Final Week in Thailand

Hello Friends and Family,
I realize that my past blogs have been incredibly long streams of thought and activity, and to those of you who have been able to read them, thank you for following along and praying for our team as we journey through service and learning in Thailand. It is now Saturday night of our final week, and in two days we leave. While I am excited to be reunited with you all, I am trying to not forget what I have learned and experienced here.

Last Sunday our team went to an orphanage called Asia's Hope for a church service. We drove into a compound type area (that is such an ugly word for such a beautiful place...there are three homes and trees and a playground and a church building with cafeteria, all in the hills outside of Chiang Mai) and as soon as we jumped out of the vans we were greeted by children eager to welcome us and make sure that we sat next to them for the service. It was definitely crowded, definitely not air conditioned, and definitely wonderful. The children sang many songs for us (all in Thai of course, which is quite the accomplishment for some of the kids who come from hill tribes and do not speak Thai as their native language) and it was so beautiful to see the love that was showered upon them by the staff and house parents. It truly felt as if we were in the house of God, where people of all cultures and backgrounds gather together to celebrate the joy of life in a child-like manner. After the service we had the chance to play some with the kids, then were treated to an amazing Thai lunch. I was able to sit next to the wife of the pastor, and it was fascinating to hear her story and the vision that the people of Asia's Hope have for all of the children. Each child is guarunteed to be supported through college and they are taught english and vocational skills. It was so encouraging to me to hear from people who love so much and who do so much to serve others, even when it is hot and uncomfortable and there are language barriers.

After church and lunch we returned to have a meeting with Carl, the director for Remember Nhu, the organization we worked with for the third week. It has been such a blessing to meet with so many different organizations who have different purposes and ministries but who ultimately come to love and serve and come alongside the Thai people and give them resources and opportunities to live lives of dignity. Remember Nhu is specifically focused on keeping girls out of the sex trade and preventing child trafficking, and they have a few homes around Chaing Mai for girls whose parents cannot afford to care for them, or have passed away, and so they would either be sold or abandoned. It has been difficult to hear these stories and meet these girls and then look at my own life and wonder why I wasn't born in a hill tribe village or why my parents have sacrificed everything for me and show me so much love. I guess to him who has been given much, much will be expected and I know that God is equipping each memeber of our team to love in ordinary and extraordinary ways.

After dinner on Sunday night we were informed that we would be taking part in Thai homestays for a few days of the week. The first team would be going that night, so naturally I volunteered to be one of the first. I didn't have a very good idea what to expect. My mind imagined anywhere from a tiny hut in the hills to a beautiful estate, and so I came with bug spray and a toothbrush ready for what was in store, along with five of my teammates. We were staying at the home of Claire and Alan, an American man and Thai lady who work with a missions organization called Partners. Alan is a nurse and he was actually away while we were there in Myanmar to connect with members of Partners who are working with the hill tribe people and helping them escape the oppresive ethnic cleansing of the Burmese army. While we were there Claire showed us a short video on the conflict and the work of Partners, and it blew my mind. I had no idea that a war had been raging within Burma for over fifty years, and the atheiest military dictatorship is systematically wiping out entire groups of peoples. That is one of the primary reasons they have not been accepting aid lately, the cyclone has virtually done their job for them. Myanmar has the fourth largest army in the world and no enemies except their own people. I am almost ashamed to say that as a history major and someone who likes to know what is going on in the world, all of this information about Burma/Myanmar has been virtually new to me. It was incredible to me that Alan, and many others from across the globe, risk their lives in order to come alongside the tribal people of Burma and show them they are not forgotten. I encourage you to google the Partners organization and to read about this conflict, and to pray.

After watching the video our team was fairly shooken up emotionally, and it was good to have some time to talk together. At the same time, it was hard not to laugh at the situation we found ourselves in. Claire's home is gorgeous, it looks like a mansion, but her and Alan have been giving all their money away so they don't have much furniture. So, we slept on mats on the floor, and the electricity was sketchy so the fan situation was at first unsure (we soon fixed it, thank goodness). The water system was broken for the week so the water had to be pumped in and we took bucket showers (which was fun...though the water was a little murky and there was a large toad in the bathroom sharing in the experience). That night I don't think I slept at all because of the change in surroundings and fear of lizards and spiders and other bugs that were in the area (I know, I am not very hardcore.) It was especially funny because this house was so gorgeous...coy ponds, chandeliers, beautiful flowers and gardens, and then a hard floor and bucket shower to remind us of our humility and need to serve. We woke up at five and did chores with the two girls who live in the home (they are hill tribe girls that I think Claire and Alan have pretty much adopted). So at 5am I was raking leaves on an estate in Thailand with a broomish rake that really didn't work too well. But I am sure not too many people can say they have done that, and in a small sense I think it gave us a feeling of solidarity with servants and those who rise early.

After breakfast we went to the elementary school across the street where we were told we would observe or maybe help teach english. When we arrived, at 7:30, there weren't any teachers there, and so we waited for a while. The cook found us and took us to the "cafeteria" and had us wipe down tables and sweep. I was glad I was wiping down the tables because those sweeping had a dead rat and some poop to deal with. But it was fun to talk with the cook, and it added to the overall mystery of the day. When we were finished, the teachers had arrived and the students were lining up on the lawn for the morning salute--it was quite the ceremony. As we met the teachers, we divided up into classrooms to observe...or so we thought. For some reason the teachers were under the impression that we were American teachers who spoke Thai and were there to teach. So as soon as I walk into my classroom, the teacher introduces me, says "teach!" and then leaves. Thank goodness I had taught a little english the week before, but a classroom full of third graders who speak only Thai and you are trying to teach them english is a completely different story. So we did the alphabet, head-shoulders-knees-and-toes, numbers, basic greetings, and I was starting to run out of ideas. The teacher would pop in and out but she didn't really speak english so I couldn't communicate to her that I was not a teacher, did not know what I was doing, and was running out of material to teach. But in the midst of this confusion and chaos, I was really having a good time I think. It was fun to see the kids respond to the english lesson, it was fun to be completely foolish and not know what I was doing. Eventually I just took the students outside and we played follow the leader and duck duck goose and we sang songs, and I began to love them. Their holes and stains in their uniforms told a story, and their eagerness to hold my hand or sit next to me in games reminded me that our words and actions do matter and that even if the spoken language is not understood, the language of love, joy, and affirmation is universal.

While I was going through all of these mixed emotions of confusion and joy, my teammates were having awful and wonderful experiences of their own. When we reunited for lunch, we were shocked that we had all been abandoned by our teachers. There are many differences in the Thai and American education system, and this school was a clear example of that...in many hilarious ways.

Sadly I would love to write more but it is almost midnight, this internet place is closing, my hour is up, and we are waking up early for church in the morning. I will write more when I get back home (crazy to think of!) and thank you all so much for your prayers and for reading this.

Peace.