Somethings our way...15th April

Some things our way…april 15th ‘07

A lot has happened of late. I’ve been struggling to put pen to paper and feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything. But first let me say that "Ian loves Cc". It's written in the sand of Oz, Sing, and Laos. It's written in my heart and on God's heart. He made the two ONE!!! Just needed to say that...

On the home front things are into a reasonable routine. Kids and parents know what to do now- we get up; go to our schools (Pattana; ARDA and Candlelight Language); come home, play, eat and sleep. Kids are enjoying school, making good friends and playing sport.

I sometimes hear from teachers that Sarah or Seth are not treating each other right. Sarah can bully Seth. Seth can irritate Sarah. The other day Seth was in trouble with the teacher because he was running in the library. Sarah dobbed him in and she seemed ‘happy’. We told Sarah that ‘dobbing’ on her brother is not right. We would like it if she can talk things out with Seth. She doesn't need to ‘tell on Seth’. If something is small, and a teacher has sorted it out, they can work things out together at school.

Sarah has been enjoying learning under her teacher Katherine (Aussie lady form Melbourne). Katharine’s approach is creative and project base. The routine and exam orientation of Singapore schools has been good for Sarah in some ways. Clear goals and examinations keep the pressure on students. But we noticed that under such a system, Sarah would very quickly put herself down if she’s wasn’t doing well. Sarah would often call herself names like ‘I’m dumb’, ‘I can’t do anything’; ‘I can’t even pass’

(left...Sarah with the Filipino Ambassador...Sarah won a trophy at an sports event. The Ambassador is a 'full on family member" loving HIM with a wonderful Spirit!)

The teaching here seems to fit Sarah’s learning preference. Sarah will initiate work by herself and likes to lead. Currently she’s writing a little book of stories and doing a project on ‘insulin’ with her friend Sompune. We really thank God for this because it will help us as we move into a home schooling curriculum at the end of next year. That’s the plan at the moment. Cecilia’s quite excited about home schooling.

Mr Diligence has been making impressions too. Seth worked through part of his lunch hour the other day to get something finished. I can’t ever remember doing that in primary school, high school, uni!!!! Seth’s class was ‘supposed’ to get something done before they went to lunch. But the class went to lunch anyway. Seth ate lunch but went back early, to the empty classroom and finished his work. The teacher saw his diligence and rewarded him with an extra long break I the afternoon. Seth was quite tickled about!! Sarah would have gone crazy!! A break by ‘herself’!!! What’s fun about that!!!!

Seth has a few good mates now and he loves sport. We play basketball twice a week, once with the school team and once with the HOPE center kids. We just brought badminton net and hang it in our front yard. After dinner the other night I said, lets play Seth and he said, ‘love ya dad’!!! That puffed me up!

Shane’s temper has finally cooled off a bit. For awhile there she didn’t want to have much to do with me and quickly became angry at almost anything I suggested or did. She’d wake up grumpy and she could stay that way for hours. Ok, ok, I can get that way too…a bit moody. But I’m growing out of it!! (still trying lah).

She had us all worried in the mornings, ‘Was it going to be the grumpy face brown bear or happy, placid penguin feet?’ The difference between both animals was a peaceful co-operative child or a screaming, kicking anger filled grump! On grumpy face mornings she wouldn’t make it to school and she came to language school with us, where she’d behave like penguin.

So it seems that this phase has ‘blown’ away or was ‘prayed away’, and we’re now seeing more of happy feet!! Shanae has some good little friends at school. She gets on with nicely with all her teachers- teacher ‘Unjue’, ‘Passi’, ‘Pong’ and teacher ‘Pizza’ (that’s Shanae’s best pronunciation…hee). Shanae’s main teacher, Unjue, just flew back to India because he father died suddenly. Shanae remembers her in prayer every night. It is so encouraging to hear and listen to a child’s faith. Praise the Lord for that.

Family members coming and going

I’m realising that one of the Lord’s greatest gifts to us here is the community around us. Of course the coffee plunger is refreshing and sometimes easier to be around. But this being true some of the times, family members gathered in one place, out of different nations worldwide, are a most precious gift.

Deep connection with some people is almost immediate. For others you need time and distance, but the connection is recognised. It’s a bit like being at a wedding celebration where the bride and groom have family and friends from ‘overseas’. These ‘overseas’ people have come a great distance and paid a large price to join the celebration of your mutual friends. You feel some sense of special connection with people who have paid a large price to join in the celebration. Normally these people are specially mentioned and we acknowledge them and say ‘good on ya’.

Now picture this, a room of 150 people who like you, have left homes, jobs, families and countries to join you in celebrating one person’s life overseas. You ask each one why they came and they will same the same thing: I came to love the Lord with all my heart, with my entire mind, with most of my resources and with all my soul.

The German pastor Bonheoffer reminds us that these gathered ones, where ever they gather, are a ‘divine reality’ not a ‘physical reality’. In other words, it is ‘divinely real’ all the time, but not happening at all times!!

Because these people are gathered out of different tribes worldwide, it’s perhaps the most complete expression of family life that we have this side of eternity. Okie, okie…think I’m loosing myself here.

I’m not romantising Christian community. No community is romantic. In Acts 4 there’s a thumbing, vibrant Christian community gathered. They ‘raise their voices together in prayer to God…and share their possessions’ because their heart and mind are all for one and one for all. But then in Acts 5 members of this same community lied to each other, pretended to be loving and good, but we’re ‘pretending’ and wanted personal praise and applause. So the Holy Spirit killed them on the spot. They dropped dead in a heap, on the ground. A nicer way to put this would be to say ‘God took them home’.

Where am I going with this????
Well when our family new members leave it is difficult for all concerned, especially when it’s the ones that you get immediately ‘tight’ with. We’ve only been here for a little over three months and some of our friends are leaving. We’re saying goodbye to friends, and so are our kids. Sarah got especially thick with Mary-Kate, a beautiful fun loving girl. Much like Sarah…always looking for fun and wanting to be the leader.

So we’ll have to have a sleep over before she goes, or should we? Arrrrrrrrr. So that’s a little struggle, God’s people, often on the move. Nobody lives for the other, we all live for Him. When we first arrived I noticed that some people would ask ‘how long are you staying?’ I think they were checking us out to see if the energy and friendship energy was going to be well spent. Someone said, ‘oh, so you’ll be staying for 6 years, then you can be my friend’. I kinda understand a little better where they are coming from now.

Girls heading to Bangkok

I’ve collaborated with two other fathers to send our wives off to Bangkok for a mother’s day present. We colluded on desires, times and dates…only to discover that our beloved wives were actually planning a trip themselves!!!

