28 posts from 2008

Merry Christmas!

We hope you are had a blessed day celebrating our Savior’s birth! 

Our family had a small celebration Christmas morning before we opened the doors to the outside world.  The church here will have a big Christmas outreach this coming Sunday. Most of the group celebrating that we took part in came last night with the First (and hopefully not last, but maybe last because it ended kind of late) Annual New Life Church of Wiang Kaen Christmas Caroling Party! 

The preparations started over two weeks ago as our current interim pastor announced to the church at a Sunday morning service that we’d be starting the caroling party at the Gatzke’s house, because we’d be sure to have the most delicious cookies.  I was feeling a little pressure from the announcement so I made some plans as to how I would get all my baking done.  I had a list of what needed to be purchased and when all the treats would be made.  Unfortunately I made the mistake of ignoring my schedule of when things would be made (before the day of the party) and ended up spending quite a long time in the kitchen on Christmas Eve Day.  It wasn’t exactly what I had pictured, a fun day of making cookies with the family, letting the boys frost and put sprinkles on cookies.  I herded everyone out of the kitchen after breakfast and frosted most of the cookies while the boys were napping.  There was only one way to get it all done, focusing on the task at hand with 100% of my attention.

In planning what treats to make for the event, consisting of church members stopping by our house to sing songs and then have some snacks together, I tried to consider what I thought our Thai friends would like.  We are forever hearing comments about how our food is so sweet, it’s so rich, and so on.  We ended up making brownies, toffee, frosted sugar cookies and butter pecan cookies.  Along with 12 liters of Coke, I figured we had enough food to suit the crowd and way more sugar than most of our Thai friends claimed to be able to digest without ballooning up two pants sizes. 

At about 8pm our carolers showed up.  They looked quite eager and I looked at our buffet table, wondering if they’d actually like what we had.  Maybe I should have purchased that huge bag of shrimp chips or fried up some crickets, it was too late, I had to hope that they’d at least try some of what we made.  To my surprise they descended onto our table with much more enthusiasm than I expected.  The container of extra cookies had to be relocated from the kitchen to the main table where it was devoured in minutes.  As it turned out, the Christmas goodies we made yesterday, over 200 cookies and such, was almost COMPLETELY cleared out in a span of 30 minutes by only 30 people!  I couldn't believe it!  I thought I'd have leftovers for us to munch on for a week or so.  I remember thinking to myself, “it’s too bad that I have to spend most of the day in the kitchen, but at least I’ll get all my Christmas baking done in one day...”  As it turns out I'm going to have to do another baking day so the boys will have something more than a fleeting memory of eating Christmas treats. It was a blessing though, to be able to make something and see people enjoy it so much.

After the stop at our house we all piled in 3 vehicles (2 trucks and our van) to head up the mountain to the house of one of our Christian friends.  He lives in a small Chinese town called Pha Tang.  We stood outside his simple little house in the dark quiet of the night and sang “Joy to the World”, in Thai of course.  Our candles flickered in the cool evening air and what a joy it was to do something so simple and yet so wonderful, to celebrate our Savior’s birth at the home of a believer whom Jeremy has been discipling for the past 3 years.  Our friend opened his doors and welcomed us in to enjoy another round of snacks and soda.  As we left, he pointed out that the cherry tree outside his house was in full bloom and he invited those of us who desired to cut off a branch to bring home.  What a simple gift to us, but what beauty those soft pink blossoms bring to our table. 

This year we praise the Lord for the many blessings He bestows on us and even moreso the greatest blessing that could ever be given, God’s only Son, our Jesus. 

I know I have mentioned before that we often end up being last minute English teachers, English homework checkers, and general English resource centers to our non-English speaking neighbors.  A couple of days ago a young high school gal, who I once helped with some simple English homework, dropped off a 7 page document about Christmas, needing it to be translated immediately.  I have to admit I was a little perturbed.  Now, I can read Thai and I can translate, that is not the problem.  The problem is that it is her homework and she dropped it off for me to do.  I don’t like that.  When she dropped by today to pick up the completed translation I told her that I hadn’t started it and that I didn’t feel right about doing it all, seeing as it was a homework assignment given to her, not to me.  She was obviously not thrilled about my decision but we sat out on the porch and started to work on it.  After a few minutes she said that she had a friend who may have translated it already and that she’d just get that copy and have me spell check it.  I could not believe what I saw when she brought me the translated manuscript this evening.  I was planning to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life”, instead I was forced to participate in a grueling spell/grammar corrections project.  At first I was going to just do a little nip and tuck to what she wrote, and then I read it.  I think what she did was to open the Thai/English dictionary and then just translate everything directly.  Here are a few samplings and believe or not they are completely unedited:

