I ended the year 2011 at Baan Santisuk celebrating Christmas and bringing in the New Year with the Lawa people!

I had so much fun, spending the night first in Baan Dong with my friend Rose, and then the rest of the time in Baan Santisuk. At Rose’s house I had fun hanging out with her family, teaching her mom some English, and roasting marshmellows over their ”fire place” as I call it.  We made ourselves a nice comfy bed on the floor and…I slept so great! I don’t know why, but I really sleep well on the floor!

Roasting the marshmellow!

Yummos!!!

The next morning Rose began looking for trucks heading down to town that we could catch a ride with. Sure enough, one showed up. We jumped on the back and I got to stand in the bed of the truck the whole 45 min. drive down the mountain! UNBELIEVABLE! The beauty is unable to be described! Once we got to the town of Mae La Noi we hopped in the back of another truck and went to Baan Santisuk.

Cruising on the back of the truck!!

Baan Santisuk was so much fun. It honestly felt like a family reunion…even to me! Between my Lawa friends in Chiang Rai and Lawa friends in Chiang Mai I realized I’ve gotten to know a lot of Lawa people. Seeing that most of my friends are Lawa, there is a chance I follow Lawa culture more than I follow Thai culture. While this Christmas celebration was a new experience to me, I felt right at home. It was great coming together with friends from both of my churches and seeing people I’ve met in the past from village visits. Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate Jesus. It’s awesome to see so many believers in the Lawa tribe. My prayer is for the whole people group to be saved. Speaking of Lawa people being saved, I’d like to put out a special prayer request:

I have a good Lawa friend who is from a village called Naa Fawn. Before my friend, Phop, and his family got saved there were no believers in his village. Now it’s his family and one other who are believers. They’ve been praying and evagelizing…contending for the Lord to break in on the heart’s of the people in their village. Just the other night I talked with Phop, asking how his family was doing with their church. He proceeded to tell that it’s been tough because the head of the village is getting ready to set up a meeting with his family to ask them to leave the village. While being a christian is not against the law in their village, the leader has made it clear they do not want christianity there. Please pray for the Lord to break in on this leader’s heart, to reveal himself to this man…I believe his name is Thon. Phop and his family are very sad right now and I believe a bit discouraged. They’ve been praying for and believing for revival in their village. My prayer is what the enemy means to use for destruction the Lord would turn it around for his glory, the village leader would get saved, and instead of Phop’s family being asked to leave-the temples would be destroyed and buddhism would be taken out. Please stand in prayer with us for revival in Naa Fawn.

"Growing in Christ" was the theme for this year's Lawa celebration

Lots of fun moments!

A very treasured friend, Jiab!

My buddy, Phop--please pray for his village to experience revival!

After the New Year I headed back to Chiang Rai for about 4 days before going to Mae Sariang for a wedding.  A friend from Sookkasem was getting married. Again, a Lawa wedding, but this one was a bit different. Jiab’s wedding was fully Lawa and followed Lawa customs. James’ wedding, however, was very much like a farang wedding. She was stunning, dressed in a beautifully modest white wedding dress and her (now husband) was looking oh so handsome in his white tux. The very Lawa part of the wedding, though, was that it was PACKED OUT! We actually watched the wedding from outside, on TV screens. Unfortunately I couldn’t see much of the wedding. However, Sookkasem let me join them when they sang a special song for them. As we stood on stage across from the Bride and Groom and sang, my heart melted as I watched P. Seph (the Groom) just sob. It was one of the sweetest moments. I was so grateful to be able to go to this wedding. I believe James and P. Seph have a very sweet and special relationship. There is a true purity and holiness in this relationship that was extremely evident that day. It felt like an honor to be invited to be a part of this day and celebrate with them. It was a blast to see all my Sookkasem friends again, too. I just love every moment that I get to be with them. They really do feel like family to me!

Sookkasem Church with James and P. Seph

I’m working on some small writing projects for Ezekiel Rain, one of them being about worship and it’s importance to us as a ministry. I wrote my first decent draft and had Kelli check it out. It wasn’t bad except I missed something rather important…intimacy in worship. I thought to myself, “How did I skip out on this?” I began re-working what I wrote and reading notes from Stephen Venable’s class on Night and Day Prayer. At the same time I had a Grace Kim Worship with the Word set playing from IHOP and she was singing, “Oh I just want a heart that is fully in love.” Tears welled up in my eyes as I read quotes from Stephen’s class of how easily we forget Jesus himself in worship…that when we think of worship we should think of Jesus. I just kept thinking, “I did the same thing! How could I have written about worship but hardly mentioned the name of Jesus himself?” Sure, I talked about the throne room and how He is worthy because He’s God–but it goes so much deeper. It made me realize how quickly I can forget to just fix my eyes on this beautiful man. I began thinking of my quiet times in the morning…have I just simply adored Jesus? When was the last time I sat down and just simply declared my love to Him?

Mary of Bethany suddenly came to mind, anointing Jesus with her costly perfume; I thought of the “sinful woman” who entered the house of the pharisee and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears. What love…what adoration. I opened up to Psalm 45, a very precious Psalm to me in moving to Thailand. I read the verse that says to leave your people and your father’s house for the King desires your beauty…bow down to Him.