Their desires- Bangkok
Time: mother’s day weekend

This development sort of took the ‘we did it for you’ out of it!!! Okie, so they are going anyway, whether ‘father’s like it or not’. Ha..not really. But I did have to tell Cecilia because she couldn’t understand why I wasn’t very supportive of the idea of her heading off with the gals. I kept giving her reasons why she shouldn’t go. But she had some real good come-backs. In the end, I spilled my guts, ‘I love you so much I want you to go to Bangkok and spend all our spare cash on me and the kids!!!’ She understood my recalcitrant spirit.

They’re going on the 2nd weekend of June (now after Mother’s day!). I’m working out with the dads a few things…like sleep-overs, videos and pizza nights. We’re cashing in on the collective family thing.

ARDA: Hope Center Basketball
Seth and I are enjoying our time with the ‘Hope Center basketball’. Seth is starting to say a few words, just a few. He’s my demo man when I want to show a new skill off. He loves helping out this way. I asked him why doesn’t he talk more and he said, ‘if I speak Lao then they say lots to me and I can’t understand, so I just say a little bit’. ‘Yeah, me too mate…but let’s try a new word each week?’ ‘Ok dad…’

Each week there is a Lao Hope Center staff who helps us. They help me with the Lao instructions, but I’m trying to speak with what Lao I have learned.

The kids just come down for some fun. I’m trying to explain that the vision is to ‘make you into a team’. I can’t say that in Lao. I don’t want to just ‘have fun’ with the basketball. I want to build discipline, character, healthy bodies and have fun. At the moment the sport is rather new to Lao kids and competition isn’t really a part of Lao culture, as it is in Oz. I don’t want to push then into that whole sport culture thing, but the character, discipline, fun thing is a good thing.

I’ve told some of the older boys they can’t come unless they begin with us and stay till the end (9.30-11.00). The older boys play street soccer for a while and some then try to push their way into basketball training…disturbing the training mostly. They’re ok, but it’s not what I think we want. We can’t build a team without a sense of vision and purpose. I know this will take time to communicate; I’m willing to walk with them on this.

Because most of the kids come from the neighborhoods, they don’t have money for ‘shoes’. They play in bare feet. All of them come from poor families and ‘basketball shoes’ wouldn’t be high up there on the ‘needs’ list. I wonder whether I should buy them some shoes, is it ok? Or will people come because they want ‘shoes’!!! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…don’t know.

For now, we’ll keep showing up and keep casting the vision, and do what we can with the help of HIS MIGHTY SPIRIT!!!!

Some impressions of my first PI Mai Lao

Some Impressions of my Pi Mai Lao
I must admit, I did end up a bit worried by all the comments people had made about past Pi Mai celebrations. A friend from Singapore reminded me to be careful ‘but have lots of fun too’.

He was right and I took his advice. Sometimes I tend to see only the ‘dangerous’ stuff and miss fun along the way. I’m adventurous, but cautious. Living in Singapore for 6 years has helped me to plan things. This has been good for me, but plans here are often need to be changed. The catchphrase is ‘Bobenyang’ (whatever or no worries’). I like fun, but I can easily be put off ‘fun’ as I’m caught up with the details. Maybe after living here for a few years I have the ‘fun/plans/caution/adventure’ thing going a bit better, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Pi Mai is like celebrating Chinese New Year, National Day, Christmas and Easter all at the same time. Pi Mai involves religious, national, cultural and family themes and rites. There are many aspects to the celebrations that build family bonds and friendships.

Family Aspects: In Laos many village people move into towns and cities to find work. The Country-city migration is not new in Asian cities, it is the norm. During New Years and cultural

celebrations the holidays are usually generous, allowing people go home to be with their families and friends. People have time to rest and enjoy village life. Favorite dishes are cooked and most people get to eat really well. There seems to be a 'Pi Mai' shirt and it is very cool. They look like my 'old surfie' shirts...so colourful and nice. We all brought them. I preached in mine!!!

Religious Aspects:
I want to quote an article on Pi Mai. ‘Pi Mai reminds us of the legend of Thevabout, a male angel in heaven, who loses his head to a wise scholar adept in interpreting animal language.

According to the legend, Thevabout takes a riddle to the wise scholar to solve. He makes a bet with the scholar that if he can solve the riddle, his head will belong to the scholar. If he fails to solve it, the scholar’s head will belong to Thevabout.

The scholar could not solve the riddle immediately. But his ability to interpret animal language enabled him to find the solution from birds in the forest nearby, so Thevabout’s head was lost to the scholar.

Legend has it that before he died, Thevabout called his seven daughters to come to collect his blood, because if his blood spilled on the land, it would become fire, and if it dropped into the sea the water would dry up.

His daughters put his blood into a special bottle, placing it in a grave alongside his head. On the anniversary of his death they brought perfumed water to sprinkle on his head.

Pi Mai marks the anniversary of Thevabout’s death. And since that time, the tradition of sprinkling water has become a tradition in Laos’. Vientiane Times, April 07, p10.

It is an interesting article. Certainly some room to build bridges and talk about a Savior’s blood and his power. That aside, the Legend of Thevabout moves people to pour water over everything and everyone for 3 or 4 days.

Temples take this tradition into their world view and ‘the faithful are encouraged to pour water over Buddha images so they can purify themselves of past sins…the remaining water is sprinkled around the home to protect the family against evil spirits and bring good luck’.

Another religious rite during Pi Mai (and other times of the year) is called the Baci or Soukhounan.
The BACI or SOUKHOUNAN ceremony is performed for a variety of reasons. It is commonly held when families come together after being away for sometime. Baci is a Pali (Indian) word which means ‘thread’ or ‘tie’. Soukhounan is an ancient Lao word which means ‘calling spirits’. The ceremony involves…

‘calling spirits back into a person’s body and welcoming those spirits by offering flowers and trying white threads around the writs of the person receiving the spirits to keep those spirits in that person’s body…

…The Lao people believe that the body has 32 spirits and sometimes up to 50 spirits, in various parts of the body. During a journey, spirits can get lost or stay with new or interesting things. So, calling those spirits back into the body is very important’. Vientiane Times, March 98, p14.

Excessive Drinking: unrestrained
Drinking hard liquor and participating in different religious rites are at the heart of the Pi Mai celebrations. Some older people do not encourage drinking, but their voice is drowned out by the majority of people and “BEER LAO” logos and advertising!

Young people all over the world combine drinking with celebrations. Lao youth are no different. Though what has surprised me in Laos is the way many students in secondary schools think nothing of drinking Beer Lao with their lunch! I see it all the time. Italians and French drink wine at a young age, perhaps Lao people are building a culture of beer drinkers. I don’t think beer drinking is a culture in Laos yet, but I do know in that alcohol in Aussie culture is destroying many lives- road accidents, alcoholics, family violence, and general personal abuse.

On the Friday night before Pi Mai I planned to drive across town to see a friend. I drove out but I came back after 10 mins on the road. The streets were full of ‘mad’ people. I was horned several times to get out of the way; people flashed their lights behind me, also to get me out of the way. I wasn’t driving slowly; I just wasn’t driving as fast as they wanted to go. Cars and people were swerving and swaying down dark roads. It was like the New Years Eve hours in Perth, but almost twice as mad!! And people celebrate like this for 3-4 days.