1. *This first one is supposed to be about the use of candles and wreaths during the Christmas season*  “Candle and the steering wheel.  Steering wheel is the symbol that the ancient use to mean the victory, but, for steering wheel hanging in that Christmas means with regard to His Majesty come to originate in the world, and make everything fully, be plentiful follow event plan of God, which, this custom is brought from one father low-lying group has in German country takes the branch comes to assemble, be a circle resembles the steering wheel, already take 4 candles lay on steering that wheel, everybody in a family will one candle dot, pray pray, and sing the Christmas accompanied with for 4 last week arrive at Christmas, the tradition is popular (gum, rubber, tire much) in the United States of America, later have the change by lead the 1 that candle comes to the dot keeps in the middle steering wheel, and induce hang at a window, for the warning gives a person who has passed back and forth know near arrive at the Christmas already, reason part that the steering wheel has that green, because, there is believing that, green will help protect the home has from power wicked gang, “ 
2. (These are some snippets from the section about Santa)  “….this tradition then begin to is that know and extensively in the USA, by have something change, be, saint cow name, become, crawl eyes well up, and instead of a patriarch, become a man old that fat and add red group, live at the North Pole, there is move the vehicle that have the deer scurries abundantly tug, and will visit everybody child in this world in Christmas chance, by get down chimney way of a house for takes a gift comes to give those child follows his behavior, although, crawl eyes will well up to is just the legend that happens to come to for celebrate the Christmas no matter, but be center symbol takes the soul and the meaning of the Christmas keep very much, such as, the delight admires, helpfulness, love and the intimacy…”

I was expecting to shed some tears tonight while watching an old favorite Christmas movie.  The reality was though that I shed some major tears of laughter over these words, hope they bring a little laughter to your day too. 

My new hometown has snow on the ground this week and I find myself trying to remember what it’s like to see the welcome sight of those huge flakes falling from heaven.   I look out my own window here and see bright green bushy leaves, a partly cloudy sky and a hazy fog beginning to form over the mountains.  I miss being home for this season of the year. 

Many of you may have never spent a Christmas away from home, meaning away from America, in a different country.  It’s quite an eye-opening experience.  Thailand is a traditionally Buddhist country and the celebration of Christmas, among the general population, is not very common.  In the bigger cities you’ll see an occasional Christmas tree set up in a department store along with part of an aisle devoted to Christmas décor in our local version of Walmart.  But for the most part, people here in our neighborhood are pretty clueless about Christmas.  They think it’s a New Year’s celebration for foreigners.  They think it’s about presents and Santa Claus. 

Our first year here in Wiang Kaen one of our close friends mentioned how they had once visited the home of some Americans during the Christmas season.  Our friend was shocked by the vast assortment of gifts under the tree.  He had never seen such a display.  The first time I heard of his reaction I’ll admit that I was annoyed.  “It’s Christmas”, I thought, “and this is how we celebrate it, whether he likes it or not.”   I remember wanting to hide away at Christmas our first year here.  I wanted to celebrate the way I was always used to.  I wanted it to ‘feel’ like Christmas.  I was frustrated that the church Christmas outreach was on Christmas Day, making time together as a family completely impossible.  In other words, I was selfish about the whole thing.  My focus was in the wrong place, by a long shot.  I don’t know what makes this year so different for me, other than knowing that the Lord continually works in the hearts of those who love Him.  This year I am actually excited about the church Christmas party.  I’m looking forward to the soccer tournament that we’ll have to help us build relationships with our neighbors.  I’m eager to attend a Christmas outreach at the small church of one of our friends, to see all the crazy non-traditional ways that they will celebrate this season in a way that they appreciate.  I’m even enjoying the way that we all decorated the church a few weeks ago, with bright tinsel and every kind of metallic color of garland.  With flashing colored lights and “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” signs gracing the entryway.  As we decorated that day I took in all the color and wildness and watched the faces of the kids as they decorated.  They were just as excited about this as I was about my own Christmas decorating traditions.  I’m learning that just like language and culture, so my celebration of holidays in this country has to translate and transition so that I can truly embrace and understand the hearts of those we’re trying to reach with the message of God’s salvation. 

