So, back where I left off...
During the rest of our training on Friday we learned about Thai culture. Interesting stuff! First, no one typically has furniture in the villages, and you want to do your best to sit with your feet covered - boy, it was interesting learning how to sit on the floor like that for 2 hours at a time!! Also, in Thailand, you take off your shoes before entering a house - sometimes even general public places, depending on how casual or formal it is. This got to be very 2nd nature (for the most part) and it was interesting to see how even little children who could barely walk and who did not obey their parents ALWAYS took their shoes off. Just goes to show how if something is ingrained and expected, kids can obey! We also learned that if a Thai person offers you a glass of water, you NEED to accept it... you don't need to drink it and you won't offend anyone if you don't drink it. But if you don't take it, well, you are being extremely rude and disrespectful. Also, if you are at someone's home and they say "Do you want a cookie?" you should wait until they ask the 3rd time to accept. If you say no, they will ask again until you either say yes or no on the third time. If you accept before the 3rd time, you are being greedy!
We learned a bunch more, but I cannot remember it all :) While I was there I did learn how to say "thank you" in 3 different dialects - Thai, Lahu and Lisu - that latter two are tribal languages spoken in the north. I also learned to say "hello" in Thai and Lahu, and "I don't understand" in Thai. Not a ton, but you know, it worked. I had a translator with me the entire time we were in villages (she was awesome, more on her later) and in the city we were usually with one of the Jessens (who all speak some Thai, except for the dad, Kelly) or Ben who is pretty fluent. All of the language stuff made me that much more determined to continue learning French here at home. Mark grew up in France and is pretty fluent and I've been learning a teensy bit and trying to learn but honestly, I've been slacking. We want to teach the boys while they are young, so I need to be a lot more dedicated. I know some Spanish (it's one of the most common languages spoken in the world) and since French is spoken in lots of places around the world too (Canada, France, lots of Europe, Haiti, some of Africa and some of Australia) I figure that's where I'm going to put my effort.
Back to Thailand - after lunch at the hotel we went out and about in the heart of Chiang Mai - Thai Pei Square. There is a built-in remnant of the moat that used to surround the whole city and during November, there are several Buddhist celebrations that take place there. Surprisingly, they are all very reminiscent of Christianity and Easter - water washing away our sins, lights & lanterns to send our prayers up to Heaven - interesting to say the least. It was pretty neat to walk around the city. Also pretty sad. You go so quickly from seeing something beautiful to seeing something tragic or disturbing. In general, people don't care about other people or cleanliness. It's so odd to me... as Americans, we like things to be neat and orderly. I actually spent some time talking with a few people on our team about this difference - whether it is just strictly cultural or personal or a Christian thing to want to clean things up. More on that later as well :)
During our short jaunt in the city, we were able to share the gospel with a Buddhist man named Amnoi (I'm sure that is not how you spell it, but that's how it sounds). He was receptive to hearing it but certainly bound by the fear of what evil spirits would do to him if he prayed to God. He admitted several things that were contradictory to his beliefs but could not make the leap of faith to trusting God instead. He said that he goes to the temple and offers sacrifices to Buddhist monks... did you know that monks only receive what people give them? So, their faith requires them to trust in other people to sacrifice out of fear for well-being in order to survive...??? It makes me so glad that my well-being rests in God's hands, regardless of how many people trust in Him. Interesting for sure. Anyway, we found many people who agreed that God seems more powerful and nicer, but they were still fearful. And you simply cannot talk someone into trusting God more than fearing evil, the Spirit has to open their eyes and hearts.
That was the hardest part of the trip - trusting God to turn people towards Himself. You see hardness and sadness and people despairing but still refusing to walk in His ways... I got very discouraged a few times about it. At one point I was wishing that Jesus would come back right at that moment and end all the despair and destruction. Even though I do look forward to Christ's return, I never longed for it like I did then. It's easy in America so think that things are good and well. They are most certainly not. Yes, I'm having a good time living here in McMinnville, Oregon... but that doesn't mean that I should take heart b/c of how good my life is right now. I should take heart b/c God has overcome the world! And many of you emailed me in my despair and reminded me of that. God has His plan, I can trust that it is good and I can be satisfied knowing that I was working in what God had laid out for me, accomplishing His work and that those people's salvation is not dependent on how well I tell the story or how well I show compassion. It's dependent on Him alone. That is mind blowing when you think about it for more than 2 seconds!
Anyway, that pretty much sums up day #1. Ha! I'll be lucky to finish sharing about this trip by the end of the year!! On another note, Mark is job hunting this week, and probably some of next week too. We're looking anywhere for IOS programming jobs... he's applied to almost 40 so far, has had some interviews and some appointments... we'll keep you posted! Mark's goal is to put a lot of effort into seeking out a job, and if one does not line up, we'll trust that doing all this stuff on our own without an employer is the route to continue on. If he has several offers... well, we'll see! Keep us in prayer as this may require fast thinking with lots of wisdom. We both trust that if God moves us somewhere crazy, that's where He has ministry for us (besides the actual income-earning job). Hope you enjoy the Thailand photos!