My initial response to all this was…”Why did I ever leave IHOP? That was my job to just love Jesus through worship…I just want to go back to that where it was next to impossible to lose sight of Jesus.” It was heart-breaking to realize I lost focus of the One who really, truly matters. Worship has become something I’ve talked about and done so much of, but I kind of lost focus of who it was all about. Yes, I was still singing to Him…at least using His name, but my heart hasn’t been set in that sweet and simple adoration.

Around that same time I had a brief conversation via skype with a friend (I know…getting a little off focus) but he mentioned taking his youth group through the Gospels. It was then I thought about the fact that it had been weeks since I just meditated on the life of Christ:

I stopped to simply remember the man Christ Jesus-the beautiful One, the one who has made God known, who has been since the beginning…the I AM. He’s the One who looked with compassion on a crowd of 5,000 and fed them from 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. He’s the man who, in His great love, healed the sick, caused the blind to see and the lame to leap. When everyone condemned the prostitute, He was the one to show mercy. He’s the tender one who wept with his friends at the loss of their brother, even though He knew in just a matter of moments He would raise him from the dead. The loss of his dear friend and cousin, John, caused Him to pull away to a desolate place. He was zealous for His Father’s house to be a place of worship. He put His life on the line time and again, saying controversial things, His heart longing for the “religious ones” to see Him for who He was. He’s the one who left the glory He had with the Father since the beginning of time to become like one of us, so we could be with Him forever. He gave everything up for us to forever become a man just so we could be with Him where He is. He endured unimaginable pain and hostility as He gave His life up on the cross, never losing sight of the joy set before Him. When all of His friends, His closest friends deserted, rejected, and denied Him, He responded with mercy and forgiveness and then appointed them to go out into all the world and preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God. And now…now He is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, anticipating the day of His return in which He will rule and reign on this earth forever.

It’s humbling to admit the truth–the intercessory missionary lost focus, but I’m grateful for His kind and gentle reminder-drawing me back to simply remembering and gazing upon Him. I won’t write the paper the same, and I’m thankful for that, too.

I write this because writing helps me process my thoughts, but because others may be in the same place-worshiping and singing the songs about all the things He does, but not taking the time to stop and adore, to draw near and meditate on the beautiful man, Jesus. We serve a BEAUTIFUL God. There’s no one other one like Him. No other religion can speak of a man who laid everything He had down for the sake of love-to draw us after Him-while we were still sinners. He’s gracious, compassionate, abounding in steadfast love. At the same time He’s a jealous lover, a warrior, and a King. None can compare to Him! He’s One we should give of our time to simply gaze upon and think about. His life is one in which we should take the time to meditate upon and ponder. We will left completely and utterly undone, ruined by His great love and mercy.

I remember before even coming to Thailand, people would ask me if I thought I’d go to a Thai church. My response was always, yes, I think so and then I’d go on to explain that I may even go to this one particular church that this girl Jazzy had been a part of (this was before I knew Jazzy was moving back to Chiang Mai). That church I talked about attending is Sookasem. I had all these fears, though, because I had heard so many stories over the years of missionaries being used and abused by the people they were serving. Haha…I was so nervous. It didn’t take me long, though, to realize I didn’t need to fear these things with my church. I was actually so shocked by how much they reached out to me, by their graciousness for all my cultural mistakes I made, the way they served me, and even gave to me. They would go out of their way over and over again to make me feel comfortable. (I should just say…those things have not stopped…it wasn’t just because I was a newbie…it’s just who they are). They just opened wide their doors to me!

I’ll never forget my first “fun outing” with a few friends. Jazzy invited me to go to Doi Taow with her and a few other friends one day. Doi Thaow is about 2 hours or so out of Chiang Mai and there is a sister church to Sookasem there, started by one of their former members. I was so excited the days leading up to going. When I woke up it was raining. Since I had only been studying Thai for a month, all my communication with Jazzy took place through Joel. Joel called to tell me our “fun outing” was canceled. I cried! I was so disappointed and not much later, the rain stopped. It wasn’t long after that Jazzy called and said they were still going if I wanted to go. Of course I went. That day was my first motorbike ride with a Thai, Jiab, who became one of my first Thai friends. We still laugh about how she thought I was scared because I sat so completely still, she wasn’t sure I was on the bike. Everytime we stopped she’d say, “You can move, it’s okay.” I started to become more relaxed and allowed myself to move a little bit.

The day in Doi Taow was so much fun. Jazzy, Jiab, Sonyaa, and Wuu all came up. Pastor Ras made Som Tam for lunch-my first time to eat it and I LOVED it! She actually made me my own special “farang” dish because I couldn’t handle the amount of spice they would eat. So sweet… We hung out, ate, talked, and then had a time of worship and prayer together. I played piano and led and the worship leader from their church came in and joined and played guitar with me. It was so sweet.

