Baan Luang Fellowship

Thursday and my English teaching came around far too fast. I had kind of prepared as I wanted to revise body parts from the previous week.  This was a group of twelve eight and nine year olds.  After a quick revision with flash cards I made up a game asking does this body part belong to this part of the body. It took a bit for them to catch on but when they did there were loud ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as they joined in.  Then on a piece of paper I asked them to draw an oval face but without the features. I then wrote the features on the white board and asked them to add them to their drawings.  I then chose someone from the class to draw that feature on the oval face I had made on the whiteboard. From here we did a similar exercise adding on the body parts to an oval below the head, this exercise filled in the rest of our lesson time.

After school I walked down to my regular lunch shop where I ordered something to take home. I was asked to wait till Nee the owner had served everyone, as we usually have time for a chat, but then she got busy.  I eventually collected my meal and as I was leaving, five locals who were also ordering lunch, asked if I was teaching English. It turned out they wanted their children to come along on Saturday morning and they too wanted to learn.  I told them I’d think about it and let them know.  Actually just that morning I had been praying about starting an adult’s English class and wondered how I’d start one, so this was an answer to prayer.

On my walk home I thought where, when and how to get this group started.  Nee, the shop’s cook finished cooking at 2pm and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a group of us sitting around learning English as she too wanted to learn. I thought Wednesday afternoon would be a good day as I wasn’t doing much on Wednesday and that would leave the weekends free if I was asked to go anywhere. I’d need to run it by Dema and Carolyn first.  Carolyn was excited to see how it would work. So the next day I went down to have a chat again to Nee.  She is lovely, and promised to ask around with those who had inquired the day before; unbeknownst to me, two of whom were police officers. As I approached Nee’s store I noticed there was no one ordering lunch that day so we could both practice the little Thai and English we knew with each other.

Friday is my washing day, I had also been asked to make a video of how to make kefir so borrowed a mobile stand from Temjai and shot it in the kitchen. I didn’t really want to be in the picture so aimed the camera down onto the bench top.  Unfortunately I’d forgotten to get the milk out of the fridge so you can see me anyway.  Not a pretty site in shorts and a singlet top with my hair tied up in a topknot on the top of my head!  Well, no one will really see it except Carolyn and Temjai anyway.  I really have never wanted to be a YouTube influencer.  The video was such a large file I couldn’t email it so sent it to both ladies via WhatsApp. They both appreciated my efforts.

Saturday’s Baan Sawang classes were fun, with the children again practicing their English through games, songs, videos and class lessons. Straight after the class I excused myself, returned to the house to shower and finish packing things from the fridge to take with me.  I then loaded the car with my small suitcase and drove to Dema’s home. Parking the car here, Dema loaded my suitcase into their four-wheel-drive and we were off.  Danial, their son, was staying behind.  Carolyn was driving this time.  We stopped at Central for lunch, where I found Nam Tok and some Thai Kanom (dessert), before heading south east towards Nan province, stopping about 62 km from the city of Nan itself, at a small town called Baan Luang.  We were 309km east of Chiang Mai towards the Laos border.  Most of the way Carolyn was asking me more about my life story which made time go quickly.

We arrived in Baan Luang around 5:30pm having left Chiang Rai at 12:30pm.  En route we had also stopped at a local market, buying things for the night meeting.  We were staying the night at the ministry house which was also the church building.  Upstairs was so hot under the tin roof with all the windows closed!  We immediately opened all the windows and doors to cool things down before unpacking our bags, making our beds with the linen we had brought with us.  Before going for a walk, we turned on the fridge, then headed towards the town.  Here we visited a small market with nothing much to offer, then further down the street to the 7/11 where I wanted to see if they had a banana for my breakfast as I had forgotten to bring some that I had in my fridge. We had looked at other stores and markets along the way but they either didn’t have any or the bunch was far too big and I’d have to buy a whole hand.  I was delighted, there was one single banana left on the shelf.  Here in Thailand some stores sell single bananas wrapped in a plastic bag.  I do hate the way plastic is so over-used here in Asia.   Anyway I was thrilled the Lord had provided my banana for breakfast plus a little packet of yogurt for Carolyn and me.  Dema stopped for some dinner while Carolyn and I walked back to the church, then a little further down the road in the opposite direction, getting some exercise before our evening meeting.

