The Best of Bangkok

Our time in Bangkok just started and is nearly done, but as always, the Father knew what we needed and when.

We've had a fabulous time connecting with Santosh - a friend from Orange that is working here this year. We joined him in one of the local slums on Thursday where he and a few others have started to teach English in order to build relationships. It's really encouraging to be reminded of all the simple ways to connect with communities - especially children, they are so ready for relationship all around the world.

Yesterday we took the morning to see Thailand - all of it, actually. There's a place called 'Ancient City' just outside of Bangkok. It's a park that's shaped like Thailand and has replicas of all the most famous sites in Thailand - not the original sizes, but not miniatures either. It sounds cheesy, but it's REALLY well done. Think Disney's California Adventure without rides, crowds or salespeople. The man who built this place really wanted to preserve authentic Thai history, and the replicas are pretty amazing, so it was a sweet way to see Thailand as we couldn't have otherwise seen it.

This morning J & Santosh played basketball and now we're headed for some famous Thai massage therapy to allow those muscles to keep travelling :), and tonight we fly out to the Philippines.

Catching you up

I guess we haven't said much about what we got to see/be a part of in Quy Nhon - likely a by-product of the saturation effect.

We were there to see two friends of mine from the days of Mariners College Group - Jason & Jill. Jill's prego with their first baby and oh so ready to meet her baby girl this summer! Both of them teach English and we got to be a part of some classes - because they're learning about geography/describing countries, it was a perfect time for us to share about where we've been so far. They had questions about the different foods, different clothes ... I don't know if it's possible to walk into a friendlier room than each classroom we visited.

Quy Nhon is a small town - mostly a fishing port; thus all the pictures of the vibrant boats. As soon as you get out of town, everything is green and wet and full of rice fields. It is absolutely beautiful - hopefully some of the pictures can give you a glimpse.

One of our favorite things to do was ride our bikes along the beach road - on the one side were beautiful islands out in the water, but on the other side was very real life occuring in front of you. Many of the homes were literally chopped in half to create the new road - it's still the family's home, but now half of the walls/roof are missing. Crazy.

Best of all was just the simple time with Jason, Jill, & their co-teacher Mark. It's so fun to laugh and share what the Father is teaching along this journey of life. Every time I think about sites or activities that fill the guidebooks, I also remember that I wouldn't trade the time that we've had with Family.

And now we're in Bangkok; we just have three days here, but as soon as we catch up from the last 30 hours of travel, we're excited to dig in.

Same Same

I love good endings, and we had the best ending to our time with Jason & Jill this weekend. We left Quy Nhon (kwin yawn) by train to Tam Ky (tom key) and then on to Hoi An (hoy on). Hoi An is charming, almost European-esque – it’s on the water, with shops and restaurants lining each side and lots of alleys to wander through.

It’s a definite tourist town, which is a bit of an anomaly for us. Probably the most English we’ve heard in a café in a long time (not to mention it just being the first time in a café in awhile), and the first day I was here I thought about divers – don’t they go through a process that’s kind of a slow re-entry to the surface after being submerged for awhile? Well, I took a deep breath and thought “okay, this is the beginning of that process for us.”

But even in entering a town where there are more people the “same” as us than not, there is a lot that is “same same”, the Asian equivalent to our “same, but different”. On the one hand, many of the travelers here are on the same kind of trip, but there are so many dynamics we’ve been allowed to experience that are missing from the typical “backpacker” trip … so many more faces to associate with places than sights alone. I want my life to be this way – same same. In the world, not of it. I’m nowhere close, and fight the desire of self-indulgence (not just satisfaction, mind you, but indulgence) on a nearly daily basis, but maybe success is more in the constant tension than anything else. What I know for sure is that the One who made me the same as those around me can also give me a heart that is same same.

