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.

No Looking Back

Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God." Luke 9:62

I admire a person who can drive a tractor in a straight line, especially in hilly areas. The ground is seldom smooth and it takes a bit of skill to keep the tractor going straight.  I remember helping my father-in-law once with the harvest, driving the swather, which we had just repaired.  He chided me because my rows weren't straight (it was my first time doing something like this).  Crooked lines meant the possibility of having to make an extra run or two across the field, which cost time and  money.

Wheat fields on me father-in-laws farm

My father-in-law grew different kinds of crops, but in some places there was no fence or anything between them, there was only a marked pole on either end of the field.  Aim straight for the pole, and you get a straight line.  I could barely see the pole half a mile a way, let alone imagine tracking a straight line across the field to it.  And you couldn't let your eyes get distracted-if you turn around and start looking back, the tractor is liable to get off track. It's like what we were taught in driving school: "Where you look you will steer."  Or, as we read in Proverbs, "Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you." (Proverbs 4:25 ESV)

So it was in Jesus' day.  Someone had told Jesus that he wanted to follow Him, but he told Jesus that he needed to say goodbye to his family first.  Jesus told him that a person who looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.

On the surface, the statement seems a bit harsh, but I can get the point.  If we're trying to go forward with Jesus, yet we keep looking back at what we're missing in our old life, we'll get off track, perhaps turned around completely.

The field is ripe and ready to harvest, Jesus said (John 4:35).  We need to direct our combine straight across the field.

Abundant Harvest

I remember looking back once.  It was my mid-life crisis.  A lot of guys go through that kind of thing, usually when the're in their forties and they start comparing the life they are living with the life they hoped they'd being living at that point.

I had a mid-life crisis as well.  It was a difficult period of my life and I thought about ditching what I was doing and starting over.  But my mid-life crisis only lasted about 30 seconds. Because when I looked back—back to my life before I was a believer—I remembered how miserable I was then.  Why would I want to go back to that?  The present may not have been rosy, but it wasn't that bad.

Canola Harvest 1987

Now we're at the age when we might suffer from nostalgia.  They sometimes refer to this as looking back at the "good old days",  because we have a tendency to only remember the good times.  And there were good times to be sure.  It's fun to look at old photos and reminisce.  But we don't live there.  We rejoice that God allowed us to have those experiences in the past that helped us get to where we are in the present.  We were moving forward then and we're moving forward now.

Paul wrote, "¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14 NIV)

Recycled

The length of our days is seventy years-- or eighty, if we have the strength;
yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Psalm 90:10 (NIV) 

This past week marked a significant event in my life, I celebrated my 5th cycle birthday.

In Thailand, there is a recognition of the Chinese zodiac, though the zodiac year begins on Sonkran (April 13) and not according to the lunar calendar as they do in China.  Because of this, cycles of 12 are more significant than the cycles of ten (decade) that we follow in the west.

I was born in the Year of the Rooster and this year is the Year of the Rooster (until April 12).  Maybe this explains why I naturally get up so early in the morning.

This year was even more special because 5 cycles coincides with 6 decades (5x12)=(6x10).

To celebrate this occasion we went to Phu Phrabat Historical Park, located in Udon Thani province, about a 2 hour drive from our home.  When you're walking around some features that were made by humans 2000 to 3000 years ago, you don't feel so old.  In this case, humans made modifications to some unusual geological features that were there already.

Tower of Nang Usa, one of many ancient features in Phu Phrabat Hirtorical Park

Section of trail in Phu Phrabat Park

Following our morning at this park, we drove north about an hour to Nayung-Namsom National Park.  We had hoped to check out the waterfalls there, but they had already succumbed to dry season and they were now just cliffs in a canyon.  Still, the 2.5 km trail to the falls looped around to Pha Daeng Viewpoint.  We climbed a lot of stairs!

And because there was no water, the park was only kinda open, so we did not have to pay an entrance fee.  The parking area was at the Park Headquarters and one of the staff was very helpful in explaining things.

Pha Daeng (Red Cliffs) Viewpoint in Nayung Namsom National Park

After climbing a while, we got to the steep part.

After the stair climbing, it was time to celebrate in style-stopping at Swensen's in Nong Khai on the way home.  Swensen's may no longer be a thing in North America, but there are quite a few here in Thailand.

I ordered their chocolate lover's sundae with the malted milk balls, because they didn't have what I really wanted.

