Back in the homeland

Little House

Thailand side note...we saw these little things everywhere we went. At first I thought they were shrines.  Our guide at the Jim Thompson house told use they are little houses for the spirits who used to live in the land now occupied by your house.   So when a house or building or roadside attraction or waterfall (with human adaptations made to it) is built or modified in anyway, a new home is created for the displaced spirit.
This spirit requires food, flowers and drinks as well.

Leaving Bangkok

Flying out of Bangkok.  First flight of three.  Air Cathay is alright, clean good space and food even on the short flight.

We had a few Thai Baht to spend at the airport, not worth changing back to Canadian.  The shopping in the international area was mostly limited to high end stuff and food.  No cheesy Thai souvenirs, no book and magazine shops.
Dried fruit it is then.

Long layover in Hong Kong.  Too bad we can't leave the airport.  I'd love to go downtown and see if I could get near the protests.  No chance of that of course, but it is a very interesting time in history.
The local press has been very interested in how Beijing will deal with the calls for more democracy.  That has been a refreshing aspect to our trip, hearing Asian perspectives on news. I get tired of the limited and rehashed news I seem to get at home.  Everyone seems to be telling the same story, with the same experts, same questions and same conclusions.   Stories are so complex.   Certainly the people we met at the GA gave us a very real and close up view of stories we've seen from a distance.   When someone says "The government won't report it, but we know 4000 men left to defend the town and none have come back...where are they? Did they all just disappear? "  or someone from another continent tells us how the government says their is no strife but  " we've seen the hundreds of bodies floating down the river.  There is no peace in that land"......
I hope to maintain some of these contacts, they certainly inform my prayers and my view of the world.

Tourist

Yup...forgot my headgear in the hotel,  had to break down and buy one at a street vendor.   Crazy hot day,  didn't really want to sunburn by head just before getting on a plane.

Walked 7 miles so far today.  Not our longest day, but it not over yet.  Grand Palace and Wat Po were the big destinations.   A Wat is a temple, the wat po is a big temple with this huge Golden reclining Buddha.  I gotta be honest, most of the temple stuff looks like a souvenir shop. It might be my European blood, but I'll take the stained glass in a cathedral any day over gold painted statues.

In the Grand Palace I was required to wear long pants.  Since I hadn't brought any, we bought a pair to throw over my shorts.  The Palace was interesting. ..I couldn't understand the mural depicting their history/legends, but it looked cool. Sat through a short film on silk making.  That was cool.

We took a couple of water taxis to and from our destinations.  I'll throw some photos up on Flickr once we get home.

Tomorrow morning we start the long journey home.  Not looking forward to that.  Although, judging by the way God keeps people in to Rox ' s path I wouldn't be surprised if she's has another long faith discussion with some random stranger.  She says she's not an evangelist,  but whatever she is, she can certainly get people talking about significant things.

Anniversary

Hanging out with Dave, Louise and 150 of their friends celebrating 5 years of ministry among the local Burmese people.  Great stories of how God is moving among these primarily migrant workers. Tonite the Thai congregation has come out to celebrate as well.  Some of the songs are listed with Thai/Burmese/English lyrics. Makes for a very full screen.

It's very loud, the people are energetic and really into the music.  I have no idea what they're saying, but it sounds good.  Lots of closed eyes, raised hands and clapping.

If only there wasn't a very persistent mosquito feasting on my feet.  Much easier to sit back and enjoy the evening.

More trains

Everywhere we go, someone is talking about faith and comparing it to a train....happened again this morning at the Thai church we visited.  Thanks to Dave Sinclair-Peters, who translated for us,  we were able to understand why the train metaphor was important.

Interesting congregation.   The building is located in a slum, among people who have set up their homes on former swamp land.  Lively worship and good lunch following.  I thought about eating the chicken foot in our curry, but in the end I passed.

Always connecting

Worship this morning at a local MB church.   Great youth worship team.  everywhere we go Rox finds a way to connect with people.

A few street photos

Thai massage

Rox and I took and hour out of our busy vacation schedule to enjoy a massage.  Rox got a full Thai massage and I went for the foot massage.  I think I actually fell asleep during it.

It cost is $10 each.  A part of me is really happy for the great deal.  Another part of me wonders how anyone makes money at that rate.  I wanted to tip the lady, but I wasn't sure how to do that without it just going to the business.

Squid on a stick

Spent the morning in chattuchak market.  In 4 hours we didn't see more than 1/2 of it.  Crazy place. I tried the squid on a stick...kinda like eating the Assinboine River.  Off to the Grand Palace.

Land of Smiles

Not sure what to say about these.  We're in Bangkok.

