Introducing Boy

It is now only a matter of weeks (20 days to be exact) until we welcome some very special guests to Canada.

Pastors Suradet and Yupa, along with our beloved interpreter Boy, will arrive on Thursday, January 8 around 9:30 in the morning.  Of course, we are praying for good traveling weather and safety all along the way.

Because many of you have not yet had the chance to meet Boy, I thought I'd just let you in on some interesting and fun facts, so we can all get to know him a little, even before he's here.

First, Boy is a nickname, a common practice in Thailand.  His given name is Udom Setthaya, but since we're friends, we can call him Boy :). [Also on the name thing, it's true that one of our sponsored kids at Hot Springs also goes by the nickname Boy.  Often as not when we're there we refer to them as 'Little Boy' and 'Big Boy'.  However, last October, when I saw how much 'Little Boy' had grown, we had to switch that to 'Big Boy' and 'Bigger Boy' :).]

Boy and his family have been members at Hot Springs Church for several years.  After his father passed away, his mother, Dao, moved into an open position at Hot Springs as cook and nanny.  That makes for a wonderful visit whenever Boy can join Highview's Asia Team at Hot Springs to be our interpreter.

Right now Boy actually lives in Bangkok, serving with the YWAM RatchaburiTeam there.  In that capacity, he has spent 6 months in South Africa and Mozambique training in medical missions.  He has been working towards a transfer to YWAM San Francisco to work with homeless people.  It is his hope that he can finish his nursing education, in order to return to Africa as a medical missionary.  For more information about Boy's calling see: boy-marshel.wix.com/the-story

Boy is 29 years old, speaks excellent English (which he studied in university and through YWAM), and has a gracious, humble and open spirit.  He has served us so very well every single time we've ministered together at Hot Springs.  I have come to hold him with great affection as a brother in Christ, and someone whose faith inspires me.

When we started talking about the need for an interpreter for this upcoming visit with Suradet and Yupa, and realizing that our dearly loved Becky A was no longer available, another Team member, knowing Boy's heart for serving and how much he might benefit from an experience in Canada, suggested we invite him to come.  It didn't take much to convince me!

We are so excited about having him here!  I know you will come to love him too.  And I encourage you to make him feel welcome, like I know you will, and to ask him more about his life and calling....and what he thinks of Canada ;0). 

1.      

They Said They Wanted to See Snow So....

Yupa and Suradet,  Pastors and Parents at Hot Springs

It is with great excitement that we anticipate the arrival of Pastors Suradet and Yupa, as well as our friend and interpter Boy, to Canada next month!

January may seem like an undesirable time to visit Canada to Canadians, but as people who have no concept of snow, the idea is so compelling that they actually asked if they could please come in the middle of winter in order to get the full effect of what it's like to live here.  So we obliged them.

This snowy visit will happen between January 8 to 30, 2015, and already plans are falling into place to ensure a time of deepening relationships, inspiration and some truly Canadian winter fun.  We hope to provide lots of opportunities for Highviewers to connect with Suradet, Yupa and Boy in a variety of settings.

Here are some dates that have already been set:

Sunday, January 11 - Suradet is our guest speaker as we begin our 1 Peter series.
Wednesday, January 14 - Thailand Team 2015 meeting
Friday, January 16 - Hot Springs Sponsors' Appreciation Dessert
Saturday, January 17 - Toronto visit to the CN Tower  (snow date January 24)
Sunday, January 18 - Boy will share his story of faith as well as how God is directing his life.
Sunday, January 25 - Yupa is our guest speaker
Wednesday, January 28 - Suradet is speaking at City Watch (KW's Pastors' Prayer Group)
Thursday, January 29 - Goodbye Potluck dinner at Breithaupts'

Also in the works:

• Alpha - Yupa has agreed to prepare a traditional Thai meal (nut free) for one of our Alpha nights, (running Tuesdays from January 13 to February 24).
• Hosting a Meal - If you would like to host our friends for a meal in your home, please email me at rabreithaupt@buildingbiggerhearts.ca with two possible dates (not Tuesdays).  I will do my best to accommodate as many invites as possible without overwhelming our guests :).  Offering to take them out to dinner is great too.
• Ice Skating (or other winter activities) - If you would like to treat our guests to ice skating, tobogganing, winter hiking, or other favourite winter activity (one family has already volunteered to take them skiing), and can provide the transportation and equipment needed, please email me at rabreithaupt@buildingbiggerhearts.ca.  Again, I will do my best to accommodate your invitation.
• Young Adults - Some of the great friendships that have already formed between Boy and our own young adults who've visited Hot Springs will naturally result in a few events, as yet to be planned.

