When Far Away is Close to Home

 

"The One Suitcase that Made It"

"Only a Boy Named David"

"A Leisurely Stroll Down the Goat Path"

"Jenga Jamboree"

"Insert Your Name Here"

Plus more...

We are so looking forward to telling these stories this coming Sunday at Highview Community Church.

The Team that went to visit our Thai family last November has gathered the best of what we experienced and observed as God's very real presence and interactions with all of us while we were there.  

We have pictures to show and a video to share.  You can even buy some Thai coffee after the service to help support New Family Foundation's Property Development Project.

This will be the first in a three-week series that features the wonderful partnerships God has given us as a congregation, moving us up and out of our own cultural comfort zones to see His hand at work in places far away on the globe, but very close to our hearts.

If you are at all within driving distance, we'd love to see you there.

WHEN FAR AWAY IS CLOSE TO HOME

Thai'n It Together: November 2023 Team Report

Highview Community Church

295 Highview Drive

Kitchener ON N2N 2K7

10:30 a.m.

"Winter Festivities"

Can we really ever call it "winter" in Thailand?  I suppose if it's Christmas, then New Year's, and the nights are a little cooler, it counts.  

As I described in the last blog ("Christmas Lights" December 21) celebrating Christmas looks and feels different for our kids at New Family Foundation.  So I thought I'd just share some of the photos that I've received.  

Hope they warm your cold Canadian winter day :).

Christmas Fun

Receiving Our Christmas Cards from Our Sponsors!!

Cooking up some pounded sticky rice, hot dogs and pork!

Hosting a Christmas Party in Yupa's home village.

Christmas Worship Celebrations

Thailand's National Children's Day - January 12, 2024

Wanmai and Beemai on a 'ride' at a Children's Day party in Sahakorn.

Pakin and Goon in their fun car.

Suradet and Yupa are invited to hand out the snacks at the Sahakorn Party.

Lots going on these past months since our Team visited.

It sure feels like a long time since we were there.  Maybe it's just that I'm missing the warm weather and sunshine.  But of course, I'm missing way more than that.

Heads up.  

If you're in town or nearby, 

the November Team will be sharing our stories 

at the service at Highview on Sunday, January 28th.  

We'd love to have you join us.

295 Highview Drive

Kitchener ON N2N 2K7

Christmas Lights

 It's not a holiday in Thailand.

Come Christmas morning, our kids at New Family Foundation will not be waking early and heading down to the Christmas tree.  They won't spend the day in their pjs playing with new toys, or having a special Christmas breakfast, or watching a Christmas movie, or playing board games.

Come Christmas morning, December 25th, they'll wake up early, yes.  They do that every day.  They'll gather for what I expect will be a special Christmas morning time of worship.  Then they'll head out to do their chores, get dressed, eat breakfast, and head off to school.

Christmas Day is not a holiday in Thailand.

Before you feel too sorry for our kids, please know that they have already been enjoying Christmas treats, special meals and extra fun throughout the month, as is the way of celebration for Christians in Thailand.  The church has been decorated since December 3rd.  Christmas songs have long been incorporated into their twice daily times of singing together.  An Sunday, December 24 will be a special service indeed, including the lunch afterwards for everyone in attendance.

As well, we have collected cards from each child's Sponsor and that will be given to them at a moment over the holidays when they can read and enjoy them.  We've made sure there will be some funds to buy a few extra 'presents', to be opened likely at the same time the cards are given.  But this will be in keeping with the fact that our family is big, and gift exchange is not really a 'thing' at Christmas, even among Christians.  Not in the simpler way of living that is the reality of our children's homes of origins, or even the surrounding culture.  

It's interesting to me how much of my own cultural expectations I can still place on what I hope for my Thai family.  I actually can't help but wish all my happy Christmas morning rituals into their reality.  

And yet.  It strikes me that our children have a different kind of Christmas opportunity.  While not a holiday, Christmas Day will still be acknowledged.  Sometimes Christian pastors are invited to speak to a school assembly to tell the Christmas story.  And whether or not that happens for our kids this year, they still get to be Christmas lights, shining the goodness of Jesus into their world.

We want to take this moment now to thank every one of you who has been with us on our journey through the year, 

and many for much longer.

Your love and support mean everything to us.

We wish you a most meaningful Christmas season

and a New Year filled with the blessings of God.

Fun Factor Plus

 

"Bai teo" means 'out for fun', or a little getaway or outing. That was us yesterday.

With an early start, a stop along the way to pick up our lunch for later, and at least one bathroom stop, it took us the better part of the morning to get where we were going. Even before that, you can only imagine what it would be like to prep 17 kids and 7 adults for a day trip. And even before that, the girls had to get all dressed up. Best not-school-not-church clothes. Make up even.

When you're in such a big family, these times are rare. Better make the best of them.

But finally we were off on our rollercoaster adventure.

The word 'rollercoaster' probably conjures up something of an amusement park environment for most of us, at least it did for me when Yupa suggested this for our 'bai teo' this visit.

