10k Update--"On Being 007"

It's over. It's done. It's finished. I know the start of this blog post may seem like an exercise in redundancy but I still have to remind myself on this day after Race Day that I don't need to panic anymore. You're probably wondering why I would panic over something as small as a 10 km race. I'll tell you, before yesterday, I had never before run 10 km consecutively. Ever.  

Let me narrate as best as I can the events of Saturday and Sunday (day before Race Day and actual Race Day)...

On Saturdays, I teach at the BSC from 8:30 AM to roughly 3 PM so upon finishing teaching, Liz and I caught a taxi to the Thewet Army Club, where they were doing registration and pre-registration for the races. I had been meaning to sign up for the 10k for about a month but had been putting it off because I knew that I had until the 17th to sign up.

Bad choice. In a city as big as Bangkok, there were more than enough people who wanted to compete and had already registered. So many, in fact, that there were signs posted everywhere saying that registration was closed due to too many participants. I was told by one of the staff members that I could run without a number and no one would stop me. However, at this point, I was looking around at all the limber, fit runner types who had traveled to Bangkok just for this race and started to panic. Who was I to think I could actually do anything longer than a 1.5 km race? My body obeyed all the cliches and my palms started to sweat and my heart thundered in my chest. I couldn't even register so there was no reason to do it other than the commitment I had made to those sponsoring me, to the Kelley family, and to the God who made me and gave me two perfectly good legs.

My desire to quit was strong but thankfully, Liz was able to remind me why we were running and encourage me to persevere. I can't say swallowing the discouragement I was feeling was easy because it certainly wasn't. I don't know what finally pushed me to re-commit to run the race other than the Spirit of God lifting me up from the pit that I had fallen into somehow. That's what He does after all; He "redeems your life from the pit, [and...] crowns you with steadfast love and mercy" (Psalm 103:4).

Crystal and Brandon (an awesome couple from LifePoint Church, Liz's and I's BKK church) invited us over for a pre-race dinner so armed with baguettes, we headed over to their apartment. Crystal made chicken cacciatore and pasta. Eating lots of carbs before a race is a good thing (or so I've heard). After dinner, Crystal, Liz and I went back to the BSC for a few hours sleep before our EARLY morning wake-up call.

I decided in lieu of going to bed right away, I would stay up an additional hour to make a very memorable race number for myself--007.

My almost complete race tag, only missing the #KelleyFamilyAdoption hashtag!

After four very short hours of sleep, I woke up at 2 AM to lace up my sneakers, throw on a headband and some clothes and head out the door with Liz and Crystal. We hailed a taxi to take us to the starting line of the half-marathon and were able to safely arrive exactly where we needed to go (praise God!) 

There's a strange sort of energy in the milling around of people right before a race. Soon after we got there, the marathon runners took off (they're straight-up crazy) so we just hung out and took some photos while we waited for the half-marathon to start.

Crystal and I watching the Thai band play English/Thai songs while we waited

It was such a joy to hang out with her and chat about all sorts of things and of course, people-watch. I highly recommend going to a race just to watch people. It's fascinating. Soon it was time for Liz to get her half-marathon on and we were able to find her in the line-up!

Liz getting her pre-race Gangnam style on!!

Liz took off running and Crystal and I went to find some motorcycle taxis to take us to the 7 mile mark. Thankfully we were able to find two of them together who would take us. It was my first motorcycle taxi that I've taken in the five months that I've lived in Bangkok (shameful, I know) and it was so exhilarating, I may make this a regular means of transportation (just kidding, Dad!)

We found the 7 mile mark pretty easily thanks to the assistance of a Thai man who was running in the half-marathon. It was still pretty dark out but our location provided an excellent view of the runners. We even saw the winners of the race sprint past (Africans, of course). I was so glad that I decided to make my unique race tag because as I cheered people on, they grinned, waved, gave a thumbs-up, or most often, said "Suung suung jet! Suung suung jet!" (that's 007 in Thai) or "Skyfall!" or just "Bond!" Thank you Daniel Craig for your latest movie masterpiece. It was so fun to get to encourage them at the  halfway point in their race because some of them looked so completely wasted.

At about 6:40 AM, Liz got to the 7 mile marker and Crystal and I joined her in the race. Running was much easier and more fun than I thought it would be. I had my music, my running partners, and the thrill of the race to keep me going. I got to see a different side of Bangkok that morning as the sun rose on the city. I discovered that Bangkok can be way more beautiful than I had given it credit for being.

I was able to get this shot as I was running, believe it or not

As the fun started to wear off and fatigue set in, I wanted to slow down to a walk so many times even though my steady jog may not have been much faster than a walk. I remember when I was training how excited I was to be able to run for 25 minutes straight (pretty dang excited in case you were wondering). I ran for three times that during the course of the 10k (last 6 miles of the half-marathon). Not even I believed that I was capable of doing that.

Me at the finish line!!

I am so grateful for Liz and Crystal and to God who sustained my strength the entire time! I really hope that He was honored through Liz's efforts and my efforts to raise funds for the Kelley's adoption. What I hope even more through this race is to show that anyone is capable of doing this. Seriously, if I can do it, you can do it. I hope you consider ways in which you can be an adoption advocate at home in the States because I may be "on the mission field" here in Bangkok but I have some news for you, so are you. I hope that you pray over ways in which you can get involved in the Kelley's adoption and if you decide to run a 10k, you can always ask me for advice or encouragement! I'd love to share what I've learned with you!

[Liz posted about her experience running 21k here, check it out!]

Happy Veteran's Day/Update on Thai School

I promise these two topics are related... Veteran's Day was this past Sunday and as usual, it felt strange celebrating an American holiday in a country where no one else is celebrating or even acknowledging that it is happening. Thai people are already ushering in the Christmas season because no one celebrates Thanksgiving here besides American ex-pats like myself. Yeah for being an American!

I am exactly 12 hours ahead now that Daylight Savings has started in the US so when people post things on Facebook, I'm already well into the next day (the day after Veteran's Day was a Monday). Monday was a pretty ordinary day...I talked to my Mom on Skype, exercised, then I went to Thai school for an hour and a half, followed by lunch at the BSC.