When it was time to leave it looked like rain could come and sure enough it did. Now, I did have rain gear with me, but I didn’t realize that all I needed to do was tap Jiab on the shoulder and ask her to pull over so I could put it on. So I rode on the back of the bike for a good hour, getting soaked, while my rain gear remained in my bag. When we finally stopped somewhere so everyone else could buy a poncho, I pulled out mine and Jiab starts flipping out! We both started laughing as she explained I could have just asked her to pull over and she would have been so happy to let me put it on. Oh well…at least I got to suffer with the rest of them. We were so cold and soaked to the bone. 3 hours on a motorbike in the pouring down rain…a day I’ll never forget. We still laugh about it now.

My First "Fun Outing" up to Doi Taow

Then there was my first church camp. That’s when I discovered the Thai people really love to take pictures! I also found out that a western breakfast in their mind is ham sandwhiches…with ketchup and sweetened condensed milk. I had to do a little clarifying there. I really had a good time at the camp but I remember feeling at times a little bit awkward and out of place. None the less it was a lot of fun.

First Church Camp

The second church camp I went to I felt a lot more comfortable and a part of the group. I kind of knew what to expect. This time for breakfast we ate tuna sandwhiches with sweetened condensed milk. Again,  I had to clarify that wasn’t a typical western breakfast, but totally fine. Yes, I did eat it, in case you’re wondering. I did have a rather embarassing moment at this camp.  We were up in Doi Taow again, and again, it rained while we were there and the yard was a soppy, muddy mess. I had come a little bit later than some of the others and had taken a shower right before coming so as not to worry about having to take one there if I didn’t want to. Knowing we were leaving around noon the next day I decided it just wasn’t necessary to take a shower. For whatever reason, everyone asked me if I was taking a shower and everytime I said no they all started teasing me and saying I was going to stink. I just laughed with them and didn’t worry about it. After I brushed my teeth, it was raining, and so Wuu,being such a gentleman, got an umbrella and started walking me across the yard to where I was sleeping. He also asked me if I was going to take a shower. Just as I begin to tell him no and explain why, I take a step down a tiny hill that’s completely mud and suddenly I find myself frantically trying to keep myself balanced until I just land smack in the mud. Laughing, I looked up at Wuu, and said, “I guess I will take a shower.” The rest of the night and into the next day the joke was that God really wanted me to take a shower so that’s why I fell in the mud. The next day I got my dream come true of riding in the back of an open bed truck. The only bummer was, it started raining again. Phii Da was so kind to make me a plastic bag jacket and head covering for the truck ride. I remember trying so hard to scrunch down in the back of the truck and stay dry. It wasn’t working and really I was rather uncomfortable so I finally sat up, rain smacking my face and my hair sopping wet I looked over at Phii Da and yelled, “I LOVE THAILAND!” Sure I was cold and wet, but, as Pastor Jamie said to me when we stopped for the first time, I was getting a true Thai experience. It still remains to be one of my favorite.

Then there was my first all nighter at church…or almost all nighter, 9  pm- 3 am. What made that night so special is that’s the night I met my friend, Rose. I had no idea where she came from, but suddenly she was there and actually living at Sookasem. That whole night she talked to me and had me laughing so much. I loved her and from that point on we were friends!

Rose and I

My first village visit was with my church for Jiab’s wedding. I already wrote 3 posts on that one so I won’t go into it. It was just simply the best time ever and I’m so glad I got to be a part of that special day for Jiab.

I also made my first real western friend (apart from my team members) at Sookasem. How did I get so fortunate that the one other missionary couple that is now part of Sookasem Church happens to be some the coolest people ever?! I don’t know! I love Ric and Sharon Bruce and could write a whole blog on what I’ve learned from them! Sharon has been such a great friend-so fun to be with at church but also someone I’ve so easily been able to open up and share my heart with. What a gift! 

Sharon and I at a church camp

Besides the bigger events I learned how to eat “Thai style” at my church  and experience all kinds of different foods. I learned a little about how guys puruse girls (not from personal experience). I learned Thai hospitality. Church is where I really learned to speak Thai. I learned about the struggle a person goes through to follow Christ and deny their family and culture. Through my friends and their lifestyle of living I’ve learned life is more fun when you keep it more simple. My church, being predominately hill tribe, gave me a love for the hill tribe people.

This year was a life changing year. I could go into a long story of the journey of my heart over the last year, my first year of living in Thailand, but I won’t at this time. I just wanted to take a moment to remember the fun times–all the things I got to experience for the first time with friends from my church. I regularly thank God for a community of Thai believers that I could be friends with. Chiang Mai, Thailand has become a home because of these special friends.  

I thank God Chiang Rai is only 3 hours away and I’ll still see everyone once a month, at times maybe even more, but it makes my heart sad to know this season of being a part of their lives on an almost daily basis is coming to an end. I think of all the Sun. meals I’m going to miss, the Thurs. nights of worshiping together, all of the spontaneous dinners together, the just “hanging out” after church and Free Worship and it makes me sad. All in all, I’d much rather be sad about leaving because it means my heart did connect and I have real relationships here and for that I’m grateful!

"I Love This Place!"

Finally after all our visiting we headed back to the place where we were staying. We gathered our belongings and drove back over to Pastor Jamie’s village to meet more families. There we met Tek’s family and Gay’s family. Both of their families are christians. There we prayed and blessed those families. Finally it was time to begin the long drive home. This time I had to ride in the cab of the truck. I was disappointed, but happy to be with Jazzy, Rose, and Ning. On our way out the village we made a stop or two picking up a few guys who just jumped in the back of the pick-up truck. As we headed down the mountain one of them knocked on the window. That was our sign to stop and drop him off. I just laughed to myself…this is the way life works in the village. Pick some people up, drop them off, and keep on going…no big deal. Who needs taxis??

