A Tour of My House

one corner of the room where I keep my bike.

I realize I’ve been promising a tour of my house for a while, so today I took the time to clean the house from top to bottom, and then took pictures of it to show you. I had been leaving up my Christmas decorations until after I gave the tour, and I was ready to take them down which is really why I made sure to get it done today J Hope you enjoy the pics of my house. It’s simple but I love it because it is mine and I can use it for ministry and also as a place for me to relax and enjoy time with others as well as time alone. I have by now set up a good routine that I enjoy and everything has been unpacked and put away. I feel like this is my home and I love that feeling of being settled and comfortable here. There are many things that I don’t have, but I have more than everything I need, and I’m thankful for that every day.

from the doorway you can see the cupboard that has blankets
from the previous person who lived here and the other cabinet
they said they were moving but I started putting things in it :)

from the door looking the other direction you can see the
handprint tree I made and the table with placemats made by
one of the children's homes

my washing machine, and the doors to the bathroom and kitchen

looking out from the kitchen you can see
the maps I have hung as decorations

the bathroom, when this was taken I had to use the
hose on the right to shower as the shower was still broke

my electric wok, rice cooker, blender and water heater
which is where I do all of my cooking and food preparation

the sink and stove that I only use for making popcorn

the food and dishes cabinet and the water stand

my fridge where I prepare food for cooking on the top as a counter

my house

me with my house :)

the decorations out front with the newly delivered jug of water

Foot Washing

 This morning at church they performed a foot washing ceremony. It was very interesting as they had all of the elders and prominent people of the church go up to be the washers. Here the head and foot concept is very important. You have to be very careful where you put your feet and where you point them when around other people. So, I was very surprised when they said that they were going to have a foot washing ceremony. Once they were set up a lady came and took people to the front to have their feet washed row by row. My row was one of the first ones, so I wasn’t sure if they were just picking people or if everyone was going. I very much wanted to say that I would just stay at my seat, but knew it would be rude to do so. So, the lady took my arm and led me to a seat to have my feet washed. The lady very carefully washed each of my feet, and then took a shawl from her shoulders to dry them off with. I waied her and thanked her before returning to my seat humbled at what she had done.

They went through the entire church bringing people to the front to have their feet washed and some of the ministers had their feet washed multiple times as the elders each wanted the opportunity to wash the ministers feet. There were some students who didn’t want to go and have their feet washed, and the person who had been talking throughout the ceremony told them if they didn’t get their feet washed they had no part in God and the church. So, several reluctantly went and several still refused. Throughout the ceremony they had the teen choir and the church choir singing songs and a guy talking about/explaining what was going on.

I have gone through the foot washing ceremony many times, but never in a culture where the concept of your feet being dirty was felt so strongly. I remember doing it as a teen and we would joke and tickle each other’s feet on purpose. We had no idea the context in which it would have been humbling for Jesus to do it for the disciples, and the seriousness that should have been used during the ceremony. They then went on to have a sermon in which he preached about the last week of Jesus’ life going through all of the events and where they were found in the bible. Let’s just say that it wasn’t a short service and we got out well after 1 pm. However, the honor of being a part of something so beautiful was worth the delay. That is something that I love here, there isn’t a rush that we have to get out before noon or people will be upset, so you can do things like this and it isn’t a big deal to get out an hour or so late.

A Thai Christian Wedding

working on the decorations, I laughed
at where she kept the scissors

the flower that I did myself

Last Saturday during Vision Trust the accountant was going around and asking teachers to help set up for his sister’s wedding the next weekend. I happened to be standing by the teacher who he was asking to help decorate and so was included in the invitation/expectation to help set up. So, yesterday after Children’s day was over I came home for about an hour to rest, and then went to the school where I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening helping to decorate. There were several LONG rolls of fabric, and we made them into rosettes, and then draped them over to the next post where we made another rosette. By the last one they had me switch from helping hold things to doing it on my own. The teacher told me that it could be my new job when I go to America, and I had to explain that we don’t readily have long rolls of fabric and that American’s wouldn’t necessarily think it beautiful. After we finished the rosettes in the meeting hall, they brought dinner to the school for us to eat. We ate, and then set to work decorating a table. You wouldn’t think it would take that long to decorate a table, but then again you’ve never decorated a table as intricately as we did this one. First we had to pin three pleats into the fabric every four inches or so. It was then my job to go around and fold each of the pleats in to make a loop. The teacher then went around and would take 2 pleats from one side and one from the other and pin it together, then alternate it two more times so that in the end there was a diamond in the middle. It was my job to get the pins ready and hand them to her throughout the 3+ hour process. We finally finished after ten at night and came home. The next morning I went and taught my Vision Trust class and then was told by the janitor that the teacher was looking for me. So, I found her back in the meeting hall where she said we had to make more rosettes on the ground and then someone would come and hang/drape them over the stage. So, we set to work and created 5 more rosettes before having the groom come and hang them for us. We then had another table to decorate in the same way we had done last night. We finished a little after 1, and then were driven to the brides house where we were fed lunch. They explained that it is Karen tradition that the bride’s family take care of the visitors and anyone who helped out with the wedding. So, it was expected that we go and eat because we had been helping. After we finished eating, we had about an hour until the wedding was to start. It was amazing, we were at the brides house an hour before the wedding and it didn’t appear that anyone was in a big hurry, and most of the family wasn’t even dressed or getting ready yet. I came home and showered and got ready then a teacher came and we walked over together.

