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 […]
‘Tis the Season for… Explosions!
Loy Kratong is a Thai festival based on asking the river for forgiveness for polluting it all year long. This is done by releasing little floating lanterns like these into the river. People also release lanterns into the air and set off lots and lots… and lots… and lots… of fireworks. One of the nights I went down to the river with some friends to […]
Yibeng!
Last Saturday I went to Mae Jo University with a friend for the annual Yibeng festival event. Thousands of kom lois (lanterns) are let off simultaneously. There is quite a ceremony as it is seen as a prayer for peace and goodness. Yibeng is a northern Thai word for part of the Loy Kratong festival and holiday, which is November 2, but celebrated October 31-November […]
Happy Mother’s Day!
I would like to wish everyone and especially the moms out there a Happy Mother’s Day! In Thailand, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the Queen’s birthday, which is August 12th. It doesn’t matter what day the 12th falls on, that is Mother’s Day. This year, it is Wednesday. Today was a holiday and most people had off from work. The same idea goes for Father’s […]
Happy New Year!
What a full year 2008 was, and 2009 promises to be no less exciting. This year I will move to Thailand! Moving seems like a long way off – I have been itinerating for five months and only have 28% of my monthly budget raised – but I know that God is faithful to accomplish what He has started. Thailand though is not far off, […]
Happy Valentine’s Day, the Thai Way!
On Valentine’s Day, Thai school children exchange heart stickers and decorate their uniforms to celebrate the holiday and appreciate their friends. At our Valentine’s Day party last Friday, we gave each other stickers in true Thai fashion. Here, Wor and I are dressed in red for the holiday. June on the left gives Evie a sticker Saa shows off her hearts P’Opal and Apple and […]