Most people slept the first part of the way home. I tried to sleep, but couldn’t. The whole time I sat thinking about my time their in the village. My heart was sad to leave. What an amazing time it was! There’s nothing like the beauty of the mountains and the simplicity of life. It’s all about relationship…I loved it. I started dreaming about what it would be like to live in a village like this and plant a house of prayer there. Could there be a more perfect place? I imagined the doors being opened and the praises ringing through the mountain air. I imagined people in the fields working and talking about the worship with the Word set the night before. I thought about how the presence of God would rest in that village and how their crops would be plentiful. People would talk about the village that had a house for God…different from any spirit house…and how that village would be so different from any other. It would be village marked with joy. I began trying to figure out how in the world I could get back to the village and do this very thing! For the first time I really, truly contemplated living in Thailand long term.

I also thought back to all the conversations I had with my friends there. During this trip I really fell in love with friends from church. It was so amazing to see them in their home village-in their element. I felt like I really began to understand them and I loved it. I love their lifestyle they’ve come from. I loved seeing how alive they were being back in the place that is so comfortable and familiar to them. I loved meeting the families of so many. Rose and I spent so much time together, talking about anything and everything. We talked about how to hear the voice of God…how he really does speak to us! We talked about the power of songs and how often secular music causes us to set our minds on things of this world and not on Christ. I was so grateful for the depth we were able to get to, though the language barrier puts limitations on the words we can use. Beyond the heart-to-heart conversations, I loved laughing with friends…creating memories together. Really…I love the people from my church. They are so beautiful!

One of My Greatest Gifts...my Friendship with Sharon. She and Her Husband Ric are Here with New Tribes and Go to Sookasem as well. I LOVE Sharon and it has Been the GREATEST Blessing to Be Friends With Her!

When we got back to the city my heart just sank. I had left my bike at the entrance of my neighborhood and so I told our driver to just drop me off on the road. As I drove into my neighborhood I looked around at all the big houses. I started thinking about all the stuff I had. I got home and walked in my room and saw my big comfy bed. I thought about all the good food I eat and all my options I have. Then I started thinking of the village. The houses were simple-wooden and up on stilts…the only furniture was maybe a table and chairs, usually a TV, and often a big thing that looked like a loom where the ladies made blankets and purses. I thought about how everyone slept on mats. I thought about how the food options were limited and yummy. I thought about the fact that life remained the same pretty much everyday. They don’t have a ton of options of things to do so they spend time together when they’re free from work. I started to feel sad…not because they have little…no…I felt sorry for me and for my culture. Though the villagers have less stuff, they have the true richness of life. They know the beauty of building relationships, that’s really of utmost importance to them. They don’t have a million in one things fighting for their attention. It’s like the fasted lifestyle…for real. I was sad for myself that my life consists of so much. Really I just wanted to pack up my clothing, a few books and pictures, and head back to make my home there. Oh the value and beauty of a simple life. Either way…whether I ever live in a village or not…I desire to keep my life at a place of simplicity so that the things that are truly of great worth would come first and all other things would fall in line behind that.

It was by far the highlight of my time here in Thailand. It’s a trip I will remember forever and always enjoy!!! The picture below expresses perfectly how I felt the whole time I was there….

Practicing Our Song for the Wedding

Eating Breakfast with Sharon

 The wedding invitation said it was to start at 9 am so we arrived at precisely 9 am and believe it or not-it had already started. You just never know with Thai time. We stood in the back. Jiab looked amazing! I have no idea what was being said, but it was cool to be there either way. The youth of the village and our church both sang special songs for the bride and groom which was really fun. At one point everyone stood up and started singing a song to the tune of “Hear Comes the Bride.” I was a bit puzzled by it all, but it was cool. I loved looking around at all the guests. People were there in their everyday oufits. Dogs were running around. Men were sitting with towels wrapped around their heads. People were talking. Soda was being handed out. It was not your normal wedding atmosphere. When the wedding was done everyone took pictures with the bride and groom and then the tables were set up and the food began to be served. We ate in someone’s house that was right there in the center of the village. Again, I don’t know what I was eating, but the one dish was like a salad and it was AWESOME!

The Wedding Ceremony

 

What a BEAUTIFUL Bride!

Picture with the Bride and GroomSitting Down Ready to Eat

The Wedding Meal

When we finished eating, we began our journey back to where we were staying so we could pack up and leave. When I say we began our journey…I mean it. We stopped at EVERYONE’S home who we knew. We visited Sonyaa’s family, Rose’s family, Pastor Jamie’s wife’s (Plaa) family, and some other people I didn’t know. Sonyaa, Rose, and Plaa’s family are not christians. Sonyaa’s parents actually oversee the spirit house that is right across from their home. At each home Jazzy or Pastor Kim shared about Jesus and then we prayed for them. It was a lot of visiting, but the more homes we went to the happier I got. How fun is it to just go visiting from home to home with friends that you love to be with. We just talked and ate, and talked and ate, and prayed, and talked and ate. It was a blast! The families would welcome us in, we’d find a seat on the floor, and then they’d serve us drinks and little snacks.

