Itsara

So imagine, for a moment, a room filled with people worshipping - loud worship, sometimes in different languages, mixing the styles of different cultures. The people come from different countries all over the world, and not all of them speak English. The teaching, and much of the prayer, is given in English then translated into Thai. While it is being translated into Thai, other translators spread throughout the room are simultaneously translating it into Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, Nepalese, Hindi, Tagalog, and other languages so that all can understand.

Not all of the people in this room share the same culture. There are people from Thailand, Laos, China, Japan, Korea, India, Nepal, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Switzerland, Malaysia, Phillipines, Canada and probably some other countries that I am forgetting. The worship leaders alternate between Indian, Nepalese, Thai, and Filipino cultures. The speakers are Thai, Kiwi, Nepalese, Canadian and Indian. It is so good to see a truly mixed family of God - a small picture of the invisible Kingdom. (more…)

Sorry for the lack of posts. The three of us have been in Bangkok this last week at an Asian conference Vineyard held. We got to see our pastor Jamie again there (and he had some gifts for us - that’s my second favorite part of having people visit us). It was a really good week for all of us, I think. I’ve got some thoughts and things that I may or may not end up sharing here, but I will end up sharing more soon when I get some time. Stay tuned.

We have managed to get a new battery charger for our camera (thank you Amazon and a friend who came to visit from the States). So after a long hiatus, I finally have a bunch of new pictures for you.

First we have a gallery from one of the floods. Normally we didn’t go out on flood days, but this day we had to go to school or something, and it involved using the van (so one of us could take pictures) and driving through a flooded street. These are some of the more interesting pictures we took (nearly all taken by Cindy, btw).

Second, we have some pictures from last week, when a mission team came from America and ran a Pirate-themed Vacation Bible School. This gallery includes the promised pirate ship, and I’ve captioned some of these pics.

Finally, a small bonus gallery with pictures taken of Im Jai’s new site. This is the first time Cindy and I have actually been able to walk around and see the houses where we’re all going to live in a few months. They’re big. We’re excited. The kids are excited. The only real problem in all of it is that the excitement sometimes takes our eyes off of what we need to be doing before we move.

I was reading through Proverbs when I found this verse:

He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

- King Solomon

I immediately thought of some of the reactions to the tsunami, the hurricanes and the earthquake - especially from some Christians. I know I heard folks hinting, or outright saying, that global disasters such as these are God’s punishment on sinners. Whether or not those folks meant those words, only God knows, but in any case we need to be more careful with our speech and our hearts.

Now whether or not God is actually punishing sinners is not our concern. Our concern, I think, is to love those who are in need. Love God. Love people. That’s it.

There’s a lot of good stuff in this book. I’m gonna have to read this more often.

I guess people think they can tag me whenever they want. Okay, fine. 20 random facts… (more…)

So I draw for the kids a lot. It’s fun, but they are sometimes impatient or otherwise unable to visualize the process. Like a few weeks ago, I was drawing a guitar for Tea. He asked me to draw a person playing it, so I started making a rough sketch of where the head and body would go so that I didn’t mess it up. Tea didn’t like that. He pouted and said (in Thai), “Adam, don’t do it like that. Make it look good!”

Then a couple of days ago, I was commissioned to draw a giant pirate ship on the wall (there’s a mission team coming in this week to do Vacation Bible School with the kids - it’s a pirate theme). I had to do it in pieces to make sure everything was in the right place. So I’d draw the edge of the rudder, then the bow, then small lines where the masts would go, and so on. The entire time that I was drawing, I had kids coming up to me and saying things like “What about this part?” “Adam, you forgot this bit.” “Aren’t you going to draw this?”

Over and over, I kept telling these kids ยังไม่เสร็จ. “Yang mâi sèt” - it means “I’m not finished yet.” At some point while I was drawing the pirate ship, I said to myself, “Geez, it’s like these kids think I don’t know about those other parts. Can’t they understand that this is a process?”

That was about the time God slapped me upside the head and said, “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

I actually have a little time now, and I enjoyed Adam’s meme, so here goes…

Ten Years Ago:
I just started university at UCSD. I think I met Adam for the first time 10 years ago this month.

Five Years Ago:
Just got married. Started substitute teaching.

One Year Ago:
Started to get rid of possessions I didn’t want to take to Thailand.

One Day Ago:
Enjoying a day off with Adam and some other friends. Celebrated Adam’s birthday. Ate pesto for the first time since America. YUM!

One Hour Ago:
Being frustrated about an incident at the orphanage involving a child stealing a staff member’s key. Getting ready to pray for the teenagers for their finals.

Five Favorite Snacks:
Rotee (It’s like a crepe with sweetened condensed milk and sugar and whatever else you want. You don’t have it in America. You wish you did.) — Direct quote from Adam. Totally true.
Ribs
Ice cream
Sour chewy candy (you can’t find it in Thailand - grrrrr.)
Potatoes almost in any form (french fries, chips, hash, hash browns, etc.)

Five Songs I Know the Words to:
There are way too many! It’s hard to choose which 5 to say. I don’t like this question!

What I would do with 5 Millon Dollars:
Ask God what to do. But if He said to do whatever I choose, I would try to provide food, shelter, and Jesus’ love to the poor in Thailand.

5 Places I would escape to for a while:
Heaven (forever, not just for a while)
The ocean
Any quiet place outdoors where I could be alone and feel safe
Any quiet place where I could be alone with Adam for a long time without any responsibilities
My old couch in my old condo with my old friends

5 Things I would not wear:
Hats
White (I always stain it on the first wearing.)
Makeup
Anything uncomfortable
Jewelry (except my wedding ring, of course)

5 Favorite TV Programs:
Friends
Growing Pains
Cosby Show
Basically, anything that reminds me of my childhood (life was way less complicated then)

5 Greatest Joys:
Feeling the touch of God through the Holy Spirit
Adam
When God speaks to people and they are encouraged
Serving with Jesus’ heart
When you know someone loves you

5 Favorite Toys:
How about just 5 favorite things?
A really comfy bed with soft sheets
Instruments played by talented people
CD player
Oven for baking! (hard to find in Thai houses)
A computer hooked up to the Internet

5 People I will tag to play:
Don’t worry, I won’t! How about 5 people that I would love to play Tag with in Thailand? Adam, Sean, and ALL of the kids at Im Jai