The thing with the drink is that during Pi Mai celebrations people ‘drink to get smashed’. Everybody sculls from one or two glass and then pass them on to the next…parties go late. Many parents here approve of their kids drinking large amounts of beer and liquor during this time. People eat, drink and throw water!

Some problems…not 'unique to Laos and not new to emerging societies'
smashed people…lose their driving skills! Then they jump in cars and on their motor bikes and ‘drive’ home…’so that’s why they were swaying all over the road on Friday night!’

smashed young people- lose their moral restraint- Lao culture is a ‘dancing’ culture. They love to dance. The dance is done in a circle without looking at each other…during Pi Mai people end up in a big ‘mosh’ pit and people start grabbing and touching each other. Girls and guys become seductive and lewd. Two of my friends were flashed on the streets…we saw guys wearing girl’s bra
smashed fathers- lose their physical restraint- alcohol and family violence is strongly linked in the West. I expect it to be much the same in Asia.

You couldn't call alcohol the ‘root of all evil’. Evil is the root of all evil. You could say that excessive alcohol loosens the evil within.

We did have fun and families connected during Pi Mai. But at times Pi Mai celebration was like something out of a very bad B grade movie. We've another year to try and understand the celebration and the how it is celebrated.

The ever "Elusive" coffee plunger!!!

Interesting title??? Yes! It's more like a desperate plea to all you kind souls out there! It's been more than 3 months since we've landed on this wonderful land of beautiful aromatic Lao coffee. And to have 3 big packets of grounded coffee sitting in our kitchen cupboard and not being able drink any of it all because we have not been able to get hold of a coffee plunger here. So each morning, we have to drink our ever faithful Nescafe instant coffee while waiting for some kind soul to bring one to us.

Thus far we have had at least 4 different lots of visitors from the land of plenty (S'pore), but each time we hear the same line..."Oh! I thought so and so had already brought one in for you guys!" What they did bring was lots of lovely chocolates and goodies , but no plunger! And our co-worker, Choy Leng, recently went to Bangkok for a short break. She said the coffee plunger was staring right at her but she did not buy it because she thought the S'pore team had brought 1 with them. Ahhhh!!

So listen everyone out there. We do not have a coffee plunger yet! Not available in Laos. Everyone we know who has a decent coffee plunger or machine has brought it from Thailand or somewhere else. But not here in Vientiene. What we have here is many types of freshly grounded Lao coffee. Ian & I love our coffee. Me especially need my morning caffine kick before my brain cells start functioning. Nescafe has been good. But we like the real thing. So please, please, please send us one. Desperate ???Yes we are!

Our dear friend, Ernie visited us recently. He managed to brewed us some of the nice coffee we had sitting in our cupboard. How did he do it?? The army style. Brewed it in a pot and then use a sifter. A little primitive and had bits of coffee floating on the top. But I guess its better than nothing. So I don't care if we end up with 10 plungers sent to us, just send it over. Maybe we could start a cafe on our streets! Great ministry opportunity! Hee!

Oh dear! Thanks for reading my blog. I am beginning to sound like an addict having withdrawal symptoms right now. But I'm sure all you coffee lovers out there will be able to understand how a person can write about nothing but the elusive coffee plunger for the last 10 minutes! Ahhhh!

April Prayer updates…

Praying for…

OUR HEALTH>>>March was a difficult month health wise and emotionally. We were up and down quite a bit. Since April we’ve all been enjoying good health and more stable temperaments. We don’t expect God to keep us ‘perfect’ health all the time…but we ask for stamina & patience during times of illness (as well as the miraculous healing as God graciously grants).

THE PRISONERS>> Pray for people in Lao prisons, locals and foreigners. Most 'deserve' to be incarcerated for their crime. But pray for mercy and humane treatment for all.


THE WORK OF ARDA is expanding into the South of Lao. The vision of ARDA is to have English centers in Vientiane, Lorang Prabang and Paksah. Pray for more English teachers to come and teach in these centers. Currently all three centers and all are lacking English teachers. The South has opened and a hand full of students. In the past English Centers closed down after a short time. Pray for ARDA’s long term presence.

ARDA Class rooms…six youth from SJSM have agreed to be pen pals with my 27 students. The SJSM youth have the letters and will be writing back soon. Pay that God will use this avenue to speak into their lives. Pray for the daily teaching and interaction that goes on in all 3 ARDA centers. Weekly we are meeting more than 250 students nation wide.

The Lao New Year is 13th -15th April. It’s called ‘Pi Mai’. It is a deeply religious festival and the biggest festival on the Lao calendar. It can also be the most fun! They don’t give ‘oranges’, they throw/pour water over you and pray a blessing. That’s fun, some of the time. They’ve also been known to put ‘dye’ into the water they throw… and put rocks into plastic bags and throw at passing cars! We’ve heard many ‘horror’ stories about the week long Pi Mai festival. Many foreigners ‘leave town’. There’s lots of drinking and partying…We’re staying to build relationships during this festival. Please pray for safety around town and wisdom to build friendships.

THE SICK Kahmeng, the young man who was struck by lightening, is not doing well. As I mentioned, he has 4th degree burns over two thirds of his body. He is now in a Vientiane hospital receiving minimal treatment. The hospital just began skin-grafting. In this hospital there’s no burns ward. It’s terribly painful and he has several infections. A Singapore doctor just arrived and will try and give Kahmeng ‘cornea’ transplants to save his one good eye. His finances are also running out. You could pray and give towards his needs. It costs 4 U.S. dollars a day for Kahmeng and his father’s meals. To keep his room cool to help lower the chance of infections, it costs 7 U.S. a day to keep the air-conditioning running.

On top of these costs is Kahmeng’s hospital expenses, which amounts to 300 U.S. per month. Kahmeng has been receiving treatment and support for a year. We are looking for more donors to help this dear brother's costs for another year. Please contact me if you feel led to give financially.

Death to Life: Nic and Jesus

Nic’s stubbornness Ruins a Promising Professional Career...

The story of Nic and Jesus could have read something like this, ‘Nicodemus, a promising young Pharisee, spent two years of his professional career defending the integrity of Jesus’ God-man claims. To Nic Jesus was God. To Nic’s peers, Jesus was nothing more than a fake and blasphemer (John 7:41- 43). Yesterday, Jesus was crucified. Nic’s ‘Savior of the Jews’, and some say the world, was swiftly hammered to a cross after a short trial. Late in the day a centurion pronounced Jesus ‘passed away’.
Some have suggested that Nic would have been better off believing and supporting the heretic and murder Barabbas. At least Barabbas is now out of jail and gathering new supporters. Nic’s God is dead and buried and his fellow disciples are hiding like field mice in long grass. Now Nic is without of a job and without a cause to defend. Nic’s national times ‘could have’ read something like this on Saturday, if the Jesus story did in fact end on that ‘fateful’ Friday afternoon.

