the not-so-nami

You may have heard about Hawaii's impending tsunami at some point today- i started hearing about it at 5.30am - a half hour before the sirens whined out an eery statewide rise and shine. Because of some such measures, we had to take it more seriously than a standard warning... so we all headed upcountry for the morning, before the highways were closed at 10am. Probably the worst damage sustained was my slight sunburn- as i spent some portion of the day perched atop a pickup truck surf rack, watching the ocean from a high bluff with some friends. Not a whole lot else to do honestly, with everything closed up and all... just watch the ocean and talk story.

Thanks for everyone that prayed for us- all of us out here are grateful there was no real emergency (only a little irregular surf), even if we complain about having had to go through the motions for nothing.

We are all very glad that it turned out to be a not-so-nami, after all.

end of the line

Tonight was the base graduation event- marking the close of our debriefing week, as well as the official end of my responsibility as outreach leader for this past class... Yay!

While I have had an outstanding outreach these past few months, i have to admit I'm looking forward to a few days at the beach...

thankful hearts

Tonight my Maui family gathered for a night of testimonies and thanksgiving- hearing from one another about what we have witnessed our Lord doing in the world, and how we participated in His work. We shared stories and then sang - pouring out grateful songs as prayers from joyful hearts.

home on the horizon

I'm almost gone- but i'm still here.

Less than twenty-four hours from now i will have embarked on the series of long flights to home. Today its hazy outside and i'm feeling rather low key... i was up late last night listening to live jazz at a fun little hole of a venue downtown, and now i am happy to just drink cold coffee and watch the city go by.

And a persistent little tune surfaces in the absent minded moments:

All my bags are packed, i'm ready to go

I'm standing here outside the door...

Cause i'm leaving on a jetplane

Don't know when i'll be back again...

we were fine at breakfast...

Been in Bangkok for two days now with my friend Tik- so great to see her. Our day started with grilled pork, sticky rice, banana bread, and iced coffee... the breakfast of champions! From there we spent the day downtown... a little shopping but mostly talking over coffee. We spent several hours in Starbucks - for the second time in as many days. If you need to go crazy for a day, its always best to go with a friend:)

what i can see from here

Monks across the street, a window down the road, a lovely child at the doorway, and a steaming basket of sticky rice on the table... another day passes in Thailand.

what happens here

So we have a little fun... carrying massive amounts of awkward items (pillows, suitcases, foam mattresses...) on motorbikes around town, trying to fit helmets over ponytails, eating too many fried bananas, learning to speak each other's languages and all the humor that comes with that...we definitely laugh a lot around here. But we also are here for a reason. Mornings spent on campuses approaching students with the gospel and invitations to bible studies, and nights teaching and holding services for the youth.... its been really encouraging to see this very small base (only several people stationed here) making an impact in this community...and to share in that with them for several days. Such a joy to be here with these sweet people.

elaborate emptiness

For having a religion that offers such bare and austere semblances of hope, there is certainly no shortage of ornate paraphernalia here. Staying in a place surrounded by several large temple complexes that glitter in the sun with gold complicated designs top to bottom, i find every day glimpses of braided ribbons, flowers, incense and carved figures... offered to that which neither sees nor hears.

And then i think of the simplicity of the cross- with all its severity and bareness...yet with such rich and complex hope freely given on its plain ungilded frame. It is forever an an afront to our independence and self made religion. As for our elaborate human strivings...well, as Thomas Aquinas said of his own efforts "It reminds me of straw."

the simple life

Turns out i am happy we came to Kalasin after all:) Life moves easily at a relaxed pace here- its been relaxing to laugh, live and take our time doing so. Prepare vegetables for the evening meal, washing dishes, or lingering over fried bananas (they changed my life) have all been simple pleasures.

move along

Mahasarakham and its precious staff had just found their place in my heart when I was told we would go to a neighboring town to serve there for several days. I was bummed, but we did a lot of goodbye-ing and hit the road for nearby Kalasin.

school house rock

A little out of our normal routine, we spent an afternoon at a dusty primary school in a district outside Mahasarakham. We spent the afternoon teaching fifth graders a couple songs with accompanying motions... which they performed with such enthusiasm that i feared the floor might give way as forty pairs of little brown feet thundered to "Father Abraham". The stilted wooden school house shuddered with their zeal, and we had the joy of explaining very simply some truths about "the God who made the whole world, who is so big , so strong and so mighty- that there is nothing He cannot do." It was a fun (if exhausting and dirty) afternoon, and i am comforted that our efforts weren't just hit and run; there is two Christian Thai girls working as student teachers, trying to reach out to these children. Our afternoon served to reinforce the things they are conveying in their classrooms on a daily basis, as they pray to see these children's hearts opened up to the God of "Father Abraham."

*Leaving tomorrow for five days in a neighboring town. Internet access: unknown. Please stand-by...

men in white

Yesterday there was a procession down the road near where i am staying, and i went out to find hundreds of men dressed in white slowly surging down the thoroughfare, accompanied by intermittent groups of monks. I was told that they were all recipients of some spiritual merit for something they had done. All of them steadily advanced as a colorful band of traditional musicians wildly blared its tunes ahead of them, proceeded by an impromptu troupe of dancing middle aged women. The shuffle of bare feet, the ringing clang of relentless cymbals, and bursts of chanting... and i looked on, distressed that this is what it looks like to try and earn your own salvation. This is what it looks like to spend your whole life trying to be good without the cross.

Dog and the other things i eat

Granted, i wasn't home when they cooked the dog- but tonight gave a whole new meaning to the term "doggy bag". Indeed, my friends had saved some roasted meat in the fridge for us to try. So they served it up in ramen soup, and a few of us gathered around the communal bowl and dipped in. I hate to say this, but i prefer it to a great deal of the other things i have been served this week. I like a lot of classic thai food, but we are eating regional Isaan food up here, and i will by no means miss it. (The dog was like very tender beef, and had only a mild flavor variance, in case anyone was wondering.)

In a category less likely to disturb you, I found a small Tesco here - and since its a european chain they make decent baked goods, including excellent banana bread muffins. Said muffins have become a staple for me at just 30¢ for two...they fit exceptionally well in my purse; convenient for toting to the university campus where we regularly spend afternoons engaged with students and/or faculty.

nothing sacred

Today I was watching people buy flower ornament offerings at an informal little stall and leave them at a nearby whitewashed shrine. I was sitting there praying for the people that are caught in this striving way of life, when i noticed the offering vendor glance around to see if anyone as in sight. Satisfied that she was reasonably unobserved, she furtively ducked around the shrine, retrieving dozens of her wares. I was incredulous as she bustled back to her stand and hung them up for resale. It seems she sells the offerings for the faithful to offer to the spirits, but has no qualms about robbing the same spirits of those offerings. Its a poor life, having such objects of worship as these. And indeed, as the quote runs, a people has never risen above its gods.

ps. good news- they ate the dog when i was out today.