Ray and his buddies

What a blessing this cool weather has been!  We are reveling in the daily gift of wearing sweatshirts and socks.  I’m especially enjoying how nice it is to be able to play outside with the boys at any time of day without having to hide in the shade to keep the temperature bearable. 

A few weeks ago as the weather was starting to get cool I was chatting with Ray about the change.

Hillary: “It’s starting to get cooler Ray, isn’t it?  Soon it will be winter. 

Ray: “What’s winter”

Hillary: “Winter is when the weather gets cooler and it’s also when we celebrate Christmas!”

Ray: “Okay.”

Hillary: “So, Ray, what do you want for Christmas?”

Ray: “A small orange toy.”

As soon as the question “Ray, what do you want for Christmas?” popped out of my mouth I knew that I had just made a big mistake.  At 3 years old, Ray is the most impressionable person I know, just as 3 year olds are.  Living where we do, far from cities, disconnected from other Americans or non-Thais, disconnected from television and shopping malls, Jeremy and I are the primary source of influence and information in Ray’s life.  If he’s not hearing things from Jeremy and I, then it’s from one of his other friends who inevitably speaks Thai.  Although Ray’s Thai language ability is improving, it’s certainly not as developed as his English and therefore he learns opinions, attitudes, everything from Jeremy and I.  When it comes to Christmas and what this season means, Ray is going to form his expectations and joys based on what we expect and take joy in.  That’s why I was frustrated with myself for asking him what he wanted, rather than explaining to him the incredible gift that he was given when Jesus was born. 

A few nights later Jeremy and I were talking about what Christmas meant to us as kids.  Despite the fact that we knew we were celebrating Jesus’ birth, we admitted that for us it was…..well, let’s be honest, it was all about the gifts.  Few children would be able to sit and thoughtfully listen to the story of Jesus’ birth when there’s a huge pile of brightly wrapped packages under the tree.  There’s too much competition during Christmas and inevitably Jesus gets left behind, forgotten in the midst of a day when we’re supposed to be celebrating His arrival. 

As Ray and Rudy grow and change from year to year, so does the way our family celebrates Christmas and therefore the way that I view this time of year in my own heart.  Ray’s first Christmas, at 2 months old, consisted of him staring at and being mesmerized by the lights on the Christmas tree.  Unable to move or speak, he was really taking it all in.  We were home for Ray’s second Christmas when he was a little over a year old and it was a precious time of having a little kid in the midst of a grown-up celebration.  He obviously enjoyed all the gifts, and we enjoyed watching him.  His 3^rd Christmas at 2 years old, Ray was definitely beginning to understand that there was more to it all that just the gifts, but I admit that it was difficult to tie him down and get him to really grasp some of the true story.  Just before his 3^rd birthday it seemed that a window opened to Ray’s little heart and mind, a window of incredible opportunity where all of a sudden the communication of thoughts and ideas, fears and joys became a daily conversation.  All of a sudden, it seems that this little boy of mine is able to wrap his mind around more than I realize.  Back to the above conversation: When I asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he kind of looked at me with questioning in his eyes, “Why would mommy ask me what I want for Christmas?”  That’s when it dawned on me that I had an incredible opportunity to begin forming in him a right and true attitude of Jesus’ birth and how it should be celebrated.  If I told him it was about presents and asked him to make a list, he would believe me.  If I told him it was about making 13 kinds of cookies and decorating the house with thousands of colored lights, he would believe me.  If I told him it was about Santa and the gifts he would receive from the elves, he would believe me.  I pray that the Lord would help me to choose to lead Ray along the path that leads to understanding that Christmas is about Jesus and a humble birth that changed the course of the entire world and that it was the first twinkling of light that would lead us to salvation, and I pray with all my heart, that he will believe me and carry that truth in his heart forever. 

Truly we have much to be thankful for this year and especially today.  As many of you know, or may have read in headlines recently, things are not so peaceful in our neck of the woods.  As it turns out, even if we wanted to go home for Thanksgiving, we literally would not be able to fly out of this country.  Please join with us in praying for a peaceful resolution to the problems that are gathering steam here. 

