Aren’t children an amazing gift to the world? They give so much just by being themselves. The other day I went to the park to looking for Ja (see "Special Friends"). I didn’t see her that day, but I had barely gotten into park when I was met by three toddlers. I didn’t recognize any of them, but they gave me a joyous welcome. They just saw me, screamed (think of a Braveheart battle cry, but with squeaky little high-pitched voices), and then they rushed at me and started hugging my knees (which was about as far as they could reach). They left me with warm fuzzies in my heart and a mysterious wet patch on one knee.  After this, I walked over to the swings and another little one (probably 3 yrs.old) rushed over to be picked up. In my previous encounter with her she was totally covered in sand, but really wanted to be held or to sit in my lap. (Seriously, how could I refuse her?) She learned my name, so today when she spotted me cutting through the park, she started yelling "Leen" as she raced over to greet me.
I could go on, and probably will some other time, but hopefully this reminds you of the amazing little gifts who are in your own sphere. May you richly enjoy them and bless them.

I promised to write more about the fire and have left some of you hanging a bit. Sorry about that. I guess I don't know lots. It seems that nobody was killed or seriously injured in the fire, and it also looks like basic needs are being taken care of by the government for the most part. Those people who were displaced have either found shelter elsewhere or they are being accommodated under one of the nearby apartment buildings. By this, I mean that they have a small area in which to place a few belongings and to spread out a sleeping mat on the concrete. They have been provided with mosquito netting, a security guard, some clothing, and daily food and water. Reportedly, each household unit is also receiving some monetary support, which will be portioned out over a period of time about $100 each time for a total of about $1000. Once this is given out, then I guess the people are on their own.

In the early hours of the morning the night the fire started, I went around with one of our team giving out sandwiches to people who were still on the streets, waiting to see if they could return to their homes. There was an elderly couple sheltered in one of the storefront shops for the night. The man, aged 80, said there home was gone as they lived just behind where the fire first started. He also said that this is the third time they have had a fire damage their house, but this time it completely destroyed the home. They are among those sleeping under the apartment block right now. The wife told me that the family couldn't help them. She also said that the government would not provide them with a new place as they were only renting, but I think they are receiving the same deal as others. When one of our Thai team members had visited them, the old man said they had just been given money by their daughter. My teammate guesses that I, the Westerner, am perceived to be a kind millionaire who will take pity and buy them a house. Summary: it is a little bit tricky right now to figure out what  and when "help" would be most helpful. Maybe it will be clearer as people start trying to rebuild.

Sometimes it is just better to skip straight to the end before filling in the details.... There was a bad fire in the slum neighborhood that I live in, but it could have been much worse. Thank you for those of you who were alerted and prayed. Thankfully there was virtually no wind -- the little hint of wind was blowing towards the concrete overpass where there were fewer flammable material and more hydrants, so the fire was fairly quickly contained. Had it been a windy night, the outcome would have been much different, as the houses are pretty much kindling waiting for a match, and nearly each home would contain a gas canister for cooking. Our own house was untouched. The only loss we suffered personally was most of a night's sleep. Nobody died (and, as far as I know, there were no serious injuries, but over 100 little homes were burned to the ground. I will write more later.

I mentioned in my newsletter update that I was going to go on an overnight outreach to another town, together with some folks from a couple of the home groups here. In the end, seven adults and 1 child traveled together by station wagon about 4 hours to the town where Pii Champu (almost "shampoo") has a lot of relatives. It was a really good experience for our people to practice reaching out to others. One of the ladies who came with us, a very new believer, said she had not been outside of Bangkok in over 30 years. Needless to say she was very excited.  For me, this trip was one of those classic immersion settings, with me smack in the middle of the middle seat with conversations going around in stereo at high volume! 

When we arrived we went around the neighborhood inviting people to join us for dinner. We also stopped in to visit a 17-year-old boy there, Zayme, who has been paralyzed from the waist down for about a year. We were really hoping for the "kingdom already", that he be healed instantly, but this did not happen. I do think that both he and his family were encouraged and comforted by our visit, and we will continue to pray. Zayme and some of his family were among the 30 (or so) people who showed up in the evening.  We had a short worship time and prayed for people.  I had been madly practicing a few Thai songs on the guitar in the days before we went, and I can say with confidence that the musical quality during our evening gathering was low; however, this did not deter the Holy Spirit. Several people were really touched, and it seems that a number of people are beginning to open their hearts. We will visit again in a couple of months. Thank you to those of you who were praying for us.