Hanging out at Tek's Home

 

Many Homes Had One Of These...Used for Making Blankets and There are Smaller Ones for Making Purses

There were a few different groups heading up to the village at different times. I went with Pastor Jamie, his family, Rose, Wean, and Pat and they picked me up at 5:30 am. No problem, I wanted as much time in the village as possible!

When Pastor Jamie arrived in his truck, I expected people to be sitting in the bed of the truck, but the back was empty. Feeling disappointed I’d have to ride in the actual cab of the truck I walked towards the door. Suddenly my friend Rose jumped out and asked if I wanted to sit inside the truck or in the back. Pastor Jamie was already laughing and moving things, he knew what my answer would be. I smiled and said, “I’ll sit in the back!” Rose and I jumped in the back, laid out a mat, pulled out some blankets and laid down in the bed of the truck looking up into the black sky. Only one star was in sight. We talked for a little but then decided to try to sleep. I laid snuggled under the blankets for almost an hour. Sleep was impossible…I felt so tired but my heart was so alive. All I could do was thank God for knowing my heart and blessing me with such an awesome opportunity. Finally I decided sleep was not going to happen, I might as well sit up and enjoy watching the beauty as we drive through the mountains. As I sat up Rose popped up as well and we began talking…talking about her village (she lives in the same village as Jiab) and her family. We discussed our childhoods and the things we loved to do as kids. We talked about our homes and what they’re like. We talked about our dreams and the dream of Rose coming to America one day. Before I knew it we were pulling into a village…but it was not Jiab’s village. Apparently we were stopping for breakfast at someone’s house and picking up our buddy Phop. As we pulled up to the home my heart flooded with excitement. I was going to have my first meal in a village home!!!!! I came into the house and was invited to have a seat on the floor. We began chowing down on a special Lawa bread that was more like bread dough unbaked and without flour. Interesting, slightly sweet, but very good. Not long after dish after dish was laid out on the floor for us to eat with our rice. I have no idea what I ate but it was all amazingly good! Wait…I do know that I ate some fish…delicious fish! Shortly after eating we jumped back in the truck and continued on our way. How fun..drop in real quick, eat an incredible meal–no expectations to stay and talk, just enjoy the company while it lasts and then they send us on our way with vegetables and treats!

The ride up to the village was about 4-5 hours with several stops along the way. I couldn’t wait to get to the village but at the same time did not want the ride to end. It was absolutely gorgeous! Talk about a sweet devo. time. While Rose took a nap I pulled out my Bible and meditated on Ps. 89. The whole time I could hear Phop, who joined us after we ate at his house, on the other side of the truck singing and praying. He was having his own devo. time as well. How else can your heart respond when surrounded by such beauty, sun shining down on your face, breeze blowing through your hair, breathing in the fresh crisp morning air of the mountains? There IS only one response and that’s in praise to God our creator who reigns forever and ever!

Once Rose woke up we talked and talked and talked some more. I love that girl!

Rose and I enjoying our ride up to the village!

 The last 30 kilometers were full of twists and turns as we climbed the mountain. Finally, we turned into the village. We made it!!  We stopped at Pastor Jamie’s family’s home first to eat lunch and relax. It was such a joy and honor to see his home where he grew up and meet his beautiful family. I got a special experience at lunch. They brought out what looked like a huge lid to a wicker basket. They then began putting scoops of rice around the outside and then placed the dishes of food on the inside. No plates-we all ate of this one big round wicker “bowl.” So cool!

Eating Thai Village Style

After lunch Rose and I took a walk up the road to visit a childhood friend of hers who is now studying at a Seminary. As we walked up to her house I noticed pigs were EVERYWHERE! This village raises pigs and they run free. Amazingly, they seem to know where they belong and the owners know their pigs.

Pretty Cute!

We walked in to Rose’s friend’s house and took a seat on the floor. After talking for awhile, I was offered to take a nap in their bed if I was tired. I thanked them and said I was fine. A little while later one family member after another showed up for an afternoon visit. Soon after the girl’s mom brought out some unripe mangoes and namplaa (fish sauce). (This is a common snack among Thai’s). After snacking on green mangoes Rose, her friend, and I decided to go out for some fun and visit a waterfall a little ways down the mountain. It was beautiful!

Rose and her friend at the waterfallRose and I doing...well I'm not really sure...it's what she and her friends always do!

When Rose and I got back Pastor Jamie had already left for Jiab’s village. No problem, though, everyone in that village is related. Someone was already taking their bike over to Jiab’s village-we can all hop on. For my first time, I took a 3 passanger drive on a motorbike. It was fun! I actually videotaped the drive over to Jiab’s village–it was stunning! Nothing like driving a motorbike on windy mountain roads!