My Thai teacher, Eh, decided to walk back to the BSC with me to eat at the BSC canteen (what the eating area is called). We had a really good conversation partly in Thai, partly mostly in English that somehow led into a discussion about Veteran's Day (I had seen so many posts about it on Facebook, I guess it was still on my mind). I learned that Eh was a soldier before he became a Thai teacher.

In Thai, they have two words that describe soldiers: 1. soldier "tha-haan" 2. soldier who has gone to war "tha-haan rohp." Since Eh has never gone to war, he is in the first category of soldiers. It was difficult to explain that a veteran in the US is anyone who has ever been in the military or still is in the military. Since I know so many veterans, this seemingly insignificant holiday is actually rather significant for me. It was a joy to get to talk to Eh outside the classroom and learn something about his history.

I am in my third and final month of Thai school and it has been so awesome to learn the language of the country where I'm currently residing. I'm nowhere near fluent but I feel way more confident than I did before I started Thai school. I prayed before I started learning Thai to just have some grasp of the language, and thanks be to God, I finally do! My last day of Thai school is November 26 and though I'm excited about ministries I am going to get more involved in after this commitment is over, I will be sad to conclude my studies and time in the classroom with Eh.

Eh at Friday Night Life [photo credit: Laura Landry]

Cultural Snapshot-- "On Unlearning Things"

When I started this blog, I promised that I would share a few cultural insights that I've gained since living in Thailand. In my class yesterday evening we talked about social customs in different countries including Thailand. The main insight I gained is that if you think you know something about Thai culture, you're wrong.

For instance, the textbook highlighted how in Thailand you're NEVER EVER supposed to touch someone, especially a child, on the head. My students were like, "It's okay to do that!" One of my students proceeded to rub her hand on her classmate's head to illustrate the point (my inner cultural awareness sirens were going off like crazy). My students then explained that you probably shouldn't touch a stranger on the head which is true everywhere I think. (If you were in the States and reached over to touch someone on the head on the Metro, that would definitely not be okay either.)

However, the textbook noted that it is inappropriate in Indonesia to use your foot to point to things. My students emphatically told me that in Thailand, you shouldn't EVER do that. So much for thinking I knew a thing or two about Thai culture. Maybe in a future blog post I can tell you something that I've actually learned instead of something that I have to unlearn!

Race Day

My 10k is in 15 days!! This will be the first race I've ever run (I'm not including the Turkey Trot I ran like, 8 years ago) and I am a bit nervous.

I've been training consistently for the past six weeks (as those on Twitter are bound to see my posts) and whether or not that's enough to carry me through the race will be decided on Race Day (hereafter known as RD).

Some of my milestones that I've hit so far include being able to run for 22 minutes straight, incorporating sprints (I'm being very generous towards myself in calling short bursts of speed "sprints"), and cross-training on the days I'm not running. This cross-training has included yoga (Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown), Tae Bo (I'm a longtime fan), and some other exercises I found online. It might be too soon to say this, but I think I'm getting stronger. I miss having my younger sister around to encourage me and motivate me through this but seeing Liz's example is very inspiring.

If you are interested in pledging to support the Kelley's adoption through my race, please let me know ASAP! Shoot me a message on Facebook if we're friends or send an e-mail to clairececil11@gmail.com. Whatever you are able to pledge is more than generous (even $10, $1/km is great)!

BKK 2011 Race

Hands-On Orphan-Care

Liz recently posted a blog post called "call us crazy" because it announced our intentions to run a half marathon to raise funds for the Kelley's adoption.

HOWEVER, you may call Liz crazy and me slightly less so because I'm only running a 10k (which is roughly 6.2 miles and I do plan on running as much of it as I am physically able) on November 18th.

The point is not the distance or the race or the training; the point is hopefully to inspire people to pledge money to support the Kelley's adoption. Back home in America, I was involved in the middle school ministry at Spotswood Baptist Church. Kyle Kelley is the middle school pastor and his wife Becca Kelley is an awesome school teacher.

Here they are in Washington, D.C. with their son, Matthew:

As you can see, they are not adopting because they are unable to have children. They are adopting because adoption is "a real-life illustration of the gospel. It shows us how God transforms spiritual orphans into family members. He changes our names, identities, and families by His grace" (Tony Merida, Orphanology).

In Becca's own words...

There is a child out there somewhere.

I don't know if it is a boy or girl.

I don't know if he/she is still in his/her birth mother's womb or in an orphanage.

But that child is out there.

And that child doesn't know the good news.

And it is incredibly unlikely that anyone is going to tell that sweet child that there is good news!

And that child...is mine!

I am the mommy...Kyle is the daddy, Matthew is the brother!

(For more of the Kelley's adoption journey, please see their blog)

I am so excited to get to be a part of their adoption process, even if it only means I run 10k in a city halfway around the world. God has given me a heart for orphan-care and since I am not in a position to adopt a child into my own family, my designated role is to assist others in doing so.

Orphans in Azerbaijan

The Kelleys have set up an account with YouCaring to accept donations. You can either pledge a flat rate donation, or a certain amount per kilometer (10 km total). If you would like to be a part of the Kelley's adoption through sponsoring my run, please send me an email at clairececil11@gmail.com with the pledge amount.

They are trying to raise $13,000 by the end of 2012 to cover the initial costs to begin the adoption process (adoption is expensive!!)  This will include their contract fee, home study costs, medical exams, dossier preparation, and adoption education.

Thank you for your pledges in advance. Every bit helps!!

Welcome Fall

Today, Liz, Laura and I made some AMAZING pumpkin pancakes to welcome Autumn to Bangkok.

It's September 20th and the only hint of Fall we have here is a sign I saw at a Starbucks that featured Salted Caramel Lattes as a part of their Autumn menu.

While we will never have cool, crisp mornings here, i.e. this:

And it will always be a bit like this:

I have the blessing of friendship that makes those things about Fall so meaningful. Tasting the pumpkin pancakes brought up so many memories of times spent with family, college friends, Thanksgivings and Halloweens past....