During the rest of our training on Friday we learned about Thai culture. Interesting stuff! First, no one typically has furniture in the villages, and you want to do your best to sit with your feet covered - boy, it was interesting learning how to sit on the floor like that for 2 hours at a time!! Also, in Thailand, you take off your shoes before entering a house - sometimes even general public places, depending on how casual or formal it is. This got to be very 2nd nature (for the most part) and it was interesting to see how even little children who could barely walk and who did not obey their parents ALWAYS took their shoes off. Just goes to show how if something is ingrained and expected, kids can obey! We also learned that if a Thai person offers you a glass of water, you NEED to accept it... you don't need to drink it and you won't offend anyone if you don't drink it. But if you don't take it, well, you are being extremely rude and disrespectful. Also, if you are at someone's home and they say "Do you want a cookie?" you should wait until they ask the 3rd time to accept. If you say no, they will ask again until you either say yes or no on the third time. If you accept before the 3rd time, you are being greedy!
We learned a bunch more, but I cannot remember it all :) While I was there I did learn how to say "thank you" in 3 different dialects - Thai, Lahu and Lisu - that latter two are tribal languages spoken in the north. I also learned to say "hello" in Thai and Lahu, and "I don't understand" in Thai. Not a ton, but you know, it worked. I had a translator with me the entire time we were in villages (she was awesome, more on her later) and in the city we were usually with one of the Jessens (who all speak some Thai, except for the dad, Kelly) or Ben who is pretty fluent. All of the language stuff made me that much more determined to continue learning French here at home. Mark grew up in France and is pretty fluent and I've been learning a teensy bit and trying to learn but honestly, I've been slacking. We want to teach the boys while they are young, so I need to be a lot more dedicated. I know some Spanish (it's one of the most common languages spoken in the world) and since French is spoken in lots of places around the world too (Canada, France, lots of Europe, Haiti, some of Africa and some of Australia) I figure that's where I'm going to put my effort.
Back to Thailand - after lunch at the hotel we went out and about in the heart of Chiang Mai - Thai Pei Square. There is a built-in remnant of the moat that used to surround the whole city and during November, there are several Buddhist celebrations that take place there. Surprisingly, they are all very reminiscent of Christianity and Easter - water washing away our sins, lights & lanterns to send our prayers up to Heaven - interesting to say the least. It was pretty neat to walk around the city. Also pretty sad. You go so quickly from seeing something beautiful to seeing something tragic or disturbing. In general, people don't care about other people or cleanliness. It's so odd to me... as Americans, we like things to be neat and orderly. I actually spent some time talking with a few people on our team about this difference - whether it is just strictly cultural or personal or a Christian thing to want to clean things up. More on that later as well :)
During our short jaunt in the city, we were able to share the gospel with a Buddhist man named Amnoi (I'm sure that is not how you spell it, but that's how it sounds). He was receptive to hearing it but certainly bound by the fear of what evil spirits would do to him if he prayed to God. He admitted several things that were contradictory to his beliefs but could not make the leap of faith to trusting God instead. He said that he goes to the temple and offers sacrifices to Buddhist monks... did you know that monks only receive what people give them? So, their faith requires them to trust in other people to sacrifice out of fear for well-being in order to survive...??? It makes me so glad that my well-being rests in God's hands, regardless of how many people trust in Him. Interesting for sure. Anyway, we found many people who agreed that God seems more powerful and nicer, but they were still fearful. And you simply cannot talk someone into trusting God more than fearing evil, the Spirit has to open their eyes and hearts.
That was the hardest part of the trip - trusting God to turn people towards Himself. You see hardness and sadness and people despairing but still refusing to walk in His ways... I got very discouraged a few times about it. At one point I was wishing that Jesus would come back right at that moment and end all the despair and destruction. Even though I do look forward to Christ's return, I never longed for it like I did then. It's easy in America so think that things are good and well. They are most certainly not. Yes, I'm having a good time living here in McMinnville, Oregon... but that doesn't mean that I should take heart b/c of how good my life is right now. I should take heart b/c God has overcome the world! And many of you emailed me in my despair and reminded me of that. God has His plan, I can trust that it is good and I can be satisfied knowing that I was working in what God had laid out for me, accomplishing His work and that those people's salvation is not dependent on how well I tell the story or how well I show compassion. It's dependent on Him alone. That is mind blowing when you think about it for more than 2 seconds!
Anyway, that pretty much sums up day #1. Ha! I'll be lucky to finish sharing about this trip by the end of the year!! On another note, Mark is job hunting this week, and probably some of next week too. We're looking anywhere for IOS programming jobs... he's applied to almost 40 so far, has had some interviews and some appointments... we'll keep you posted! Mark's goal is to put a lot of effort into seeking out a job, and if one does not line up, we'll trust that doing all this stuff on our own without an employer is the route to continue on. If he has several offers... well, we'll see! Keep us in prayer as this may require fast thinking with lots of wisdom. We both trust that if God moves us somewhere crazy, that's where He has ministry for us (besides the actual income-earning job). Hope you enjoy the Thailand photos!
This food looked so appetizing and scary at the same time - any guess for how long those bowls have been sitting out there?? Eesh!
One of the many temples scattered every few blocks throughout Thailand.
Everything is very ornate in Thailand.
Very golden too!
They sure know how to make buildings look pretty.
All the details are beautiful.
One area inside a gated temple where people can burn incense and make offerings.
A truck of Monks catching a ride. Jerek (a guy on the trip) thought this was awesome :)
Another area where a person can leave offerings.
I was extremely happy to end the afternoon with Starbucks! Although, they did not have the Chai concentrate to make my usual drink but my smoothie was still delicious :)
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