Memorial Day: Remembering the Warriors

In a few days Memorial Day will be celebrated in the USA.  It is a day to remember those who have fought and died for the country.

I was thinking it would be an appropriate time to remember those who truly fought for us:  for those who have labored for hours on their knees interceding for their friends, families, neighbors, their nation and even their enemies; and for those who have faithfully taught and obeyed the word of God.

I don’t remember Jesus anywhere telling us to take up weapons against others.  There was that time before they went to the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus told a quote about buying a sword and the disciples commenting that they had two (Luke 22:36-38).  But in the end Jesus told his disciples not to use the sword but to put it back in its place.

That same night the sword was used, also in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus labored in prayer and He exhorted His disciples to do the same.  The business of the disciples was prayer, not sword fighting.

How often could the words of Jesus to His disciples that night be applied to me:

^40… Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 26:40-41 (NIV))

The Apostle Paul wrote about another weapon that is used by the followers of Jesus—the Word of God.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17 (NIV))

We wield our sword when we study the Word of God, live by its teaching and teach others from it.  (In contrast to fighting with the sword, commands to be obeyed from the Old Testament are summarized in Matthew 22:37-39 as loving God and loving others.)

There are many people who have given up their lives because they fought for God’s kingdom and chose not to use the weapons of this world.  Instead the chose the weapons of prayer and the Word of God. To them, the battle for the Kingdom of God was worth the cost.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Hebrews 11--a chapter sometimes known as the faith chapter because it begins with a definition of faith and then talks about some of the then famous heroes of the faith: people like Noah, Abraham, Moses and Rahab.

But it is the latter part of the chapter that intrigues the most--ever since I heard Elisabeth Elliot speak on this chapter at the Urbana 79 missions convention.  Verses 32-38 (NIV) read (emphasis mine):


³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. ³⁷ They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated--³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

This memorial day, while we remember those who have fought for our country and given their lives for that cause, let us also remember those for whom this world was not worthy--those who have fought for God’s kingdom and have given their lives for an even better cause.  A good way for us to remember them would be to follow their example in prayer and studying, obeying and teaching others from the word of God.  Let us choose to be good soldiers, never yielding in our allegiance to the King of Kings and laboring hard with the weapons we have—the word of God and prayer.

Rebellion

And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, "Go up and take possession of the land I have given you." But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You did not trust him or obey him. (Deuteronomy 9:23 NIV)

The Israelites did not believe that God would enable them to overcome enemies greater than themselves—so they didn’t go.
Lack of faith—>lack of obedience—>rebellion.

When I shy away from doing something God wants me to do because I don’t have the strength or ability and I don’t trust God to supply I am rebellious.

There have been many times in my life when I have rebelled in this way.There have been times when I have felt inadequate to speak up and did not trust God to supply words to speak.  There have been times when I have refused to serve because I was tired and I did not trust God to supply strength.  At other times I have not served because I felt I lacked the necessary abilities and I did not trust God to supply them.  There have been times when I have not prayed for healing because I did not believe God could heal.  At other times I have not prayed for the lost because I have felt them beyond God’s ability to save.  There have been times when I have not given because I did not believe God could supply.  I have at times not led because I am not a natural born leader and I did not have faith the God would lead through me.

There is a balance in all of this.  If I think that I/we can do something, that is pride.
If I/we act like God can’t or won’t act through me/us, that is rebellion.

God, in this land, I want to trust You.  I am unable to lead people to Jesus, but you can lead through me if I obey.  I barely have words to tell people about Jesus, but I trust you to give me the words.  You are the One Who is able to set people free from the power of sin and addictions.  You are the one who can restore broken relationships.  You are One Who can heal.  You are the one who can provide resources for those who lack them.  Help me to have faith to use me in the process.  For this land is in need of healings, restored relationships and freedom from poverty and from bondage to addictions, idols and sin.

We cannot do these things, but You can.  Help us to act like You can.  Help us to not shy away from engaging with these works of the enemy because of our lack of ability or strength.  Help us to obey your calling, even when it is beyond us, because we trust that You have the power to work through us and You have the resources to supply every need.

One Month

Today marks one month that we have been in Bangkok.

It seems like we have been here much longer than that.  I think one reason for that feeling is the intensity of language school.  Some days we may be introduced to upwards of several dozen new words.  And the grammar can be a bit challenging, as well.  The subject+verb+object placement is similar to English—which helps—but the similarity ends there.

Yesterday we had our first quiz—we’re about half-way through the first module.


Practicing Restaurant Lingo

 


But the good thing about it is that we are recognizing more words that we hear and are able to use what we’re learning in our day to day interactions.

There are frustrating moments when you are not understood because you don’t get the tone just right.  Some people are able to understand us better than others when this happens.  But then there are the exciting moments when we are communicating something that we didn’t learn in class and are understood—like when Ingrid went to ask for kaffir lime leaves from a produce vendor.