“Only by full dependence upon Him are the hidden potentialities of our natures realized. Apart from this we are but half-men, malformed & unbeautiful members of a noble race once made to wear the image of its Creator.” – A.W. Tozer, Pursuit of Man

Saturation

So today I learned an important lesson – my pants get a bit indecent when saturated. And it didn’t take long for me to reach a saturation point in today’s downpour.

This matches a bit of what my heart and mind have felt lately: saturation. I’m not sure how much more I can absorb. There are moments I just feel done with being the tourist attraction for everyone to either practice their English on or to ask for money – or both. Moments I just want to know what I’m looking at in the grocery store. Or which direction to go to even get to the grocery store. And I think we reached our language capacity back in China.

The other day we found a “secluded” beach – it stayed secluded for about 15 minutes, until some of the local village children came to see the sights – us. ‘Personal space’ has no meaning, and I finally just started laughing when I looked up and was literally surrounded within inches. I had to fight the initial frustration in order to appreciate that it was pure curiosity that brought them, and finally as I sat up and laughed (the international language), their smiles in return won me over. Somehow I accidentally gave them the impression that I wanted them to collect seashells for me, so before I knew it I had about 10 pockets-full. By then my only frustration was the language barrier.

It’s not easy to be away from your home country for this long – but it is good. I was especially reminded of that yesterday as the Father renewed my heart. It was just one of those days when you’re aware of what you’ve been given. The air was clear, the day was bright, the islands off the coast inviting, and the breeze refreshing, not to mention the ridiculous privilege of getting to share life with those the Father has called here.

I still feel saturated, and now I know not to wear those pants if it looks like rain, but I’m glad to wake up where He has me.

Two by Two

This week we've been able to see Jason and Jill in action with their English students - all first year University students with the innocence that most American students lose around 4th grade.

Last night, two by two on their bicycles, they (some of the students) led us through Quy Nhon for Bun Cao, Che, and other Viatnamese dishes that I can't pronounce. It was a great time for them to practice their English and for us to get to know more of their life.

So far, SO good

Arrived in Vietnam last night and got to our friends this morning. Loved the train ride here and all the amazing scenery – this will sound silly, but I’m always excited when something looks like what I didn’t realize I expected it to until I see it – like women wearing the pointy straw hats … not because they’re “trying to look/dress Vietnamese”, but because we are actually in Vietnam and, uh, they ARE Vietnamese.

Was really a fun day connecting with Jason & Jill and getting a taste of their life at a University here in Quy Nhon. There’s something that will just always feel right about stepping foot on a university campus – we really love it.

First adventure in this country … learning how to navigate a bike alongside the myriads of other bikes and motorbikes and occasional taxis.

And oh yes, it’s so nice to be inhaling a sea breeze again … ahhh …

Wow…

Today we leave Bangladesh. We are on our way to Vietnam where friends of Brooke are teaching English. We will spend 2 weeks there. Amazing that we are already on our way to Vietnam. It seemed so far away. While there we will pass our 2-months-left mark. It is hard to explain how odd that seems. Even more difficult is fighting off the excitement to be at home with family and friends again. This trip has been amazing so far and I’m sure there is more “Amazing” to come but the fact is our hearts are made for “home” and we are ready to be there. But the Father is good and we know he will help us to be focused on the places and things He still has for us. Speaking of home, we are just starting to question what He might have for us to do and be a part of when we get home and we would appreciate your petitions and thoughts along those lines. We are committed as much as ever to not dwell on the future too much as we want to be fully engaged with where we are for the present, but we recognize that we will not be traveling forever and want to start the process of seeking the Father’s will for this next phase of our life…

Great Minds Think Alike – well, sometimes … and this is one of those

Saw a fight at the gas station this week. One auto rickshaw cut off a car as he waited in a long line. They started yelling at each other. Then one pushed the other. Then two other guys got involved. More yelling, more shoving. Then a fifth joined the fray and punches were thrown. One guy grabbed a 2x4. As the fight escalated our driver back out the car and took us to another gas station. It started me thinking - why do we act like this? What drives our anger as human beings? It was interesting timing as Brooke and I were set to teach from Mark 12 which identifies the focus of the believer’s life: to love God fully, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. In thinking through these two commandments a few things became apparent.

