Sunday

Some days I just know we’re in for a busy and tiring day.  Today the morning started out  as follows; I woke up at 6am and had just started reading a passage in the Bible that I had chosen for the day, when I heard my little boys calling to me.  The boys went in search of Jeremy, who had woken up with a bad headache.  At 6:45am a church member called, I ignored it, thinking that any pre-7am issues from outside our home would only add to the difficulty of the morning.  We ate breakfast.  At 7:20am the church member called again.  I answered it and heard that Siripon, our very sick friend that I mentioned in the previous post, was heading down from her mountain neighborhood to ask for the church to help her.  This is all on a Sunday, a day that is supposed to be a Sabbath rest!  How could the Lord allow all this to happen to us, before 7:30 on a Sunday morning!  Ha ha.   

 Sunday out here in Wiang Kaen is not the easiest day for me.  I think part of me still compares the way I spent Sundays previously to the way they are spent now.  Previously Sunday was a day to wake up and have a peaceful morning, although once you have kids it’s hard to get everyone out the door dressed and ironed in a peaceful manner!  I enjoyed going to church and being ministered to, through the sermon, through time s of encouragement and sharing with friends.  I enjoyed the afternoon, often a time to go out to eat, take a nap and enjoy a leisurely day, basically doing whatever I wanted.  Sundays are now a day that often starts early.  Our house is next door to the church and so we often have visitors stop by on their way to the service, as we hurry to eat our breakfast and change out of our pjs.  Sometimes there are last minute things to do for the church service.  The assistant pastor remembers that it’s the first of the month and he forgot to ask Jeremy to lead the communion part of the service.  The microphones need new batteries, could we please run and get some?  Sunday doesn’t always feel like a peaceful day when you’re drawn into all the details of preparation.  On the other hand, it’s always a blessing to see friends at church and I enjoy chatting with the other young mothers.  We have 6 young kids between 4 of us moms, between the ages of 1-6 years old, so there is always plenty to share about.  The service begins at 10:30am.  There is a time of singing together as a big church group and then the younger children, ages 3-10 have a Sunday School meeting while the adults listen to the sermon.  As a mother of a child under the age of 3 I have the interesting task of figuring out how to entertain my little one, quietly, in the service all the while listening to the message, in Thai.  I haven’t quite succeeded in this and I often hear very little of the sermon.  Some of the time I and the other young mothers end up in the back hallway with our youngsters, trying to avoid disrupting the service with our children’s babbling and giggles.  It’s a temptation to be frustrated, instead of making the best of the situation.  After church we have a community meal which some of the women of the church prepare.  We chat and laugh over plates of rice and veggies.  In typical Yao fashion, there are always complaints that the food is not as good as, assumingly, one could make themselves.  By about 1pm the moms and their kids start heading home for naps.  The men of the church have their weekly meeting which can last late into the afternoon.  Sometimes there is a big group bike ride in the evening hours, and then everyone heads home for dinner and rest at their own homes.  I suppose it’s a very typical Thai Sunday, very communal.  We tend to finish Sunday and look forward to an actual Sabbath rest on Monday!  I continually have to ask the Lord, how is it that He would have me spend my Sunday, or more likely, what would He like my attitude to be based on what is going to happen to me during that day. 

As I mentioned above today Siripon’s family decided that they’d done all that they could, using their demon worship doctoring, and decided that they wanted the church to help take her to a place where she could get medical care.  I will remind the reader here that she had already been diagnosed, twice, with kidney failure.  It was her parent’s decision to ignore the advice of medical providers, who spoke of her need for immediate dialysis, and take her care into their own hands.   I must admit that I was relieved when I heard of their decision.  Finally, Siripon would get the care she has so desperately needed.  When I saw her though, I must admit that the first thoughts I had were disgust with her family that they would allow her health to decline to this point.  She looked absolutely miserable.  Unkempt hair and clothing and body indicated that even some of the most basic nursing care had been neglected.  She had clearly lost weight and her legs were covered with little sores and scabs.  Her face was yellowish and bloated, lips cracked and scabbed.  Her breathing labored.  A 19 year old girl, a picture of health just 8 weeks ago had fallen to this.  She’s on her way to the hospital now, a 2 hour drive.  Nobody is sure what can be done for her now.  What is God’s plan in this?  I long to know.  Pray with me that it will ultimately be for her good and God’s glory.