Just getting a birthday gift…

In Chiang Mai we have one bookstore that sells Christian books in English ~ mind you ~ this is a very rare combination, English and Christian, of which it goes with saying that we are very thankful for it. The selection is quite limited and the prices range from somewhat fair to a bit overpriced, however, one must take into consideration how far the books and other materials must travel to not get too bent out of shape about the prices.

Matthew and Tim both had friends’ birthday parties to attend a couple of weeks ago and Tim wanted to see what his choices were at the Christian bookstore before looking elsewhere. We ventured to that particular side of town which is also quite near Scott’s office to assess Tim’s options. Tim and Scott made a bee-line for the compact music section while Paul and I meandered around. I think I lost track of where Matthew headed as I can quite often lose myself to “just looking around” and taking in all the new titles and ideas. Standing at the end of an aisle, one book simultaneously grabbed both Paul’s and my attention. I think Paul liked the cover and I liked the title, Battlefield of the Mind, by Joyce Meyer. I quickly told Paul that the book was for adults, but I could tell that he was quite taken by the chess pieces scattered over the front cover and the word “Battlefields”. Anything having to do with battles really appeals to Paul, as he is usually seeing how well he can “die”.

We both continued our separate meandering in the tiny section of the small store and ended up in another aisle back to back ~ when I heard ~ “Can I get this book, Mom?” I turned to see the exact book only a kid version in his hand. “Now Paul…this book isn’t about chess,” I quickly and quietly spouted. “Yes, Mom, I know!” Paul proceeded to summarize the back of the book and fill me in on some of the main headings of the book. I was quite impressed with his initiative, ability, research, and persistence. However, we were only in there for a birthday gift…nothing personal. Yet, his choice was actually very pertinent to what Scott and I believed has been going on with Paul for a while. Scott and I were in quick agreement and the book was added to the birthday gift purchase for Tim’s friend.

Paul has been working his way through the book. He carries it with him, along with his Aussie Rules Footy cards, wherever he goes, but doesn’t want to finish it too quickly because he doesn’t want it to end. There’s some deep stuff in there for a nine year old, but it’s all very well written and pretty basic to principles of human nature when you get to the bottom of it.

”Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Red Lights, Jasmine, and Contentment

If I had a camera at the time, I would have taken their picture. But still, I don’t know if the photograph would have captured the scene as I really saw it. Here is a picture of some other street kids during the day…just to provide somewhat of a visual.

There they were ~ two Thai street kids swinging in hand handmade bundled jasmine dangles. No sales during that stop light ~ even at maybe 10 Baht a piece. The older boy had walked further into the stacked evening traffic. He meandered behind our car and up the curbed narrowing somewhat grassy median. He had been through at least three lanes of traffic, not to mention the weaving motorbikes. The boys carefully yet subconsciously watched the timer on the lights and knew just when to head toward the median. After the older one passed our car, he sort of hung his head ~ was he dejected? The younger one came up along side with a slightly bigger bundle in one hand and the other hand he gave to the older boy. Were they brothers, cousins, or kids just assigned to the same street corner? Maybe they were
13 and 9…so hard to tell the ages of people here…it doesn’t seem to be written on their faces or in their height like I am accustomed to. What struck me was their hand holding, their interdependence on one another and that they appeared content in spite of what I thought should be a mundane and monotonous job. They held hands, talked, and most likely waited patiently for the next red light or else they crossed traffic to another red light to get their bundles sold more quickly. For when they were all sold their evening was finished. How long would it take to sell their bundles this night? A night like so many others.

We have seen the jasmine string sellers and the crispy rice bread seller almost daily since our move to Chiang Mai. However, the scene touched me particularly deeply this time. I had just witnessed major ugliness in our own vehicle between our 13 and 9 year old boys. Tim wanted to put his feet in the cracks between the seats around the console (where Tim wanted his head). The fight grew intensely more ugly…first with stating what each wanted the other not to do, then the name calling began to happen, voices grew louder and then the hitting started. Neither one wanted to see their selfishness. Neither one could see their ugliness. Neither one could see the damage they were doing to their already fragile relationship. The fight lasted quite a while…maybe 2 km and through the traffic. My heart was heavy for them…for us…and then we came to the stoplight where the brief witness of the young, content jasmine string-sellers contrasted with the privileged boys in our own vehicle, brought the heaviness of the strained relationship and ugly sin to my eyes where the tears burned and hotly dropped onto my cheeks.

Spinning out of balance with jet lag…


Scott inquired if I had another blog entry I was thinking about…“No, nothing on my mind as of late.” However, I knew that was his newly acquired “Asian” way of trying to get me to write and post one. I guess it worked!