So, while I'm temporarily away from the setting in which those memories were made, I have a new different setting here in Thailand in which I can make new memories and cherish the ones with whom these memories are made.

Liz and I at Belvedere Plantation in VA

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.” 

Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

What I'm Reading

I know, I know. I'm overdue for a blog post as I was reminded by an avid fellow blogger...thanks for that.

To be honest, I have no idea how to be consistent with this blogging thing. I make off like I'm some sort of blogging expert when the reality is is that I'm a blogging newbie.

There are no rules in blogging! With my creative writing degree, I should embrace this paradigm instead of shying away from it like a horse shies away from a dark, scary forest (or at least the cartoon horses do in movies like Beauty and the Beast). I don't even know who reads this thing besides the above mentioned blogger and Liz. Maybe one of you has some advice on how to be a consistent blogger...?

So in between lesson prep, church, classes, tutoring, and social activities, I am reading four books right now. That's right, FOUR. This is pretty typical for me post college. The only difference between now and when I was at university (what they call college in Thailand) is that I get to choose what I read and...oh yeah, no pesky deadlines (oh deadlines, how I miss you).

Here's what I'm reading:

1. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. I'm only on page 14 but I feel like this book is going to teach me a lot about communing with God wherever I am. The blurb on the back says: "Brother Lawrence was a humble man who followed the direct path to communion with God. For him, there was no distinction between a time of business and a time of worship. He felt the presence of God whether he was working in his kitchen or worshipping in his church...." This is a good quiet time book.

2. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. This book is MASSIVE. It's almost a thousand pages long and not a fast read. I am however highly motivated to finish for two reasons. First, my friend Jen from LifePoint is also reading LM as a part of our casual book club. She was an English major in college too and we both miss that sort of intellectual dialogue about books and things. Second, the movie comes out on December 20th (in Thailand) and it is my goal to finish by that time. My Kindle tells me I'm more than 10% of the way through so I should certainly finish well before December.

3. Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care by Tony Merida. I've been thoroughly convicted for quite some time that God is directing me towards the plight of orphans in the world. I'm reading this book to better understand how to answer "the question that faces us as present-day followers of Jesus [which] is, How do we, in our context, live out God's heart and continue the church's history for orphan care?" I'll let you know (maybe if you're good) what comes of asking this question.

4. Moonblood: Tales of Goldstone Wood Book #3 by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. In case you were wondering, this is a "fun read" but not altogether without value or purpose. I'd compare this series to C.S. Lewis' Narnia tales--a romp that goes somewhere. I found the first book in this series on one of my favorite websites, Gospel E-books fo' free!

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey

I just realized that I did a "Snapshot Saturday" post on a Thursday or so the time-stamp on the post says...

Life here can sometimes be very disorienting. Let me give you a few examples:

1. University students just had their commencement last week--in AUGUST. They got their diplomas handed to them by one of the royal family and had pictures of the celebrations, professional photos, flowers, gifts, etc all on Facebook. Liz wrote a post about one of their commencement traditions here. In my mind, graduation is celebrated exclusively in May/June. Disorienting, right?

2. Setting up Skype dates is a huge hassle (a worthwhile hassle but nevertheless) because I have to figure out the time difference with friends/family scattered all over the place--Wyoming, Texas, Germany, Virginia, etc. I almost missed a Skype date yesterday evening because I confused the time difference...thankfully she was late too.

3. The weather here gives no hint as to the season. According to some, Thailand has three seasons--hot/dry, rainy, hot and humid. To me though, it just feels hot all the time and less hot after it has rained. Sometimes though I feel convinced that it's mid-January, or springtime, or the beginning of June. I think it's just deja vu triggered by bright flowers, gray skies, a particular outfit. Who can explain deja vu anyways??

4. It's the first of September here which is the beginning of my fourth month in Thailand. The next term begins next week at which point I can develop some semblance of a routine. I think the lack of routine is the most disorienting thing. I have these patterns that are so easy to follow back home--patterns that center around time of day (most of my ministry is done in the evenings), time of year, holiday seasons, etc. Those patterns are somewhat removed here.

Alright, those are four examples of ways in which life here is confusing, disorienting, and always somewhat of an adventure.

Per the title of this post, let me insert a short Doctor Who clip:

Snapshot Saturday

Dinner at Tan's house, Lao style!

Aroy mak! (In English, very delicious!)

Quote-Worthy Wednesday

Remember back in February when I said I might institute some sort of theme o'the day for posts? I'm doing it now...maybe I'll change the theme each week. We'll see.

Thanks to Doug, I have SBTS's latest magazine (yay!). I spent more than five hours at Immigration yesterday completing the process of getting my one-year visa so I had plenty of time to read. I found this one quote that made me tear up that I wanted to share...

"An adoption culture is much bigger than one segmented group of people who are simply more passionate than everyone else in the church about helping kids in need. It's the whole church realizing we all are needy kids."

Jeremy Haskins

Welcome Laura Landry!

Laura arrived in Thailand a week ago with the Spotswood team and she is staying at the BSC until mid-November. Laura graduated from James Madison University May 2012 and she will be attending New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in January. If you'd like to learn more about Laura, please check out her blog:

☞  landryinbangkok.blogspot.com ☜

It is such a blessing to have Laura here for three months. I am so excited to see how God is going to use her during her time here. I praise God that first he called Laura to be his child and second that he called Laura to Bangkok, Thailand.

"I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace." Acts 20:24

Overdue

I apologize for how overdue this post is...once you start putting something off, the easiest thing to do is to continue to put it off (like right now I'm thinking how nice it would be to get up and make a cup of tea...after that point, it's not likely I would return to this post). In between new haircuts, preparation for the Spotswood team's visit, their actual visit, and recovery from said visit, it's been pretty chaotic here. [Side-note: how do new moms or moms in general ever have time to blog? They probably have less time than I do...]