John the disciple of Jesus, makes mention of Nicodemus three times in his gospel. We are told that Nic’s first encounter with Jesus was under the protection and secrecy of darkness. We’re not told whether or not Nic believed in Jesus’ Son of God claims. But we do know that not so long after Nic’s first one-on-one with Jesus, Nic stood up in front of his powerful, religious friends and defended Jesus’ God claims. From then on Nic’s career was always at risk and slipping away. Nic was branded a ‘secret’ disciple of the Nazarene, John 7:41-53.

The third time John records Nic is at Jesus’ death, John 19:39. In this encounter, Nic isn’t look on from a distance like many others did that day. Nic steps out from darkness’ cover. Nic’s actions make it clear that he believed Jesus was God’s Son. Nic is no longer a lurking lone figure. He stands up to his peer, fears and demons. Nic isn’t alone, his friend Joseph of Arimarthea is right alongside him. Nic has a brother in Christ who has also decided to make his private belief public.

Was Nic’s faith shattered like the body he held? Perhaps this was the case. We don’t’ know. But we know that Nic loved Jesus deeply and faithfully enough to care for him on his dying day. He wanted to be there for Jesus when it was too much for others to bear. Nic’s eyes and hands were the last to gaze and touch the Lord’s cold body. Nic would have left the tomb with the smell of death on his hands.

Nic would have made a decision much earlier in the day to ‘prepare the 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes for the Lord’s burial, ‘just in case Jesus did die’. Jesus did die. Nic didn’t run. Nic made sure that he’s beloved Lord was buried with dignity and honor.

And then there was the third day….’oh John, why didn’t you pen just one more Christ encounter in Nic’s life...’ I can only imagine in my heart and mind that Nic’s face was on of the ‘500 brothers’ who met the resurrected Lord in his glorified body, 1 Corin 15.9. I can see the joy and intensity on Nic’s face when he first beholds his Lord’s resurrected body! I imagine the scent of death on Nic’s hands is washed with new life as he embraces Jesus, the God-man.

Perhaps the national paper Headline would read on Monday morning, ‘Nic and Joe turn professional embalmers’. The first time Nicodemus and Joseph wrap a dead body people say ‘the body rose up from the grave’. Nic and Joe have been inundated with calls on the Monday asking them to wrap their dying relatives!

Invited

Invited

John3:1-21

Afraid and Alone but NIc speaks out…
Nic came to Jesus alone and under the cover of darkness. There seemed to be a light on in Nic’s heart and mind, ...'if Jesus can give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, cure people with leprosy; make the deaf hear; cast demons from people and raise dead people, then all this must be proof that Jesus is from God!' NIc's mind was alight with this possibility-'Jesus came from God'.

Nic’s generation lived with little hope. In 400 years there'd been no genuine prophet form God. Sure they'd been some fakes, but they were soon exposed like all fakes. The zealots pushed the Roman government too far and they were killed. And all this proved that neither the fakes nor the zealots were from God. God simply wasn't talking. Nic lived in the days of silence. As far as we know, God hadn't said 'G'day’ to a single person in 400years.

But there was an emerging light in Nic's mind, 'Jesus comes from God?! If this is true, we're going to get back on track. Will he be a warrior like Joshua or David?; or a wise man like Solomon?; a Super Prophet Man like Elisha...then again, he's got a background in wood work, perhaps Jesus' is going to be a BIG BOAT builder like Noah!’

Most of Nic's friends laughed and strongly disagreed with his insane ideas and radical hope... 'Nic your an idiot! People sent form God don't heal the sick on the Sabbath, which makes God angry; they don't make friends with tax collectors, prostitutes or sinners; and we don't have any real evidence that when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead that Lazarus was clinically dead.

Our cities' most able teachers, doctors and psychiatrists all agreed that Lazarus was just in a coma. Nic, all the above is against you! Yeah, yeah NIc, it's true that Jesus cast out big old demons from people and they were healed, but again our brightest and best said that Jesus is using Satan's power to do that! So it's all explained Nic. Just shut up and get on with life...'
Nic was under a lot of pressure, that's why he came at night. He couldn't trust any of his ‘friends’, that's why he came alone.

What about Us?
Have we ever stood against the criticism of our friends, family, work mates or best friends?
Maybe our stand is for Jesus being the only way, truth and life. Many people today believe Jesus is just one of history's good men. People say all religions are the same...just different paths.
Perhaps our belief in ‘sexual abstinence’ is against our friend's ideas of sex on demand! We believe the gift of sex is reserved for marriage life. But our friends are screaming 'that's a lie...its all about you and your life now. Your body so take it on, everybody else is!'.

Have you ever felt afraid and alone? Nic was alone in his hopes. At least amongst his personal peers. Yes, Jesus had many followers, but amongst NIc's mates, he seemed largely alone.

Jesus invites Nic…
Jesus is full of hope for Nic and Nic's ready for more knowledge about God's kingdom. He's a bit afraid but Jesus can see that he's taking risks to get answers. His friends, his family, his culture...are all screaming at him, 'Nic don't believe, don't get too close to that Jesus freak'. Jesus embraces Nic's mind and heart and neither Nic or Jesus waste words.

Nic states why he believes that Jesus came from God- 'you can perform miraculous signs...this proves God is with you v2. Nic is seeing miracles and he’s asking questions!!! But Jesus replies indirectly to Nic's belief in Jesus' miracles, ' the truth is, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again' v3. You can almost hear Nic, ‘Ha…why don’t you affirm my belief in your miracles Jesus. I’m raising support here!!!

God's miracles are signs that God is here. Yes, yes, Satan can also do miracles so there needs to be discernment. But with this issue aside, miracles are supposed to stir the hearts of men towards belief in the power and possibilities of God now! Jesus made if very clear to Nic that though he had a belief in miracles and in God, just believing that God exists and has power won't get him into God's kingdom.

Delightfully, miracles bring healing, relief and joy on earth now. But the miracles of God were and are supposed to build interest and point people to God's kingdom. God wants to reveal physically and spiritual healing, now and for eternity.

Jesus goes onto say that entering into the Kingdom of God happens through a spiritual birth. We are all born from flesh, but God has another birth for us- in the Spirit. And Jesus Says that ‘unless you are born of the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.’

Jesus is leading NIc to John 3:16. I’ve never seen the text in this way before. I’ve always seen ‘John 3:16’ as a stand alone statement. But Jesus speaks this truth into the life of a young man who wants something more out of life.

Jesus starts with mystery and metaphor and then invites Nic to believe in who He is- the Son of God; the Savior of the World.

'For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son and who ever so believes in Him shall have not perish but have eternal life...But whoever does not believe in HIm stands condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of God's one and only Son.'
Nic took risks that night. He came with a lot of questions and he left with a lot more. Wonderfully though, Nic left an invited man.