Speaking of gathering steam, we’ve spent the last several days preparing for our Thanksgiving feast.  There’s always the opportunity here, because of lack of understanding of foreign holidays, to just choose to have a quiet, private Thanksgiving meal.  Hoping, of course, that nobody happens to drop by as you’re saying a prayer over the elaborate meal that you’ve prepared only for yourselves.  Last year was our first year to invite friends to celebrate the day with us and it was a blessing that we decided to duplicate this year.  A few weeks ago Jeremy and I were casually discussing plans for the day.  We came to the conclusion that we would need to invite a bigger crowd this year, twice the size.  I’ll admit that I was a little concerned by this proposition, especially since we would have no family here this year to help us with the cooking.  I even prayed that if we wouldn’t be able to handle it all, that the Lord would prevent us from finding all the ingredients and pans etc that we would need.  Well, God works in mysterious ways and it turned out that we were able to find EVERYTHING we needed, without any problem and at a cheaper price than we expected.  I thanked the Lord for answering my prayer and then I prayed for the strength I’d need to put it all together.  There were a few things that I didn’t have that I wished I did, but the Lord provided them, in their simpler forms: instead of canned sweet potatoes I had a huge bag of 50 that needed to be cleaned, baked, peeled and mashed.  Instead of canned pumpkin I had 3 pumpkins that my neighbor had given me, that needed to be cut open, cleaned, steamed and mashed.  Instead of two sons who would sit obediently at the table and color hand-print turkeys while I made stuffing, I had two energized, wild boys that almost escaped across the soccer field next to our house while the turkeys were roasting.  One of my greatest blessings of the day was a friend named Ratana who came early and helped till the last dish was dried.  What a blessing it was to have such a wonderful friend.  She sliced onions, fried onions, peeled apples, stirred green beans and washed dishes.  She was my Thanksgiving angel. 

In all we had 17 guests and they ate almost 2 whole turkeys.  According to Betty Crocker they were only supposed to eat 1 ½, but I guess Betty doesn’t take into account the lack of meat in the Asian diet!  We have about half of our side dishes left over and lots of pumpkin pie, apparently they wanted to be warned ahead of time that dessert was coming.  

I think the most special part of the meal was the time we had when everyone shared something that they were thankful for.  This tradition might seem old-fashioned and empty to some but it was a blessing for us to hear the voices of our friends lifted in Thanksgiving to the Lord.  Marriages mending, friendships reunited, faith found, sickness healed, so many reasons to be thankful.

 May you be blessed this day with a heart full of thanksgiving and joy.  

Many of you know a little something about the weather in Thailand.  Think rain forests, tropical orchids, beaches, banana trees and you will have some idea of what a beautiful and yet WARM country we live in.  Many people joke that Thailand has three seasons, hot, hotter and hottest.  I’d say it’s more like this, a very hot/dry season (March-May), rainy/humid season (June-October) and cool/comfortable/almost perfect season (November-February).  In the northernmost part of Thailand, where we live, and on any high mountain in Northern Thailand, these seasons tend to be very distinct and the cool season really does get cool.  Cool season in Bangkok probably means only having to change your sweaty shirt once in a day rather than the normal 9 times (maybe that’s a slight exaggeration).

Anyways, it probably goes without saying that we really look forward to cool season.  It means we can turn off the fans for several months in a row, pull out sweaters and socks and enjoy being outside at any time of the day, except at night when it really starts to cool off.  Just coming off the end of rainy season we were looking eagerly to the start of cooler weather.  This year it happened suddenly even though it was something we’d been expecting for weeks.  Usually the start of cool season is ushered in by an extended rainstorm or an unseasonably hot day.  We watched everyday, watched the clouds and watched the thermometer, looking for any sign of a change of seasons.  This past Sunday night, as we were traveling home from a weekend visiting friends in Chiang Mai, we stopped in Chiang Rai and noticed something unusual.  At the supermarket where we usually shop there were some clear signs of the arrival of winter.  The people we saw were actually wearing sweaters and jackets, and not just to ward off the sun, but to ward off the cool!  Whoooppeeee!  Cool season is here!