  

  Boy and his Mom Dao

Other ways to welcome our guests:

•  Three pairs of extreme cold gloves - sizes teeny, medium and large.
• Three sets of thermal/long underwear - sizes small, medium and large.
• Two heating blankets (new or slightly used) - one double, one single.
• Financial contribution toward visit expenses - please make donations through Highview Community Church marked "SYB 2015 Visit Expenses".  For out of town contributions please email highview@buildingbiggerhearts.ca or mail cheque directly to Highview Community Church 295 Highview Drive, Kitchener ON N2L 4A1.  Tax receipts available. 

 And of course we ask for your prayers for safe and un-weather-hindered travels!

Over and over again, I am amazed at the astonishing way God connected two churches, from literally the other side of the world from one another, to love and serve together like this!!!

More updates to come.


 

Operation Normalization

And so begins the re-entry.

By this point, just shy of 48 hours back, I'd say I'm feeling surprisingly fantastic.  Woke up way too early Saturday morning (like about 2:30 or so), but was able to use the time to unpack and do laundry and just quietly make my way through the normal tasks of returning.  Sorting things out, putting things back where I need them to be for my regular life, preparing for the 'on-purpose-lightly-scheduled' week ahead.

Even at the wedding I officiated yesterday, all went well.  Buoyed by a short nap earlier in the day, I was very glad that the ceremony unfolded glitch-free, and that the conversation at the table afterward was thoroughly enjoyable.

Good bye prayer time, sending us off.

This morning I woke up to the happy realization that I had actually slept all the way through to 4:30 a.m., which is close enough to my normal time of rising to be a very good indication indeed.  I made my normal breakfast smoothie.  I took my vitamins.  I have come over to the church early, even though I have no responsibilities this morning, just to sort through the mound of paper (pictures and cards) produced by the children for me to pass on to their beloved sponsors. 

Just now, I spent a blissfully-quiet 45 minutes resuming my normal pattern of reading and meditation, sitting in my chair, with the candle on.  Felt good and life-giving to be drinking in deeply of the solitude and contemplation.  Soon the worship band will arrive and I will hear them warming up, preparing for the service that will happen later on.  It will be delightful to see all my Highview 'peeps' and be filled by our time of worshiping God together.  I absolutely love being taught by Bill Webb, and am grateful that I am not required to preach this morning.

After that I will go home and have my normal Sunday afternoon nap.  Then spend the evening quietly with my generous husband, all in the familiar sweetness of all the things I love about my life.

And it's all going amazingly well this time.

Until just about a minute ago when I received a voice message via Facebook.  Suradet has figured out how to do that on his phone.   Unwittingly, I press play.  And for a long and heart-sore 17 seconds, the normalcy is gone.

Thai Sunrise

He's speaking Thai and just the sound of the language and the sound of his voice catches me back to the place where everything is so sensationally not normal.   He asks if Canada is cold?  He says that all the children are missing us and thinking of Ken as well (whom he calls 'father Ken').  He thanks God and ends with 'God bless you.'

I don't mind the tears.  I know they are witness to the beauty of the bond God has allowed to form between us.  I know they are part of the cost of loving like you won't get hurt, but you do, and it does.  And I know the normalcy will return in it's own time.

Body, mind, soul.  That's the order of it.  That's how we come back.  And it's happening easily and happily this time....mostly :). 

Fun

I think this trip will be best remembered for the laughter.

No question there were learnings and challenges and moments of dealing with bugs (frenzied writhing ones that fell into your food at the outdoor restaurant!).  There was the heat and humidity (although not as bad as other visits).  There were strange moments when the cultural clash bumped against Western sensibilities, and language still to be learned made for confusion and the need for much 'gring-jai'.

There was the work of teaching flute lessons and morning and evening devotions and putting together a Canadian Thanksgiving service, and preaching at the prison.

There was the concern for Yupa's Mom who suffered a mild stroke while we were there, and the meaningful time of worship and prayer we had at her house, just to gather around her and show our support and love.