With all Nic’s growing convictions and faltering questions, Nic is invited into the kingdom of God.

Street Basketball…hip hop and hoops

Street basketball in Vientiane

Vientiane has an English news paper called, ‘The Vientiane Times’ (TVT). It is part of the English News Paper network in Asia. The Straight’s Times in Singapore is also part of this network of Asian papers. The news in the TVT is largely local. Occasionally you find out what David Beckham is up too and other riveting stuff. The paper always talks about how good the government is and how much it is doing for everybody. It is just like Singapore’s Straights Times!

Anyway, I buy the V.T. to find out what’s happening around town and in Laos. The other day I saw an article about a Street Basketball competition. The article explained that it was the first time Lao basketballers were coming together for
‘3- on- 3 matches.’

I’m currently helping to coach the junior basketball side in Seth’s school. I’m helping one other dad from the Philippines. Both our sons are in the team and we meet on Wed arvo from 4-5.30pm. The boys don’t play competitively at the moment or against other schools. We meet up to have fun, exercise, develop skills and build character.

The two ‘Basketball dads’ decided to take their sons to watch the ‘3 on 3 game’. The games were ‘supposed’ to begin at 8.30 and go through until 5pm. Everything was going to happen in the city car park.

The organisers set up several large speakers and a stage in the carpark. The half size court was sectioned off and eventually they rolled out the goals.

There were lights, sponsor and banners. The largest banner was “LAO COFFEE”. I was so glad it wasn’t ‘Lao Beer’. The Lao Coffee crew happily served free iced coffee in ‘Starbucks’ style cups. Sigh, the free bees didn’t last long. I felt the choice of venue was great as they were able to grab the attention of locals and tourists. There was a good crowd and a carnival like atmosphere.
Unfortunately, when we got there at 9am the organisers were still assembling the mobile Spalding basketball ring. The entire ring and stand had been delivered in a box, which was still in pieces on the ground in the middle of the car park. The sun was getting hotter by the minute and there was a need to push the day’s plans back. We chatted in the shade while the ring was assembled. Seth and CJ (Seth’s friend) threw stones at a swarm of dragon flies and other boy stuff…

The comical relief came via the 8 to 10 guys in the middle who screwed, banged and hammed the goal post together. They huffed and puffed as they erect the goal post upright. They were armed with nicely chromed spanners and a small English ‘how to do it’ manual.

The growing crowd patiently waited for 2 and ½ hours. The excitement level hit a peak when they erected the posts! I tried the “OZZIE OZZIE OZZZIE” but it didn’t work; neither did the Kallang WAVE…oh well.

While we were waiting I managed to have a conversation with a couple of the players- Bee and Sai. They are both Lao boys around 19 years old.

Bee studied Chinese in Beijing for four years and is currently studying marketing in a Vientiane College. Sai studied Chinese in Vientiane and is currently studying international trade in Vietnam.

I was blown away to learn that Sai can read and write Vietnamese and Lao and can speak Chinese and English. I was so impressed. We used English and Chinese. My Lao is still only ‘noi neng’ (little bit).

I noticed dried blood and a cut on Bee’s ear. Being the big nose that I am I asked him about the cut. He and Sai laughed. Sai explained that Bee’s girlfriend got angry with him and smashed a bottle over his head the previous night. Sai said ‘she was really angry’. Bee nodded in agreement but went on to explain that he will make up with her soon…He admitted that sometimes he’s ‘a bit stupid’.

I gathered that Sai was some sort of ‘Youth Ambassador’ in Laos. He had just come back from a trip with 28 other youth to 6 Asian Nations. The trip was sponsored by an NGO. Sai had visited Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei and Japan. He said it was a good experience and he had learnt a lot.

Our conversation was drowned out by thumping hip hop music…and there was a string of ‘colorful’ words I’d never think of teaching in my English class!!

HIP<>>>
The day was getting really hot. When the teams gathered together in the middle of the court there was an overwhelming level of ‘testosterone’. On a testosterone meter I’d put it at a ‘very dangerous’ level. Many of these guys were wearing the latest NIKE and Adidas tops. All of them had their long NBA shorts. Their hair styles would rival anything coming out of Buggis or Hip Hop fashion in L.A. The HIP HOP girls were there to tell us that US culture is alive and well and everybody seemed to be ‘lovin it’.

These funky, styled, educated guys were pumped to play their first 3 on 3 street basketball comp. The crowd and the hip hoppers were on their side. They screened nicely, shot long three-pointers and several even managed to slam dunk regularly. Seth and I left quite satisfied with the spectacle.

That night we drove by the spot at about 8pm and they were still running, jumping and having fun. The HIP Hoppers were no where in sight. I asked God…’what can I do encourage the enthusiasm and perhaps make the game more accessible to non-hippy hop, style-o-milo type Lao youth? I wonder….



ian

our jumbo look alike...

we spend a lot of time at this little shop eating 'fir'. That's like really nice noodles! We stumbled across it one day and keep going back.

They don't have the Koppee C kosong but you know...can't complain. If anybody sees Aini please send her our love...we really miss the jumbo community.






The money here is called 'kip' pronouced 'gib'...U 1$ will give you 10,000 gip! so yes, our life 'ambition' to be millionaires has come true...everytime we change 100 we get a million...we will need big when we go buy our Bug...We've found something and they want '1,300 US...We're getting it checked out and praying . So exciting to be getting 'our own' Bug...

we're back online...for a while at least

This little piggy went to the market and didn't make it...happy CNY.

Sorry we've been out of action for a while...we 'exceeded' our sending limit at work- which is 1gig. So wow...we really appreciate 'unlimited' in Sing...we are trying to get hooked up at home so we can keep closer through mail and skype...love you all.

Travelling in Laos...

we can travel many ways here...you can move in the latest Toyota Hilux...or you can fit '4' on a bike (can you see the little hand...there's 4 on that bike!)

Or you can jump on the big thumping BMW side car...Cecilia actually contemplated us buying a side car!!! I'm not cool enough for that...and SEth doesn't like to eat dust!

you can also move around in this little French mobile...or in the trustie tuk, tuk..that whiz in and out of lanes, buses and whatever...



but i must say we're getting pretty hooked o the bug...

Hey CARL, you want to apply for SAles manage at Toyota Laos? Good perks mate and you can see us ever day!!!

We're actually thinking of buying a bug. There's a guy you does em up.... If we can buy one for 1k then we can afford to do it up a bit. The parts are cheap too. We're still praying about it...

Chilli from our well watered garden....shiok!

CC DROVE THE BUG ALL ON HER OWN AND LIVED TO TELL IT ALL!!

Yes! I did it! I can proudly say that I can drive in Laos now. It was quite an interesting experience to drive it on my own. The bug is quite a smallish car so getting it into the small lanes & manouvering it in and out of traffic is not too tough. I just have to remind myself to keep to the right side of the road.