Well, I was reading through a little publication on what Christian women in the USA really want to know about how missionaries “on the field” live their lives… funny stories, daily activities etc. Throwing caution to the wind and my pride out the door, I decided I would share the real story of why I currently sit with a lavender heat pack draped across my shoulders and neck.

Some people may think (if they think about it at all) that only the person who travels via an airplane is the one to suffer from jet lag. However, when Scott returns from a trip he is either awake late at night, very early in the morning, throughout the night or a combination of all three. Sometimes an upset stomach gets added to the mix as well, depending on the location of travel or the recent airline food ingested. Thus, I too can suffer from his jet lag. Let me explain a most recent experience.

We have a front loading washing machine which I love most of the time particularly because it is about the only thing designed to be gentle on our clothes in this Asian world. However, it is highly temperamental and if it becomes unbalanced in the spin cycle for any reason, it refuses to spin and consequently dings incessantly…After contending with Scott’s jet lag for a couple of days (and the extra pollution), I too was tired and ready for an earlier bed time even though the laundry hadn’t finished it’s spin cycle. With Scott already conked out, I closed up the house, put the dog out and bid an early goodnight to Faith and Tim who were still up doing homework.

• 1:00 am: Scott awake and in the bathroom adjusting to the pleasures of eating Thai food again.
  
• 4:00 am: Scott awake once more ~ same reason except that he added that he could hear the washing machine dinging from being unbalanced.
  

Since Scott wasn’t feeling well, I decided to be the one to get up and take pity on our dog and neighbors and shut the machine off so the constant dinging would stop.

Being quite out of it, yet having good night vision, the need for turning on the lights didn’t even enter my thoughts. Down the stairs I quietly tread, navigated around a corner, around the kitchen table and next I instinctively unlocked the glass door to the outside, down a couple more outside steps and BAMM into the glass door of the laundry room. What was that? Into a glass door? Yes…face first! The dogs in the neighborhood even began to howl from the commotion I had created. I felt the faucet in my head turn on. The blood began to trickle out my nose and the tears dropped from my eyes. My lips swelled instantly and I felt pain in my head, jaws and neck. Would the laws of physics confirm whiplash?

So, yes, now I sit with a heat pack on my neck. Yesterday, I had a $3.00 neck, shoulder and back massage to try and curb some of the stiffness. (Relatively inexpensive massages are one of the small pleasures of life in Thailand.) My nose and mouth are feeling better today and are far less swollen. Scott still won’t allow me to drive as he doesn’t think I could make fast enough turns with my head to keep up with the continual darting movements of motorbikes and other street traffic. Thankfully, he is actually here to assist with the driving.

Sometimes, this is how missionaries “on the field” live their daily lives…a bit mundane and ordinary, really.

Guess What’s Missing

There seems to be something missing these days in Chiang Mai…the odd thing is…you’d never know to even look for it if you didn’t already know it existed. It’s the mountains! Now I know that these mountains aren’t all that impressive after having been to the top of Pikes’ Peak or even hiking in the Smokey Mountains or riding the gondola at Mt. Buller and for some who’ve had the pleasure and thrill of being in the Himalayas or the Alps…but never the less there are mountains that surround Chiang Mai. I have seen them and the bottom of one in particular, Doi Suthep, is just a five minute drive from our front gate.

Check out a couple recent newspaper articles here:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/thailand.haze.reut/index.html
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=117386
http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=28386

We haven’t had rain since October and most likely we won’t see it again before we leave for Indiana at the end of May unless the rainy season comes early. It isn’t only the lack of rain that prohibits us from see the mountains…it’s mainly the pollution. Pollution comes from farmers burning off their crops, from the build up of the putrid black exhaust that billows and spurts out of at least half of all the vehicles we pass and from the little and big fires that people set every day and night to burn their rubbish and leaves. I have heard on the Chiang Mai grapevine that it is actually illegal to burn off, and that people have been taught what to do instead of burning off. Yet the peoples’ response is…”this is how we have always done it.” Recently, while taking the required tests to obtain my motorbike license, I discovered that it is illegal to drive vehicles that emit certain levels of toxic exhaust, yet there are so many on the roads that even police officers use face masks.

I have also heard that it hasn’t always been this bad. I can tell a difference in just one year. Everyday for the past week and a half while the nights have actually been surprisingly pleasant and cool, we have had to keep the house closed up and the air conditioning on just so we can breathe without knowing how much smoke we are inhaling all night.

Because of the sin of mankind we are unable to see fully the Glory of God. We catch occasional glimpses so we know it must exist. In Chiang Mai, I long for clean air. In Australia, they long for water. Around the world…peace…and the longing continues wherever we are because this land is not our home and our longings reach for a higher place. That thought alone stills my anxious heart!