Heading Back

Can't believe it, but in just twelve days, Megan and I will be landing in Thailand once again!

Two weeks only this time.  Never mind.  Experience says that it will be two weeks jam packed with new experiences, favourite foods, deep learnings and lots of love.  That's just how it is at Hot Springs.

Megan and I, along with Suradet and Yupa and the children of Hot Springs will together present a four day English Camp at the same school our Team visited last year.  My time last fall provided me with a lot of advanced learning in the differences between English and Thai, so our English portion of the Day Camp will focus on some of those features, helping kids in grades 4, 5, and 6 grasp more of the language their country is hungry to learn.    Our Theme will be "I Love Snow", an idea born out of the fact that Thais, like many who live in tropical countries, are fascinated with snow.  Should be fun.  Our Bible focus for that week will be Psalm 51:2,7 "Clean away my sin.  Wash me and I will be whiter than snow."

Of course the rest of the time will be spent in just being there with the kids, with our Thai family, and building on the love and respect that has come to be such a good gift of this partnership.   Some of the fun we are anticipating includes the planned trip to the Chiang Mai Zoo and Aquarium ($15.00 per child if you want to help us out with that - email highview@buildingbiggerhearts.ca to donate).  Neither Megan nor our newest little girl May have had a chance to ride on an elephant, so we're hoping to arrange for that as well.

And there will be morning and evening worship times, little voices singing strongly, learning eagerly, even in the sleepy mornings.  There will be beading and friendship bracelets and clapping games.  There will be amazing food from Yupa's kitchen.  There will be just that calmer pace of life and present-in-the-moment way that is so much part of Thai culture. 

I am personally looking forward to keeping up with my Thai language learning, seeing some of the changes that have happened there since I left in December (the church got a complete paint job, inside and out, totally different colour, we'll take pictures), and just being close to the souls I miss so much 'ta lot wey la' (all the time).

It wouldn't surprise me if it comes up that Hot Springs is ready to receive some new children.  That's not unusual for this time of year, and there is space.  So if you're not sponsoring a child right now, but have been thinking about it, let me know.  You don't even have to be involved at Highview to be a Sponsor. 

All your prayers and support are well used by God in this, my friends.  If ever we did anything right as a church, this kind of Isaiah 58 involvement would be it. 

Isaiah 58:6-8,11

Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen; 

to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, 

to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  

Is it not to share your food with the hungry 

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter 

-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, 

and not to turn away from your flesh and blood?  

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, 

and your healing will quickly appear; 

then your righteousness will go before you, 

and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard....

You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Suradet, Yupa - way to show us how to do this!