Dogs life

There packs of dogs roaming around the resort, and almost everywhere we've driven. They don't seem to be owned by anyone, and except for one incident,  they're very polite.   Even when one of them is walking around the dining hall, he didn't beg or bother anyone.   We've wondered if they are almost like the other livestock that wander freely around the country side.  Although Thailand isn't Vietnam, -a friend of ours was just in Vietnam and brought photos of bbq'd dog- the food here has been good and usually recognizable.

Rox and I sat in on a presentation on the challenges YFC in Lebanon faces with the mass of Syrian refugees in their country. 4.5 million people usually live in Lebanon.   They have added 1.6 million Syrian refugees.  It was good to hear from people who live their.  The news we hear in the West is not always very accurate, sometimes it's much worse, but often the western news misses the positives.  In the conversations I've had with people from Pakistan, Egypt and now Lebanon a common thread is a hope that all young people will come to follow Jesus.  There are challenges working in countries where your faith is a persecuted minority, or when there are certain rules that keep the peace. But it not impossible.

In Lebanon they have been praying for years about how to let Muslim youth outside of Lebanon know about Jesus.  The war has brought foreign youth into their cities and communities. They have an opportunity to offer food,  water and education in the name of Jesus. What has been meant for evil (and the war is full of evil) they have found some goodness.

Last night was our last time together.   Up at 5:30 this morning, praying and getting ready for the day.  Our bus to Bangkok leaves at 8 sharp.  We tried to get a bus straight to our hotel (rather than to the airport and we'd need to catch a sky train to the hotel).  We we're told the bus was full.  Rox pressed a little and she was told "there are a few spaces we're holding for important people".  The honesty was refreshing.

Hoping our wifi is better at the hotel in Bangkok.

Concentration of wisdom

It has been a blessing to hear these two men teach.  Ajith Fernando and Ravi Zacharias.  Ajith wasn't teaching here this week, but I have read and listened to him for many years.  Seeing in person us always fun.

For the sake of the world

That a line from a song we've sung here pretty much everyday.   The words stick in my head.  I wake up singing them, they invade my thoughts during the day. -Our current music leader is from Asia, his accent makes the song even more memorable-

It will take some time to process this past week.  Any free time we have here is usually filled with people or sleep.

Rox and I sat in on a session lead by a couple of Dutch staff yesterday, about the need for a Whole Gospel.  He even used the train track illustration.  The really funny and telling thing for me, was that this seminar came directly after a guy giving us a blueprint for how to train people to share their faith.  His philosophy was to just tell people all the time, everywhere because even a bad fisherman will catch fish if he throws enough lines.  There is significant diversity in YFC.

Great lunch with the crew from Costa Rica.  Really looking forward to working with them more.  Diego, the new director, described his desire for our partnership to be a friendship.  I think that is very possible.

Storm

-photo from birthday party-

Yesterday at our Sage lunch (I don't feel old enough to be a Sage. ...and our ministry context is so different than the younger staff I've met.  Best part of our time together is praying with each other)  I was meeting a couple of guys from Pakistan. They are volunteers with YFC, mostly serving among ethnic Christians and Hindus.   We talked about the challenges of their ministries, in particular how to navigate around the touchiness of many Muslims.  With a little laugh and a smile on his face, one of the guys says "The Muslims are crazy, it can cost you your life.  But there is no place safer than being in God" 

This morning i remember our conversation as I prepare to teach on Matthew 8.  We had a sobering announcement yesterday morning,  as we were reminded not to post photos on the Web without permission.  Some of the people here serve in sensitive countries, and posting their photo in connection with a YFC event will cost them their position and cam cost them jail time or worse.

Vacation

A group of Thai youth were hanging out at one of the waterfalls we visited yesterday.

70th birthday party tonight.  Lots of dancing, Laura rapping and some awesome perspective on where YFC has come through....including references to dark years, repentance and both good and bad leadership.

Young Leaders have been the engine behind the renewed energy and expanded mission.  We're in 133 countries,  and young people in many of the new YFC countries have met Jesus because of young leaders.  There are young staff here praying and looking for where in the world the most needs are.  Where are the young people who need to know Jesus...

One of the YFC staff here in Thailand used to be a volunteer with us in Brandon, serving with Rox and I in the Back Alley.  She came here because 1 billion young people live in Asia and her heart was drawn to do something.....

Ended the evening with prayers, older leaders for young leaders. ...then young leaders for the older.....feels funny standing up as senior leader....I still feel like a kid at conferences like this.

Daily theme pt2

Daily theme pt3

Daily Themes

Waterslide

Ravi quote. ..

Boulders over which leaders fall:

Untamed passions of gifted men
Wanton power of weak men
Unteachable spirit of privileged men