Every city deals with this cool weather differently and in our neighborhood it means; campfires in the early morning and late night, time to wash the sweaters and hats and socks that have been stored away for months, patiently waiting to be remembered.  There’s something about going through your closet in the hot and close month of July and seeing a pile of sweatshirts that just makes me laugh and think, “does it ever really get cool enough to need to wear all that stuff?  It sure does.  The last few mornings it has been about 65 degrees inside our house and down into the upper 50’s outside.  Now, to you Midwesterners that doesn’t sound cold at all does it?  Well, the fact is that with the way the houses are built here, with no heaters or central air of any kind, the temperature outside the house is very similar to the temperature inside the house.  During the warmer parts of the year it can be over 90 degrees inside the house in the afternoons, hopefully cooling down to the upper 80’s during the night.  We usually have the fans on during most of the day, and night, during other parts of the year.  However, during cool season the fans are unplugged and stored in the corner, totally unnecessary during a time of year when you need multiple layers to stay warm 

There’s something sort of unusual about watching a normally humid and over-heated country all of a sudden transform into a mild-winter.  Everyone seems happier during cool season.  It’s no secret that hot and sticky weather makes people ornery.  That’s why banks, and other businesses that are expected to have long lines to wait in will inevitably install an air-conditioner.  We’re used to watching people breeze by on their motorbikes, enjoying the coolness of the breeze.  Now they are covered from head to toe with mismatched face masks, scarves, jackets, long pants and of course socks hastily stuffed into sandaled feet. 

Yesterday we went to the weekly Saturday morning market in Wiang Kaen, as did quite a few other people, all looking for warmer clothes.  There were piles of sweat pants, bins of felt fleece hats, lightweight gloves and jackets.  There seemed to be a shortage of what we thought would complete the supply, warm clothes for little kids.   A vendor told us they had just ordered the cool season stock, last week they hadn’t known yet that it would be so cold.  We left with plans to return to the market next week, or perhaps visit one of the other weekly markets, in order to outfit our boys in an extra layer of warm jammies. 

Several of our friends here who are more aware of other parts of the world outside Thailand have asked us about how the cool season here compares with cold season in America.  “Is it as cold as this?” they say, shivering in their multiple layers as they ward off the 56 degree cold.  “A little cooler than this” we say with a smile.  We decide that stories of a Midwestern winter would only make them shiver more.   

Sometimes it takes a serious and scary circumstance.....

Rudy in the hospital

To remind us how much we have to be thankful for.....

Rudy Standing

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 

My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. 

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. 

I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delievered me from all my fears. 

 Those who look to Him are radiant, their faces will never be covered with shame.  

 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 

 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them." 

 Psalm 34:1-7

These verses of the Psalmist echo in my heart today as I reflect on the happenings of our life a week ago.  Unfortunately little Rudy was diagnosed with Pneumonia and had to be hospitalized in Chiang Rai.  I believe it is by God's grace that we arrived at the hospital when we did and that the infection in his body had not taken a more serious hold.  There are few things that are more scary and humbling that when one's child is ill.  Although we've dealt with slivers and fevers, this was beyond anything we had ever experienced.  It's a time when the world seems to stand still and you feel numb to everything except hoping and praying and looking for signs of improvement in your little patient.  Praise the Lord for the hospital in Chiang Rai which diagnosed Rudy's sickness and took appropriate and swift measures to help heal him up.  We are so thankful that things are back to normal now and are thankful too for the reminder it was to us that we can hope and trust in the Lord with every concern of our hearts. 

Now, on to some lighter insights of life at the hospital in Chiang  Rai.  Siiburin Hospital is a private Thai hospital where both Raymond and Rudy were born.  In most ways it's the opposite of the government hospital that is near our home in Wiang Kaen.  Siiburin is clean, quick, expensive (by Thai standards) and thorough.  One thing about staying overnight in a hospital in Thailand which you should be prepared for, if you need to be admitted, is that they provide very little.  Yes, the doctors check up on you, the nurses keep your stats on check, they deliver your medicine, and you are medically taken care of.  But, most Thai people will plan ahead to have some relative or close friend come and stay with them in the hospital because they know that some of those specific nursing necessities are absent.  Need to use the bathroom?  You can hobble there on your own, or call the nurse and interrupt her lunch.  Need the TV remote control?  Try pushing along the side wall to roll the bed over to the TV to retrieve the remote, or call the nurse and interrupt her afternoon snack.  Basically you're on your own, which is fine in most cases. 

