Arrival: Hot Springs Finally and Again

In continuation of my "retro-blog", here's an entry from our first arrival to Hot Springs.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

The fan is not oscillating. Starr and I absolutely have to have it blowing full on us just to be able to breathe, it’s that hot. Bugs are crawling all over – the walls, the floor, our beds. We’ve eaten rice again tonight.

It’s hot and buggy and ricey…..and I’m am totally, easily at home.

We arrived about 6 p.m. or so following an outdoor, very Thai restaurant meal (of rice and stuff) with Suradet who had come to Chiang Mai to pick us up. Tutu said he'd insisted :). As we drove out of the driveway of the restaurant, and on to the road that would take us the rest of the way there, Suradet called in our imminent arrival to Hot Springs on the phone. My Thai is still very weak, but I’m surprised at how much more I’m understanding this time....enough so that I knew that's what the call was about.

There was the surge of excitement as we turned off the road again and up that long and lovely laneway. I'm having even more fun realizing it's George and Starr's first glimpse of this place that has now become famous for Highview.

We drove up to the church, but then went beyond, putting the truck into low gear for that grinding chug up the back hill to come to a rest just in front of the building we'd be staying in, the same as when I was here in October.

The children were waiting on the porch. It was a little curious because they were all lined up in a formation of some sort. But then Miki hit the button on the CD player and the music started, and it was You're Everlasting Love and they performed it for us!!!

I had taught them that song when I was here last! And that's a story all unto itself. But this welcome.....what a welcome. For us, for our arrival! They are jumping (well more like stepping) side to side, doing all the actions to – “Your Everlasting Love”. It was a fabulous way to say, "we're glad you've come."

We hauled in our luggage and asked for 10 minutes to sort ourselves out. But in short order it was time to give out the goodies -- at least the first batch.

Sponsors packets were opened. This time it was much more organized. George handed them out and each child came and received them in turn. He was great at it, making sure that neither Bao, nor the two new children had to wait until the end. It was just the first of several ways George would demonstrate a desire to really understand these kids and their culture -- all the multilayers of it.

The kids themselves were a bit more orderly in opening and looking through the packets this time compared to last, and there wasn’t as much of the switching around, equalizing of goods. It think this may mean we're getting better at figuring out how to put together the packets. So much more to learn though.

Now it was time for evening devotions. Just as we were packing up to head over, Suradet asked me to teach for it. I said “sure!”. What a contrast to my totally Western way of being that I'd brought the very first trip, and how unnerving I had found those random, spontaneous invitations to teach.

But of course, before all that comes the singing. What is it about those little voices? Can't hardly understand anything at all, but my spirit is lifted and filled up. And actually, by now, there are a few of the Thai songs that I can sort of make stumbling attempts to join along with. How cool is that?

I didn’t cry until I got to reading the Scripture. Philippians 1:1-11. I chose it because I wanted to use it to speak directly to the children about my feelings for them and Paul expresses “same same”(common English-Thai expression meaning, "it's just the same with us!". That was my repeating phrase – Paulo – Ajahn Rut: Same same. Amazingly, I think they got it.

"It is right for me to feel this way about you, since I have you in my heart….". And my voice hardly holds out for me.

Father, I am a bit afraid of just how much this place means to me. It is just a bit too weird that I would feel this familiar, this at home here. I’m not sure what it means, or what you might want me to do about it, but I only ask that you help make sure I listen. Help me pay attention to what this is.

Thank you. I know full well I don’t deserve to be able to come back. I know full well I don’t deserve the respect and love I receive from these sweet children, or from Suradet and Yupa. I ask that you help me to live up to it, to be worthy of this Thailand thing you’ve called me to.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.