Shortly after arriving at Jiab’s village, Jiab came cruising around the corner on her motorbike with Pastor Jamie’s wife on the back. They told me to follow them, so I stayed on the motorbike with some other girl and we followed Jiab. We ended up going to where we would be staying for the night and where everyone from church was. The rest of the afternoon I chilled there snacking on food and hanging out with friends from church. It was a beautiful place to relax with beautiful people I love!                                                                                                                                                    

The view from where we were staying-looking out into the villageJazzy and Wean hanging out in our roomPhop sharing Jesus with some girl; Daniel and I chatting about his work with CompassionCabbage Fields-One of the main crops grown in this village

In the evening one of Jiab’s family members came with a pick-up truck and we all jumped in the back and headed to her aunt’s home where Jiab and her aunt prepared a delicious dinner for us. It was so wonderful to see Jiab and get to talk to her. She had left Sookasem about a month ago and I had missed her so much. I couldn’t tell you what we ate but it was good. After eating we headed into the center of the village. As we turned the corner my eyes popped open…the village was booming. Music was blaring and people were EVERYWHERE preparing for the wedding festivities. There were water buffalo tied up, ready to be killed, men chopping up pork, the women setting up and decorating the stage, and no lie…a huge dead pig lying on the street getting ready to be butchered. I’ve never seen anything like it. A little further on were about 5 big pots of rice being cooked over fire. It seemed as though the whole village were there setting up. It was amazing!!!! That evening we hung out at Jiab’s house. It is tradition (I believe a Lawa tradition) that the night before the wedding the bride and groom go around from house to house, announce their wedding, and invite everyone to join the next day. How cool!?! We waited at Jiab’s home until she and her groom-to-be returned. We climbed up the wooden steps and as we turned the corner into the home there were people EVERYWHERE! Good thing they don’t have furniture, there would have never been enough room. We all sat around on the floor and talked. Outside the porch was filled with people and all around the outside of the house were people. Apparently tradition is typically that they celebrate the whole night before. I don’t think people really stayed the entire night, but definitely late into the night. We stayed until about 10 pm and then headed home. We walked down through the village. Throughout the evening we could hear gun shots…the buffalo were being killed. This time when we came back through the center of the village they were carrying pieces of buffalo to the men who were chopping the meat. So crazy!!! We got to the center of the village and waited a little bit and suddenly there was a truck there to pick us up and take us to the place where we were staying. Shortly after returning, we went to bed.

Riding on the Back of the Truck...My Favorite Form of Transportation

Along the lines of small talk…another thing that I love about Thailand are the shop keepers of small shops/gas pumpers. (My dear friend, Bekah, totally gets this…or I should say…I now understand Bekah who loves her Indian shop keepers.) I love going to little shops along the road and/or getting my gas pumped because those people are always ready to just chat with you. They are the ones who will never forget you, either. For instance, I used to live close to an area where these 2 people set up their rotee stand, so I maybe went 2 or 3 times to get a banana rotee. Tons of farangs (westerns) are in that area and I’m sure come to them. Since I moved, it had been months since I had been to that stand. A few weeks ago I decided to stop and get a rotee. When the lady looked up and saw me she practically flipped out….”It has been so long since you have come! Where were you? Do you still live here?” (all in Thai of course) So precious!  When I started talking to her she was even more excited because she had met me when I first came and barely knew Thai, and now I could have a real convo. with her. She was so encouraging! Talk about feeling loved! I could not believe she remembered me, but then again, it’s rare for them to meet a western that they can either look in the eyes of or look down on…haha. I am Thai size! But that is small shop life–they won’t forget you and are so kind. I love any chance I can go to a little shop and order food just to talk. I love when the people who pump my gas ask me where I’m headed and then talk to me. It is great business technique on someone like myself because I’ll come back to them just to chat with them. It makes my heart so happy I tip them then, too! haha I mean, really, how often does that happen in America? Yes, the coffee shop may know your order so that you don’t even have to order but do they flip out when you walk in and start talking with you instantly? Maybe some on a rare occasion, but I can’t say I’ve ever experienced it as frequently as I do living here in Thailand and I LOVE it!!

(Sorry…no special pics. I was thinking I really need to take my camera next time I get my tire fixed…seems to be a common problem for me! )

Tuesday evening, as I pulled into church for our set at the prayer room I noticed Pastor Jamie out grilling. I walked over to say hi and see what it was he was making. There on the grill were some rather large fish. I don’t know what they were, Pastor Jamie didn’t know either, but they reminded me of the first fish I ever caught out on the ocean. They were big. Apparently someone brought them from Pastor Jamie’s hometown of Mae Hong Son so they were going to have a special dinner that night and eat these fish. Sounded fun to me!

I went up to the prayer room and did our intercession set. When it was finished Jazzy invited me to stay and eat the special dinner of fish with everyone. Feeling pretty excited to be invited to share in this special meal, I said yes, and ran downstairs to join the rest of the crew who were seated on the floor around the little tables. There on each table was a huge fish, ours was starring right at me. We prayed and it was time to dig in. I love eating Thai style because there is no passing the dish, you just stick your spoon in the serving bowl and get out a few bites worth and then a little later go in for more. When we have fish, we all just stick our forks into the fish and pull off a chunk to eat. It doesn’t take long until the fish is demolished and all that’s left is a head and scales.