working on the table

Last night I had learned that the wedding had to be at the school because the couple had been living together and the churches here won’t allow them to get married in the church if they have slept together, so the wedding had to be at the school. Also, the bride’s father was having the uncle give her away because he wasn’t happy that she had met the guy and quite college before graduating and they were already living together. He at one point said it would be better if he was still single and had never gotten married and had children.

this is what 3 hours of work by 3 people looks like

The wedding was fairly similar to our weddings, but they had a few extra girls to carry candles to light at the front and one who carried the bible and then read from it. There were two ring bearers and flower girls, and then only a maid of honor and best man, not a big wedding party like is often the case in America. At the beginning they had a man explain the wedding ceremony and what would happen because the groom was Buddhist as were all of his family and friends. I thought that was nice to explain to them what would be going on and why so they would at least have a little bit of understanding.

the second table that they let me work on

After the wedding ceremony they had a dinner on the court in front of the school. It was a Chinese Table (at least that’s what it translates into) which had 8 courses that they bring out one at a time. I sat with some foreign friends so that I would understand the conversation and to catch up with them, and get to know a new couple who just moved to Sangklaburi about half an hour away. For the first time in Thailand there wasn’t any alcohol on the table, just a bottle of water and two bottles of pop, they did have singers that was the grooms father’s business, but they announced that the girls would be dressed more appropriately than usual and wouldn’t dance at the request of the bride’s family. I was very impressed by that and so was able to enjoy the music for the first time in Thailand without having to divert my eyes and feel bad for the girls on the stage.

the wedding

Overall, it was a beautiful wedding. I enjoyed spending time with the teacher helping set up, and learning how to make the rosettes and table decorations, and also enjoyed seeing a Christian Thai wedding for the first time. I’m sure there will be many more weddings to attend in my future as I get to know the people and the community better J

exchanging rings

Children's Day

stirring a giant wok of pork

Children’s Day in Thailand is always the second Saturday in January, however, most schools do their Children’s Day activities the Friday before. In Chiang Rai this included the students not learning the entire week or more before as they prepared dances to perform on the stage. The day of everyone in the community would bring in packs of snack size chip bags that would be distributed to the students when they finished dancing and in several rounds throughout the morning they would hand out 4 or 5 to each student. This resulted in students dressing and dancing sexier than they should at their age, and then being rewarded for it by receiving bags of chips and other snacks. The students also had no control over themselves and the 20-30 things they received would typically be gone that day.

cutting up hundreds of meat balls that are disgusting

an eating contest being run by the 6th graders

Having experienced Children’s Day like I just described above in Chiang Rai I was wondering how my Christian school would handle it. I’m happy to say that it was much more enjoyable and the kids had just as much if not more fun, with less sugary snacks that aren’t good for them anyways. In the morning they had a worship service and then games in the meeting hall, but I missed out on watching that because I was set for kitchen duty. I helped cook HUGE woks of pork with what closer resembled a hoe than a spatula, then cut up tons of the meat balls that Thais love and I couldn’t stand, and have an even bigger aversion to them now that I’ve cut up hundreds of them and seen the insides. They were making guay dtiao, the thai noodles that are so common here for all of the students, so they needed LOTS of everything to feed over 700 people.

Muay Talay, usually done over water, but they did it over straw

working together to climb a greased pole

When the students finished in the meeting hall they came out to the field where they had games set up. The older sixth grade boys were helping set things up and were in charge of running the games for the younger ones. I think it was a way of teaching them responsibility, and also giving them something fun to do to keep them out of trouble and let the younger ones play. I’m always impressed with how they do this and how by doing this the older ones have as much if not more fun than the younger ones. There was musical chairs for the younger kids, a eating competition that the older sixth grade boys ran, a form of boxing where they sit on a bamboo pole and have to knock the other one off. Usually this is done over water, but here they just used straw. There was a six legged competition where they had 5 people tie their legs together and walk across the field, and then the grand event was a greased bamboo pole which they were allowed to try to climb in groups of 4. So, it ended up in towers of boys standing on top of each other trying to get the top one to grab the top. After the younger ones tried and were finished, the older boys were given the chance to try. At first they just messed around, but then the different groups got serious until one team came just inches from the top, and so they traded the top boy who was shorter for another boy who was taller and they were able to reach the top and get the money.

