'Tis the Season
The sounds of Christmas have begun in Thailand with all the familiar classic songs that we are used to back home, being played at our local mall. The feelings of nostalgia and excitement from my childhood days is seen in my kids who are taking in all the excitement of the trees, lights and reindeer’s. Santa is coming..
But wait…English music that we can finally hum along to in South East Asia? Are we still in Thailand, where the Christian population is under 1%? Apparently we are, where the Christmas decorations are some of the most elaborate I’ve ever seen in my life. A tree, spanning three floors high, dwarfing those passes by.
O that the message of Christ would ring loudly as the jingles in this land this Christmas. May the decorations and celebrations elaborate the wonderful good news of the God who came Himself to rescue the world by being crucified on a rugged tree.
- Details
- Written by Jonathan Thomas
- Category: Personal Reflections
- Hits: 731
Rainy season....mould and flooding
This week we are reminded of the all that we don’t like about rainy season in South Thailand, namely mould, endless days of rain and the potential of flooding. This is our second year in South Thailand and we are realising that rainy season leading to potential flooding is to expected each year.
- Details
- Written by Trish
- Category: Serving in Mission
- Hits: 699
God Above All Others
This morning I walked out of our house to take our youngest son to school when I saw this table full of offerings in front of our two neighbors' houses. In case you can't tell, the table consists of a pig's head with a carrot stuck in its mouth , a bottle of liquor, and pack of cigarettes, as well as some incense sticks.
The community in Phrom Khiri has a interesting mix of Buddhism, Brahmanism, animism and Chinese folk religions.Our neighbors both have a shrine in their house that they regularly give offerings to the spirits.
When I asked about it, they said they were offering it for good luck and for blessing on their houses and businesses.
- Details
- Written by Lila Chang
- Category: Life in Thailand
- Hits: 655
Lessons in Falling
Recently on an Adventure camp I was lead climbing, preparing a climb for the campers. At first glance I thought this climb was great with lots of hand holds, many places to put your feet, most definitely a good option for first time climbers. My assessment was correct for the first 15 meters of the climb. The next 10 meters was a very different story. The search for hand and foot holds was challenging, my arms were aching, I had very little strength left to continue. Suddenly my arms gave way and I fell 4 meters. After a short rest I gave it another go and managed to setup the rope. What looked easy to begin with was in actual reality not easy at all!
- Details
- Written by Bruce Bartleet
- Category: Serving in Mission
- Hits: 675
A Wake-up Call
We began visiting people in the Phrom Khiri community on Wednesdays a couple months back. It's something I used to like to do with my dad when I was a child, probably because I would often be given tasty snacks:) In that case we visited people who were part of the churches my dad was pastoring, but in Phrom Khiri, the people we visit are generally not Christian since there are so few Christians in this district.
- Details
- Written by Steve McCallum
- Category: Personal Reflections
- Hits: 740
Strangers in a Strange Land
Last month, my family and I were in Sydney, visiting some friends and supporters. One friend took us to to a Thai restaurant near Manly Beach. As the waitress approached, we greeted her in Thai and she was amazed. She was even more amazed as our 15 year old son started speaking to her in Thai. She was totally blown away when she discovered that he was born in a neighbouring province to her own home town. We had the opportunity to share a bit of our own journey and why we live and work in Thailand, but the waitress was busy and we couldn't speak further than this. What we couldn't say in words though, made up in the way we communicated God's love through our speaking her heart language and our commitment to her homeland.
- Details
- Written by Jeff Callow
- Category: Serving in Mission
- Hits: 710
Breath of Fresh Air
Two weeks ago I started my early morning exercise routine, which is basically jogging a few laps around our neighbourhood block and getting a good start to the day. I had always wanted to do this but was too afraid. Back home it would be considered dangerous to jog alone in the early hours of the morning.
- Details
- Written by Jonathan Thomas
- Category: Life in Thailand
- Hits: 692