First, the world has spent all of history attempting to love their neighbor, without first loving God. So much energy has been poured into NGO’s, political movements, unilateral peace treaties, etc. … and while these things have had some good effects, they inevitably become abused by men who are ruled by greed and a sinful nature. It is therefore in my estimation impossible for man to truly love man without first loving God.

Second, our interaction with man and response to our neighbor is the physical manifestation of our spiritual beliefs. Every religion makes verbal claims to their love for God, and to some extent for each other. So there is no real separation of religions by words. This separation occurs as these words are given life through our actions. As the book of James says, “Faith without works is dead”. If I had been one of those guys at the gas station how would my response have been different? If as a believer our response to our neighbor in both good times and bad is in direct connection to the relationship of love God desires us to have, then our response will be different from the rest of the world, and the world will take notice. It makes me want to think about my heart and my actions a little more carefully than perhaps I have before.

New Eyes

I went in with eyes that were absorbing traffic and congestion of a busy city that makes traffic on the 91 seem like a vacation. I came out with eyes that could better appreciate that what I see is a long way from where they came. 36 years ago millions were flooding into India as refugees because of the mass genocide being wrought by Pakistani forces in a battle over the independence of Bangladesh as a nation. 36 years ago our friend’s mother lost two brothers in that war. 36 years ago journalists took pictures of walking skeletons somehow surviving a famine. 36 years ago the main leaders, educators, doctors, and intellectuals of the newly independent Bangladesh were murdered as Pakistan grudgingly lost the war and granted independence, betting on the instability that would be caused by killing their most educated citizens. I went in thinking that the environment would be a hard one to live in. I came out admiring that it is lived in today at all.

The source of my day’s education was the Liberation War Museum … a bit of a pre-taste, we suspect, for the museum awaiting us in Vietnam telling of our own country’s losses.

It is absolutely beyond reason what humanity can do to one another. I recently heard a comment that we cringe at animals who eat their young, but that pales in comparison to the atrocities humans perpetrate on humans. And the thing about taking in that kind of information is that it doesn’t seem possible that it could happen more than once. But it has and it does. Over and over and over again. And who is sought for the answers? Other broken humans – when a country’s in trouble, it calls to other “stronger” countries to step in. There’s a whole political balance that I won’t even try to analyze right now about when and where and how to intervene in world atrocities, but it strikes me as a paradox that we turn to another version of the very thing that’s attacking us. It’s kind of like turning to a tiger because a lion is chasing you – he seems kinder until he, too, is hungry enough to eat you.

I know the world wants to think that we as human beings have the answers and solutions to bring world peace, but we don’t. Days past and present prove that. When I asked our guide whether she held any particular faith, she said she believed in “humanity”. As we are looking at pictures of violence upon humanity by humanity, she nonetheless can look me full in the face and say she believes in it. The original lie in the Garden is the same one being told today – a desperate clinging to the hope that we think we can be “as God”.

There is one true God. He has left two commandments: Love Him, and love one another. Everywhere we hear people encouraging the second while ignoring the first. But the one can not be done without the other. If we do not seek the author and creator of love with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, what hope have we for love of one another?

Introductions

We arrived in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon to the Bengali version of Erin Parsons’ smile (think Julia Roberts if you don’t know Erin J) … Luna is a friend from the Strasbourg program I attended seven years ago, and it was great fun to see her smile through the crowd. I internally chided myself for all my doubts about coming to Bangladesh – it’s still true that it’s a corner of the world that is constantly challenging my fears and vulnerabilities, but we have once again been led to a family that has taken us in as their own.