We closed the evening in prayer before snacks and water were served, chairs packed away and things tidied up before people began to depart. It had been a lovely evening meeting; so many local Christians all joyfully sharing their faith. I then had a quick shower before jumping into bed by 9:30pm exhausted.

I slept well despite waking at 1pm for an hour when I read my Bible studies before sleeping through to 5am. I couldn’t believe it, just before 6am and joining the chorus of roosters there was a loud speaker yabbering away, waking up the sleepy township. Why is it people in Asia think we need to be woken up by some sort of loud morning ritual? Praise the Lord this kind of awakening is banned in Australia!

Dema and Carolyn were up early and out the door, to visit church members before they went off to work, returning later with their breakfast.  We then packed our things into the vehicle and headed out. Before hitting the highway we visited a few more church members, taking snacks for the children and laundry soap for the single mothers or struggling families.  Heading back we stopped for lunch, to buy more durian and a drink stop before looking around some of Chiang Rai’s homeware shops for a water dispenser for the Baan Luang ministry, instead of continually buying one-use-plastic bottles. I arrived back at the house by 5pm, opened up all the doors downstairs to allow a through breeze while I unpacked my things.  I tried to cool down outside but was being eaten with midgies so came in, showered again and although it was hot indoors, I stayed in because I was reluctant to face the bugs again.

On Monday I decided to look into getting some material together for Carolyn who had asked if I could teach some of her friends and neighbours some of the skills I had learnt over the years.  She wanted to know how to make yogurt, white oil, liquid fertiliser and how to compost.  While going through some notes I also put together an article on composting and how to make homemade fertiliser for the community garden which I had been meaning to do for some time.

Tuesday I was back at school with the older boys, 13-14 yrs old. Dema spoke to them about showing respect and paying attention in class.  After this they were much better behaved and by the middle of class the boy who hadn’t been participating was actually enjoying the lesson.  I think it helped that I’m getting to know what they like and getting them more involved through group activities.

Late that afternoon, because it had been quite a bit cooler due to being overcast and rainy, I decide I’d go for my first jog here in Chiang Rai. I really had to push myself, especially as I’d just eaten some durian.  A little way down the road I saw two of the boys from today’s class, including the one I’d had troubles with.  I patted him on the back, greeting them as I jogged past, I just wanted to show him I had no hard feelings towards him.  I was dripping wet from perspiration by the time I returned to the house. I had gone my three kilometres so was happy and determined to do it another day when it was cool again.  I felt this was a great achievement to end the month of June.

 

Photos:  1. Cup and saucer – Holmskioldia sanguinea    2. Tuesday’s class    3. Sunset Baan Luang    4. Fellowship group    5. Rattan implements

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for all the opportunities He has given me to join in the activities of the team here in Chiang Rai.  It was a great blessing to join the Baan Luang Christians as they came together to worship the Lord.

I continue to be grateful for the opportunity to practice not only speaking, but reading and singing in Thai.  Please pray that I will continue to remember both the spoken and written Thai.

Praise the Lord for the doors that are opening up for me to bless others with some of the gifts the Lord has given me.  Please pray that He will complete the work He has started in me.

Please continue to pray for the Karen families here in Thailand who have applied for visas and permanent residency with their families abroad, especially Matt’s family in Mae Sot. Pray also for their situation in Thailand, while they wait, that it will improve and that they will be able to provide for their families.

Continue to pray for world peace and countries dealing with major disasters, wars and the unbelievable hardships they cause.  Pray for all those caught up in the suffering these events have caused.  Pray that God’s peace may be known by all people especially for those who live with despair, that they will find hope in Christ Jesus.

Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers.  Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.