Christmas in Thailand (Part 2)

(this might just be the only part 2 I've ever composed...but well...experiences are tough to forget)

More Teaching, Painting, and (oh noes) Derusting
Mr Charles Ng returned to normal the next day, overjoyed, the Sec 4s had yet another rendezvous (oh the love I have for that word) and gave thanks to God. Yes, he returned to the usual bubbly personality, and the occasional greeting of 'How are you (insert name here).

Again, I was one of those who stayed behind for teaching. Well, (un)fortunately there wasn't teaching to be done that day, we were tasked with creating some exhibition boards for a dedication ceremony in two days. It was an exhibition for reflection and remembrance - some thirty photos were to be displayed - a reminder of God's work in Thailand for the past 10 years.

The girls proceeded to the designs and frilly things - John was at teaching, Wesley and I effectively excommunicated. The gender distinction was clear, and we proceeded with the tough 'male' things - this included procuring (yes in Mr Charles' language) the three wooden boards, shifting them down from the third to second story (I assure you it was difficult); Also, we had to find and hammer nails into the top two corners of each board. That was the fun part.

Hammers and Nails - Caveman style
There were no nails in sight, no hammers in sight, just debris. Fortunately, God created 'innovative spirit' in men, and Wesley obtained a makeshift hammer - a brick - and he beamed as he held it up in his hand. I just gave him the 'ok...' look.

We found used nails, stuck in other strange blocks of wood. And with much determination, strength, and sheer grace of God, proceeded to extract them as a dentist does with teeth, except with our bare hands. It was painful, Wes was dripping (with perspiration), I was just tired. But we managed to get the nails nevertheless, and pounded them in with the 'hammer'.

We did get a real hammer later, the boys from KKCS were so helpful! Thank you! But I guess it was fun remembering how tough it was without one.

Soybean milk and mentos
One comment I could never shrug off myself was Wesley mentioning the estrogen content of soybean milk - of course at the most apt moment: when I was about to take a sip. Myth or fact? You decide. Of course, when one mentions that mentos can cause impotency, then one's credibility becomes extremely questionable. How can innocent harmless little sweets, the joy of so many children cause such a disaster? well, I drank and ate merrily anyway :)

Family Center Joy
Well, we left the girls to their fancy business - Fui, Jess and Ms Gao would have little problems - and proceeded to the family center for more painting and derusting. I had the honor of derusting next to Daryl, who boasted extendedly about his 30cm by 60com frame that was 'beautifully derusted'. Of course, it took him half a day, and there were about 50 similar frames :) Eva was most pleased, at least it brought comic relief.

Did I mention singing with Mr Charles Ng and Eva and the rest of the gang who stood in a straight line derusting? We sang to the rhythm of derusting, sang of the searing sun that bore down upon us, and sang many praises to God. Well that passed the time :D.

Painting on the front fence begun. We took half a day to paint half a fence. Great, we rejoiced, only to hear from afar, the sound of a spray paint gun - which subsequently took 20 minutes to achieve the same (apparent) feat. We exchanged blank looks. well.

Lee Yang and Daryl and the Dog
We decided to go for a walk in the slum area. Well there wasn't much to see, except the poor state in which the people lived. Compassion welled up where empathy was impossible. We moved on, praying as we went. In all honesty - even compassion was difficult to feel, perhaps our hearts had been hardened by our privileged lives. but at that moment, I prayed that I could look at the people through eyes of Jesus, and feel for them. And love them. I prayed and faithfully waited.

We met a little black puppy later on. Daryl was most excited by the puppy - fondling it, carrying it, teasing it, and mentioning it's striking resemblance of Lee Yang.

Catching and Magic Tricks
We returned to find the slum children running riot throughout the whole family center - the natural response was simply to join them in their little fun. We all did in our own ways. Mr Charles Ng entertained with his umbrella, the children doing a merry go round with it, later, he proceeded to perform a 'leaf-disappearing' magic trick, that almost left his pants pulled down (much to his surprise - yes the children wanted to search him for the missing leaf). The children were intelligent enough to see through his trickery :)

Me? I went for good-old catching. The thai boy 'Moi' ran and ran and hid and hid. John and I chased, and (well) intentionally failed. But it was fun, and it was so rewarding to see the smiles on their faces, and to see that love was conveyed through that little session of play-time. The joy of the Lord was present, and we all felt it - all through that whole night :) full of praises. wow.

The Desperate Fast
Fasting is all about mourning - mourning for a bridegroom, that is Jesus, who has left the earth and will return again, mourning for the city of Khon Kaen. That night was declared a fast, and we prayed that God would prepare our hearts. Prayer was all about desperation, were we desperate enough, and were we close enough to God's heart? Would our prayers be heard and answered?

I remember entering the prayer room to crying. Tears of joy and tears of weeping, both intermingling with each other. It took sometime to settle into the presence of God, but that night was about being still, and being close to God. I felt prompted to Isaiah 9 :

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

It was a verse of hope, I felt, for Khon Kaen, God would remember Khon Kaen, it was just a matter of time. Also, it was a reminder of that true meaning of Christmas, which drew ever so near...

That night was also the affirmation of my brother (in Christ) Mr Jonas Chow, who was called to full-time ministry. As he wept we prayed prayers of comfort and of hope, and that night marked a night of silence before God. Intercession required desperation, and many of us searched our hearts for intercession that night, seeking and seeking. We had a time where we asked God for our convictions once again, and affirmed them before Him.

Feed my lambs

Bye Eva and SweeKim!
The GB duo left us the next morning...it was a little saddening as I recalled it, they had been bottles of joy. Eva was most sweet with her alto harmonies had her eccentric laughter - she was also my angel (yes...never complete without angel and mortal...:P), and truly I was grateful for all those lovely messages that came my way. Miss ya sista!

We waved goodbye as they purchased tickets for the busride to Bangkok (actually, we wished them a pleasant sleep on the bus...they needed all of God's grace to pull through..haha)

Final Lesson - Awwww
It was meant to be a lesson observation, but somehow Dr Ong was unable to make it for our lesson, perhaps it was a better thing. Well, essentially, this lesson was similar to the previous one, except we knew them just a little better than previously - and we were teaching different letters.
We ended off with a little ball-rolling game - roll a ball to hit a letter placard and then pronounce the letter - yep simple as that, and you get a sweet as well :) It was a little disappointing that many couldn't get it, but the girls were the beacon of hope - acing it every single time they went up. Wes and Jes' students were able to pronounce whole words (like motorcyle and leaf), ours couldn't even get the letters...well, they did have more girls!! haha.

Distributing sweets is not something you want to do in Thailand, they rush, it's a mad rush, worst than Singaporeans rushing at free stuff. Well that was quite an unforgettable experience, I do hope they shared the sweets in a gentlemanly and ladylike fashion - though I think not :P. It really showed how much they appreciated the little things in life, and how much need they lived in - treasuring every single sweet. makes you wonder - how we waste things - it really is terrible.

And I shall end on this note - to be continued in 2 days :D I promise