6 legged race

I was planning on not writing much and just letting you see it in pictures, but oops, guess that didn’t happen. I hope you enjoy the explanation and the pics J

more of the eating contest

musical chairs

the 6th graders Muay Talay fighting

my buddy who sat and watched with me

almost making it to the top

I'm not sure who took this pic but I love it, so precious

My new Year Surprise

waiting for the first batch the picture taking began

On Friday I had invited two boys over for apple pies after the choir sang for the police today. I had promised the one that if the choir won I would make them something American, and so I was making good on that promise. However, when it came down to it as I was trying to remind just the two of them to come a whole group of them ended up coming, so instead of two I had ten to fifteen students at my house. The more the merrier right???

the first finished sandwich

I had made apple filling last night, and so  when they got here I set to making them and several students were determined to help, so I gave them each a job and I just oversaw. The problem was that I only had one loaf of bread. So, we made that into apple pie sandwiches, brought them out and sat in a circle on the floor. They had me pray, and then they dug in. I’m pretty sure I got one half while they each had one or two. Realizing that some only got one I sent a boy on my bike to go and buy two more loaves of bread. He came back, and I went to the kitchen to start making them again, when one student called me out into the living room. They then left a few students out with me and the rest shut themselves in my kitchen to make me a “surprise.” I was a little nervous having a bunch of students in my kitchen with no supervision, not knowing what they would get into, what they would eat, what they were doing, etc… however, sometimes you just have to trust that everything will be ok and not worry about things. So, I tried not to think about what was going on and just chatted with the ones who were left to keep me company and not tell me what was going on in the kitchen. They were laughing and having a good time.

someone wasn't paying attention while I prayed and took
this picture, which I'm thankful for, such a precious moment.

sitting in a circle eating, the whole plate was gone in
less than 2 minutes

At one point they looked under my tree and asked why I hadn’t opened my presents. I explained that I had wrapped them myself so there was no excitement in opening them because I knew what they all were. So, they asked if they could open them for me. I figured they had to be opened sometime so let them open them. They were so funny, the boys who opened shirts displayed them like it was their present, and I had to remind them that they were mine. There had been a few presents left over from when I gave them to the choir on Christmas, so the students that opened those I let keep the candy and cake that was in them, and they shared with their friends. While we had been waiting for the bread to arrive, girls had gotten into my nail polish and were having quite the nail party. One of the boys asked what I would say if my nail polish was all used up. I jokingly said I would cry. He then went and told the girls as he was worried and didn’t want me to be upset. I then explained that it wasn’t a big deal and they could use it. Because, once that is used up then I can get new colors!!!!! They were much happier with that response than the crying one.

enjoying their pies

the nail party while waiting for the bread to arrive

When they were almost finished working on the surprise in the kitchen they had the ones who were watching me turn off the lights except for the Christmas tree. They then took my glasses off me and covered my eyes with their hands. I heard lots of laughing and discussion as they decided if they were celebrating my birthday or New Years. It was so cute. They then uncovered my eyes, put my little hat headband on me, and yelled HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! They gave me a plate with a whole sandwich and four halves and said it was all for me. However, I reminded them we had to save 4 pieces for boys who had left and were going to come back, and the only ones left were five on my plate at that time. So, I went to eat one of them and save the other four for the boys when a girl snatched one from my plate. So, out of 3 loaves of bread I got two half sandwiches. Which is fine because I know how to make more. They were so cute trying to surprise me I couldn’t possibly be mad as I have the means and ability to make more and this was a special treat for them. Hopefully we can have many more days like this one as I loved having my house full of students because it is usually just me and the lizards and that gets kind of lonely.

my present to myself he opened

the shirt that was in the one he opened
it says God loves me, and on the back says
God loves you

this was a market find, it says "Wonder fully
made" then under it "know your value"