In actuality, we ended up riding more of a jungle coaster, with some fast turns yes, but more just coasting along the tracks that took every advantage of the gravitational pull down the side of the mountain. Appropriate amount of nervous laughing in the line. Pairing off of the smaller ones with an adult of one of the older girls. Happy screaming around the first fast corner, and big smiles coming up the track at the very end.

Next to lunch, where we found a restaurant willing to let us bring to the tables the chicken and sticky rice meal we had packed, while we ordered several plates of 'som tum', a spicy papaya salad that almost every Thai child will tell you is their favourite food.

From there off to the Queen's Botanical Garden for a magical 'canopy walk' under the tropical rain forest, some happy browsing through the greenhouses, and a visit to the display of tribal villages. Some of the children gave little cries of recognition at the familiar, jumping on the riding card, or climbing up into the huts. Beemai even 'played' at making a meal around the fire pit - just like how she remembers from her village.

Last stop was the Museum of Science, still on the grounds of the Royal Garden. But it was getting later in the day, we zipped through, truth be told. But I was still glad we could expose them to the excellent interactive learning stations, and even just enjoy the wonder of God's creation in the displays of flowers, forests and minerals.

So much fun. All of it. And so much more.

We talked about it at supper. The whole picture of the benefits of these kinds of trips. Fun, yes. And all by itself, that's worth it. To bring joy and lifted spirits and a sense of wonder at how great life can be to this family of gathered children...yes. Fun, yes.

And.

Think of everything else that happened.

More exposure to urban life for children who've never seen a city before coming to live with us. So important if we want to encourage them to become influencers in their own country.

Making good memories to hold on to, balancing out early childhood experiences that would not be so happy. And making them together with our family. Forging relationships that can last a lifetime.

Allowing them to observe various occupations along the way, allowing them to add to their repertoire of 'what I might want to be when I grow up'. As Karen pointed out, maybe some of them will be curious and want to study more science when they get the chance to choose. Or engineering, as in 'how do you get a coaster track to stay in place on the side of a very steep hill/' or 'how did that canopy walk bridge get built?' And so much more.



And the encouragement that they are loved and important. That their Sponsors would make sure they didn't just have the basics, but the fun extras as well. That God would have written this incredible story to connect us from the other side of the world.

You are seen. You are loved. You matter. Let's go have some fun. and then some.

Our thanks, our gratitude is enormous for this.
I know many of our beloved supporters might never be able to come in person. But yesterday - and every day of course - your presence was very much with us. Your love was tangible.

You were very much the PLUS factor for our day of Fun.

All the Moving Parts of All the Things

 

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."
Romans 8:28

A cooler, clouded sky hangs over the morning, and it seems fitting somehow. We are welcoming this day with faith for God's leading in all that is presenting itself to us.

For one thing, it's a day of comings and goings. I've mentioned this before, I think, that a unique feature of our time together as a Team is that we haven't really spent the whole time together as a Team. Roger and Karen will return from Phuket this afternoon. Norma and Angela will return to Canada later this evening. Flight times and vehicle capacities make two trips necessary. There's a fair bit of packing, texting, and synchronizing of watches going on.

Of course, this means a time of goodbyes this evening. Bitter sweet in that we come here willing to give our hearts away, and end up leaving pieces of it behind. Every. Time. Angela and Norma are already expressing their feelings about it all. And truth be told, as we've said around the table, if something doesn't hurt about leaving maybe one shouldn't have come in the first place.

A harder thing. Yesterday we had the sad and difficult task of informing one of our girls that her father had passed away. She had already lost her mother three years ago, and had found the grieving difficult. This has hit her hard. We're only into day one of the mourning process, and she has stayed home from school today to regain her composure a bit, and just shadow Dtu in some every day chores, slowly, as she's able. The circumstances of the death were difficult enough that I will respect the privacy and not include the details here. But it is just an added layer to the weight of it all.

Travel stress, grieving, health concerns. All coming together on this day. I have in mind a scene from a movie, I think it's from one of the Dr. Strange episodes, where all the buildings, the streets, everything is heaving and moving at odd and impossible angles, while the characters battle for their lives. At any moment the ground gives way and a new stance is needed to keep your balance and keep the danger at bay.

And while I don't want to portray any sense of real danger or inflate anyone's experience of disorientation - mostly we are staying calm and going with the flow as best we can - there's a certain theological picture in the movie reference that reminds me of something essential.

When so many moving parts are in play, and it seems rather confusing and disrupting to me, there's a God at the helm, controlling the levers, orchestrating everything according to His plans and purposes. And even as we face what we cannot control, we trust in the One who's in charge.

"All things" include, well all the things. And while Romans 8:28 has sometimes been given a bad rap for its glib recitation to people in pain, it's still true. Either I believe it or not. And I do believe it. With my whole being.

So, if you are so inclined, prayers are welcome.
For comfort for one young girl.
For travel safety for four Team members.
For wisdom in caring for and leading our family here through a time of support in mourning.
For all the comings and goings and moving parts of a day that hold so much potential to see what God will do.

Amen and amen.

"Only A Boy Named David" and Other Clips from the Highlight Reel

 

We’re all saying it today.  How have these first few days gone by so fast?