There are lots of firsts in our lives. Last Saturday my friend and I were able to witness a few firsts for Gahng, a little 5-year-old. Gahng has spent most of her life living in a small shack on a grassy patch of land belonging to the Port of Bangkok. Most of the people who are squatters there are glue addicts and/or alcoholics. Our plan was to take Gahng and her mother out for a special treat, so we hopped in a taxi and took them to a nearby shopping center. We figured Gahng could go on some of the kiddie rides in the food court area, we could all have a meal and perhaps some ice cream together.  When we arrived we discovered that this was Gahng's first time to visit this place - or any place, for that matter, with an escalator! Although nervous the first few times that she needed to step on and off, she grew more and more confident with practice. She enjoyed several kiddie rides, but the escalator was definitely her favorite ride of the day. The afternoon was a good reminder that ministry really needn't be complex. Even a cup of cold water will not go unnoticed by the Lord.            Matt. 10:42

I must write a little blurb about my favorite adventure during our post-Christmas holiday to the northwest corner of Thailand.  We got to ride on elephants! Three friends rode in a basket-type seat on one elephant. We others opted for bareback, and it was so much fun. We all laughed a lot - couldn't quite believe that we were actually riding elephants -- and not just a short little circuit, but over an hour across open countryside. Then we had the fun of playing in the river with the elephants! The gentle giants waded in and then lowered themselves into the water and put their heads under, gently shaking us off their backs. Then we would scrabble up their back leg and reposition ourselves for a repeat dunking. Sometimes the elephant would just sit down, creating a waterslide down its back. Really fun! On the return route, I got to sit in the front, basically propped on the elephant's head with my knees nestled behind the ears for balance. After this special experience,  I think I will always look at elephants just a little bit differently.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!!

In Bangkok we celebrated Christmas this year with a lot of parties… I will be posting pictures soon.

Saturday, December 16, we hosted a neighborhood children’s party. About 100 kids turned up for a couple of hours of fun and games, face painting, songs, skits, and an interactive explanation of Christmas. There was a great team here from Canada   who ran three game booths and provided some other entertainment. The party ended with a meal and a gift for each child to take home. It was really fun to provide this party for kids who don’t get many special treats in their lives. I think it made Jesus smile. 

On December 23, one new believer in our church, together with some of our team and one of the home groups, helped to organize a Christmas party for some of her circle of friends who do not yet know Jesus. We had live Christmas music playing in the background, provided by three of our visiting Canadians, lots of great food and some very silly games. Sukit shared about Jesus and the love of the Father, and we were able to pray for our guests and ask God to meet them. The next day I saw one of these ladies again and asked her what part of the party she had liked the best. Without hesitation, she answered, “prayer”. She had never before experienced being prayed for, and I believe that she will continue to draw nearer to God.

December 24^th was the marathon party day!  At 10:00, at the place our church normally gathers, we had about 100 guests, nearly all of them from the immediate slum area. Lots of old folks. More songs and skits and Christmas message. We also had special stations where people could experiment with different media to express worship – various art corners and a music station. We prayed for everyone who would let us (lots) and were delighted to see some rather immediate answers. One lady made a couple of circles around the room without using her cane! This party ended with a big lunch shared by all and gifts given to all our guests. These were provided by the “regulars” and could be anything at all (laundry soap, chili sauce, a drying rack, etc). It was really fun seeing the lady who received the (unassembled) new electric fan. I carried this big box down the steps for her and then she perched herself and the box on a motorcycle taxi and rode away just beaming.

We were barely finished cleaning up from this party when I found myself being whisked away to another one! A lady in our church, Kitimat, runs a travel agency, and she is keen for me to help her office staff with English. (I have been thinking that one way I can reach out to working professionals is by offering an evening a week of conversational English, so this seems to be a good match.) Kitimat arranged a special afternoon tea party at her home for her staff and brought me along to meet everyone. Upon arrival, we were instructed to decorate her Christmas tree while waiting for the others to come. (I also received special instructions to just keep striking up conversations in English.) Then we ate noodles, played a party game, ate cake and drank Christmas tea. Sukit came by and shared about the Father’s love, and God really touched one lady. We played another party game, Kitimat gave out gifts to everyone, and then we said our goodbyes – but not before setting a tentative time and place for our first English evening together! (Friday, January 12)

I finished the night with one last party at our own house as a send-off for the Canadian team. It was neat to see how well-received they were and how the experience challenged and encouraged the team itself. We had food and played a gift-exchange game. I scurried upstairs to pack for my 12-day trip to the north, scheduled to begin at 5 am Christmas Day.

 

Hi, folks.
Just in case you get wind of the most recent disturbances in Bangkok, I though I would let you know that I am not there right now.  I am 8 hours north in Chiang Mai until Saturday. Sukit's wife and two kids are flying back today as planned and the others in our team are returning from various places in the next day or two. In case you haven't heard yet... there have been several bombs set off in Bangkok and there are rumors of more. Nodody that we know personally has been injured, though some of the bombs were in our part of the city. Nobody is sure who is responsible yet, but it resulted in the cancellation of all large gatherings for New Year celebrations throughout the country.

I will be posting an update of Christmas activities and some holiday fun in thenext couple days, but wanted to get this out now so you wouldn't be worried about me.  Do please pray though, as bombs are not the way  we would choose to welcome in the new year. 

Peace,
Eileen