By way of brief introduction: Luna works with ‘Save the Children, Bangladesh’ as a Program Coordinator. She is the oldest of four children – Tina and Imman, her “baby” brother and sister, have been our attentive caretakers since we arrived, as she had to leave for an unexpected work conference for two days. Her mom – Amma – doesn’t speak English, but has communicated through her cooking - we have quickly come to understand that the Bengali way of hospitality involves a LOT of food.

The family’s religious background is a rare mixture of Hindu and Muslim, so we are sure to learn much as we share this week with them, and we look forward to more purposeful conversations as the Father pursues their hearts.

Miscellaneous Musings over China

China was an amazing experience. First, I think because we have been third world for so long and this gave us a bit of a break from the harsh realities. Second, it is always good to be with old friends. Third, there is a big difference between our stays with His family, and our visits to other friends. We jumped in with both feet the moment we landed there and between meeting friends, trying new foods, babysitting, holding sick babies, exploring the city, and singing together it was immediate and continuous fellowship from start to finish. Truly God is good to give such connection in so little time. We look forward to continuing our friendship with this family, and to sharing more about our experiences here when we get home.

Our time in Beijing was sweet. The hostel we stayed in at first had me pretty concerned. “Walk down this alley, turn at another alley, go further into another alley” at which point just take your money and valuables and leave them at the front door and back away slowly J. But after navigating these side streets you walk through a non-descript door into the world of an intimate Chinese garden. The hostel is Templeside and if you are ever looking for a place to stay in Beijing we highly recommend it.

I hate steps. They kill my out of shape legs, hurt my knees, I hate steps. The one part of the Half Dome hike in Yosemite that bothers me are the steps up the mist trail. So you can perhaps imagine how my knees felt about the great wall. But to quote President Nixon, “I think, Mr. Secretary, you will have to admit that the wall is indeed great”. The views are breathtaking and you can feel the age of the land you are walking through. The only reminder of the present day is that every few hundred kilometers you meet a person selling cold beer, coke, t-shirts, and post cards. I wonder how often I have been the person to step into someone’s experience and abruptly remind them of reality. I wonder how often the church steps into someone’s experience with God to sell them a new book, CD or program, so that they can experience God.

Summer Palace was gorgeous and we saw it in the rain and fog. Meaning we didn’t see that much of it, but what we saw was beautiful. I am always amazed at the creativity God has given man when it comes to architecture. The master craftsman has given his creation a wonderful gift. The palace grounds make for a beautiful and serene walk along the hills overlooking Beijing. The oddity is that this palace was made possible by the misuse of funds. An empress took funds allocated to help her people and built herself a giant playground. The great wall has it’s darkside as well. 300,000 people were forced to work on the wall as slaves and if they refused were buried alive in the wall itself. So while we have been given the gift of creativity, our “creations” are never completely separated from our sinful humanity.

And we are landing in Bangkok. The flaps are up, the wheels are down, the plane is moving very slowly. We can see the city below us as we prepare to land thanks to the monitor from a camera mounted on the nose of the plan. And then. Complete acceleration, full throttle, no flaps, wheels come up, nose comes up and we are climbing in a banked turn like a roller coaster at Magic Mountain. My finely tuned brain reached deep into it’s verbose quiver and came up with the phrase “What the crap?”. Everyone is looking around at everyone else, we are at the brink of a chaotic melt down. Rioting could begin up and down the aisles at any moment. There will be looting of the peanuts and crackers, first class alcohol will be consumed by economy class passengers, someone will light a cigarette in the bathroom. And then. The pilot comes on to announce that there has been an unidentified aircraft that crossed our landing point and the tower has asked us to circle round and try landing again. Oh, okay. Circle once and land again. And we did. And the landing was soft. And Chaos was avoided … How often do we have unidentified objects cross our landing path, forcing evasive maneuvers and throwing us into the potential for chaos. Things are going smoothly, suddenly life gets very tense, your sense of vulnerability is exposed. In my experience most of these diversions are in reality easily explained and rectified, if not a purposeful part of our Father’s plan. At the brink of confusion I hope that I am willing to regroup before my Father, circle around and try again.