That weird sense of time is only made more ‘warpy’ because of a transition we’re experiencing as Roger, Karen and Norma head south to Phuket for a visit with Esther.  As well as being one of our own from Highview, and Norma’s niece to boot, Esther has been serving with For Freedom International in Thailand for over a year. 

It will be a fun excursion for them, and a perhaps quieter dynamic for Angela and I who will remain at Hot Springs, and it’s all good.  But it’s also a little sad because, well, we were all really enjoying each other’s company so much.

It has gone fast.  Days have been full.  A lot of hopes for how we’d spend our time here have already seen fruition.  Particularly for Roger and Karen whom we have dubbed our ‘camp activity directors.’  Jenga and Dutch Blitz, both with ‘some assembly required’ energy spent.   Sneaky math games with dice.  For all of us, the reading.  For all of us, the opportunities to simply get to know the kids better.

Tonight at supper we imagined our ‘highlight’ reel so far. Being part of the worship team on our first Sunday morning.  Moments of comprehension breakthroughs with certain kids in our reading groups.  Karen, Angela and Norma giving a rousing rendition of “Only A Boy Named David” one evening at worship time.  The joy and wonder on the kids’ faces when they’ve seen themselves in a book.  Little mishaps with a plate full of rice that shouldn’t be so funny but are.  Working together with Dtu and Anu in simple, everyday tasks.  Watching the delight on faces building the Jenga tower for the first time.  Yesterday’s outing to Doi Sutep and today’s to the Thursday morning market.  All the good food.

But what we keep coming back to is how well we are navigating this experience together.  How easy the conversations are.  How much we’re able to talk about what we’re learning and experiencing.  How safe is the emotional environment, and how that’s providing a good spiritual space to simply give and receive. 

This is so good.  So good.  It’s been a long, long time since a Team has come.  Almost four years.  And since it’s so important that we keep sharing this thing we do with as many people as possible, it’s so, so good to realize that it can still happen in such gentle and redemptive ways.

Photo by Roger Bowman

 We deeply appreciate the extra work and loving care we receive from our hosts.  Suradet and Yupa, Dtu and Anu are incredible.  The same warmth and hospitality and welcome the children experience in this household benefits us greatly.  Most people who come here say that it’s been a place of healing. 

Some Team Members have been helping to do a little bit of my job for me in these first days, sending home pictures and anecdotes to Sponsors of their specific children.  I am hoping to get to more of that myself in the coming days, now that jet lag and the initial adjustments have settled down some.

Meanwhile, here’s a few shots of our ‘highlight’ reel.

Thank you and thank you for all the love and support to get us to this space.

Books and Books and Books

 

No nap today!  That’s a hurrah on two counts.  One, it means jet lag is pretty much had its way with me by now, and I’m on the other side of it.  Yay for that.

But more importantly, and much more fun was that it made for a great afternoon of sorting and culling our Hot Springs English library.  By the end, we were left with six bins with a fairly equal assortment of books, based on reading levels, subject matter, and simple variety.  This means that later this afternoon when the kids get home, we can each take a bin for a more balanced reading experience. 

By the end, I was also left with no small sense of realization as to just how beautifully our library has grown these past several years.  When we started the reading initiative here, all we had were some library discards from various and sundry sources I really know nothing about.  It was better than nothing, but in another sense, enough were in such rough shape that it sent a vastly different message than “Books are our friends,” or “Reading is fun!”

Over the years, and through the generosity of friends and Sponsors from within and outside of Highview, we have gathered quality reading material that is not only a joy to interact with but communicates a better level of respect for both reading and, quite frankly, our kids. 

Side note:  Getting something new is a ‘thing’ here. 

This trip, however, we’ve been able to up the ante one more level.  Through the generosity and expertise of Cheryl Wilton (retired English Learning Intervention consultant) and her associate Pat Harrison (of Blueberry Hill Books), we have added some first class early readers written and designed by people who really know how children learn to read.   The books donated by Cheryl and Pat were added to the bins today, and will be show-cased in this afternoon’s reading time.

But that’s not even the best of it.

Cheryl has created for us no less than four books that were written and designed to depict the life of our family here!  No kidding!  The pictures and the story lines are all about us!

Four books all about us!  And each of the nights at evening worship when I’ve pulled them out and called the kids forward to gather around, their wonder and delight at seeing themselves in the books is written on their faces just as clearly as the text on the pages. 

“Everything we need for life and godliness….”  It’s a phrase from 2 Peter 1:3 I quote often, claiming that promise for each step of the way as we raise up these sensational human beings.  And here’s just one more example.  I did not go out and seek this professional assistance for our English learning initiative at Hot Springs.  It came to us. 

So a huge thank you to Cheryl Wilton, who is our primary contact and enthusiastic source of learning materials.  And also to Pat Harrison and Blueberry Hill Books, which you can check out for yourselves at this link.

We’ll be hearing more about all of this as the days go by, for sure.

Especially since we just found out today that the younger kids won’t be going to school tomorrow (something about a sports tournament happening on their campus that they are not involved in), so we’ll have the whole day with them.

Yay and yay!