SEA Adventures: Well that was quick... A synopsis of our first month

Whew! After the difficult first few weeks and subsequent spiritual victory the second half of the first month flew by! The semblance of a routine is beginning to be formed and we are settling into life here. I am happy to report that we can now get mostly anywhere in the city that we could ever want or need to go to by taxi and usually by bus or line car as well. Our conversations with people have grown from roughly 10 seconds (“Hi, how are you?”) to over ten minutes long, assuming they have lots of family to talk about. This is not to brag- we have so, so far to go- but I am learning to appreciate each victory, no matter how small. So please celebrate and thank the Father with me for these victories!

Culture Corner: I will share some cultural tidbits or funny anecdotes every so often that will give you an idea of living here in SEA. Let me take a moment to share about the transportation in the city as it is amusing and very different from even large cities in the USA. To start with there are seemingly few followed or enforced traffic laws, except perhaps that buses can do what they want and that a hand stuck out in a wave removes the rudeness from any following action. Leah and I’s main modes of transportation are taxis, buses and line cars, trishaws, and of course walking. Taxis are not too expensive usually $4-8 and a great time for us to practice our language. Depending on the time of day they are also the fastest way for us to go longer distances.

Buses and line cars are my personal favorite and very cheap (10-20 cents!). The buses here are usually cast-offs from surrounding countries and whatever is necessary to keep them running is acceptable to all parties. They usually feature a large bouquet of green leaves strapped to the front on the outside and at least one picture of Buddha at the front on the inside- both practices are thought to bring good luck. There are no posted routes or pamphlets that tell you which bus to take where. Instead, a man called a spare leans out the side of the bus as it pulls to a stop and yells out in a long (and very confusing for foreigners) string of destinations. If you, by some miracle, happen to hear where you ware wanting to go you can hop aboard or if like us, you often can’t decipher a word they say, you can walk up to the spare and while shrugging your shoulders say in a questioning manner the name of the place you would like to go. The spare will then respond by nodding and pushing you onto the bus or will shake his head and perhaps helpfully spout out a number for the proper bus. The numbers on the buses are the one saving grace, as once you have figured out which numbers go where, you have at least a mental bus route map. Once on the proper bus, another man who is in charge of taking the money will track you down wherever you are sitting or standing to collect your fare. You then must pay a lot of attention to where you are so that you don’t miss the correct stop, which of course is never announced. Depending on the time of day buses will be practically empty or stuffed to the brim. If someone has room to breathe and exist then they will fit on the bus- this is the unspoken rule. It does not matter if you are leaning over 3 people and a baby to hold onto a hand ring or rail- you will fit. It also does not matter if you are immobile and touching six others of any age or gender- you will fit. Line cars are exactly the same, however, with just one worker. Also instead of the typical bus they are trucks with covered beds and benches lining the sides. These can hold over 35 people at one time (I know because I once counted) and the space rules apply in a similar fashion. Though line cars are usually preferable as they are usually cheaper and cooler given their more open-air nature. Depending on your feelings about personal space this mode of transportation may sound very fun or horrific. I fall into the very fun category and luckily so does Leah. It may sound crazy but we both really love the buses and line cars and are glad they are around.

The final fun mode of transportation is called a trishaw and they seem to be Leah’s favorite. A trishaw is a bicycle with a cart attached that can hold 1-5 people depending on size and your willingness to squeeze. They are powered by a man who peddles you to your destination, weaving in and out of traffic, often causing the rider, at least if its me, a minor heart attack. They are only used for shorter distances and are relatively cheap when you think about the work the poor fellow driving must do. Leah finds them very fun and I would too, I think, if I fit in them better. Unfortunately, I seem to have hips that are too wide to fit comfortably in the seats. This usually leaves me wedged in at a weird angle wincing in pain at every bump. There must be some trick as I have seen people larger than me ride them and have a seemingly grand old time. Perhaps by the time we leave I will have mastered riding a trishaw, until then they remain a fun but slightly painful way to get around.

Let’s get down to business: All funny transportation realities aside, I can assure you that it’s not all funny business here. We teach at a school for the Good Book each Wednesday, go to language class Tuesday and Thursday, and Erin* comes over once or twice a week to do extra language tutoring. We also visit our local markets frequently to buy food and build relationships with the shop owners. A few weeks ago we bought a bike and the family that sold it to us are becoming our friends. Anytime we go to the market we make sure to walk to their bike shop and say hello. One of the brothers speaks some English, which has allowed us to develop the relationship further than most. In addition to the bike store family we have a few friends at various eateries and our favorite fruit stand as well. We are both looking forward to a time when our language is good enough to verbally share the Good News with them all.

This past weekend we had the opportunity, along with our supervisors, their girls, Eldon, Erin, and a new friend named Denise, to go in the northeastern part of the country. The area features beautiful mountains and a large lake. We were there visiting a fellow worker who manages a water filtration business there. The company has a farm and a factory in separate villages. The large farm acts as a model farm for locals who can come and see what all the workers have growing and get ideas for their own farms. Some other projects the company is involved in include raising, selling, and setting up sustainable rabbit breeding programs in surrounding villages. The rabbits provide a sustainable and reasonable sized amount of meet for a single family- helping add needed protein to the diet of those living in homes where no refrigeration is available. The company runs a similar program for stink-free pigs. I can attest to the fact that these pigs really don’t stink (it has to do with the way their pens are build and padded). Additionally they grow, dry, and encapsulate a leaf called moringa that contains loads of vitamins, minerals, protein, and calcium. This is given and sold to villagers who lack needed nutritional value in their diets. The company also makes a soap that treats lice and scabies. The crux of the business, however are the water filters that they produce and sell from their factory. The water filters are special made with sustainable elements and filter out everything from impurities to bacteria. Each filter costs about $12 and can last anywhere from 1-5 years depending on the quality of water it is filtering. I’m telling you folks the more I learned about the company the more I was amazed at everything they do. Please ask me about it sometime as I would love to share much more.

The trip allowed us the opportunity to tour the company, attend fellowship on the lake, and encourage a group of women from two of the smaller ethnic groups that live there. We did a craft, sang songs, ate together, and studied some women of the Good Book. It was an encouragement and joy to teach these women. I chose to talk about two women we all relate to in some way, our sisters Mary and Martha. Please lift up the women we met with and the fellowship on the lake as they continue to grow in their relationships to the Father.

It is with the above-mentioned company that I will get to work for the next five months doing some web design and other related projects. I will have the opportunity to travel back there a few more times and hope to have a site up and running by the time I head home in January. This will pair beautifully with my international business major and allow me to help a business that does much for the surrounding communities. Please talk to the Father about this company. Ask that He strengthens its workers and provides success for its programs. Please also lift up my involvement with them and that web design will go smoothly despite a lack of good internet here.

Right now, I am in Thailand on a visa run. This next one will last 70 days which gives us a lot more time to dig in and do work. Coupled with the visa run is an orientation/training for our program. It is a good time for us to rest up, use fast internet, and stock up on some amenities not available in our country. Please continue to lift up this entire journey- from our friends and family back home, to us here, our fellow workers, national friends, and those we are trying to share with. Ask for boldness, courage, and an abundance of opportunities for the Truth to be made known.