I've finished teaching my first semester of many at the BSC. It's been quite the learning experience being at the front of the classroom instead of sitting at my desk gazing up at the teacher waiting for them to tell me exactly what's going on. Sometimes I feel like I'm treading water trying to keep up with the curriculum, specific needs that students have, and the classroom dynamic--all of which I'm familiar with from a students' perspective. However, the teachers' perspective is radically different. I've never had so much authority over a group of individuals.

Some of my students working on an assignment

An additional thing to consider is being a teacher in Asia. Teachers here in Thailand and other Asian countries are treated with so much more respect than in America. I thought that I would need to earn my student's respect through my ability to teach and the extent to which they learn English but not so here! They call me "Ajarn" (which means "teacher") or just "Teacher." They hand me the title despite how inadequate I feel in the role. To them though, the fact that I am a native English speaker makes me more than qualified. I think that the more time I spend teaching, the easier it will get (duh) and the more I can weed through the material I'm given to decide what is effective and what isn't. I also want my students to have fun learning English. It might turn a subject that they dread into a class that they look forward to.

One day on this blog, I'll discuss more teaching philosophies and spend more time reflecting on the subject. I think it will be healthy to record things that I learn as a teacher since that is my primary position here in Bangkok--Missionary/English teacher.

Anyways, the Spotswood team's visit was all kinds of awesome. Words can't even describe how encouraged I was by the time we spent together. C.S. Lewis said “Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?” Minus the good fire (unless you consider Thailand's weather to be a suitable alternative), there probably isn't any pleasure on earth as great as this.

I got experience what it says about fellowship in Colossians, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." There were many van rides where we sang worship songs, Disney songs, other songs that blessed me so much. I had so much thankfulness in my heart to God and I pray that the team was as blessed as I was...

The girls at House of Blessing

The whole group at the Grand Palace with some Thai friends

Sundays Are My Favorite

Sundays in Thailand (as elsewhere) are special.

You wake up moderately early due to the anticipation of what's in store that day and realize you have time to just lie in bed and read. And read you do until your alarm goes off and it's actually time to get ready for church.

You shower, dress, put a flower in your hair and some blush on your cheeks. There's no reason to hurry so you Skype with a close friend back home, a sister in Christ.

It's time to make the trek to church so you walk to the train station (across the street and up the stairs) and board the train to Ekkamai. It's a semi-long ride so you relax, look out the window at the sun spilling onto the streets of Bangkok, and enjoy the company of your fellow passengers.

You arrive at the right station, take the short-cut through the mediplex (like a mall but with different doctor's practices), and stop at the posh ("hi-so"/high society) Starbucks for a hot brewed coffee. It's worth it. You go down the escalator to the street and begin walking to church. There's no hurry, you tell yourself. You're operating on "Thai time."

You walk through the streets that are just beginning to buzz with life--stalls carting fresh fruit and coffee drinks, people sweeping storefronts, motorcyclists whizzing past, barely missing you. You take another shortcut and you soon arrive at church.

You enter the air-conditioned church building and people turn to look. They smile, wave, and welcome you. It feels like home. You chat with your American friends, 'wai' at your Thai friends (and hug them too), and you smile because you're happy to be somewhere that is truly a house of God.

Worship begins and you sit next to a couple you don't know. You worship God by singing as loudly as you can. Everyone else around is singing loudly too--giving God glory for having forgiven you and given you your beautiful inheritance that is Christ Jesus. You cry because you are sad you have sinned so much and so often. You cry because you are joyful. You know that your sins are washed away.

The sermon portion of worship follows the music portion. You listen as the pastor teaches about discipleship out of the book of Philippians and you remember the first time you heard this truth preached. You thank God for having placed you in churches where a high view of God is taught and the gospel is of primary importance.

The sermon draws to a close and the tithes and offerings part of worship begins. The whole service is worship from start to finish. Then announcements. Then lunch. You eat something that sounds like that character from Gilmore Girls ("Suki...?") and catch up with friends (your family). After all, most of them you haven't seen for a whole week.

The board games come out. Groups gather around games like Blockus and Sequence and Pictureka. You observe, not feeling any pressure to join in. After all, Sundays are special. Hours later, it's time to head back to the BSC. You walk by yourself at a fast clip to Ekkamai train station. (On the way there, there's a small incident with a collision into a sign--praise God, you're okay. You blame your height and your sunglasses).

You get back to the BSC and meet the student you're tutoring to make pretzel rolls. Ingredients are assembled. You beg your neighbors for salt and yeast that you should have purchased when you had the chance.

The rolls are rising as you and your student (Erdene) rush over to Sunday evening Bible English. You help your student understand what's going on to the best of your ability. You hope she understands the story that is told about the ant and the grasshopper (and the twist on the original version--the ant gives all his food to the grasshopper so the grasshopper might live through the winter while the ant dies).

Class ends, the pretzel rolls are almost finished. You play with the BSC squirrel "Chewy" and take the rolls out of the oven. You serve them to your friends who are hanging around after the study. Rave reviews all around. You say goodbye to your student. She tells you that she had a good time as she walks out the front gate of the BSC. You're excited to meet her three-year-old son on Thursday. You will walk together to the park.

Your younger sister calls on Facetime. You chat outside the guesthouse lounge and suffer the mosquitos to bite every square inch of exposed skin. It's worth it to see your sister and show her a glimpse of Bangkok at night. You wish she was there in person to experience it with you instead of thousands of miles away in Virginia getting ready for church.

You tell her that you are glad you got to speak with her and you let her finish getting ready for church. Sundays are special in America too but they don't operate on Thai time.


____________
**I'm sorry if the format of this "day-in-the-life" piece is confusing. I wanted to try something new and different...

