vlog: moni

This week I've been taking advantage of having time off from teaching to prepare for my visit home... (read: gift shopping!) After a week of brainstorming and bargaining I'm happy to report I'm half-way finished. Shopping is hard work. Thankfully, though, there are some special places and people who have become close to my heart who have businesses here. I love when gifts are not just gifts, but are also meaningful. For a few posts leading up to my return, I'd like to highlight a couple of the people and ministries where I purchased your gifts! (Also, if you have any specific gift requests, make sure you send 'em soon!)

This post, you're in for a special treat. My scarf/soap selling friend Moni at MBK Mall graciously allowed me to interview her so that you can put a face with a name... and a face with your gift! I have mentioned her previously in my blog here and here. I wanted for you to hear, from her, one of the struggles of being a Thai Christian, and also how you can be praying for Thai believers. As soon as you watch the video, you'll know why I love her so much!

Before we parted, Moni insisted on giving me a bag filled with scarves leftover from her scarf inventory. She told me that she wants to be able to bless some of you who have so sacrificially supported and sent me. I think a large portion of my bag is home will just be soap and scarves... I can only imagine what the customs folks will be thinking!

If you are one of the people who receives a scarf or soap, please remember to pray for Moni. Pray for her life to continue to be a light here to bring hope to her people.

dishes.

A break from the serious and spiritual...

A brief narrative on dishwashing

Since being back in my lovely C3 room, I have devised a make-shift kitchen for myself. Although the sole baking-worthy toaster oven is on the 2nd floor, I can at least make and prep everything in my room now. I added some shelves, cleared off some space, and made a nice little nook. It's nice to be able to bake cookies, make oatmeal for breakfast and yes, even bake bread! But the downside of lots of baking is... lots of dishes. Thus the conundrum, where to wash them?

[Please pay no attention to the pink wall, I had to press pause on painting and this is the lonely remaining pink wall in my room...]

With only a bathroom sink that clogs as quickly as restaurant ketchup bottles, I had to improvise a little. I needed to have a space that was big enough to do large quantities of baking-dishes... and that could accomodate butter and flour chunks being introduced down the drain. So, voila! Here you have it, my kitchen sink:

Yes, I'm sure the inventors of the “fahk bua” (or as it's commonly known by expats, the "bum gun"*) never expected it to be used to wash dishes, but... it works!

As I sit on the toilet lid, scrubbing my pans, I imagine I've been transported into the Boxcar Children... complete with bent spoons and a chipped mug! While it does make me feel terribly rustic and domestic, I am looking forward of the luxury of using a dishwasher again. (Shout-out: America!) All you people with real kitchen sinks: go take a moment to look at it and be thankful. And maybe drink some water from the faucet while you're at it as well!

___
* I am currently entertaining an idea to do a multi-part series on unusual uses for the bum gun. If you would like to make any suggestions, I'd be happy to include them... should this piece ever be published :)

wide open spaces.

It's hard to believe that in less than a month I'll be boarding a plane to return to a different land of the red, white and blue. It'll have been a year since I saw many of you. A year. As I've been thinking and trying to prepare my heart for this homecoming, I have a request: give me space.

Give me space to be different. Yes, in most ways I'm still very much the same, but living internationally has and is changing me. I feel like I've changed inside, though I'm not sure how exactly to articulate it... I have met people, had conversations, and watched my world both shrink and grow simultaneously. To steal one of my favorite Thai phrases, I feel "same, same, but different."

Give me space to have matured. I have had to do everything on my own this past year. There's been no hand-holding or coddling. I've had to feel the full brunt of the consequences of my actions, be they good or bad. I feel capable and confident in allowing myself the experience of both messing up and working with God to fix it... that's the place where growth happens.

Give me space to fail and be imperfect. As much as I wish I was returning a perfectly holy and sanctified person completely complete and not lacking in anything... that's not true. Don't put me on a pedestal. Don't expect that I have arrived. Or that I'll never make a bad call or put my foot in my mouth. I'm still very much a work in progress.

Give me space to explain. I'm not always going to have neat and tidy answers for you. As much as some things have been cleared up in my head, as many (if not more) have also been complicated. I'm sorting it out. I'm trying to understand and to process. So be patient with me as I try to answer and communicate my heart with you.

Give me space to just be Liz. As much as Thailand has been a defining part of my life, it's just a piece of who I am... not my sole identity. And while God has used this place and this experience to grow and use me, I am more than just the "Thailand" part of me. Yes, I know I'll have lots of things to share, and yes, I want to talk about Thailand. But know that I'm okay with not always talking about Thailand. I'm okay being "just Liz."

[month ten]

I feel like as soon as I bought my ticket back to America, time has been whizzing past! So, here I am, with only one "month update" left before I return state-side. Can we just take a minute and let the fact that I've been here ten months sink in??

Okay, so here are 4 highlights from the last month (I didn't always remember to take pictures, so I'm borrowing some from my friends... thanks friends!)