What I really wanted was a chocolate and coffee lovers' sundae, which would be a modification of this, from top to bottom:

chocolate wafer and cherry

chocolate chips

whipped cream

chocolate covered coffee beans

kahlua

chocolate ice cream

whipped cream

malted milk balls

chocolate syrup

coffee ice cream

hot fudge

Now that's what I want for my birthday!
Are you listening Swensen's?

Bookends 2017

 Each year I like to look back at progress and change through the year by reviewing photos from the first and last days of the year.

January 1st 2017

Our first day of 2017, we were in Barrhead, Alberta, Canada.  It was the last day of our holiday visiting family there. This first picture was taken at the home of Ingrid's sister, Karin, who is pictured here along with her husband, Christian and their parents.




Winter is a bit colder in Alberta than Thailand or central California.  There wasn't a lot of snow, but the temperatures were usually below -15C.  I got used to taking walks on the snow roads and foot paths.  Barrhead is a small town, and one can walk around the whole place in a few hours.  Photo below is a rural scene on the west side of town.  The corn stubble from silage is poking through the thin layer of snow.  Nearby, cattle were feeding off of some hay that had been brought in.



December 31, 2017

A year later the agricultural landscape is a bit different.  Below is a series of slides from a bike ride I took on the last afternoon of the year.  It was not a long ride because I was in recovery on a couple of fronts. First, my elbow was still healing from a hairline fracture I sustained about 10 weeks earlier.  This was only my second ride in over a month.

Second, I had a bad sinus cold for the past week, and in the middle of that, also a bout of food poisoning.  So I wasn't really energetic.

My first stop was at a tapioca (manioc) field. Manioc and rubber are often planted in non-irrigated areas here.  The soil is quite poor, especially in these gently undulating hill landscapes.



Manioc and rubber are both in the plant family Euphorbiaceae.  This is a plant family whose members have a milky latex.  In the case of the rubber trees (below), that latex is used to produce rubber.

The roads around here are often red colored.  That is not typically the color of the native soil, which in these hilly areas is often white.  But, instead, the red material is mined from the deeper layers of the soil, which, when extracted, has the consistency of silt mixed with fine gravel.  Further below is a photo from one of the borrow pits where this stuff comes from.



A more common plant in the Euphorbiaceae family that we know from Christmas time is the poinsettia.  Poinsettias grow wild in some of the mountains of Thailand, but around here we mostly see the hybrid forms sold at this time of year.

Christmas is not much of a holiday here, but the Thai people have borrowed some of the elements of Christmas to blend with their New Years celebration--which is one of the major holidays.  Below is a "New Years Tree" made of poinsettias set up along the banks of the Mekong River in town. (This photo was taken a day earlier)

The snowman reminds me of "Jack" from the commercials in the US.



Another crop I bicycled through was oil palms. Oil palm trees are very pretty because ferns are typically found growing in the notches where the leaves attach to the stem of the tree.  It lends a lush, tropical feel to the landscape. (Or, in less euphemistic terms, it's a reminder that you are in a hot, humid part of the world.)



As I left the hilly area and was approaching town, I came to some old borrow pits that had been used for the red fill material one sees used so much for roads and building construction.  The pits are full of water and the clouds were reflecting nicely in the late afternoon.




A bit closer to  town, I near the rice growing areas.  Much of Isaan is dependent on rainfall to grow crops.  The rainy season rice was harvested about a month ago.  Now these paddies sit idle, serving mostly as an area to graze cattle.



A little lower down, irrigation water is available.  Here they will plant a second crop of rice.  These paddies were flooded a few days ago and, while flooded, were smoothed with a rototiller on a tractor.  Now, the weeds have come up.  I assume they will kill those off with herbicide before planting their next crop.  Soon, these field will be lush green with the new rice.

Almost home now--our house is behind the trees at the back of the rice paddies.



Looking at the rice paddies I am reminded of the rhythms of life.  The farmer plows, then sows, then tends his crops and finally reaps the harvest.  These transient cycles stand in contrast to the permanence of God.


Our days on earth are like grass;
    like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone—
    as though we had never been here.
But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him.
    His salvation extends to the children’s children
of those who are faithful to his covenant,
    of those who obey his commandments!  
Psalm 103:15-18 (NLT) 

Top 12 (or so) 2017

Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!
    Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
    Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise!
    He is to be feared above all gods.
The gods of other nations are mere idols,
    but the LORD made the heavens!
Honor and majesty surround him;
    strength and joy fill his dwelling.
1 Chronicles 16:23-27 (NLT)

It's that time of year when I look back over photos from the past year and reminisce.  This year found us spending a significant amount of time on two different continents.  Traveling back to North America always brings back even more memories.

