When we stay at Hot Springs our laundry is done for us. This is part practical, part cultural and part instructional. Even without the heart to serve built into every Thai soul, with twenty-five people and three machines going almost every single day, it's just way easier for our laundry to get included in the cycles. And the children are required to do a lot of this themselves. As a result, our laundry is usually returned to us, washed and sun-dried, and neatly folded. If anything needed pressing, that's been done too.
Every time I offer to help with hanging or gathering and folding. Always I'm chased away back to my desk where I was working or even to my chair where I was reading. Sometimes I'm sneaky and I get away with bringing in the laundry when no one's looking.
That's what I'm trying to do when Wara catches me this one day.
It's our underwear. Just all nice and fresh and hanging there under the carport of the guest house. And I have a minute so I go out to get it. But Wara comes out from behind the hedge, stops in surprise, and with a cry of dismay runs over to persuade me to let her do it instead.
But I insist and we have a bit of a gentle tug of war. And in the midst of it she asks me, But don't I want it all to be ironed?
I'm confused at first, wondering if I understood her - what's the word for ironing in Thai? But she's miming the back-and-forth of an iron on a board, so, no - yeah - that's what she means.
And a new thought dawns on me that hasn't really ocurred in the 11 years so far that I've been having my laundry done by others when I've been here. They iron our underwear?
My turn for a cry of dismay.
In my own journey and in the journey of our church to forge an honest, reciprocal relationship with our ministry partners in Thailand, it's been so important to continue to learn this dance of culture and roles and ways to love and be loved. Dignity and respect and listening to and learning from, especially in the day to day of living in community is essential.
Liz Forkin Bohannan, founder of Sseko Designs, a socially conscious fashion brand creating education and economic opportunity for women across the globe, articulates it so well.
"I believe that we are called to live in community with others, across the street and across the globe. Community where we do this sacred dance together through seasons of needing and being needed. Giving and receiving. Barely staying above water one minutes and being the lifesaver the next. It's how humans are designed to exist together, pushing us al toward greater empathy and dignity and unity. In any relationship, when we start to get confused and think these seasons and circumstances are permanent roles we are meant to play, we strip ourselves and others of the dignity of being a dynamic, complex fellow human who is both terribly broken and brilliantly bright." From Beginner's Pluck (p97)
Love this!
But back to the underwear.
I convince Wara that, no, our underwear does NOT need ironing. And she is over the top grateful. "Oh Thank you Ahjahn Ruth! You've given me some free time!" And she hugs me and runs happily off to have some fun.
I bring our underwear back to our room and tell the Team in disbelief. They iron our underwear!!! Everyone is astounded, and glad I have put matters straight. Please. Don't iron our underwear!
Later I feel it's important to communicate directly to the boss-lady Yupa. I thank her profusely for all the ways we are taken care of when we visit. But I insist that this task of ironing our underwear be stopped. She seems confused. This happens often enough as both of us are learning each other's language. But when we clarify and Yupa understands what I'm saying, she tells me. "But Ahjahn Ruth. We don't iron your underwear."
What? A little more back and forth and we realize. Wara was playing a joke!!! We laugh a lot about this.
I love this story because it speaks to the life and mischief and joy and heart of this young lady who is currently in her first year of Bible School in Bangkok. She's one of our 'university' students (In Thai the term 'university' is used for all secondary education) and she's truly a delight worth investing in.
When she's not pulling one over on Ahjahn Ruth, she's excelling in school, particularly linguistics, or creating beautiful things out of paper, or helping her young siblings with homework, and, of course pitching in with the domestics required to raise a family of twenty-five. She's smart and spirited and kind. Wherever she's headed with her studies, she's going to be amazing.
I personally think she'd make a great pastor.
During the month of October we are raising funds to send Wara and also Boy (our other Bible school student) along in their educational journey.
Check it out at https://www.hcckw.ca/store/c2/Thailand_Fundraiser.html#/
(No underwear was harmed during the writing of this post.)
No comments:
Post a Comment