Some words can be especially challenging.  The name of the sky train stop that we use in our commute is “Victory Monument”.  The announcer (recorded) says it fairly quickly so I could never quite figure out what she is saying.  Victory Monument is an important landmark so it is useful to be able to say its name.  So I asked our instructor for help and now I can finally say it—though I cannot say I have mastered it.  Now I just need opportunities to practice using it.  And maybe one day I’ll evn be able to write it in Thai

Remembering Dad

We are spending Easter weekend in Bang Saen so we can participate in some of the Easter services at our mission churches.  Last evening (Good Friday) we were able to participate in a beautiful time of worship and prayer at The Life Center.

Good Friday service at The Life Center

While we are here at Bang Saen, we are staying at Samiya Guest house.  At Samiya, there is a shaded area outside where they serve breakfast.  In the eating area there are lots of little statues, including a cluster of pink elephants.

Pink elephants at Samiya guest house

Whenever I see elephant statues, I think of my dad, who had a collection of then on a shelf in the living room.  I don’t know how he actually got started on this, but I always assumed it was because he was such a staunch Republican.  (One time I brought him back from Haiti a  rather garishly painted donkey to add some balance to his collection.)

I didn't have a perfect father, but he was a good one.  One of his values was that all people should be treated equally regardless of nationality, skin color, language, or whatever.  That probably had a large influence on our family hosting exchange students from other countries and hosting black people from a nearby city.  And perhaps that is one reason I am so comfortable traveling to different places and being around people who aren't like me.

So here we are—for the second time in our lives we are living in a country where not only are we part of the minority, but where we look and speak distinctly different from the majority around us.  And while we find it difficult because we can neither speak nor read the language at this point, we are comfortable being here and calling it home.

So, thank you, dad, for teaching us to love those who aren't like us.

Being Honored

Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12 (NLT)

It was Songkran (Thai New Year) celebration in Bang Saen—the last big day.  Pickup trucks carrying drums full of water had traffic paralyzed on the main roads.  Revelers in these trucks and on the street were throwing water at everyone possible—including themselves.  Even the driver of the van we rode from Bangkok had to take back roads just to arrive somewhere near the van station.

Traffic at a standstill in Bang Saen during Songkran celebrations.  Traffic in the right hand lanes is supposed tobe going the other way.

To stay dry and to keep our faces from being plastered with clay, we were walking the back way from where our van dropped us off to our guest house.  (We would have used public transportation, but it wasn’t running due to the traffic situation.)

Children preparing to throw water at us during Songkran celebrations.

One route we had hoped to take was pretty much clogged with partiers, so we decided to back-track half a mile to take a different route.  The hot afternoon sun beat down on us and we were getting weary.  Suddenly, a group of boys came running toward us bearing cups of water.

We were prepared to get doused.  But, instead, the boys had us hold out our hands while the gently poured water over them in a Songkran tradition of honoring elders.  (It is this tradition that has morphed into the present-day water-throwing festivities.)

The water was icy-cold.  Truth-be-told, I would have appreciated it if the boys had dumped this water on our head.  But amidst all the drunken revelry of the New Years celebration, we were honored as elders.  And indeed, we felt honored and blessed by the actions of these children.

Ingrid showing honor to an elder at Wattana church by pouring scented water over her hands.

In Thailand, many people feel that the old Songkran traditions are getting lost and replaced with wild parties and festivities—much like the traditional Christmas in the west has become lost in the hype and materialism of our present-day celebrations.

The Bible tells us to honor our parents.  This commandment seems like an odd one, stuck between the first four commandments about loving God and the last five about loving our neighbor.  Paul calls this the first “commandment with a promise” (Ephesians 6:2).  Clearly, honoring parents has high value to God.

We in America seem to have lost this concept of honoring our parents and elders a long time ago.  Age is seen as an enemy.  Youth and looking young are worshipped.  Old people are sent to homes where they are often forgotten.

This week, an older person, whom I respected very much, went to be with Jesus.  Harold was a gentle, humble man who loved the Lord.  His wife, Marianna, continues to faithfully serve and follow Jesus.  They had recently celebrated their 66th anniversary.  These are two people who deserve to be honored by having water poured over their hands.

Thank you Jesus, for sending people our way to remind us of something that is important to you.

Soi

(NOTE: I normally would not assemble 2 blogs within a day, but with language school starting next week, posts may become more infrequent.  It helped that but Ingrid wrote most of the last one.)

Soi is a term used in Thailand which is hard to define.  Our address is Rachaprarop Soi 14, which means it is a soi off of Rachaprarop Road.

But what is a soi?  Is it a street?  It could be.  But a soi is not always wide enough for a car.  It is usually wide enough for a motorcycle.  (In Thailand, everything is wide enough for a motorcycle—it’s pedestrians that don’t count.)

A soi is a narrow street or passageway.  If it is a street, it may be only wide enough for one car at a time.  Typically there are no sidewalks on a soi.  A soi may go through to another street or soi or it may be a dead end.

On the soi, pedestrians, motorcycles and cars vie for the right of passage.  The general rule is the bigger the object, the more right-of-way it possesses.  So the dog yields to the pedestrian, who yields to the motorcycle, who yields to the three-wheeled vehicle that yields to the car that yields to the truck.  (This is true on sidewalks as well as sois and streets, though in our western way of thinking, a person would have some right-of-way at least on a sidewalk.)