Besides the large fish, there were two other dishes. One had clear noodles and fish heads bopping around in it and the other seemed to be more parts of fish and vegetables in a soup. I scooped out a serving from the noodles and fish head dish. When I put it on my plate I noticed a small white piece-a bit larger than rice. I wasn’t so sure what it was so I pushed it aside. The next scoop I took out there was some more of those white pieces and then something that looked a bit like an ant. I got a bit nervous that maybe the fish was bad and somehow got worms (that’s what the small white pieces looked like) and then an ant crawled in the dish as well. I really wasn’t sure so I just pushed it to the side and tried to see if anyone else was eating these small white pieces I called worms. I didn’t notice anyone eating them so I just kept them on the side of my plate. A few minutes later I see my friend, Rose, pulling something out of the noodles and fish head dish—it was the small “worm”! She held it up, looked over at me, and said, “Stephanie, have you ever eaten this?” Acting as if it was the first time I’d ever seen it, I said, “No! What is it?” Her reply was not at all what I expected. She said, “Egg.” I looked at her with confusion and thought, “A fish egg?” She repeated it again, but this time she added ant into the name. “Egg, ant,” she said.

Quick little Thai lesson: In the Thai language the adjective comes after the noun. We would say ant egg, but to translate that literally from Thai it would be, “egg, ant,” which is what Rose was saying.

Though I heard her and knew the words she was saying I thought for sure I was misunderstanding her so I asked her again. This time she said it in Thai, “Khay mot.” I knew what she was saying but I thought surely there was something I was misunderstanding about it-there is no way this white thing that looked like a worm to me, could be an ant egg. Rose, thinking I didn’t get it, got Jazzy and asked her to tell me in English. Jazzy said to me, “Ant egg.” I just looked at her shocked, it just seemed big and why would a fish have ant eggs in it. Jazzy thought I still wasn’t getting it so she says to me, “You know,” and then runs her fingers across the table like an ant would. Finally I repeated it back, “Ant egg?” The faces of all who were around me listening,  lit up and they said, “YES!” With the way everyone was acting about it I came to the assumption, they must have been bought and added to the dish. I asked Jazzy if that’s what they did and she said yes. Then she looked at me and said, “Have you ever had this?” I smiled and said, “No, but now I will!”

I decided it was so small and could get mixed in with everything else so I should not eat it with too much rice in order to be able to taste it. I put it in my mouth (I apologize to those of you with a weak stomach) and would you believe it popped in my mouth as I bit down? It was a bit juicy! It was not what I expected at all. I looked down at the other ant eggs on my plate and noticed again the thing that I thought looked like an ant. I realized it really was an ant, but not fully out of his egg!! How gross!!! I didn’t really want to know when I was eating the ant, but I didn’t want to not eat it because then I wouldn’t have a story to tell so I mixed it in with my rice so I wouldn’t know when I was eating it.  I finished my whole plate of rice, ant eggs, ant, and all!!

The following day I asked my teacher if he eats ant eggs. He does! He then shared with me that it is only the red ones that you should eat. That’s when I learned it was fire ant eggs that I ate and suddenly I felt extremely happy that I ate them! Justice is brought as the little fire ants who love to bite people are cooked and eaten!

I can’t say that ant eggs are now my number one choice of toppings for Thai food, but I’m happy that I can say I ate them and now I’m ready for fried bugs, in a snack bagg,y sold at the market! Maybe that will be my next story. J

My friend, Bekah found this site for me-it’s a picture of the ant eggs I ate!!!

I love living in Thailand because I am so close to sooooo many other countries-one of those being Malaysia. Malaysia is now my most favorite vacation place. It is beautiful, that’s for sure, but more than that it has a city called Penang and in that city there is a house of prayer called the Penang House of Prayer and within that house of prayer are some of the most amazing people I’ve met! I had the opportunity to hang out with this group from PenHOP while I was with my team doing a visa trip to Penang. It was awesome to be in a house of prayer in an Asian nation and watching Asians minister to the Lord and lay their lives down at His feet–so amazing and beautiful-it filled my heart with hope! Not only did I love the Prayer Room itself but I was so blessed by the leaders of the house of prayer. They are marked as ones full of love, joy, kindness, servanthood, generousness, and great faith. I felt like I was home-not because Penang was a place that felt like home, but because they reminded me of the community I ran with at the House of Prayer in Kansas City. What a blessing and joy it was! If you’re in Southeast Asia you must make Penang, and more specifically, PenHOP, a place you visit! Here are a few pics. from my trip.

My Flying Partners-Andrew and Bennett

Part of our Team at the Arrival in Hat Yai

From Hat Yai we took a van into Malaysia. Rather than driving over the bridge, our driver put our van on the ferry. Here is Nash, Nora, and Parrish standing at the edge of the ferry.

Hanging out with friends from PenHOP. We hiked through the jungle to a beach!

These are the rocks we went "rock hopping" on...a new sport I got to experience!

Looking back as we "hopped along the rocks"

We eventually got to a point where all we could see was the ocean-a huge unknown right before our eyes

Once we returned from rock hopping we took a boat back to where we started our hike through the jungle.

This next reason…oh this may be more of a bearing of my heart than anything. Living in Thailand is painful and fun all at one time. It’s adventerous and new and beautiful, but it’s also a Buddhist nation. This is painful. So what does this have to do with loving living in Thailand? I love living here because I love what it’s doing to my heart and how it’s causing me to love Jesus more and more.