Believe me that is not as easy as it seems. And it is no fault of my own either. The Lao motorists (car, tuk tuk, motorbike, bicycles and pedestrians alike) always seem to cut into your lane in the opposite direction. I found myself wondering (half way down the road) if I was the one going the wrong direction.

One thing I did learn real quick, I must say, was the use of my right hand to change gears in the car. It's amazing how quickly you get the hang of it when your left hand keeps winding down the window instead of changing gear in the car. And you only need to turn on the wind screen wiper enough time to know is now on the left hand side of the steering wheel instead of the right. Phew! What better way to learn than to dive right into it all and just trust & do it.

Did I it?? Yes! I felt such a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that this is an other challenge I have been given grace to overcome. What next??? Or should I ask?? It is a very nice feeling to be able to move around a bit more independently other than taking the tuk tuk and not quite being able to communicate the actual location to the driver. Walking has been a great form of exercise for me and I intend to walk to pick up the kids everyday (a good 20 minutes walk) and also to the market to make small food purchases (10 min there & 10 min back). But for bulky & heavy things driving will definitely be the way to go.

So now that I've lived to see another day, I shall now leave you to go for staff devotion.

A bug on a Lao Road

A Bug on a Lao Road…

I can remember the first day Cc and I rode our bikes on a Kunming road. Crossing the Kunming intersection was the third scariest day of my life. The second scariest day was when I helped dig out a 4Wdrive that was stuck in a muddy creek. Half-way through the dig I realised that there were crocodiles on the other side of the bank. I obviously lived to tell the story.

Without a doubt the scariest day of my life was my wedding day. It was much better than digging out the 4Wdrive, but on the whole it was scarier! It didn’t help that Cc was 30 mins late. I later found out that she and the bridal party were stuck behind a 10 foot gate. Anyway, the fourth scariest day of my life was the day I drove on a Lao road in Bug.

First I gotta think ‘right hand’ side of the road. Then I gotta think left hand drive steering wheel; and right hand side gear shift. And all this even before I brave the woes of Lao traffic and pot-holed roads.

ARDA has graciously loaned us the VW Bug to use as transport until we get ourselves settled. She is a1960s edition; carefully and splendidly created about the same time as I was. The bug is yellow and sounds like a small tank. As I was passed the keys, my mind flashed back to the time I was a passenger in Bug many years ago.

I was going to footy (aussie rules) with my mate Nick. He was driving. We were only 17. He drove so fast around the corner that the bug titled over on two wheels and somehow he managed to keep it from tipping over. It must have looked like something out of ‘Herbbie Rides’ again. He was turning into a right corner which meant that I was on the same side as the wheels in the air and looking down at the driver!

I snapped out of it and took the keys. I didn’t drive for two days but my buttocks was regularly in the car practising my right hand gear changes. Then one day I went down the street. The main road was jammed up with cars.You can’t avoid the main road between our place and ARDA.

You need to look out for motor bikes going down the wrong side of the road. They often do this…Then there are the cars. They don’t indicate much and are forever pushing their nose out from side streets. It all seems so confusing at the moment. The idea of ‘everyone’ merging at the same time and in the same direction is something I’ve gotta learn. The rule seems to be is the biggest vehicle wins. I’m a bit of a timid sort of a guy so I’ need to look big on the road, I think.

I’ve been driving for more than a week now and the altogether ‘merge’ thing is still the tough one. I’ve only gone down one ‘one way’ street the wrong way. I take the kids to school on my way to work. Shanae calls the Bug her ‘school bus’. I’m the bus Uncle and dad!! Yeah….I didn’t let Cc drive at first. I wanted to get the hang and then help her along.

A couple of days ago she had her first drive. She’s an amazing gal! She drove quite well. The gears crunched in second a bit, but it is a tough change. I think that’s the nature of Bug driving. My sis had a bug and her gears crunched a bit too! Long live the BUG. Please keep our driving and ‘everybody’ elses driving in prayer!!!

Oh…Cc’s just gone out in the bug for the first time by herself!

How do you tell a ripe Jackfruit?

What’s better guarded than the Queen Mother’s jewels and was a ‘passed over’ question on Singapore’s Brainiest Kids?

‘How do you tell a ripe Jackfruit without opening it?’

It is a secret that’s descended with Jackfruit Growers (JFG) worldwide. If you are a JFG descendent, you would know the secret. Alas, the Dierdens in England and Australia never gazed on a JF before they lived in Singapore, let alone grow one. Seth, however, has become a descendent of a JFG. My elevated status comes with our new home. I’m the proud ‘renter’ of two Jackfruit trees and two mango trees. Even though we rent, that still makes me a grower!

When the JF ripens they smell ‘strong’. They also grow large. Sometimes they grow up to 5-10 kg. But smell and size are not the secret factors to understand when JF ripens.

The telling factor of a ripe Jackfruit is this: it falls from the tree and onto the ground! It must be a God thing. The sound is quite loud when JF falls. It goes something like this, ‘boof’ (perhaps much like a small child falling to the ground).

We have a fence round our house so we don’t have to compete with others to pick up ripe JF. Last week our first JF fell to the ground. I heard the ‘boof’ and I ran to the tree. I yelled to Cc and the kids, ‘Jack has dropped his fruit…I’m going to get the uncle’. I was quite excited.

I went next door and got uncle Lian. We played charades (he speaks no English and I speak no Lao) but couldn’t do the Jackfruit falling out of the tree thing…(not very easy lah). He looked totally confused so I motioned to him to come over to my place!!! He came over and his eyes opened wide when he saw Jack’s fruit on the ground.

I gave him the chopper. He cut through the skin and there they were- big, orange pieces of fruit!! We realised later that your hands get real sticky and gooey when you rip out the fruit. All hail to the fruit sellers and uncles down stairs in the koppi shops who do the cutting for us…JF was sweat and had a steady texture. Like we say in Sing land, ‘shiok’.

So there ya have it…How do you know when Jack’s fruit is ripe? It falls to the ground. The secret is out. Tell the world.

Sunday 21st Jan

Yesterday Andrew spent the entire day helping us move into our new home. Andrew was very kind and took us to the Chinese markets to buy kitchen appliances. We managed to get the fridge, washing machine, stove with oven, micro and fans all in one shop. We even manged to barging in Chinese as the owner was Chinese Lao.

After a long day of moving stuff, Cecilia wanted to go back to the guest house for the night and make the ‘bodily’ move Sunday. So that’s what we did. The first thing we did when we got to our new place was have a short devotion on the front steps, almost under our ‘mango’ tree. I read from Psalm 67...

‘May all the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you…Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him’.

‘Let your face, shine on us and the world will know you live, all the heavens shout your praise, beautiful is our God, the universe will sing, Alleluia to you our King…’

I had plans to go to the evening fellowship at ARDA in the evening but in the end I decided against it. By late afternoon I had realised that the kids needed both Cc and me to encourage their emotions, hopes and dreams into our new home.

