Dear Chrissy - From Thailand

Dear Chrissy

I received your txt just as I was leaving the OMF home to browse around the street market for some lunch so as I walked I took you with me.

Every street off a main street has a village behind it called a soi. So the OMF home is about the last place in this soi and you and I must walk through the housing area to the main road. The road is broken and bumpy so watch where you are walking and please don't step on any of the dogs. They may look dead but make a dreadful noise if stood on, notice even scooters and trucks drive around them. of course that is not because they are concerned about noise but this is a Buddhist country and Buddha said all life is of value and must not be taken.

Round the corner, isn't it funny how everyone has their clothes hanging from a clothes wrack like shops use at home. This is their wardrobe, moved outside for the day to give more space inside their tiny rooms, because everyone does it no one thinks it at all strange.

See those you men playing pool in an open garage and look at their mum and Granny sitting in the sun on an old broken down couch watching. Just wave and smile, they know we are harmless then. Ah, Granny smiled back, I saw 2 teeth do you think she has any more, no need to I guess, with rice so small it really hardly needs chewing if you take small quantities.

Look down this side street as we pass. It looks like Selwyn Huts or Hakatere, they kind of casually planted, with wardrobes outside every house as if there is a giant garage sale of clothes taking place. They are stacked so closely they seem to lean on each other. take one down and they would all fall over.

It is quite warm, maybe 30, not at all uncomfortable and we haven't got on hats or sunglasses though the suntan lotion will help our skin. It all feels very pleasant.

Oh, Chrissy, these youths in their orange vests coming towards us mean us no harm, they want to take us on their motorbike taxis wherever we want to go. It would be extremely cheap ........ unless we lost our lives in the process and that is not unheard of. At least they should be fairly sober right now but just shake your head with a smile and look at the ground. That way we wont look like arrogant westerners. they must be fascinated by your red hair!

Fancy a truck stopping for us? Who is it offering us a ride? Oh it is the 3 Australian girls we saw at breakfast, they only arrived yesterday, aged 17 they are here for the mission experience. "Thanks girls but we will walk." They told us one thing they are going to do is teach the song "Give me home among the gum trees" we don't quite have the kiwi equivalent do we! Imagine a Thai child singing that!

Look at these enterprising people, they have set up shop outside their house and are cooking, what do you think? Crickets that have been stretched on the wrack and starved then dipped in orange solution before being served as fried delicacies? Nope, no keen today.

And here is a mother and daughter dipping a small round vegetable in batter before frying it, see, it is a drive through restaurant, by being on the roadside the scooters can stop and choose their lunch without even parking their vehicle.

The main road, still very narrow and over crowded, walk carefully here. The path is so broken up but the traffic is going quite fast on the road and expects us to avoid them, so walk with care and at your own risk, is the rule here.

Cashew nuts, yes, let's get some. How much??? Lot di mai kha? Kop khun kha. Good. I asked can you reduce the price and then thanked her when she did. I daresay I have a shocking accent but they like it when you try to speak their language. 30 baht, probably still twice what the Thai would pay but I am sure she needs the money more than you and I do.

See these strips of raw pork laid out in the sun for us to take note of how much meat there is. I don't think I want to eat that meat.

It is only lunch. We don't need much. In Thailand one needs only 2/3 of the calories one needs in NZ, we need to reduce our eating by a third no matter what our appetite says, lunch is a good time to do that.

But look, little pieces of pineapple fried in a light batter, would you like that? Three each? Six of them for 10 baht, that's great. Kop khun kha.

As females everything we say ends with kha. It is polite. Every sentence a man says ends with krup. It is like a spoken full stop..

Would you like a drink too? The 7/11 shop is along here we can get a coke or I can have Pepsi max, sugar free. Sawat dee kha! They like us coming in and greet us politely, we have the potential to spend money but I think they are polite anyway. Look around, all these familiar packages with Thai writing on. Colgate toothpaste, Pantene hair shampoo and conditioner, chips, nuts, deodorant, it is a westerners paradise!

Okay, lunch is pineapple pies, cashew nuts and a drink. This will do us fine. Rice for tea, you can spend the day with me and go home after tea if you are that keen for rice!