more nail party pics

these next ones are from when I was locked
out of my own kitchen

I'm not sure what all they were doing in there

waiting in the living room with the lights off

after they yelled HAPPY NEW YEAR for me

eating the second batch, it didn't last much longer than the first

some group pics

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

The Police Come to our school

arrival and introductions

the choir singing

If you remember back, the day before the students had their singing competition, we went caroling to several places. One of those was the police office for all of Kanchanaburi province. The police had told the students if they got first they would give them 10,000 Baht, and 5,000 Baht for second or third place. So, when we won the choir director called to let the chief know. At first they asked that we go down on Wednesday and have the students sing for their New Years celebration. However, the director explained that it would be difficult to bring 38 students down the 4+hour bust trip to sing a few songs and then where would they stay, and most if not all of the 10,000 Baht would be used on transportation. So, the police said that they were going on a trip that was about an hour from our school, and that they had never been to this area and would like to come to the school to present the money. So, this morning the students gathered and practiced, then swept and swept/cleaned the school. (I only know this because I passed them while they were cleaning on my way to church). I left church early so that I would be back at the school before the police arrived. When they arrived, we all lined up next to the office to greet them, then they were taken in to sit down and the students got on the stage to sing. They had prepared four or five songs for the performance. I helped carry in a bag of things the police had brought to give the students, then the police called me over to sit with them in the row of chairs. The director gave a little speech of how the police had promised us the money if we won, and that we had won, and that we would be going to the national competition next month. The students then sang their songs, and the police chief got up and talked to the students giving them encouragement and promising another 10,000 Baht if we won nationals. They then called teachers and police up on the stage for the money to be presented and pictures to be taken. Our school then gave the police a certificate and a present. Then the police were lead out to eat lunch that some teachers had prepared. I was called over to sit with the police chief, a few other higher ups in the police and the choir director. I should be used to it by now as they always want the foreigner to sit and eat lunch with the important people, but it still makes me nervous every time and I feel like I’m on display. However, I have learned my role is to talk to the people and entertain them and put on a good face for the school or whatever I’m representing. Hopefully I represented the school and students well as the police chief was very interested in talking to me as his two sons are studying in America.

watching them perform

After all of the police had eaten and had something to drink we lined back up and said goodbye to them. They were here for less than an hour, but hopefully they will remember our little school in the mountains on the edge of Myanmar that has a choir that is going to compete in the national competition for much longer than that. I also hope that the students will realize and remember the special opportunity they had to sing for the police chief and the effort that was made to bring him here (as they brought 4 cars and at least 10-15 people) to support them and encourage them. What a special day for the students, the school, and hopefully the police who came to hear our students sing.

the police chief talking to the students

he gave each of us a cup for a New Year present

saying goodbye

The Countdown

As it was approaching midnight I found myself kind of sitting alone as the boys I was sitting with went to watch wrestling and I was watching the dancing and those behind us had gone home. It was about half an hour til midnight and I found myself feeling alone, so I started praying for these people, praying for my work here in this upcoming year, praying that God would use me, praying that I wouldn’t be lonely.

Then, with about fifteen minutes left until midnight several of my sixth grade boys came and sat behind me. We started talking and checking our watches and phones to see how many minutes were left until the New Year. Talk started up about doing a countdown, but they were too shy to do it at the seats where we were sitting and where people were still dancing, so with about two minutes left until midnight we got up and ran to the middle of the football field where it was pitch dark and you could look up and see the stars so clearly it was amazing. One boys phone had an app or something that was a clock that had a second hand, so with fifteen seconds left they put the phone on the ground and the seven or eight of us stood in a circle around it and held hands. We had an awkward countdown where some were on the wrong number, but the final result was that when the second hand hit the twelve we all threw up our hands and shouted HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!! They then all shook my hand and said Happy New Year, not the typical New Year hugs I’m used to from home, but still precious and treasured none the less.

Then they had each person get out their phone to see that it said either 00:00 or 12:00 mine still said 11:59, so when one boy saw that he called all of them back and they stood around my phone yelling one, one, one, one, until it changed to midnight, then they yelled HAPPY NEW YEAR again before they started walking across the field and heading for their houses.

In that moment I found myself in the middle of the football field alone, but full of love and happiness. I looked up and the stars were bright and shining, and I could feel God’s love as I do so often when he provides. Just half an hour before I felt lonely, on the verge of homesickness, ringing in another year overseas away from my family. However, in that moment he provided seven or eight teenage boys who I’ve taught and gotten to know a little over the last two months to bring me into their circle, and to make a special memory that I’ll treasure and remember forever.

2014 was the year I rang in with a group of teenage boys, most if not all of whom live at children’s homes away from their families. Who were worried that my phone didn’t say midnight yet, so counted down a second time, who shook my hand as they greeted me with a Happy New Year in English instead of Sa-was-dii-bii-mai. Boys who joke with me, but respect me and care for me. The year I celebrated Karen New Year for the first time. 2014 is a year I plan to spend the entirety of in Thailand with these people, a year I hope to fill with memories of spending time with these people, teaching them English, and learning from them as we grow and learn together. The first seconds and minutes of this year were spent feeling loved and cared for, and I think it’s a sign of a good year to come. As long as I stay present and focused on what God wants to do through me for these people, and continue to seek Him to learn from Him as I grow each day.