You see it was the first night Sarah was going to ‘sleeping alone’. At first it just seemed all very exciting. Sarah is now a ‘big girl’ and is moving into her own space. Shanae is also taking a step towards ‘little big girl’with a move into her own bed with ‘gorh gorh’.

We’ve been talking about Shanae having her own big bed since Perth. It dawned on me that our girls are making small moves into bigger life. It’s exciting for them and for us. But when it came down the move, they were both reluctant to step into something bigger.

As the sun retired behind the Mekong, Sarah wanted to retreat from ‘big girl’ status. She said, ‘If only I could wind time back dad, I’d choose to sleep with Seth again’. The reality of sleeping with Seth’s company wasn’t as bothersome as she made out sometimes. She had grown to enjoy Seth space. Seth had grown to enjoy Sarah space.

But their room wasn't just ‘a space’. The walls of their small room had provided a safe, simple space for common life- cupboard space; sleep space; wall space; hundreds of Bible devotions and “Little Ian Stories (stories I retell about my life as a child). They shared hundreds of prayers times and worship songs. Their room had been a refuge from the difficulties of school life and a space to ‘look into your heart’. Their beds had been slept on, cried on, jumped on and rolled on. And for Seth he’d rolled off his bed many times and slept on the floor.

So when Sarah said, ‘Dad I’m scared to sleep alone. Can I sleep with Seth?’ She was afraid that someone from outside would come in through her window. Her request told me that she had also been sharing her fears with Seth. Wow! I hadn’t realised how rich their block 20 #10-310 room had been to them.

We spent time talking about our fears. Sarah was surprised to discover that dad has lived with some sort of fear all his life. I explained that fear is a healthy emotion. Fearing things is part of being human. We spent some time reading about the disciples’ fears in the boat one stormy night. Their knuckles were white and stuck to the sides of the rocking wooden boat. In the end they got so worked up that they screamed at Jesus to ‘get up and save us’. So Jesus did just that. He saved them from their fear, many times.

We had a good chat about what we should do with our fears and how Jesus does not think we’re silly to ask him for help. We prayed and ask Jesus to give her peace as she slept.

It was a precious moment. We’ve not had to address fears much in Singapore- except at exam time for Sarah.

Sat, 20th
‘Dad, all we’re doing is shopping anyway…?’

We shifted into our new house yesterday. Yeah!! Within 5 days of arriving God has given us a place to live, explore, play and sleep; a school for the kids to further their education and find great friendships...

Andrew helped us for most of the day. We used the ARDA truck to cart our stuff. We packed up those carefully carried boxes and our own luggage and drove 10 mins to our new place. We'd arranged for some girls from ARDA's skill Center to help us clean the house. They came shortly after we arrived.

Nang opened the home and we packed our stuff inside the front door. We walked through the house and talked about bits and pieces. I realised that I'd taken the wrong contract. Nang was happy to come back in the evening.

We left our friends cleaning (great to have Christian community support) while we drove down to get some more stuff- washing machine, fridge, etc...Andrew and Karen have explored many places and narrowed them down to a few.

We picked up some electrical plugs and adaptors from one store easily enough. Then we drove into China town to get the bigger things. Andrew had one store in mind that gives the 'best price' up front. They don't want to haggle. Neither do we. We picked out, washing machine, fridge, microwave, fans, and oven with plate burners on top. The price was good.

We discovered that the boss was Lao Chinese and so we haggled a bit in our language, but she didn't budge much. It was 'fun' to see how Chinese was being used in Laos. The other night Cecilia was in a shop Lao less, trying to order food…then she said something to the girl in Chinese and she spoke with a Beijing accent!

I too discovered a Chinese Lao uncle in the stationary shop. He was reading a Chinese news paper in the corner. The counter staff were taking the money over to him and dropping it in a box next to him. I figured he was the retiring boss; the son must have been out of town somewhere!

I said hello in my best Chinese and his eyes lit up. We chit chatted for a while and said good bye. I thought maybe next time he'd invite me to speak at the next over seas Chinese Clan meeting or something!

Anyway, back to the shopping...we got the stuff and the shop guys promised to deliver it at 2pm. We left thanking God. We decided to grab a bite to eat before we went back. Shanae lost the plot completely and screamed and yelled all the way through lunch. Shanae seems to be struggling with the transition. We pray that settling down into our place would help her mood and tantrums.

Seth is always good with a clarifying the issues. 'Dad, we came to Laos to tell people about the J road, but we've not told anybody about this Road yet... all we've done is shop, go to school and find a house'. I said, 'that's a good point mate. But we're finding a house to invite people over for dinner and a play time. Then we can tell them about the J Road. We're going to school to learn and make friends. We can tell them how to find the road too!! 'Oh, ok, now I understand'.

Fri 19th

Today Cecilia set off with Choy Leng on an important and partly joyfull assignment- shopping in Thailand (Udon Thani)! Now most girls Cs's age, when they hear the phrase 'shopping in Thailand', they go...'ooh, so nice' because they are thinking new hand bags; shoes and dresses. My darling wife is not the ordinary garden variety Singapore gal. She goes 'ooh so nice' when there are things to buy for the kids, the house and her darling husband! She is just awesome. But that's another story.

The assignment took all day- 7.30am till 5pm. They came back with a truck load of soap, mops, plastics and other home goodies. I asked Choy Leng how the trip went. She said 'your wife is a good shopper'. I said, but you good too right? Her reply was that of defeated Singapore woman, 'Cecilia beats me'!!!

Ha…ha….that's my Cc!
Cc slept well knowing that Udon Thani was not far away....just across the fence.

Ethical dilemma and God protects our backs...

Tuesday 16th

It was an awesome day...because it became the day we had to face our first ethical dilemma. I can't say much more here. I'll send the story out in our soon to come our 'Stickyfinger Times'.

Wed, 17th

Our first miracle happened today. I rang Nang and she said her parents agreed to our conditions of 350 plus the one year in advance.

Thurs, 18th

The kids are in the second day at school. They had fun on wednesday. Sarah didn't get any homework, she was happy.

God's protection behind us

We ate breakfast- eggs and congee again- and set off for school. The road drains are currently under repair so we walked partly on the road and partly on the side of the road. I noticed Sarah stop a short way outside a gate and observe a mother dog. Her teats were hanging down. It looked as though she recently had pups. The mum looked like a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Sarah started walking up the street again, this time out on the road.

I turned around and kept walking then I heard Sarah screaming and a dog growling. One dog came out of the house and attempted to savage Sarah from behind but it stopped short. It stopped a few cm from the back of Sarah’s legs. It was snapping and snarling. At this stage Sarah screamed over passing trucks! I ran back a few paces and grabbed her then stood between her and the dog. The own of the house came out and stood in the open gate. I yelled at him to keep his gate closed. I could now see that he had 4 dogs. He motioned something to me but I didn't understand. He may have been asking as if Sarah was ok. I didn’t know. But that calmed me down. I motioned and asked him to 'please close the gate'.