Another thing that seems unusual to me is the number of people coming in and out of your private room during the course of the day.  You're lounging in your hospital bed and all of a sudden there's a knock on your door, "clean sheets!'  You get that taken care of and then there's the fresh towel lady, the clean pair of hospital jammies lady, the food lady, the nurse with your medicine, the lady with the new water bottles for your fridge, the lady to clean the bathroom, the lady to sweep/mop the floor, the lady to take away your food tray, the nurse to take your blood pressure....I'm not exaggerating, there were seriously about 8-9 people, each with a minutely specific task needing to come into your room and perform their chosen chore throughout the course of the day.  Another thing to be aware of if you are admitted to a private hospital in Thailand is that you will need to choose what type of room you want, a shared room (sharing with up to 10 other people), a shared double room (2 patients), a private single room (this is what we request), a private room with more modern decor, a VIP room that is very fancy or a VIP family suite, so that the entire family can share in the joys of helping you recover from your recent surgery.

It's quite an experience and I'm thankful that 2 out of the 4 times that one of our family members has had to be hospitalized has been for a joyful and exciting reason, the arrivals of Ray and Rudy.  For those other visits, well, let's just say that by the time the water bottle lady gets there, I'm ready to check myself out of the place. At least these two little guys found a way to make some fun memories........

Rudy and Ray in hospital bed

“To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,

 home again, home again, jiggety jig. 

To market, to market ,to buy a fat hog,

home again, home again jiggety jog” 

Today this line from a favorite nursery rhyme means more to me than just comic relief.  After living without meat for almost a week now, outside of a few take out meals, I decided to jump back into the local habit of buying meat at the market.  For the most part we buy quantities of meat at the grocery store in Chiang Rai (about 2 hours away) by the methods that Americans are comfortable with- all of which involve plastic wrap, Styrofoam, and a safe distance from those mysterious meat juices.  However, it has been almost a month now since we’ve made a grocery trip and we were missing our protein.  The local market is an open-air covered slab of concrete, atop which local vendors can set up stalls and tables, marketing everything from eels to bananas.  There’s quite a bit left to the imagination there so I’ll fill you in a bit.  Although there’s no guarantee that the ingredients you’re looking for will actually be available when you want them, this is the general inventory; tomatoes, green onions, white onions, shallots, ginger, lemon grass, white cabbage, green cabbage, long green beans, carrots, apples, various native Thai fruits, pumpkins, cucumbers, limes, kale, hot chili peppers, chili paste, eggs, dried shrimp, dried fish and garlic.  If you have any new ideas about how to create a meal, including two little kids, with those ingredients, please let me know.  Most people around here decide what they’re going to eat at the market, when they see what’s available.  Grocery lists and meal plans are impractical and often impossible if you’re relying on the market to complete your recipe.  But I’ve left out the main booth, the hot spot, the stall that’s often quickly sold out……the pork table.  Everything is laid out fresh and sometimes still warm, from every part of our favorite local animal, mr. piggy.  You can even look right in the face of the poor guy as his head is prominently displayed.  I suppose you could try to decipher the expression of the pig and determine whether the meal you make with it will be good, or not.  I generally avoid this table as I’m not totally comfortable with the meat handling practices.  There are no rules here about not touching money, knife, huge slabs of meat, television dial, face with the same hands.  There is no sink, no soap, no plastic gloves, no refrigeration or ice and no guarantee that you’ll be able to remain separate from the animal which you intend to cook that evening.  Oftentimes the meat you request will be placed in a small plastic bag and then placed on a big pile of fresh meat while you fumble with your money, trying if at all possible to give the exact price so that you don’t need him to make change.  It’s enough to give me the eebie jeebies every time and so more often than not, I just make vegetarian when our freezer supply of meat has dwindled to a no more than a few freezer burned hot dogs. 

As with anywhere else that we travel in the area surrounding our home, we are always a curiosity, always on show and on display for anyone who wants to view our strange habits.  I’ve often heard at the market, while I’m buying this or that, “Oh, foreigners can eat that?  Do they know what to do with it?”  Although a lot of what is on offer may be strange and unusual to the foreign palate, much of what they have is similar to us, the difference is in the preparation.  I sometimes have to say, “Yes, we do have shallots in America” or “No thank you, I don’t think we’ll be preparing grubs for dinner tonight”.  So, the next time you visit your local grocery store, enjoy all the convenience and cleanliness that it has to offer. 

