Welp, thisn will prolly be long. We left last Monday to head out to Sarapi (that's not how you really spell it) and spent the first afternoon getting settled
and our host P-Nis took us to meet some ladies de-stemming lonkin berries to be taken to a factory where they dehydrate, separate, and bag them to be shipped to china. It was a lot of fun, and we got to meet the lady who co-runs it and one if the guys that actually manages the production. That was a lot of fun.
Each day we woke up and ran, save two, then ate breakfast, I would take my dip bath and we would head to school. On the way home from school one day and the following morning we got to learn how to make koa dtang which the Thai version of rice crispies. And remember, this is nothing sophisticated like the lonkin factory, this is just people in a house making a crspload of these things and how they make their living. But they still let us keep the ones we made and gave us food when we visited. I'll get back to that. Also running on one of the mornings one of our group got separated and lost for about an hour and a half. That was fun. And Wednesday Thursday and Friday nights we would go to the obata to play footban and wolleyban.
At school we would teach the first and second grades from 11 to 12, eat lunch til one, the have the third and fourth grades til 2 and the fifth and sixth grades til 3 then head home. The kids were a lot of fun.
Then Saturday and Sunday were those villages' sport days. Saturday the villages came together for volleyball, football, and bachi ball competitions. Lots of food and vendors of random things. Then on Sunday they had a fun parade and big opening ceremony followed by fireworks. Then came the championship mend football game followed by lots of rec games like egg toss and sack racing and balloon stomping and whatnot. And we left around 130ish.
The whole week was good. No it was pretty amazing. It's such a different way of life, and yet felt so comfortable. The only time I really felt akwars or out of place was when we were at our residence because even though they were so sweet, and loving and kind, I still felt like an intruder in their lives. And they treated it like a home stay (which is like a Thai b&b, where people open their homes for people to rent out for short periods of time) so they basically took care of everything, and wouldn't even let us help.
But no matter where they took us, or how little people has when we got there, we were given water and fresh fruit or snacks and such, and it's so humbling to think that these people can so easily give of whatever they have for a stranger and I struggle to let go of a few bot. We were given the best if everything. So it really was an education in Thai culture, an they do a lot of things better than we do. Of course my rationalizing side makes the case for the fact that we were farangs visiting their village, which doesn't happen often, and they want to make sure they look good for their karma points. Idk.
But we had a lot of down time, not as much as you would think, but I finished up the signature of Jesus by brennen manning. I loved it. And I also had plenty of time to pray and sort of get my mind together and focused. Didn't journal as much as in had planned on, but each night beca, lili and i worshipped together, singing and reading and praying, and again, I love how God will coordinate things so that what in reading in one thing gives me insight here, and how they compliment and expound on each other.
Out in a village near where we stayed is a couple that came with ISC and have been out in that village for the past month for their intro to Thai culture and we got to spend some time with them. We also got lost going out there one day on bike. The village roads are almost as bad as backwoods Cajun roads.
Teaching was a fun challenge, being as we were alone and most of the kids didint speak hardly any English, but it helped our Thai. And I spoke with an Englishman who lived in our village and did tutoring and partime teaching in the school and he gave me some sites to check out getting my ESL or EFL certificate and coming back to CM or elsewhere in the world to teach. So there's some food for thought.
The most exciting thing is Beca was playing with his son, so Joseph could speak decent English as well, and led him to Christ. The thing is his mom is a major bhuddist. And his dad seemed apathetic towards religious ideas. So be in prayer for that young believer who is probably the only one in his village.
There is a lot of spiritual battles going on over her as well. Like how rob and jordan (the isc couple) live next to a young man who is a medium, or a person who does ceremonies to invite spirits into himself. And a few other things that have happened to them. So be in prayer that we are all covered and able to withstand such attacks. Satan likes his little kingdom and doesn't want anything to disturb it. We went to eat tonight and walking back to our appartment building we saw stickers on street lights that mocked Christ and stated "save Thai culture". (the website it listed was loljesus.com I believe. Haven't looked yet) but it was jsut another reminder that we are facing a large opposition in peoples hearts that Satan is trying to harden and blind hearts around us and drive us out. But people here are so hungry, searching for anything to fill a void in their lives. A lot of that is destructive in nature, especially among the younger people.
Worship on Sundays is awesome though. It reminds me so much of house church and is becoming more like that idea. I love it. The three of us also started teaching at North Chiang Mai University. It's actually a paid position, so praise God there for again providing in way unexpected ways. But it is also putting us in touch with a lot of young people who are looking to work on their English, such may get some of them joining us at Baan Kanoon. So praise God there for how He opens doors and opportunities to draw people to himself.
Thank you for reading through my ramblings. There is more but I feel like I'm already pushing the limit of readability. Love you all. Til next time, adiós.
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