I was recently reminded that we 'must not show anger because Lao people are easily offended with anger, particularly if it is directed at them'. The thought of Sarah being bitten, the fear of rabies already in our family conversations, was all a bit much for me. I got angry. I think this is appropriate anger.

What I do know is that God protects our backs. I believe an angel was there defending the dog off Sarah. Without the protection of God we will always get bitten. I'm not flippant about our need to stay alert. We learnt some physical and spiritual from this incident.

I was reminded that God has angels guarding our backs! We need not be overwhelmed with fear, we must keep walking on the streets. Our second lesson is alertness. We shouldn't stop at gates when there are dogs. Although Sarah didn't provoke the dog, and she was well outside the gate, a house with dogs is to be avoided completely if possible. The dog seemed to be 'protecting' its gate. Thirdly, if a dog attacks again, Sarah knows now to use her school bag as a shield against a dog attack and not to run blindly down the street screaming.

Thank God our backs are SAFE.

It’s been difficult to talk to Seth dogs. He has a fear of dogs with rabies. Every dog he sees now he asks if they have rabies. Do keep my little mate in prayer.

The first day...

mon 15th Jan

I woke up around 8am. The first thing Seth said was ‘Dad, I woke up at 7.10’. We rolled out of bed and down the steps before the eggs and ‘congee’ (an Americanism for Jiok’) were turned off. No coffee just the 3 in 1! Yuks...they had real stuff just 2 years ago. Don’t complain Ian….
Cc wanted to check out the school so we walked down. The main road drains were being relayed both sides. It was a mess. It was dusty and dangerous to navigate. Apparently the Japanese gov financed the job. They hired Chinese and Cambodian workers. I was told that 'Lao workers are too lazy to do such a job'. Sounds a little unfair to say that. I see many Laotian people work quite hard. I don’t know why people say that…perhaps I’ll learn more.
We found our way down and met Jackie the school principal. She is an amazing lady. She took us through the school and we briefly met our kid’s teachers. Seth's teacher is a Filipino lady who's here with her husband. Her son is Seth's age and his name is 'CJ'. He put his arm around Seth and said, 'come on Seth, I’ll show you around your new class' and off they went. Seth said 'ok'.
Sarah's teacher’s name is Miss Katherine. She's an Aussie from Melbourne. I'd say she'd be in her early 50s. I spoke to her on my last trip. She is here to teach but seems like she’s also on a personal journey. That’s my impression. She loves to teach but is looking for a job that gives her personal satisfaction. The money the school pays her is around 1k U.S. per month. She said this meets her needs in Laos.
Katherine explained that her class will be focusing on science this semester and told Sarah ‘it should be a lot of fun’. She said the right words- ‘fun’. Fun keeps Sarah going around. Some of the girls in the class kept smiling at Sarah...many of the kids looked like they were all from 'bi-cultural' marriages. Hee…best marriages on planet earth, when they working well. That’s my opinion but then I’ve only been married once!!! And that’s the plan!
Shanae was the last to see her class...She was bursting to see her teacher. She talked about her bag, her lunch box and school uniform...her teach is an Indian lady. We didn't have to say much to encourage Shanae. She just said 'ok..ok..'.and shook her head violently.
We went up to Jackie's room and Shanae lost it....she wanted this and that. Nothing seemed to please her. But each time she wanted something Jackie would stop the conversation and see if she could help us. At no time were the kids overlooked. Jackie interacted with all of us over the entire time in a personal and yet understanding way.
Jackie shared with us about her struggles to fit into Laos when she first arrived. Things got better over time as friendships grew in the community. Her husband is a Chinese Lao. He speaks Mandarin. They own several businesses around town. One of which is a printing shop! My ears pricked up, so does Ccs dad! By the sounds of what they print, they are about 30 years behind in technology.
We chatted a bit more and left feeling that God had gone before us in many ways. I could see how Cc could get on like a house on fire with Jackie. Cc's candid humor and 'mum knowledge' is infectious.
We rocked up to ARDA and meet some newbie teachers. We ate lunch at the local Lao restaurant- it was slightly up market cause they had guys on semi acoustic guitars playing and picking in the background. My thoughts were to invite myself to join their team and learn something from them. Mmm...maybe later.
We left the place and set off to bank our money draft. One of the ladies we ate with ran down to the car and handed me my 'video cam'. OOpps...i'd left it on the chair in the restaurant! My guardian angel was 'Lao'. He passed it on to her as we walked out the door. Thanks Lord for covering our mistakes and blunders.
By the time we arrived at the "Malaysian Public BAnk' Shanae was asleep in my arms. Cecilia filled out the forms and deposited the American Drafts. Apparently, it will take up to 45 days to get the money back into our new account. The draft physically travels to Bangkok and is then sent onto NY...cleared and then sent back to Bgk and Laos. What we should have done to open an account was TT the money from Sing to Laos. We were told that after….hee.
We came back to base and Karen took us house hunting. We looked at 4 houses. Two were scheduled, two were not. Most of the homes were subdivided blocks. The Lao people live at the back or front and rent the other part. Land is getting scarce in the city and pushing up prices and making rentals more competitive.
We knew from the outset that securing a house was to be our 'greatest' challenge. Some of our boxes were/are piled up in a corner of ARDA and across two rooms in our guest house. We’re getting very tired of living out of suitcases. I’m teaching next week. Karen our house hunter buddy is busy next week...so off we went full of hope and 'unrealistic' expectations that we'd find something. And we did!!!
All the places we saw were all fine and we could live in any of them. But the one we stumbled across stood out because it had space for the kids inside the front yard and space under shelter. It also had 4 large bedrooms. These were the major differences between the other homes.
The young lady who walked us through the home was Nang. It was her father’s home. She won an Austudy scholarship and spent two years in Melbourne studying communications. Nang returned to Laos and now works for the Ministry of Health. Her current project is assisting with the Avian Flu Research.
Her parents were asking 500 US dollars per month. This was beyond our budget. We looked through the home and felt it was over priced. I asked if they could come down. I explained we had a budget of 350 US. She asked me if we can move up to 400. I said I need to speak to my wife. We made arrangements to meet the next day.
Cecilia was very happy with the place. She had a good feel and could see the potential in the place. She could see Lao kids coming over playing out the back...a garden flourishing and everyone enjoying the space and the home.
We retired for the night, grateful and tired.

what a send off!

Thanks so much to all who came to send us off!! Those who sent cards, letters and calls...We really felt loved. Thanks friends. The kids were really glad you came too. They said, 'why did so many people come to the airport?' You made a difference. I must admit inside I felt like not going...did you see me drop my passports and stuff as we walked passed the police? That was my nerves...I was going trying to get my camera out too...in the end I thought we just take a picture in our minds. I got you all doing the 'Kallang' wave on my video. If anybody has pics of the send off we'd love to have a copy!