Many of you wonder what life is like for us over here in Thailand as missionaries.  We are often asked questions like, ‘What does a typical day look like for you?’ or ‘What do you do all day?’  Unlike most families in America where one or both partners in a marriage go to work for a set period (9-5, M-F), we keep very different hours.  Except for when we were in language school, we’ve never had a consistent daily place where we must go and stay for an extended period of time.  There are regular meetings and speaking preparations that Jeremy is responsible for on a regular basis.  There is also a lot of visiting to do of church members, in both good times and in their personal emergencies.  There are personal errands that must be taken care of and exercise opportunities that we try our best to take advantage of.  One of the things that takes up most of our time here is…..the unexpected.  There are the neighborhood kids that stop by asking to play monopoly, but have no idea how to read the rules.  There’s the rainstorm that caused a flood in our living room and now needs to be cleaned up before preschooler and toddler sons slip slide their way to a head injury.  There’s the new pastor that’s stopping by to ask about an issue that concerns him.   There’s the grass around the house that needs to be cut because I saw a big snake yesterday when I was hanging out the wash.  There are the family friends that stopped by, struggling again with personal issues and financial challenges.  There’s the ….well, you get the picture.  I’ve thought about the possibility of saying I’m sorry but I don’t have any time right now, see my day timer, well, I know you can’t read English, but it’s full!  Yeah right.  I used to keep a daily calendar of events and activities.  I would write down what I hoped to accomplish that day.  Inevitably I would look at that calendar at night and know that there was no possible way that I could accomplish all those things in the midst of the actual circumstances that surrounded our day.  Although I still have some specific things that I work hard to get done on certain days, I sometimes just use the calendar to write in what I accomplished at the end of the day!  It’s really quite a rewarding exercise!  I’ve had to learn that the most important thing I can ‘accomplish’ in each day is to live in a way that would honor my Lord.  Sometimes that means not doing dishes till the boys are sleeping so that I can play with them outside.  Sometimes that means ironing instead of napping, or talking with the visitor rather than checking my email. 

 I really like the fact that Jeremy doesn’t work a typical job.  On one hand it’s very nice to know that he will be around in the close vicinity of our home for the whole day.  There have been times when I’ve been able to ask him to watch the boys for a couple of hours so that I can clean the house.  As a family we’re able to eat almost every meal together.  Sometimes Jeremy can take Raymond along when he visits church members. 

On the other hand one thing that must be taken into account is the fact that our life and our plans may be interrupted at any time, by anyone.  We’ll often just be sitting down to dinner when Jeremy receives an important phone call or someone who really needs to talk decides to stop by to visit.  It would be easiest for me to be upset or even jealous of these interruptions, and I’ll admit that I have felt that way.  It’s harder though to look into the eyes of the person who is hurting or hear the struggling voice on the other end of the line and to say ‘no’.  What or who is more important?  My dinner, that probably isn’t that interesting anyway, or the person who needs support and encouragement?  I think the answer is clear. 

This has been a lesson that has been difficult for me to learn.  In a pastor’s family there is a very fine line that must be walked between serving and caring for one’s family and then serving and caring for the church body.  I know it’s not possible for anyone to do this perfectly.  Chances are that church members will criticize that a pastor chooses his family over his members in a particular circumstances.  Chances are also highly in favor of the fact that the pastor’s family will feel hurt during times that a pastor chooses to minister to the needs of  a church member rather than spend that time with his family.  Jesus calls us to be gracious in those moments, not only to the person in need, but to the person in the middle, my husband.  After all, how would I like to be in a position where I must often make decisions that inevitably make one person happy and one person hurt? 

Wouldn’t it be nice, I sometimes think, if Jeremy could just leave his work at the office, be uninterrupted at home and not have pressing concerns and matters on his mind during his “off hours”?  Wouldn’t it be nice if I knew that Jeremy worked consistent 40 hour weeks rather than the 35 hours one week and the 80 the next?  Yes, maybe that would be nice, but that’s not what God has called us to right now.  If God hasn’t called me to do it, then I know that I don’t want any part in it.  My daily prayer is that I would embrace and enjoy and learn from the experiences we’re being given in this phase of our life, rejoicing in the fact that He is faithful in every circumstance.  In the meantime maybe I’ll just let Ray and his crayons be the organizers of my day timer.