BangSaen Beach

This past Saturday I got to leave the city on a day trip to BangSaen Beach! I met up with the Lifepoint team at the bus station and we departed on a two hour ride full of good conversation and the game of Life on someone's iPhone.
A group of nine interns from Lifepoint's Smyrna campus arrived this week so the trip was designed to be a respite from all the chaos of the city and exhaustion from flying halfway around the world. It was such a pleasure to get to hang out with them and hear them share what led them to come to Bangkok for six weeks. I never get tired of hearing what God is doing in other people's lives :)
As far as the beach goes, I was told to have no expectations. That said, the beach met my expectations! I really hope that sometime this year, I will get to travel to some other beaches that Thailand offers...Other than that, there was lots of shade to enjoy (see the above picture for an example of the umbrella fortress we sat under). I got to take a nap, walk around the shops with the interns, and play Apples to Apples--those were some of my high points of the day.
Another high point was watching one of my new sisters in Christ get baptized in the ocean:

[Photo Credit: Brittany Kaminh]

It was really awesome to get to witness this moment. The new pastor of Lifepoint's Bangkok campus, David McCaman, is the one baptizing Nisa. The water at this particular beach may not have been a tank full of chlorinated, crystal-clear water but neither was the Jordan River in Jesus' time (I imagine). The Spirit of God was definitely there and He was pleased by this profession of faith.
This one-day retreat was such a blessing to me and I am so glad I got to do something with my new church (while I'm here in Bangkok) outside of the normal Sunday morning worship.

If you look closely, you'll see that I got a little sunburned...so worth it though. :)

Erdene

I had three students for two weeks but now I'm down to one student named Erdene. I tutor her for two hours a day, Monday through Friday. Erdene is from Mongolia but she is here in Bangkok learning English so she can study Pharmacy Administration. Erdene speaks both Mongol and Russian but her English is very limited and my ability to teach English is limited by my inexperience. However, my ability to teach English is all but irrelevant. The fact that I am a native English speaker is the only fact that was considered in placing me with Erdene.

Thinking back to my commissioning service, I said then that my only qualifications are that I speak English and love Jesus. Somehow, maybe on the flight from the US to Thailand, I forgot that. I thought I knew a thing or two about TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). During that flight, in my mind, I became a TEFL professional.

Sitting in the classroom with Erdene has helped me to realize how very, very wrong I was. I grew frustrated with my inability to help her become a fluent English speaker in two weeks. I forgot my second qualification, the one that brought me to the BSC, to Thailand--that I love Jesus and am here to proclaim His name, His love, His power.

In effect, I let my expectations dictate my attitude. I expected my students to be more proficient in English because I don't speak Thai. Erdene doesn't speak Thai either. No one at the BSC speaks either Mongol or Russian but I speak English, Erdene's target language.

During our tutoring session on Friday, I was feeling very discouraged by her lack of progress--blaming myself, doubting myself, doubting that God had called me to Thailand. Something compelled me to start an "Easy English" booklet with her that tells the story of how Jesus fed the 5,000 with the lunch of a small boy in the crowd. I told her to highlight the words she didn't know and so she did--she highlighted "the One True God" and asked me to explain what it means.

Wow, God. How to explain who you are to someone who is most likely a Tibetan Buddhist? I said, He is "Yahweh," the God of the Bible, the "I AM." What I loved about this particular booklet is how it points to Jesus' identity as God. I told Erdene about the miracles that Jesus performed that were things only God could do like raise the dead, make the lame walk and the blind see.

In telling Erdene these things, I had this energy that was missing before when I made English proficiency the end goal. It's not. While I want to teach English with excellence, I would rather my students know Jesus and have a relationship with Him.

I let my sin nature dictate my attitude. I didn't want something challenging for my first couple of months here but that's exactly what God had in mind. Though the process of being sifted is not a comfortable one, it's a necessary one if my faith is to be strengthened during this time in Thailand.

Please pray that I can love Erdene and be a faithful minister of the gospel toward her during the time that I have with her.

A Tour of my Room at the BSC

As promised, I made a video tour of my room here at the BSC. Enjoy!

Coffee In Thailand [Culture]

I imagine some of you out there are curious about my coffee rituals now that I am in Thailand.

Back home in the States, I might be considered a coffee snob--I only ever buy fair-trade coffee and organic coffee if it happens to be fair-trade and the roast I prefer. I buy coffee beans so I can grind them at home right before I brew the coffee in my Cuisinart coffee maker (one of my favorite graduation gifts). I then pour the coffee in a mug along with a 1/4 cup milk and voila, the best coffee on the planet.

In Thailand, this can never be. Coffee beans are ridiculously expensive here (a small bag runs close to 20 dollars). Most coffee drinkers here get their coffee from a cart but don't be fooled. Coffee here is instant, not my preference at all.

Yes, it is possible to find real brewed coffee at Starbucks (both thais and farangs, foreigners, love it) but it is dreadfully expensive. For a grande cup of regular coffee, it costs 100 baht (around 3 dollars). I've had it twice so far and I stretch it out like I'm living in the Great Depression, thai style.

So what do I do to satisfy my coffee cravings? I drink instant coffee most days using a method taught to me by my 91-year old next door neighbor, Lorena. She told me to fill a water bottle halfway with filtered water and stick it in the freezer overnight. Once frozen the next morning, you add the coffee packet, the sugar packet and the creamer packet (they really like packets here). Then you fill the rest of the bottle with room temperature water, put the cap back on and shake! It's not too bad and is appropriately cold in the warm Thai climate.

In my room, I found some curious looking, coffee making equipment but I have no idea what these things are...any suggestions?

Bangkok Statistics

This is an excellent video to watch made by my new friend Dylan if you want an overview of some statistics in Bangkok. Check it out...

Highlights (Dare I Say It, "Thailights")

So far, my life here in Bangkok has been a whirlwind of meetings, culture shock and jetlag. I'm pretty much settled into my new room here in the guest house at the BSC. It's standard dorm room furniture--bed, dresser, desk, wardrobe, mini-fridge, bathroom, etc. I will post more on my room later (if I remember).
It's 10:40 PM on Saturday here so I'll make this brief (notice how I always say that and then it's not...we'll see).
Here are some of my highlights so far. These may or may not be in order:

• Getting to know the other BSC teachers who live in the guest house. I just had a several hour long conversation with Danni (an Aussi teacher), Dylan (a 20 year old from Idaho who teaches as well), and Lorena (a 90+ year old who has more stories than anyone I've ever met). I am so glad that these people are my sisters and brother in Christ.
• Exploring JJ's Market with our new friend Air today. She was such a good tour guide considering how huge (overwhelming) this place was. We then got some Japanese food for dinner that was "aloy mak" ("very good").

