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 24th 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.