January-Nicolls Peak



I normally say that I don't have favorites of anything, but there are two places I especially like in California: Morro Bay and Lake Isabella.

Lake Isabella has special memories for us. After we left Haiti in 1993 and after I finished up the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture, I applied for a job in Bakersfield.  I had never heard of the place before, but we got an opportunity to see it for the first time on the way to a conference in Anaheim.  We stopped by there to visit my cousin, Pat, who lived down the street from where this photo was taken.  I remember seeing this mountain for the first time and saying, "I want to climb that mountain," which we did several years later (we each brought some ticks home from that trip).

Our first year in Bakersfield, I drove up to Lake Isabella nearly every weekend.  We put in a garden in my cousin's back yard.  I was a tumultuous year for us.  New job, new town, new church and we were anticipating adopting a child right after we moved.  When the adoption ended up not happening, Pat was a source of comfort and encouragement for us.  She, too, was going through difficult times then.

This was our first visit to Lake Isabella since Pat died (about a year earlier). (More about that here.)  I perhaps felt the impact of losing her the most as I stood to take this photograph and all the memories came flooding back. During this trip, we stayed with her daughter and family, who now live right at the base of Nicolls Peak.

February-Mammatus clouds

During our time in California we were staying with friends in the southeast part of Fresno.  One evening, I was out for a walk and I noticed some strange clouds overhead. I rushed out to an open area so I could get a better view of them before they disappeared.

Turns out these types of clouds are called mammatus clouds which, according to Wikipedia, are are formed by cold air sinking down to form the pockets contrary to the puffs of clouds rising through the convection of warm air.

March-Chinualna Falls trail



My favorite hike to take in Yosemite Park is the Chilnualna Falls trail.  I have been up this trail many times and in almost every month of the year.  Even though my back was acting up, I was determined not to return to Thailand before hiking this trail again.  It was quiet that day, and quite snowy at the top.  Along the trail, except in the dry part of the year, is a spot where a small creek cascades over some rocks before crossing the trail on its way to Chilnuala Creek.  I decided to view it from a different angle this time, stepping off the trail about 50 feet to take this photo.  I didn't have a tripod and had to brace the camera against a tree to get a slower exposure for this picture.

April-Yosemite Valley



The photo for April may be old school and not really awesome as photos go, but it does mark the one time we got to Yosemite Valley during our time in California.  The rivers were running fairly full, and there was snow on the higher parts of our journey.  In a change from previous photos we have taken from this viewpoint, there are the patches of brown trees.  This is a reminder that even if you go back to places you remember from your past, they won't always be as you remember them.

When you live in one place all the time, you may not notice all of the changes because they may be subtle.  But when you only visit every few years, these things can be a bit more obvious.  Time marches on--we change and everything around us changes.

One of the hard things about our current ministry, when we only get back "home" every few years, is that we would like things to be the same as they were when we left.  But they aren't.  This trip to Yosemite made that clear.

May-Move to Phon Phisai



April and May was a time of a lot of movement for us.  Fly back to Thailand to our old home in Wiang Kaen.  Travel by bus to Chiang Mai to pick up our truck.  Drive to Phon Phisai to look for a place to live.  Back to Wiang Kaen to pack our stuff. Drive back to Phon Phisai.  Hop on a bus to Chiang Mai for some team-building activities.  Then bus to Wiang Kaen, pick up our other car and drive back to Phon Phisai.

Then we were home.  Our new home--Phon Phisai at the confluence of the Huai Luang and Mekong Rivers.  Lots of boats.  Lots of different ways to catch fish.

And we were here to catch fish of sorts as well.  When Jesus called his first disciples, his call was, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" (Mark 1:17 NLT)  So we, too, have come to fish for people--not to destroy them but to plant them in streams of life-giving water.

June-Dedicating a new church



What a great time of celebration.  Ajan Nat came up from Chachoengsao for the official kick-off of our new church in Phon Phisai.  After a time of worship and prayer in the morning, we headed to a local swimming pool for some baptisms.  Some of the faces in this photo are no longer in the church--some have moved to other places and others have moved away from Jesus.  But new faces have replaced them.

