I had a really neat weekend that I wanted to share with you all!
I had an opportunity during a break from work to visit a Karen village
west of Chiang Mai in the mountains where the ministry started a
church and helps out a few times a year.
Basically we drove 3 hours to an area called Om Kuay and then took a very discrete dirt road through the mountains to a small village of
about 30 families. They are Karen people who are subsistence farmers
and only obtained some solar electricity a couple years ago and that
only in a few homes. For more info on the Karen people see
http://www.joshuaproject.net/peoples.php?rop3=104775.
They have many sub groups within their language but they are one of
the main groups who are oppressed in Burma so there are many refugees
in Northern and Western Thailand as well as in Laos and southern
China, but this particular group has been in Thailand for a few
generations and they are Thai citizens.
The mountains were incredible and the village was the epitome of
idyllic. For your imagination: wooden houses on stilts along a dirt
road, crumpled old women with crimson woven skirts and black teeth,
chickens and cows and dogs roaming, 20 ft tall poinsetta trees lining
the dirt road, smoke rising from wood fires every family and
incredible valleys on each side. On Friday I helped bag food and we
cooked over a wood stove and ate together in the pastor Ajarn Jan's house.
Saturday was Children's day in Thailand so we did a morning
full of games and snacks and a children's program and in the afternoon
taught about Jesus and they learned the Nativity story to act out.
Saturday afternoon we passed out food and gifts to every family and
presents from Samaritan's Purse and the children were ecstatic to open
notebooks and pajamas.
Saturday evening was absolutely freezing but
peresverance reigned as neighboring people and villagers gathered for
outreach and to worship Jesus under the stars and around camp fires.
Sunday morning I had the privilege of worshipping with them and I bet
all of us wish we could worship like that everyday! Those same
crumpled old ladies can jump and dance like I have never seen. So much
joy and love for their Savior, please see my pictures to see how much
fun it was.
My role on this trip was basically as the novelty who holds the babies
and oohs and aaahs at all the differentness and everyone tries to
marry me off to their son (i got 2 proposals), but I was floored to
see some of the people I work with serving God in this village. I live
with this guy Eh who I don't really know that well except I know he
hangs out with the boys and drives the truck, but watching him preach
in the Karen language and love the people in this village was awesome!
I already knew Joy was good with kids but this was the best kids' day
I have ever been to! It was just a blessing to me to watch them
minister and made me want to speak THai better. (I did know enough to
reject the marriage proposals though)
I don't know why I get the opportunity to know these people, they are
counted among those who have lost their lives and found a new and
abundant one. PLease pray for people in OM Kuay.
As for little ol' me, I am stil teaching and tutoring and learning
Thai. I tutor this Japanese guy and it is hilarious because he speaks
NO English so I basically dance around and draw pictures for 2
hours.(exhausting!) I can now read about half of Thai writing and can
probably write most of your names! yA!!
I had a great talk with one of my students on friday. I hope it
encourages you all that spend time with international students in the
US because she became a Christian while studying at a high school in
OKlahoma of all places through and international outreach! SHe is 16
and her parents do not let her go to church here but she reads her
Bible and her American host family still plays a huge role in
encouraging her to follow God. It was cool to get to encourage her and
talk before and after class about Jesus!
Also, for all of you- have students from other countries in your homes
and love them and welcome them! (pretend I am a prophet and I am
teling you to do this!)
Okay, please pray for my cute kids, 2 are having skin problems and as
I learn more about their lives my heart breaks for their need. Also, I
have an important meeting on THursday where I might get a chance to do
something I really want to do(I will be less vague if it happens) and
I need your prayers. I also need prayer for loving people and working
through some cultural differences and communications. (I amd not that
good at it).
LOVE and joy and peace to everyone!
Maggs
I had another chance to hang out with my boyfriend Nick Jackson for ten days. He got to stop here on his way to Kenya for some R and R before beginning to work in an orphanage there.