• Friday Night Life (yesterday evening)--special concert called "Welcome Home." The worship team reenacted the story of the Prodigal Son which was incredibly moving despite the fact that I could not understand anything that was being said. Then there was this Thai man who won this singing contest in Thailand (don't ask) who sang this beautiful song in perfect English about Christ and his love for us called "His Eye is on the Sparrow" (I think...). He then sang a Thai song in perfect Thai, I'm sure. After the concert, I reunited with my friend Oh from our trip in August which was awesome that God allowed us to be together again :)

• River Markets in Ampla Wat (sp?) yesterday from 8 AM to 3 PM. It was an hour and a half long bus ride that I shared with our translator and Paul Robart, a missionary from Florida. We taught an English lesson to a group of elementary school teachers during their break and then we ate lunch with them. They were very curious about the weather in Washington, D.C. (for all intents and purposes, where I say I'm from). I told them it was the same as Thailand right now--hot! We then walked around the markets by the river that were mostly closed because it's a nighttime market. I loved talking to the translator named Ao about Jesus and hearing his heart for this country to fall in love with Christ.

• Learning how to be a teacher. We have our schedules. We have desks. It's official. And weird. There was a point in my life where I was adamant that I was never going to be a teacher. Adamant. God has a way of changing our plans to fit His will. It's hilarious when we think the whole thing was our idea...not.

More updates to come! Good night!

A Quick Recap of the Flight

I know you all are probably eager to hear details about the 30 hour trip I just took **literally** halfway around the world but I'm not eager to dwell on it too much. I'll make this brief:

The first leg of the trip was from Dulles (IAD) to Heathrow, London at 6:40 PM on Monday. I was glad that the flight left so late in the day because I had time to buy flip flops and get my Power of Attorney notarized before leaving for the airport.

I arrived at the airport and said a sad farewell to my whole family (a first in a really long time). My sister Annie helped me drag my bags over to the Virgin Atlantic economy class line and saw...Liz and her dad being assisted by a gate agent at a different desk. They flagged us over and explained that they had been through the line three times because our tickets "did not exist"--uh oh. However--due to their patience and persistence, my check-in process was a breeze and my definitely over-weight bags were checked with no hassle at all (praise God).

Drama aside. We easily made it through security and to our gate where we grabbed dinner at Potbelly's Sandwich Works (my former employer!). I was psyched to be headed to London since I studied abroad in Bath, England in 2009; the waves of nostalgia came and went. The Heathrow terminal was full of exciting stores like Boots, Pret a Mange, etc. The Queen's face was everywhere (good job being queen for so long, I guess). For the record, I did not buy any Diamond Jubilee merchandise but I did purchase some chocolate--the real thing which can only be found in England and the UK/Europe section of Wegmans for an arm and a leg. During the trip, I must have drank a month's worth of tea...

Anyways, Liz and I made it to Singapore. The flight itself (our longest leg) was okay apart from feeling like it was never going to end. The movie selection was pretty poor so I only ended up watching "Man on a Ledge"--predictable but had me saying "goodness gracious" out loud more than once. I spent a good portion of remaining time watching re-runs of sit-coms I had already seen (like Parks and Rec :) )

Making it to Singapore was big because it meant that we only had one short leg left--Singapore to Bangkok! This is where we updated everyone on Facebook that we were okay:

Hello everyone. Made it safely to Singapore (good morning). Will post once Liz Swauger and I are in Thailand :)

“Singapore Changi Airport”

The last flight was a quick jump that felt like no time at all (except for the fact that we couldn't land immediately so we had to circle over BKK for about 40 minutes before we could land).

Finally, we made it through customs and security and met John and Ruth Lapos and their two kids, Hannah and Timothy who helped us carry our ginormous bags to the car.

My last Facebook status:

It is 1:20 PM on Wednesday here in BANGKOK, THAILAND. Praise God--both Liz and I arrived safely and are settling in to our new rooms and our new city. I am feeling jet-lagged but also incredibly excited for how God is going to use me here at the BSC and in Thailand. 

My "Thai"brary

I've spent a significant portion of this afternoon packing books and heaving the heavy boxes (6, to be exact) to my car. I'm the type of person who likes to bite off more than I can chew (aka, buy more books off Amazon than I can read in a lifetime, much less a year). However, moving to Thailand limits what I can bring. I will only have so many clothes and shoes, personal items, room decorations, desk accessories, and books. Many of my books that went in boxes were books from school so I didn't mourn parting with those so much. Others were books that I purchased with great excitement only to shelve them (temporarily, I said) because I didn't have time or I was reading something else. Only six books didn't go in the boxes. I want to study these books, underline and highlight things, write notes in them, and hopefully attain some of the authors' wisdom. I'm just praying that I can fit them in my suitcase...

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**the ironic part of trying to fit 6 books in my suitcase is that I'm also bringing a least a dozen other books in my Kindle...as they say in Thailand, mai pen rai
***if I had to bring 7 books to Thailand instead of 6, which one would you suggest?

Commissioned, Loved, Sent

On Sunday, Liz and I were commissioned by the congregation at all three services. Despite some nervousness about speaking in front of so many people (who would have thought?), it was really awesome to get to share what led to the decision to go back to Thailand. My hope is that in going, I am setting a precedent for others at Spotswood to go and do the same--preach Christ to those who have never heard the gospel before. I want it to be apparent that you don't have to be a "Christian Super Star" in order to be a foreign missionary. All it takes is willingness and availability. First, you must be both of those things within the context of a local church. Like Dr. Drew said, Liz and I have been poured into, invested in and now we are displaying the fruit of that investment in our desire to go to the nations in the name of Jesus.
At the third service, the deacons, the college group and the Swauger family came and prayed over us...one word expresses what I felt in that moment--loved. I felt incredibly loved by my church and I know that even being so very far away, I am still a loved, valued member of Spotswood Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Here's what I shared with the congregation on Sunday. If I can get my hands on the video accompaniment, you can be sure it will never be posted in this blog. You're welcome for that.