Some of the young people here are growing fast and it is fun to be a part of their lives as they mature.

We are grateful for the work God has done in the lives of these people and are thankful for those who have remained faithful to Him.

July-Mekong Sunsets



There are a lot of things not to like about rainy season here: flooded roads, mud, oppressive humidity, and everything getting moldy, to name a few.  But there are some positives.  One of the nice things about rainy season is the cloud formations.  Often we go for sunset walks along the Mekong River to enjoy the sunset clouds over Laos. There is a lot of variability and it does not seem to get boring.

When I look at these awesome clouds that bring massive displays of energy in lightning and thunder, I am reminded of the awesome power of our God, which dwarfs all these things.

August-Phu Tawk

When you come to the main intersection in Nong Khai, there is a sign listing a few of the tourist attractions up ahead.  What it does not tell you is how far away they are.  One of the ones listed is only a few kilometers ahead.  Phu Tawk, on the other hand, is a few hours ahead in a different province.

We were unaware of this place, until we drove by it one time on the way to check out a waterfall in adjoining Bueng Kan province.  As we drove by this steep sided hill, we noticed the walkways on the side of it and we decided to go back on another occasion.

What an interesting place.  It is a Buddhist holy site with a temple on the main level and lots of shrines in various places.  there are several levels of walkways, and some look more sturdy than others.   I have no idea who came up with the concept, but if you aren't afraid of heights, it is a fun place to visit.

August-Sunrise in our backyard



I cheated and added a second photo for this month.  Adjoining our yard to the east is what was supposed to be a rice paddy.  However, due to changes in the land drainage, it is too wet for rice (more about that here), and so became a pond throughout the rainy season.

One morning I was sitting at my desk doing my Bible reading, when I noticed this pink glow in the living room.  I decided to investigate, an discovered this awesome sunrise display over the pond.

September-Than Thip Waterfall

One thing we have lots of in rainy season is water.  It's a great time to visit some waterfalls (though some are too dangerous and it is better to visit them when things dry up a little).  On this occasion we traveled to the western extreme of Nong Khai province to find Than Thip Waterfall.  We arrived at the small park to find a deserted parking lot.  Apparently mid-week during the school year is a great time to visit.  We climbed the short trail and waded up the creek a little to get to this spot.  I set my tripod up in the water (happens a lot when you photograph waterfalls) to snap this photo.


October-air plant

Shortly after our arrival here in Phon Phisai, we bought some hanging plants to decorate our window exterior.  We found these interesting combinations of air plant and Spanish moss attached to the seed of a pong pong tree (Cerbera odollam).  Both of the plants belong to the same genus: Tillandsia.  We had no idea that the air plants would ever flower, but were amazed at the purple and yellow combination when they came out.

November-Meeting Lai



I didn't take this photo, but I wanted to include it as an extra for November, because it marked a memorable occasion when we were able to visit our friend, Lai, for the first time in over a year.

More about this encounter here.


November-Sam Roi Yod Beach



November is not the greatest time to visit Sam Roi Yod, because it can be the stormiest time of year.  Indeed, the red flags were flying on the beaches during most of our stay.  Still, it is our favorite place to hang out in Thailand because it is quiet and mostly undiscovered by tourists.  There is a nice mix of mountains, beaches, mangroves, freshwater mashes and rivers.

It seems like there is never a good time to take a vacation, but I learned during our last term that burnout comes too easily if we're not careful.  This was our first break since returning to Thailand and all the stress of moving, saying goodbye, making new friends, learning our way around new places and learning how to work with new team members had caught up to us.

While we stayed in Sam Roi Yod, we got to meet missionaries from other countries and even some fellow missionaries from another part of Isaan that we had not met before.

December-Christmas Celebration



One of the interesting things about our job is that you never know who you may end up working with.  Here in Phon Phisai, God has placed in our lives a group of pre-teen girls who have been interested in learning English, learning about Jesus, baking cookies and, for two of them, learning to play guitar.

On December 27th, our church had its first-ever Christmas outreach event.  About 60 people came that evening.  What a joy it was to hear there girls get up and sing some songs about the birth of our Savior in both English and Thai (and even a little Spanish).  And while the vocals may not have been the highest quality (we still have time to work on that), there was lots of enthusiasm. (Some more about that evening here.)

What a great way to finish up a year.