But mostly it was fun.  Just fun, and funny.  A lot of the time.  Fake poo and wrong-way climbs up escalators (see previous post for details :).  Badly translated menus that invited you to try 'crap stick', and which provided Suradet and Yupa with just as much hilarity.  Games that included powder on the face and a classic well timed response from Fruk.  Gestures that would be considered highly offensive to farangs, but when made by a diminutive Thai child in a completely different context for a completely different reason, and you just have to laugh out loud.  The extra layer of humour that comes when a gentle Thai translator attempts sarcasm.   Wading ankel deep through the flash flood in the pouring rain - I mean really pouring - back to the car with three of us - Yupa, Esther and me - under a towel that's quickly getting saturated, and laughing like fools.  And - speaking of fools - spontaneous dance parties that get videoed and posted on Facebook.

So much fun. 

They say you're making real inroads into a culture when you can successfully tell a joke.  I would take that one step further and say that you're actually becoming family when hilarious stories are created in the context of togetherness. 

I will take the warm of that fun with me into many months ahead.  Gratefully.

And Now For Something Entirely Different

We've had yet another amazing day at Hot Springs, very conscious now of Thursday being departure day.  Makes everything slow down and become more 'present' somehow.

But since I don't really want to think about that....thought I'd just relay two fun stories.

Got called over with some urgency to the baptismal pool yesterday morning, before people started to arrive.  The children were dismayed and wanted to show me that it looked like a dog had done his business in the pool.  Sure enough, floating there was a fair-sized portion of, um, doggy doo. 

I expressed my own dismay and horror, and indicated with some energy, the need to get that out of there!  Quick, find a stick!  Call Ahjahn Suradet!  We're definitely going to need to drain the pool and fill it up again, but do we have time?  Yuck!  Apparently, my reaction was quite amusing, since the children were laughing so hard.

That's when Fruk calmly reached in and scooped out the offensive floater with his bare hands.  Bigger reaction from Ahjahn Ruth.  More laughing.  And then Fruk couldn't in good conscience torment me any longer and revealed the truth.  Fake poo.

Fake poo?  Where does a rural Thai boy get fake poo? 

I didn't take a picture.  You're welcome.

Second story.

It was market night and usually what works best is to do supper in Chiang Mai first.  We'd been promised pizza, but when the first place ended up being take out only, we made our way to one of Chiang Mai's newest and biggest malls.  I'm talking six stories high.  Of course this modern facility comes complete with escalators, which, for some rural Thais are novel at best and terrifying at worst.  Suradet tells me his father, a mountain man (some eight hour drive away), refuses to set foot on one.

Suradet himself is comfortable enough in the city.  He was born in the same village where his parents still live.  But living now just 45 minutes out of Chiang Mai, he's been exposed to all the conveniences of modern life.  Except maybe he isn't as experienced on escalators as he first let on.

We were looking for a bathroom and had decided it was one floor down.  Suradet led the way and had just got on the elevator when Yupa realized that, no, there was a bathroom just over there on the floor we were on currently.   The rest of us had not yet stepped on the escalator. 

Suradet, on his way down looked up, eyes wide.  He had a split-second decision to make.  Do I continue to go down and come back up, or am I still close enough to come back up the cascading downward stairs? 

To me he was too far gone.  No question, I would have done the circuit.  Not Suradet.  He decided to go for it.  Chugging bravely against the flow, he high-stepped his way back up to the top.  Big smile and a 'tada' kind of expression when he got there.  Except, Yupa and Bao had hurried away, not wanting anyone to know that this guy was with them.  A few onlookers did indeed seem rather unimpressed. 

I so wish I had a video.  Honestly, it was hilarious. It's these kinds of unexpected joyful moments that make the memories and make us family.

I warned him that this was too fun a story not to share with Highview.  And now I have :).

How Can It Get Any Better Than This?

 This morning, just before all the wonderful began, I stepped out onto the small porch of Suradet and Yupa's home, having finished my final notes for the Thanksgiving service that was to start in about 30 minutes or so.  As is common, an English worship CD was playing in the sanctuary, loud enough to be heard almost anywhere on the property.  And I recognized the song as Everything, by Lifehouse.

How can I stand here with You and not be moved by You?
Would You tell me, how could it be any better than this?

