The other day I was sitting at the Honda dealer waiting for my motorbike to be serviced. A non-Thai man came up to the front and was looking at new motorbikes to buy. The salesperson was trying to help him. The conversation went like this (everything in italics was spoken in the Thai language): Customer: What about this one? What kind of warranty does it […]
Signs at a National Park
Two attempts at “Souvenirs” This one in English says, “please Keep Clean” … but translated from Thai accurately, it should read, “Please throw trash in a trashcan.” Are they just trying to keep it simple, or are they suggesting that foreigners have trouble keeping clean… ?
Christmas in Thailand Part III: With Friends
On Christmas Eve, my friends Heather and Kara came to Chiang Mai from Bangkok. They are both working as missionaries there, and decided to come spend Christmas with me! On Christmas day, we had a good breakfast out, and then drove to Doi Inthanon, the highest point in Thailand – around 8,500 feet. Christmas lunch was a picnic at a waterfall on the way down […]
Christmas in Thailand Part II: With Family
This was my first Christmas away from my family. At some points it was hard, because it didn’t quite feel like Christmas with the same traditions and decorations. But on the other hand, I was excited to celebrate Christ’s birth in my new home. I decorated and had a nativity, Advent wreath, and tree! God has blessed me with friends and a family in Chiang […]
Christmas in Thailand Part I: Church
On the Sunday before Christmas, TLC Church had an evangelistic Christmas party/service. We had special music, a few games, and Apple shared a short message about the Greatest Gift of All. I was so glad that two of our students, Liw and Nan, came that morning!
My Question, Mary’s Answer
At first, Mary’s response to her angel visitor is very similar to Zechariah’s – “How will this be?” (read about Zechariah here.) You have to admit, though, that Mary’s situation looked quite a bit less possible than Zechariah’s did. The angel patiently explains to Mary how the miracle will happen, and tells her “nothing is impossible with God.” She will be the mother of the […]
Party like it’s Christmastime!
Last Friday night we had a Christmas party for our students. We don’t have snow in Thailand (most Thai people have never seen snow) so we substituted crumpled up paper and divided into teams for a snowball fight: What’s a Christmas party without gingerbread houses? Scott and Julie, our teachers, made gingerbread for the students to build and decorate houses, something else they’d never done […]
I am a Zechariah
“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah…” But “Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?” Luke 1:5-25 It’s easy for me to identify with many of the characters of the Christmas story – if I saw an angel appear to me, I would probably be “startled and gripped with fear” as well. But in the past I have also […]