1. Beach: Koh Samet
A 2.5 hour van ride out of the city, and we arrived at this lovely island. It was full of character, Songkran festivities, and not so many tourists. Plus, we travelled everywhere by truck. Trucks, trees and the sea. It does my heart good.

[A few of my lovely sisters in Christ // L-R: Claire, Erica, Diane, Aom, Chelsea, Me, Monica // Photo Credit: Erica Pope]

[While riding in the back of these didn't provide much protection against the children with hoses spraying us, it was totally worth getting wet! And as most of the roads were dirt/mud, they were the perfect transportation choice.]

[We went to a fire show... and met one of the fire-breathers! He let me hold his fire-torch for the picture. I love fire... // Photo Credit: Erica Pope]

[Photo Credit: Claire Cecil]

[Photo Credit: Erica Pope]

[The waves on this beach were very placid, perfect for our canoeing excursion! // Photo Credit: Claire Cecil]

[Boat trip home after a lovely 2-day trip! // Photo Credit: Erica Pope]

2. Songkran

If you're not sure what Songkran is... check it out by clicking here! If you don't want to read all that, here's the short version: It's the Thai celebration of the new year, spanning 5 days where people throw water (or powder) on you and sometimes... there are bubbles. I wish I could make it sound more spiritual than a giant water fight with hundreds of your fellow Thailandians... but that was pretty much all it was. It was, hands down, my favorite Thai holiday. What a blast!

Part I: CentralWorld

[Photo Credit: Erica Pope]

Part II: Water Park!

[Claire and I joined some of our LifePoint family for a day trip to a near by roof-top waterpark! Complete with slides and a lazy river. Only $3. One of the perks of living in a big city.]

3. Family Dinner Night
We have a new and awesome family (the Hoods) who have come to the Guesthouse as Guesthouse managers. They are Australian, so fun, and have three adorable sons. Their first act as Guesthouse manager was to rename the Guesthouse from "Guesthouse" (because really, we aren't "guests"... we live here) to "Community House". If you know me, you know how important community is, so, needless to say, I'm excited about the change! We had our monthly family dinner night this month which included a full house (The 5 Hoods, Lorena, Betty, Luke, Patrick, Claire and I... plus a guest appearance from Bakery!). There was mexican pie, deep dish chicago-style pizza, baked beans, nutella stuffed cookies, brownies... so much food. But more than the food (and the food was definitely a highlight!) it was a wonderful chance to get to connect with this family and hear their heart for the Lord and ministry and how God brought them to Thailand and to our Community House!

[The pizza was super cheesy!]

4. Relationships
I remember Doug telling me once that you don't always choose who you invest in, they choose you. That has been something that I've thought about a lot since being here. Building friendships isn't always easy. The language barrier can be hard. Sometimes we have different interests. But my thought has been that, if God puts a person in my life, I want to be faithful to cultivate that relationship as much as I can. That has meant a lot of surface level investment with a lot of people I only see once or twice. But, sometimes they stick around. God has continued to bring some of the same people back into my life... Air, Kaew and Mam to name a few. I am so thankful for their friendships and for the conversations God opens up for us to have. Like Doug also says, "Quantity time breeds quality time." Sometimes I'm just spending time with them, seeing movies or hanging out. Other times, we have great conversations. Regardless, I hope that through our conversations and life-on-life contact they can see the difference that Christ makes in my life!

[Air and I // Photo Credit: Claire Cecil]

Thanks so much for your 10 months+ of support and prayers! You all are awesome! Praise God for your faithfulness to help further the Great Commission in Thailand.

other thailand bloggers.

Hello friends! I just wanted to make you all aware of some of the awesome folks I've gotten to meet since being in Thailand and their blogs. If you read these posts in your email inbox, you may not ever visit my blog-blog... so I just wanted to make sure you know about these missionaries (ie: your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ). Partly because if you are interested in finding out more about Thailand, they will offer different perspectives. Partly, because God is doing incredible things through their lives and their stories should be shared. And partly (is that enough "parts" to be convincing?) because it will help you pray more specifically for those of us living and serving internationally. As much as I'd love to hoard all your prayers for myself, I don't want your prayers for Thailand to end when I come home. I want for God's people to continue to learn about and love and serve the lost in Thailand.

You can check out the full list on the left side bar of my blog by clicking [here]. I just updated it! The blog titles which have a "*" note missionaries who have returned state-side.

Steph B.

Okay, so she's not in Thailand quite yet, but she's currently fundraising to come and spend 6 months serving here. I've had the privilege and joy of investing in her life... She is one awesome woman. If you're currently in the Fredericksburg vicinity and looking for a way to get involved in international missions, please consider investing in her life and heart for missions. She'll be working as a self-supported volunteer with a ministry called "House of Blessing" which is a large Christian prison ministry in Thailand, and also at the BSC.

Jen McCaman and David McCaman

Love this couple... and their cute son JoJo. David serves as the senior pastor of LifePoint: BKK (my church here). Jen is a fabulous writer and captures living in Bangkok, specifically as a mom, in a beautiful and vivid way. I live here and see her regularly, and still love reading her blog. If you think you can't move overseas to do missions with a little tyke, check out her blog!