A soi is often full of life.  Vendors set up stands on the side or in store fronts.  There is constant movement.  People buying, people selling, people just passing through.

The soi is where we will meet people.  A soi near our apartment has a fairly sizeable market where vendors hawk fruits, vegetables, meat, cooked foods and dry goods.  We will continue to do a lot of our shopping there.  It will be on the soi that we will practice our Thai and hopefully begin to build some relationships.

A soi is a challenge for me (Edd).  Though I am generally laid back, when I get on a road or a trail I become very destination oriented and I don’t tend to spend a lot of time on the sides.  But a soi is not just a way to a destination, it is a destination.

In some ways, the soi is a picture of our life.  Our life has a destination (either the grave or the return of Jesus), and we will all get to our destination.  The important thing is what happens along the way—all those interactions with pedestrians, vendors, vehicles and other creatures and things we meet on the soi of life.  As we travel the soi, we are to bring life to it with God’s word:

 Impress (the commandments) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:7 NIV)

Some soi scenes:

Life in Bangkok

Many people have asked what life is like for us here in Bangkok.  Following is a description about where and how we live.

We live about a mile east of a major landmark in Bangkok called the Victory Monument.

Victory Monument

The area where we live can be viewed on Google maps here:


We live on the 22^nd floor of a 24 floor “tower” building that also has some smaller buildings attached.

Our apartment is one of 4 on the 22^nd floor with a shared front patio overlooking Bangkok. The patio has a variety of potted plants and shrubs so there is a bit of a backyard/patio feel to it. Our apartment is about 500sq. ft., has 2 main rooms: front room with windows overlooking the patio and a bedroom with a small balcony overlooking the neighborhood to the back. There is air conditioning. Sometimes when its cooler we can open the screen doors to the front and back and enjoy the breeze. There is a bathroom with a full size tub and shower, with flow through water heater.  Most of the time cold showers feel just fine!

The apartment is furnished with a couch and coffee table in both the front room and bedroom. There is a king-sized bed, a wardrobe and a buffet/TV stand type of 2 piece cabinet in the bedroom.  The “kitchen” is very tiny, with tiled floor, walls and counter and stainless steel sink with cold water. The kitchen did not come with cabinets or stove. (no room for it anyway). There is a small fridge.  We bought some shelves and a hot plate and have a large toaster oven.  Most people cook outside, so an indoor kitchen is a luxury here.
Our apartment is close to the elevator and stairs. We leave our front door, walk across the patio a few steps to the right and into another door to get to the elevators.

There are coin operated washing machines on the ground floor or you can get laundry services.  There is a small fitness room on the 6^th floor as well as a good sized pool, which we can use 4x/month for free, and pay to use it after that.  The fitness room has no air conditioning or fans, so you could say free sauna included. 

There are a couple of minimart type shops, a hairdresser and a restaurant in the building on first and/or 2nd floor. 

We see a fair number of foreigners that are living in our building as well as a lot of nurses.


In addition to the shops and services in our building, there are many street restaurants nearby as well as small shops and outdoor markets where we can buy fruit, vegetables and household necessities, etc.

Many buildings have a grey grimy look to them from the pollution and humidity, but ours appears to be fairly recently whitewashed. In the neighborhood there are some big hotel buildings, some smaller apartment buildings and shops, and a big temple complex with lots of small narrow streets connecting them. There are sidewalks, but they are shared with street vendors and motorcyclists coming from all directions. The sidewalks are often made from cement tile which are uneven and loose due to tree roots, drainage, driveways, etc., so you really have to watch your step.  Even at pedestrian crossings there is little respect for pedestrians. There are cuts in the curbs for motorcycles but if you were in a wheelchair you would be hard pressed to get around.

We live a 20 min walk from the sky train (BTS) station at Victory Monument.  From the sky train there is access to the subway and boat taxis along the rivers.  For us to travel to school we take the BTS to the second station to the south, and the school is less than a 5 minute walk from that station.


Locally you can always hop on a motorcycle taxi , regular car or 3 wheeled taxi (tuk tuk).  The car taxis are metered but once in a while you come across a driver who will tell you (once you are on the way) that the meter is not working and will ask some exorbitant price.  Usually taxis are very reasonably priced.  Three wheeled taxis are convenient because they are small and fit into places normal taxis cannot. The drivers are also more like the motorcycle drivers who think that whatever traffic rules there are don’t apply to them.  So they have no qualms about driving the wrong way in a lane or even where there is no official roadway.

There are a lot of high end malls, easily reached by public transport and also many local, less pricey indoor/outdoor malls.  So—no lack of places to shop.


Even though Bangkok is a big city it has several nice parks, including one about a 10 minute walk from here.  It is amazing that you can go into these parks and see very few people and forget that you are in a city of 10 million. 



Most of the buildings have shrubbery or plants growing on balconies, on top or even inside. Even on small narrow streets the shop owners usually have a number of potted plants by their entrance.
Today, we visited and orchid farm and bought an orchid to add to the foliage on our patio.  Makes it feel even more like home.

Pray for us as we live in and move about the city of Bangkok.  Pray that our travels would be safe and that we would begin to make some friends among the millions of people here.