverage) for the first year. After the first year, the owner usually can't afford this kind of insurance, and they just keep a very basic policy. If something happens to the car, the end up with no vehicle and big payments.

I get the feeling that debt is considered a normal part of life here--many people seem to resign themselves to it.  Even if some people acknowledge the problems caused borrowing money, they do it anyway. They may be aware how much the debt will cost them, but they still take the cash.

We read in Proverbs 22:7, "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender."

Those with money like the system of usury, though, because they profit from it. Even though there were scriptures prohibiting Jews from charging interest to fellow Jews (e.g. Leviticus 25:36, 37), they still did it. It got so bad that people were being sold to pay off debts (Nehemiah 5:1-8).

Desire for money.

Desire for stuff.

No wonder Paul warned us, "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10 NLT)

The sorrows mentioned here are evident here in Thailand. Money worries are the cause of many sleepless nights. And it is not unusual to hear of someone committing suicide because they are so overwhelmed with debt.

Jesus warned us about money, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Matthew 6:24)

Money is not usually a problem if we are the ones using it. But too often it ends up using us. Perhaps that is the root of the term "usury".

Lord, give us wisdom to manage the financial resources you give us. Keep us from voluntarily making ourselves slaves to money and debt.

Cave Man

Earlier this week, on our way driving south to Cha Am, we noticed this small limestone mountain jutting awkwardly out of the otherwise flat landscape to the east of the highway. We've driven by this place several times in the past, but today we weren't in any rush so we decided to check it out.

Many caves in Thailand turn into Buddhist shrines, and this was no exception.  Inside the cave there was a large reclining Buddha and several smaller Buddha images to which people were sticking pieces of gold leaf purchased from a monk seated nearby.

Since all the merit we might ever need was already paid for by Jesus, we did not spend a lot of time in the cave. We quickly left for the sunny, hot exterior. When we got outside, I noticed some stairs going up the mountain. Double temptation--a mountain to climb and a path I've never been on before.

We weren't to the top yet when we saw a broken-down sign about a cave. We veered off the trail a few steps and found some more stairs, only these were going down into a cave.

I'm an introvert, and my introvert tendencies are not near the middle of the scale. (As the saying goes, one's company, two is a crowd), I also have a slight propensity towards claustrophobia. These two natures clash when I find a cave. Down the stairs we went.

If I had grown up in Thailand, I would probably ended up as a monk living in a cave, spending my days thinking and writing. As a child, my need for other humans was like my desire for a steaming cup of coffee on one of Fresno's hottest days. And when I was around fellow humans,  my interactions did not always end on a positive note. This would cause me to further retreat from humanity in what became an endless cycle.

But I'm thankful that Jesus burst into my life like beams of sunshine piercing through the musty, guano-scented darkness of this cave we were in.  The great love of Jesus displayed through His people brought new life to the deadened parts of my soul.

Upon discovering such a great love, I became aware that some things in my life needed to change. As Jesus was a light shining into my life, I now discovered that we were supposed to bring that same light to people living in darkness. Jesus said, "In that same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16 NET)

And here I am, forty-four years later, living in a country and culture that bears little resemblance to what I grew up with, trying to let the love of Jesus shine through my life to those around me. And in the midst of this trying to figure out how going to a meeting with a bunch of other people can somehow have the word "retreat" in its title. I'm an introvert who spends a lot of time working with people. If I am going to retreat it will be to a place where the beaches are empty and the view from the mountain tops are uncluttered by structures made by mankind.

As I wander through the cave, God reminds me that we are no longer people of the darkness. We are people of the light who bring light to those who still live in the cave.

At the retreat, we sang a song about being adopted into God's family. Paul writes, "God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 1:5, NLT)  It's like being adopted out of a bad foster-family. So I find myself crying a lot. Crying for the young people I've met whose parents love them, but don't treat them so nice when they get drunk, which is far too often. I cry for others whose parents don't really want them around. I cry for the many thousands whose parents left them to go work elsewhere, leaving them with grandparents who aren't really sure what to do with them.  I weep for those children whose first sexual encounter is at far too young an age with a relative or friend of their parent. My cheeks are dampened because of the young women who, missing love from a father they never knew, chase the first promise of "love" from a man only to find themselves pregnant and abandoned by the one who said he loved her. All around I see smiles worn as a mask to cover the hurt and pain lurking beneath.

I'm grateful to have been brought up with a human family where there was love.  I'm even more grateful to be adopted into a bigger family of those who love God and one another and want to be a blessing to those around them.

God, give me grace and strength to go back up the stairs out of the cave.

Expecting the unexpected

You think I would learn.

On our first trip to Thailand back in 2007, I went into a Seven-Eleven and bought myself a cinnamon roll. Or so I thought. Turns out it was made with raisins and pork floss. Pork floss? Is that even a thing?  I would not have understood it, even if I could have read the Thai at the time.

Pork floss is shredded pork that has been dried. It has a medium brown color and looks like manila fiber. It is used in different foods, usually sweet pastries, and is sometimes used as an edible padding around fragile foods.

One time we bought some sweet breads to serve as a snack and found one filled with pork floss and raisins. (Though this time I could read and bought it intentionally.) You probably won't find that in your 7-11 in Canada or California.

Sweet bread filled with raisins and pork floss

It turns out that things we think of as "sweets" or desserts aren't necessarily the same here.  For example, corn is normally found in desserts of various kinds. Like this corn sundae that they used to sell at KFC.

Corn Sundae at KFC

So now that we've been living in Thailand a long time, you think we would have this dessert thing figured out.

A few weeks ago, I bought a bag of mixed puff pastries. They didn't specify which fillings were included. So I try the red one, guessing it is strawberry and it turns out I guessed correctly. The dark one is a bit of a mystery though. Mulberry? Black sesame? Those are two kinds of fillings one might expect with that dark color.

But I was nowhere close. The mystery dark filling was...

(and you knew this already, right?)

   ...seaweed.

So now I have to differ with the writing of "The Preacher" who wrote, "There's nothing new on this earth. Year after year it's the same old thing." (Ecclesiastes 1:9b MSG)

There are a lot of new things we've had to get used to here in Thailand. Many of them have become normal for us.

So if we ever move back to North America, and we invite you over for dessert, don't be surprised at what you might be served.