Now back to our soi. See the elaborate gold decorations around the Kings photo. It was his birthday on Monday and they love this King, his 60 year reign was celebrated everywhere.

I think this lady would like us to se her baby. How old is he? Song? really, how sweet he is, and just two months old, I wonder what his life holds. Let's take a photo, she is really pleased about that. I wonder what causes all those painful looking spots on her face.

Back passed the motorbike taxis, thanks guys but no thanks. It would be nice to find a place to sit and eat but there aren't seats here, there is hardly any foot path even, they are all cluttered with peoples belongings and sale goods or food stalls.

I love the warmth, I love the sounds, I love the people just wanting to make eye contact and smile, I love how enterprising they are trying to make a living any way they can. Everything is very dirty and in disrepair but it doesn't seem to matter to them.

At last, the gate of OMF in here there will be a seat and coolness and people from many nations come here to spread the good news of the Kingdom. Yesterday I talked to a lady about the Tsunami victims - but that is yesterday story!

I love you so much Chrissy and your little brothers as well. Thanx for coming to lunch. Say hi to Mum & dad from me too.

Till next time Sawat dee kha!

Grandma xxx

Later this morning I leave for Thailand.

I lay in bed for a while savouring the comfort of it, (next time I go to bed will be 4am NZ time in Bangkok), and taking stock of me.

I concluded that once I have cleaned the fridge everything was about ready, everything except me really. I didn't feel kinda holy as I would expect a 'tailor made' person should feel. I wished I had had more time over this last week to read and pray and contemplate and now the week has gone and am I truly ready? Just had to get outa bed anyway.

But God brought a verse to my mind and I looked it up in the Old King James, my other being packed, the verse is in 2 Corinthians 3:5, it will carry me through this day at least and reads: 'Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; BUT our sufficiency is of God!' Thank you God, you are sufficient for me and will make me sufficient too.

As in 2 Corinthians 4:7 'We have this treasure (the glory of God) in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of me!' Earthen I may be but there is excellent power flowing!

I can go in the strength of this encouragement, God is good to us earthen vessels.

I will miss all my favourite blogs. My daughters ~ when they get round to it, and my Opawa friends, I look forward to reading them all when I get back. I better not start naming them but you can look them up, I do enjoy them.

Enjoy the Christmas season good friends, may 2006 be blessed as well, hug time from me.

And now I must clean the fridge. xxxxx

The Father & The Child (Final)

Last one, it has been a special story. I dont know who wrote it but I wish I had. If you know please put it in a comment as they deserve the recognition.

The child spoke:

I’m nearing the end of my journey, aren’t I, Father?
Yes, My child, but there are still a few more roads to travel
It has been a good journey. Thank you for holding my hand.
Have you lacked for anything?
No, nothing. I must confess I was skeptical that all I needed to take on the journey was a willing heart. I didn’t realise then that when You have my heart, You are all I ever need or want.
What have you learned from your travels?
I’ve learned that being a woman who pleases You has nothing to do with my family, my friends, or my circumstances, but everything to do with how much I love You and how deeply I abide in You.
How would you describe your journey?
As a journey that frees me to become all You created me to be – as a journey of great inner Joy.
What have you learned about Joy?
Joy has always been deep in my heart, but she is quiet. I’ve learned that I must be still to hear her; otherwise, I listen to louder voices that silence hers.
How has Joy served you?
She has faithfully been with me in all of my journey – my trials, my suffering, my obedience, and my serving. I understand now that she always accompanies Sorrow – but her most precious gift to me is her tears as I experience Your presence.
How has Sorrow helped you?
Father, I know I said in the beginning that I didn’t want Sorrow to go with me, but she has taught me much. Without her, I would never have wept over my sin. Whenever I was deeply hurt or grieving, she took me straight to Your heart. Without her, I would not have known how to love or serve them. And as You said, it has been Sorrow that taught me the meaning of true Joy.
And what is true Joy?
True Joy is knowing and experiencing Your heart.
Is there anything you want for the rest of your journey?
In the past, I know I would have had a list, Father. But now, I want only one thing – and that is to walk close to You.
Once more, the child stretched out her hand. The Father, knowing the great love His child had for Him, took her hand, and they continued on their journey.