And, last but not least, two of my new friends who work with SHE ministries in Phuket who are here in Bangkok doing language school...

Chelsea and Monica

Monica had a wonderful post last month with a specific prayer for Thailand, specifically in regards to the sex-tourism [click here to see post]. It's worth checking out.

Thank you for all your continued love and prayer and support. Your prayers are making a difference and impacting people and situations and conversations in ways that we will never know the full breadth of until we are with the Lord. Keep being faithful to pray and to act!

"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." -James 5:16b

tourist.

Most days I take special pride in distinguishing myself from the backpackers and “tourists.” I carry around a small purse or wallet. I don’t ever look at the maps. And I use my classy plastic orange BTS card instead of the temporary 1-trip disposables. I even drop some Thai here and there so everyone knows I’m a native…

But some days it’s fun to be a tourist. Sometimes it’s fun to go new places, take lots of pictures and be a part of other folks experiencing all things “Bangkok.” And when those opportunities come, I’m happy to don my backpack and wander through the fields of farangs.

This weekend was a record-breaker for getting lost, being rejected by taxi drivers, shopping, walking and bartering… but it was such a blast! As much as I hate goodbyes, I love the ways that my life has crossed with so many beautiful people for these brief seasons. Here are two highlights from my weekend as a "tourist"!

1. Ginny's Mom 

I spent most of Friday hanging out with one of my Spotswood/UMW friend’s moms... who became my “adopted mom” for the day (she was in BKK for a wedding). I took her to Wat Pho and the MBK mall to buy some souvenirs. While there, we ran into my friend Moni (click here to read about how we met) who now sells soaps! We bought some (I love supporting Christian business owners, especially in Bangkok) and she even threw in a free scarf for each of us… leftover inventory :)

2. LifePoint HS Team

 
I want to say something quaint like, “They arrived as strangers and left as friends.” But that’s not really true… because they felt like family from Day 1. The team this summer was 4 high schoolers and 2 adults, and it was such a blessing to get to spend time with them. (Even when that required us plowing through droves of people in the crowded alleys of JJ Market!) Claire, Jen and I took them this morning to play with the toddlers at a local private orphanage and then followed it with a meal at our favorite establishment (shout out to Halo Pig!) and shopping at JJ weekend market. Some other LifePoint folks met us at JJ’s and we divided and conquered!

 

[Some of our group... we kept getting separated]

This evening we had an outside “Korean BBQ” style farewell dinner... and yes, I did enjoy the unlimited bacon and ice-cream!

Saying our goodbye's to these lovely women! It was fun to get to spend time with some of my LifePoint: Smyrna sisters in Christ. 

[L-R: Mattie, Adrianna, Me & Kathy]

I am so thankful for this team's joyful obedience to serve our Father through loving the nations and the local church. I know that they were a big encouragement to the BSC through helping with Summer Course and in all the other hosts of things they did while here. It's awesome when believers make the Gospel so attractive that even their God-family is spurred on by it!

preparations.

It only takes flipping my calendar one page to see my departure day. It's so hard to imagine being back in America... I've started trying to prepare myself now and begin processing what it will be like. But I know regardless of my good intentions, some amount of reverse culture shock is inevitable. I want to pack Thailand in my bags so that I can better explain my year here... So I can show you life here. And yet, I feel that even with limitless kilos, I still would have no way to "bring back" or fully explain everything. This blog is my small effort at communicating culture, missions, and me all in one bundle package, but even this does not capture everything.

After talking with some of the missionaries here about my excitement (and yes, even a few fears) in returning state-side, I wanted to share three things that you can do to help make my time easier! :)

- Ask specific questions. As much as I'd love to answer, "How was Thailand?" over and over... It's hard to encapsulate a year in a few sentences. Use my blog (or conversations we may have had) to help you come up with specific things you'd like to know more about. It takes some of the pressure off me so I don't have to scrounge up ways to summarize so much into so little space.

- Tell me about you! I have been able to keep up with some of you better than others, but overall, I feel a little out of the loop (or out of most loops anyways). As much as Thailand has been eye-opening for me, I still care very much about you, your family and what God has been doing in your life as well. I don't want our conversations to just be about me.   

- Help me plan ahead. I want to fit in seeing and spending quality time with as many of you as I can... Partly because my "final return" in December will be tight on time and near Christmas. (If you want more details, I posted about it here.) If you're family, friend or sponsor, you're on the "I want to see you" list! This past year has not been a "Liz & God Solo Show". You have been an integral part of everything that has happened here through your prayers and financial support. I want to get to share stories with you and answer your questions. A lot of people were involved in sending me, so you can imagine how full my calendar could potentially become. If you'd like to meet up when I return, please let me know ahead of time so that I can plan wisely. (I give you full freedom to initiate and be proactive!)

Any other thoughts/suggestions? For any of you who've had to re-adjust after serving abroad, were there any things that really helped your return? (I know Claire would appreciate your tips as well... she will be returning to America permanently at the beginning of July.)