I was asked to share with you all why I’m returning to Bangkok, Thailand for one year. Last August, Liz, Doug, Dylan, Jared and I went on a vision trip to Bangkok. The purpose was to see if we could form a sustainable, gospel-centered partnership with the Baptist Student Center. In the course of this trip, what God wanted me to do became abundantly clear--he wanted me to make him famous through teaching English and proclaiming the gospel to those who don't know him. Theologian Frederick Buechner said that “the place God calls us to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” My qualifications being that I speak English and love Jesus, I knew God designed me to meet this apparent need. The more I learn about Bangkok, the more I realize that I love the people who live there. I consider it a privilege to get to use my gifts in order to glorify God. And really, it gives me great joy to get to do that. I am incredibly grateful that Spotswood is a church that honors the Great Commission and is sending me to serve in Thailand. So thank you. 

Cancun

The reason why this blog has been a little quiet lately is because I have just returned from a 4-day trip to Cancun, Mexico. It was such a huge blessing not only because I didn't really have to pay for it ($75 for the whole "shebang") but because it was truly a relaxing vacation. I didn't have access to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc...I'm kind of ashamed to continue this list because it does go on. It felt like a retreat from reality to a place where the sand on the beaches really is white, the water is my favorite green-blue, the sun always shines, and the food is free.

Another awesome aspect of the trip was how many opportunities I had to talk about Jesus because my co-workers had learned about my impending departure from the company and move to Thailand. They were naturally curious about why on earth I would move so far away and so I got to share about how God used the vision trip back in August to engender in me a love for the Thai people and a desire to be a part of the work that He is doing through the church in Thailand. I knew God designed my Cancun vacation to be just another setting in which I could make Him famous. I was encouraged by fellow Christians that I met and conversed with and who have promised to pray for me :)

I am very grateful to have had this time to rest and soak in the beautiful Mexican sun before I move into this last month of fundraising and packing and generally closing this chapter in my life in anticipation of the beginning of a new chapter in Bangkok.

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*For an update on the yard-sale that took place during my Cancun vacation, see Liz's blog. THANK YOU Swauger Family and Zac for your tireless efforts that made the yard-sale a reality.

**Also for proof that I went rappelling, ziplining, cave-snorkling, and ruins exploring, check out these pictures. During that excursion, I met a wonderful sister-in-Christ named Corina--she's the one in some of those pictures so don't be alarmed. (If you have trouble seeing the pictures of me, let me know.)

Shifting Seasons

Tonight was the last time I will ever lead small groups at UMW. I know there's a lot of finality and certainty to that statement but in my heart, I know it to be true. Even writing these words right now makes it even more final.

Yes, I am sad. Also, I am surprised that I did not cry tonight (tears will come soon and have already been shed over this transition.) I have lived in Fredericksburg for almost five years now. Spotswood has been my home for over two years. I know I say this all the time but Spotswood is the church that taught me what it means to be the church and to love the church because it is the body of Christ.

Since Spotswood is the church that is sending Liz and I to Thailand, we will not be a severed hand cut off from fellowship. We are merely a hand that is on the other side of the world. I am thankful for the universal church, i.e. local bodies that love and serve Christ in every part of the world that has been evangelized. I look forward to how I can be used there and be a witness to the work God is doing in Bangkok. We worship the same God, read the same Bible, sometimes sing the same worship songs (ahem, Chris Tomlin). It will be different but God's diverse creation--diversity in the church--is pleasing to him. It glorifies him.

Though this season here in Fredericksburg is drawing to a close, I can't wallow in sadness like I'm tempted to do. Sadness is an appropriate, condoned emotion but dwelling in it is unhealthy.

Rather, this transition is cause for celebration! "There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours." (Psalm 86:8) God prepared this journey for me before he brought me to Spotswood, before I came to Mary Washington, before I was born. He prepared me to go to bring glory to himself. If I go in state of sadness, I am not glorifying God, I am indulging in my circumstances.

Later, in the months to come, I may need reminding that "extreme homesickness" is just a way I am indulging my sinful desires. My home is with Christ and my church home is his body in every part of the earth. I am very forgetful.

I'll be on that plane June 11th!

What Missions is Not

A Sunday afternoon reflection:

"It is not comfortable or easy.  It is not always explainable or relatable.  It is not self OR Church promoting.  It is not branding.  It is not exploiting the poor or rescuing the helpless.  It is not newsletters and updates of individual OR team works.  It is not about compromises and agendas.  It is not about reaching the lost, unreached people groups or saving the wretched.  It is not about judgements and condemnations.  It is not about religion, rules and regulations.  It is not about choice of clothing, what someone drinks or how many tatoos one wears.  It is not about strategy, planning and numbers.  MISSIONS IS NOT ABOUT CONVERSIONS.  It is not for the called, the holy, the obedient or righteous.  Missions is not about the elite, clean, or humble.  Missions is not free from messy, bondage, fear and persecution.  It is not about flow charts, titles or agendas.  It is not corporate.  Missions is not about perfection or execution (as in works).  It's not about villages, people groups and cities.

What IS missions?  A VERB.  In the most simplest form, missions is an action.  Going, doing, being, seeing, loving, serving, helping, communicating, accepting, embracing.  It is about giving, going, sending (both locally and abroad).  It is a life choice-an action to obedience-.   It is for everyone and about everyone.  It is about truth.  It is love.   It is a path emulated by Christ. It is the gospel."

(Excerpt from Blog Post by Thailand Missionary Beth Clark)

ACTS

You've probably heard of this outline before: ACTS. Adoration. Confession. Thanksgiving. Supplication. It's a simple way to approach the God of the Universe that we used for devotions this morning at the Encounter Leaders Retreat in Richmond. I must admit that I've been so busy with the confession/supplication portion of the prayer that it felt strange just to tell God how awesome He is and thank Him for all of His gifts. Really, I've just been busy with being busy. I feel like I'm working two jobs right now with my normal 40-hour work week at the eye doctor and my second job which is getting ready to leave the country in seven weeks. I want to take a moment to jot down a few of the things for which I am grateful...

