They're Back

Its that time of year again. The orange people are back. I know I have blogged about it before. Basically, barefooted men dressed in orange carry holy water from the Ganges River and take it back to their home towns to give as an offering in the temple. For about a week, streets are clogged as these orange people make their journey. Please be in prayer as this is an heightened time of spir. warfare and general mischief.

I want to say that I didn't actually take this picture...its way to good for me to have taken it. But this is a little boy in my life. He is the youngest son of one of my friends here in South Asia. Most kids here are not very playful... at least in the sense that we are familiar with.... However, this little boy warmed up to me right away and we have become good buddies over the months. He is recovering from TB so he is just a sliver of a kid. He has big brown eyes and a playful grin. One day he crawled up into my lap and fell asleep and my heart just melted. Pray for this little guy, that he would grow up big and strong and learn how to love our Father.

My stomach felt dull as the plane began its final decent into the capital city. After four weeks of being in peaceful quiet Thailand, I was returning back to South Asia. Why did the idea of returning feel like a punch in the stomach? 'Ugh...its not suppose to be like this..' As I got off the plane, loud noises and smells assaulted my ears and nose. A business man, only concerned with his personal agenda, shoved me out of the way. I didn't have the energy to push back.

As I stood in the long customs line, a large family tried to cut in front of me. I stopped them. They got mad. I didn't care. My eyes stayed downcast as I made my way through the maze of the airport. When I reached the exit, my glasses fogged up from the severely humid air. I didn't bother to wipe them off. I just hailed a taxi and got in. I continued to stare at the ground, not having the motivation to do much else.


A few hot tears splashed onto my foggy glasses. I'm weary. And pessimistic. I thought about the national friendships I had made. I had expected to make friends in South Asia but I didn't expect to have to try to figure out if it was friendship they wanted in return or was it money...or a green card....I didn't think I would have to constantly question motives. I thought about the dust, the grime, the poverty, the violence. I thought about the fact that precious baby girls are outright killed, neglected or overlooked here. Life just seems to mean nothing. It's all so seemingly hopeless.

I reached my destination for the evening and was greeted by a kind friend with a warm smile and a cold glass of water. Maybe this won't be so bad after all... Over the weekend, I visited with some other American friends. And they offered a listening ear, grace, Dr Pepper, insight, and Velveeta cheese. Over the course of the weekend, the Lord spoke into my weariness. He spoke into my pessimism. He somehow made me see that no matter how hard things are and no matter how close to despair I might be, He is the only hope in the midst of it all. And that hope softens my heart.

4th of July

The American consulate in Chiang Mai hosted a 4th of July celebration at a local stadium today. Me and two other families that I know had the chance to partake of the festivities. The 4th is one of my favorite holidays and I haven't been able to really celebrate it the past two years so it was extra fun this year. I admit, I did tear up a little when I crossed my hand over my chest and sang our national anthem. God Bless the USA!

Nothing says home of the brave like creepy Asian action figures.

They served picnic food that included ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs and all sorts of other summer treats. The had games for all the kids to play (hence the floured face of my little friend there) while the adults sat around and listened to live music. Overall, it was a great day!

Thailand

I have been here in Thailand for about a month. I came here on June 9th to apply for a new visa for South Asia. Everything has gone smoothly other than Fed Ex briefly misplacing my passport. But everything has worked out and I should be getting my passport in the mail tomorrow. In the meantime...

Its been a very nice time of resting.I am staying at a wonderful place called the Juniper Tree which is a retreat center for people in my line of work. My little cabin is up on stilts in the middle of trees, grass and quite. Some of kids here call them "tree houses". The staff here is wonderful. I get three meals a day, my laundry done and my room cleaned. There has been a steady stream of seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

I have spent alot my days sleeping, reading and relaxing. Some days- I have done practical things like getting new glasses and going to the dentist. Other days- I have been more adventurous and tried my hand at whitewater rafting and mountain climbing. The wonderful thing about Thailand is that its so green and peaceful. So, really, it doesn't matter what you do. Everywhere you go its beautiful. Its like being in Colorado.

I didn't really realize how much of a break I needed. When I first arrived here, I really thought I needed some sort of help. I was angry, overwhelmed and tired. But as the weeks have passed, the more myself I have become. And I realized that the problem wasn't necessarily me or my lack of spiritual maturity. Its just the fact that South Asia is a pressure cooker and sometimes you just have to let off some steam. So, I have soaked in the nature, hamburgers, used book stores, shopping, mountains, Starbucks, elephants and foot massages of Thailand and I must say...I can breath easy again. A favorite professor used to say 'sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap' And I think in my case...the most spiritual thing I needed to do was come to Thailand. :-)

my friend Marielle came to visit me for a week. One day we went on the "Flight of the Gibbon" where we ziplined through the rainforest

we actually saw a gibbon which was pretty cool. A gibbon is like a small ape. I guess they don't need a harness and saftey helmet to swing through the trees

we crossed over a nature bridge

The gibbons make it seem so easy

went on an elephant ride one day

took a hike in the mountains one day. My guide made me a hat out of banana tree leaves.

we visited a place called Sticky Waterfall one day. There was this layer of mineral deposits on the rocks that made them "sticky' so that you could actually walk UP the waterfall. I didn't believe it at first but it really is true. We could walk right up those rocks behind us without slipping.

it was beautiful scenery wherever we went