A wash of profound gratitude came over me, and I just stopped to soak in the unexpected moment of worship, looking out over all the buildings and lush green of Hot Springs.  All this place represents in terms of God's goodness and guidance and sovereignty and passion for those who have no voice.....  Yes, how could it get any better than this?

And that was BEFORE the service!

It was two and a half hours of abundance.  If a church service were a meal, this was a Thanksgiving feast, without question.  Prayer time, all out worship in our voices, special renditions on the flute by Esther's young students, a dance number by some of the girls, and special numbers by Miki and Two, and our visiting university students.  Esther spoke through our interpreter about the pressures of choosing a career path in music, and followed that with a stunning flute solo.  Sermon was about Luke 17:11-19 and the nine that didn't come back to say thank you.

We handed out banana muffins in lieu of pumpkin pie (no such thing in Thailand, and you learn to improvise rather broadly here ;).  Then we all headed downstairs for the baptism of five people who were ready to make public their commitment to faith in Jesus.

In an act of utter selflessness, Suradet, who had done ALL the shepherding and discipling of these candidates, offered me the honour of actually doing the baptisms.   To keep everyone in attendance (which doesn't happen, Suradet says, when we truck out to the water reserve) Suradet had purchased a small child's pool.  That's where the baptisms took place.  

The five newly baptized souls are Porn and Pook, two women from the church, and Kratae, Porn, and Da, three of our own girls. [Just because I'm sure you're wondering, Porn means 'blessing' in Thai :)]

So tell me, how does it get any better than this?

When you dedicate your life, your vocation, your energies and passions to something, and you get to see it actually happening; when you work hard, sometimes without encouragement, sometimes against criticism and personal attack; when you just lay it all down and leave it in the hands of a God you believe to be wise, and sovereign and good, just one day like this can be all you need to make you believe your life makes sense.

Today my life makes sense.

And it just doesn't get any better than that.

Jailhouse Sermons

Sometimes Jesus shows up in the most unlikely of places.

I felt that way two years ago, the first time I visited the women's correctional institute in Chiang Mai.  Within these walls there are about 120 women who have responded to God's invitation to new life and forgiveness through Jesus, because of the faithful, life-giving presence of Pastor Suradet and Yupa, and another pastor friend of theirs, Pastor Pic-Chai. 

About once a month they drive the 45 minutes into Chiang Mai, subject themselves to the security checks, and spend two hours with some of the most peaceful, delightful women you'd ever want to meet.

I had the enormous privilege of visiting with them again today.

Like last time, they sang us in.  It's a surreal experience.  Behind barbed wire and bars, voices echoing against the bare gray walls and floor, their strong unison and rhythmic clapping can be heard first from a distance and then growing louder until you turn the corner and come into the open space where they sit, row on row, smile on smile.  Their joy saturates the room.

Thinking over the day, yes, I'm glad for the sense that I really connected with the women as I spoke (through an interpreter).  I talked about what an arduous journey it is to travel half way across the world, but how the thought of that first glimpse of my Thai family, waiting at the airport to receive me, makes any and all discomforts and expense more than worth it.  Oh so worth it.  I compared that to the hope of 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, and the focus we can have, as followers of Jesus, on what it waiting for us at the end of all this journey we call life.

Yes, I'm glad for that great feeling of them laughing at the right places, and nodding in agreement, and otherwise indicating that somehow something was being communicated that seemed somewhat helpful.

But today I am more impressed with what those women have yet again brought to me.  They were more a sermon to me than anything I spoke to them.  With the same point.  Their voices, singing again to us as we left, ring in my mind as a bookmark for keeping a perspective of hope.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Esther remained to teach flute and hang out with the kids.  Apparently enough progress is being made already that a short, simple duet is planned for this coming Sunday service!  It's so much fun watching Esther with the girls.  She's patience and encouraging, and really knows her stuff.

I also asked Esther to hand over my little camera to one of the kids.  I find that I get some pretty good pictures that way.  What follows is the work of Eg and Cheunlung.  :)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's exciting episode:  "Esther Rides An Elephant"

Paula (Ponla) and Cheunlung

Kratae, Cheunlung, Esther and Ponla

Bal (Bell) and Esther

Esther so strong with Cheunlung and Tonkhao