At every turn it seems that there is a temple, an idol, a spirit house, or a monk. Buddhism is everywhere. In one sense I kind of get used to it. Seeing these things don’t draw my attention so much as they did in the past, but they do remind me to pray. As I pray I find the burden increasing in my heart for Jesus to make His name known here. In Mae Sai, a border town of Thailand and Myanmar, there is a big fat buddha idol that sits half way up a hill that overlooks the town. This particular town is rather poor and a main zone for human trafficking and drug trafficking. The town has one of the most oppressive atmospheres I’ve ever experienced. As I stood in the midst of the oppression and heaviness, staring at this idol that presents itself as a god, it became so evident-that town is ruled by the powers of darkness because the people have given themselves to the worship of these idols. I was thinking about all that could maybe be done to help this town and solve this problem of massive trafficking. At that moment it was so clear-Jesus is the only answer. If He is not lifted up and exalted as God overall, things will not change. I’ve known it’s true, but it was another reminder.

I’ve never been so aware of the reality that Jesus is the only answer–for real! I’ve always said it, and believed it, but living in Thailand it has become a true conviction that burns in my heart. In that deep conviction, my heart has been awakened to love. Jesus has become so beautiful, so precious, so wonderful to me. There really is no one else in the heavens or on the earth like Him. I’ve had several discussions with Buddhist teachers about their beliefs and then I would share with them what I, as a christian, believe, and I would talk about Jesus to them. As they shared about the things they must do, the spirits that they feed and pay respect to, and the way they try to empty their minds to forget about their problems my heart would feel so weighed down. Then, I’d begin to talk about Jesus–yes it’s a narrow road, but He’s clear about what it means to be a follower, He’s full of love and mercy and forgiveness. He takes our pain and our problems and gives us joy. As I talked about Him my heart would come alive–He truly is unlike any other. He is God! He’s awesome in all His ways, just and true! There really is no false way about Him and all that He does is in love. I really do love this man!

With that, I love that I get to serve Him in the place of worship and prayer. All of these realities has increased the cry in my heart to see houses of prayer arise in this nation. It is not okay that Jesus is not known in this nation. This is a true injustice. The house of prayer is not an easy thing many days. It can be hard to make the 30 min. drive to the prayer room to pray with just one or two other people (who speak another language) and play an old clunky keyboard, singing the same songs over and over so people, if they come, can easily enter in. It’s hard, but not once has it felt like a waste. He’s so worthy of it. How can there be hundreds of temples in just this one city and thousands of monks to serve false gods yet there is not ONE full time house of prayer filled with people to minister to the one true and only God? It doesn’t add up. So my heart screams, “God, build your house of prayer!”

Friendship Bridge-border of Myanmar and Thailand

The Buddha that overlooks Mae Sai

Our small Prayer Room--Gong and Jazzy ministering before the Lord

I don’t think we have to move to a foreign nation that serves idols and other gods to experience these things, but it’s the reality of what it’s done in my heart. For this reason, I love living in Thailand. I love how the Lord is using this place to cause  me to fall more in love with Him and ministering before Him!

I love the outdoors and nature. I’m not one to research all about it-I just love to look at it and think about God and who He is from what He’s created. Several years ago, when I was home for a summer break in PA I would get up and go running every morning around 7 am. At that time there would be very few cars on the road (which is actually the way my road is all the time in East Berlin) and really the only sound I would hear at that time in the summer mornings was the singing of the birds. I remember that was the first time I began paying attention to the songs of birds and I loved it. Ever since then, I love to listen to the birds singing…I truly believe they are worshiping God! Well…living in Thailand has introduced me to new bird sounds. For living in a city, the birds are everywhere, and their songs are absolutely beautiful! I love waking up early early in the morning, having my windows opened, and listening to the birds sing. Just the other morning I heard one of the most unique songs I’ve heard yet. The last line almost sounded like a techno song…no kidding. I thought it was fake at first, but as I listened I realized every so often it would change a little bit. So amazing! It really is something that fills my heart with joy!

I love living in Thailand because of Sticky Falls!!!!!! This has become my new favorite place in Thailand. Sticky Falls is actually called Bua Tong Falls, but it’s “nickname” is Sticky Falls because it’s a waterfall you can walk up and it’s as if you stick to the rocks…they aren’t slippery. I went with the Wessels family and as we were walking down a path to get to the base of the falls we looked up at it and all talked about how it reminds us of what the Garden of Eden was probably like. It really did feel like a picture of the beginning of times…or well…what I believe eternity will be like! Thailand and its natural beauty gives me such a longing for eternity!!! Any ways…doesn’t everyone just dream of being able to climb up waterfalls when they see them or slide down them with the confidence that you won’t die? We couldn’t slide down Sticky Falls because…well…you stick to the rocks, but it sure was fun to sit down and let the water rush over you! Here’s the best part…it was completely natural and completely FREE!!! Nowhere in America would something this amazing be available as natural and remain free. It would become a money maker in an instant, but not in Thailand and I’m so thankful for that! I love this place!!!!

With sweet Nora at the bottem of the falls

Beginning the climb up to the top