Heading to Dhaka

In a few minutes we'll be getting on the plane for Dhaka, Bangladesh. We'll be staying with a friend's family and also teaching a bit on university campuses. So we expect to be on the go for most of our time there, but if nothing else we'll be back in the Bangkok airport next week and fill you in.

Grateful for all the prayers ... keep 'em coming!

Greatness

Today we hiked the Great Wall of China. That’s right, didn’t see it, take a picture and turn around, but experienced 10k of it on foot … it’s pretty great. Truly dragon-esque as it curves through and over the hills. Absolutely incomprehensible that this thing was built B.C. and covers 600+ times the amount we traversed.

Yet it is not what has held my heart in awe this week. My eyes were in awe, and my legs will be deservedly sore from it’s many peaks and valleys for a bit now, but it was yesterday that made my eyes well up with tears as I once again considered the great gift in my hands. The week we had with our friends was full of sweet fellowship – most of the pictures you’ll see are of food and kids, because those were the two things we saw most – and have enjoyed most – for our time here in China. So as we said goodbye (a thing I pretty much always hate), I just had one of those moments of “what the heck, I can’t believe all we’ve been given.”

So I guess the thing about greatness is what it says about those who created the greatness you’re admiring. The Wall is absolutely an outrageous feat, and though it’s creation is blanketed in tragedy, it demands admiration of those who made it a reality. The One who can create families from strangers is more phenomenal still.

And a Child Shall Lead Them …

It’s quite an experience to go shopping in a grocery store in China –wandering the aisles and trying to guess what you’re looking at and whether it matches your shopping list. But we brought my “tail” with us (so nicknamed by her mother because wherever Brooke goes, she is right behind) … so when in doubt, we relied on our 5-year old translator. She’s only lived in China for about a year and a half, but was on it whenever we needed her to ask a shop attendant whether they had goat’s milk or whether one bottle was shampoo or conditioner, etc.

It was pretty sweet to have people giggle with/at us as we bent down to find out the answer from our child leader …

Oh, and she wants you to know that she is from California and her mom is Chinese.

East meets East

Tonight we had Indian food. The owner of the restaurant was a delightful host who has lived all around the world and was excited to have guests that had just been in India – but India’s a big place with a lot of variety, so we were excited that the region we had been in was the one he had grown up in and had hired a cook from – Gujurat. And as Rhishi and Hetal know, we loved the food. And oh my goodness was it good. Every single dish he brought out was incredible. We heard ourselves saying things like “wow, this is so authentic” (and in my head thinking “I never thought I’d know that kind of thing”).

So we got to introduce our American friends to Indian food in China at a restaurant owned by a Pakistani.

Those aren’t raindrops

Day One for us in China was Day Five of the Chinese New Year. That means a lot of Chinese history and traditions (one of which is not to receive visitors – oops), but the one you can’t miss is setting off of firecrackers throughout – and I mean throughout – the city. Since we just left a land with tin roofs and heavy rain storms, it just sounded to us like we were in the midst of a continuous downpour. But those weren’t raindrops we were hearing. Firecrackers and fireworks of all shapes and sizes are shot off along streets (as people bike by), out of apartment windows, and on bank door steps from just after sundown until the wee hours of the morning. So we of course joined in – before the wee hours of the morning arrived - and along with our friends and their 4 & 5 year olds, lit a few fuses and responded with a few squeals. Okay, us girls squealed and the guys just couldn’t hide the giddiness of living out their boyhood dream of setting things on fire and watching them blow up.

Oh yeah, and it’s cold. But refreshing – like we finally got to stick our heads in the freezer to cool off.

On top of all that, it’s just really nice to be with old friends and to be part of their world for a short time.