• The overflowing outpouring of support that has been coming in. The Italian dinner (see Liz's blog post about it here) represented to me how much my church really does care about this call that God has given to Liz and I. It is their heart for missions that is sending us to Thailand. I am confident that God will complete the work that He has begun according to His own time table.
• God gathering all the pieces together for our Thailand preparation. Our background checks came back from Richmond ridiculously fast so Liz and I will be making another trip to D.C. to get our work visas (pray that God uses us as witnesses towards the embassy employees!)
• The willingness I've seen from the Encounter folks to help with all these fundraisers that are helping to ease any stress I may be experiencing about getting support for an entire year. God must be doing a mighty work to bring so many volunteers to each event (Natalie Grant concert, Italian dinner, upcoming yard-sale). Praise God for His church!
• Thank you God for how every other piece has fit so perfectly--my apartment lease is up May 30th, I resign from my job June 5th, TESOL training is finished, opportunities to get plugged into a solid ministries in Bangkok....the list goes on and on and on. 

Let them praise the name of the Lord,

    for his name alone is exalted;

     his majesty is above earth and heaven.

 He has raised up a horn for his people,

     praise for all his saints,

    for the people of Israel who are near to him.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 148:13-14 ESV

Supot Part II

Tonight in our weekly Thai tutoring session with Supot, Liz and I learned a very important distinction--the difference between "close the door" and "close the fish."

Close the door: "bit p/blaa d/thow"

Close the fish: "bit p/blaa d/thoo"

Yes, it's that easy to sound like an idiot in Thai.

Really the two most important things we need to remember how to say are:

"Pud ee krung dai mais?" Can you say that again?

"Nii gai?" Is this chicken?

Sacrificial Lamb Syndrome

Tonight I had the privilege of listening to the founder of a non-profit organization called Urban Light share about the work that she is doing in Thailand with boys victimized by the sex-trafficking industry. When Alezandra Russell first learned about the problem of human trafficking, she was told that

"Slavery is not legal anywhere but happens everywhere"

That is a hard truth to learn. It compelled her to act, to help, to try to protect one person who was preyed on by sexual predators. Her list of things that she is up against are many (after all, many people are shareholders in this billion dollar industry)--they include the Thai mafia, affluent men from powerful countries, gangs, pimps, etc. These perpetrators don't fear the law because the countries that are supposed to be upholding these laws that prohibit prostitution are invested in the financial stability of their countries and if sex tourism is what is propping up their economies, rule of law goes out the window.

Three years ago, Alezandra visited Thailand and was shocked, angered and disgusted by the blatancy of prostitution. In taking a shortcut through a section of the Red Light District in Chiang Mai, she encountered the place where "the boys" work. She asked the person escorting her why she had never seen this aspect of the sex-trafficking trade before and why no resources were being spent on helping them. Her escort told her that "all those boys are going to get HIV and die anyways so it's a waste of NGO resources." Translation: "those boys are worthless."

Though Alezandra never professed to be a Christian, there's something to be said about how the work she is doing parallels the work of Christ. Jesus' fundamental mission on earth was to seek and save the lost. She certainly has sought out this discarded group but apart from English lessons, self-esteem seminars and condoms, she has no ability to save them.

A lot of the boys who work in the bars are "Akah"--or ethnic Thai (from tribes around cities) and are discriminated against because of their darker skin. That means that with their broken English, their job opportunities are limited to hotels, restaurants, other tourist venues and prostitution. A lot of the boys come from small villages in northern Thailand and in an effort to provide for their parents, they leave their villages to go into the cities to sell their bodies for money. They sacrifice themselves in order to bring money and status to the families they left behind. Alezandra called it "sacrificial lamb syndrome." They enter cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket and are indeed slaughtered, their innocence stripped away.

What these boys really need is hope--awareness that Christ, the Lamb of God, shed His blood in their place. We, the Church, need to be the light for these victims of an industry that displays the perversion of the world. I don't know exactly how God is going to use me in my time in Thailand but I pray that He gives me a supernatural awareness of the needs that manifest themselves so when I can encounter boys who are dressed like women, young girls wearing fishnet stockings and dark red lipstick, women who left their villages looking for hope in the cities, I can be a vessel through which that hope shines, shines brighter than any weak flame our earthly abilities can ignite.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome. John 1:5

TESOL Certified!!

Elevate 2012

It was such a privilege to hang out with six eighth-grade girls and Hallie, my co-leader, for an entire weekend at the middle-school retreat, Elevate. This was my second time leading at Elevate and the one-year anniversary of my involvement in the Middle School Ministry (MSM).

Wow. What an awesome God I serve who has placed me in a church whose heart is so centered on HIM.

The theme of this year's Elevate was how obeying and submitting to your parents is a way in which we obey and submit to God, our heavenly Father. The middle schoolers' parents were all invited to a conference Saturday afternoon during which I took a break from Elevate Olympics to talk to the parents about what Liz and I are going to be doing in Thailand and why we're going.

I tried to communicate to them how they are participating in my work in Thailand just by being part of the sending church body. It started with Kairos and the tutoring program with the refugees in Fredericksburg; expanded in the work we did in Philadelphia; expanded further when we went to Thailand the first time. The heart that God gave Spotswood to impact the world with the gospel can't be contained because the gospel can't be contained.

This retreat was also an excellent reminder of the role that my own parents have in sending me to Thailand. I am often asked what my parents think about me going so very far away. I respond by nonchalantly saying how they expected that I would go after the initial trip in August. What I don't say is how grateful I am that God ordained that I would be brought up in that particular household with those particular parents. I take my parents' support for granted. They are helping as much as they can financially, pointing me towards their friends who can help, and lifting me up in prayer all the time.

Wow. What an awesome God I serve to display His love towards me through my parents. He didn't have to do that but He did.

Thanks Mom and Dad!