A Bunch of Burts

Greg has now been at CDM (Church Development and Mission School) for two weeks.
He is definitely getting a good workout in Thai every day. He is in class each morning at 7:30 and the day ends at 9:30. Of course there are some breaks for lunch, dinner, work detail and free time, but it is a very full day.

Classes are challenging to keep up with, but from his reports, he is doing OK. His reading assignments are a bit behind, but I am so proud of him for sticking it out every day. It is not easy to be the only one who does not get the jokes and falls behind in the discussions and reading. But God is faithful and gives him His Grace each day, and supplies His strength. Of course some day are more frustrating than others, but praise God, His Merices truly are new every morning.

Some of the extra-curricular lessons Greg has been learning are also interesting.

lizard trapping
shellfish gathering
banana plant maintenance (did you know they are filled with water?)
intense soccer
wild plant gathering
making animal traps from logs and string

Wish we had two camera to have sent with him, but then I guess he would not have any way to get the pictures to me anyway. We will just have to wait until the kids and I get out there.

We both sure do appreciate all who are praying for us. Not only for Greg as he is immersed in Thai and various other languages, but for the both of us while we are separated and miss being together as a family. Sure has made me appreciate the blessing Greg is to us and causes me stop and thank God often for him.

I am a bit concerned for our arrival out there though. It seems rainy season has begun early and that always bring a great deal of bugs. He has commented nearly every night on the vast array of insects and their size. Some unnamed members of our family do not, shall we say, deal well with bugs.
For those of you who are familiar with the Great Spider Incident know just what I am talking about.

Another matter for prayer I am sure.

What to do when the pool is closed and it is super hot out?
Make do, right?

Actually, we are out particpating in the biggest holiday of the year in Thailand.
Thai New Year, or otherwise known as Songkran.

We do not have our truck available this year to go out driving around, so we camped at our mission office with another family and armed ourselves with buckets, garbage cans (don’t worry, they were clean and never used for trash), water guns and anything else we could fling water with.

Songkran is a huge event here in Chiang Mai, with people coming from all over the country to celebrate in this city.
The water part of the holiday began as a way of honoring the elders and recieving a blessing from them.

Of course it has changed into one big water free for all.

There are many spiritual elements to this holiday as well, being a Buddhist celebration in a Buddhist country. There are elaborate and special merit making ceremonies at every wat.

As we had fun joining in the water fight, we had many reminders of why we are here.

Truckloads of people passing us by, on their way to play and make merit, looking for peace and joy, but lacking the One who can actually give it.

We do enjoy the play and fun associated with Songkran, but know our real joy is Christ, because of Him we are secure in all circumstances and can rest in His care of each day and the next, no matter what comes.

Not exactly sure how Greg got the water to come of that side of bucket. He must have Songkran skills :0

Songkran ‘happens’ to fall right at the height of hot season, when everyone is looking for a way to cool off. We were using water right from the hose, so it was like bath water. But many of the passing trucks had stopped at one of the ice vendors and their water was very chilly! But welcome as we baked out there in the heat.

As we encounter and particpate in these Thai holdiays for the second time around, there is much we appreciate and enjoy about the Thai people and their traditions. We are eager to see them celebrate their culture while at the same time glorify the Lord and know Him. Not apart from their culture, not rejecting what them Thai, but as the center of it, bringing meaning and fullness that was not there before.

Ema and I have been taking a Thai dance workshop every Tuesday afterschool for a month now.
It was a class offered to the students, but I showed up on the first day and asked if parents could come too.

Have you ever seen any Thai dance? Ever seen the King and I? It may look slow and simple, but it is much harder than it looks! And my hands and wrists are sore after each week.

We have been learning at a fairly quick pace. I find I must put away my former dance teacher mind and just try to keep up with the new moves, terminology and music. The music is difficult for me, as I cannot find a meter like I can with ‘western’ music, counting off my beats in sets of 8 or 4. There does not seem to be a steady underlying rythm, but it is probably just my untrained ear to Thai music.

Ema and I missed a week. Oops.

When we came back, I was told that in my absence, the teachers decided that I would be doing a solo of the Mahnora dance for the teacher inservice in May.

Ummm, I had not planned on participating with the girls for any recital. This is a student class after all.

The plan was for the kids to do the dances for the teacher development session in May, which deals with cultural awareness for the staff and teachers at Grace. Inservices of this kind are required by the Department of Education. I am all for them, but not sure I am all for yours truly doing a solo.

Apparently, there is only one costume for the Mahnora dance.
A bird costume.

I looked for a picture on the web, but could not find one. I will decide after the fact if I will post one after my performance. (we will see not only what it looks like, but what I look like in it! )

My previous Thai teacher has done some performances at language school, and her outfits have always been gorgeous. However, they have also been for small little bodies. I am not, cough cough, Thai-sized.

No, I will not be holding a lit candle while I am dancing. Let’s not get crazy. Besides, I would probably set my wings on fire.

Looks like a good time to get back on “The Eating Plan”. Nothing like being on display for motivation, right?

I am eager to see Ema all dressed and pressed for her Thai dance though. And I admit, I have really enjoyed Thai dance class. And even though I am nervous and not very confident about my upcoming debut, I don’t truly mind. The experience already has helped me build some relationships with the Thai teachers at Grace and practice my Thai too! Perhaps I can encourage others to do the same and step out beyond those comfort zones.

My old teacher, Khwaan is in the white. Aren’t those dresses beautiful?

How did you celebrate Easter this year?
Did it sneak up on you? Were you under a foot of snow? Did you have a big meal with family? Did you praise God that Jesus did not stay dead, but rose again?

How wonderful a day to remember, that Christ was not bound by death, but willingly endured it to enable us, His creation, to live forever with Him in Glory.

Is there better news? That our Savior triumphed over sin and death and broke the bondage those two things have over us? What a contrast to the message that surrounds the people of Thailand. Buddhism’s end goal is to be swallowed up in death. To disappear into the void, to cease to exist. Eternal life is not necessarily attractive to a Buddhist, because to them, they are trying to escape the cycle, to come to an end to their lives, an end to their ‘tries’ at being a good enough person.

Eternal life for them means work, not rest. Praise God that the Truth is He did all the work for us! We can fully rest in His finished work.

We are so thankful for the church we have become a part of here in Chiang Mai. Holidays are always hard to be away from home and family and friends, but we are finding fellowship and communion with the Body of Christ here in Chiang Mai, and are honored to be able to worship with them.

We attended the sunrise service, which, to the dismay of the kids, involved meeting at church at 5:15am. We then caravaned out to a resevoir for a worship service, egg hunt and breakfast.

The eggs here in Thailand are brown. They were undyed and hidden in the dry brush and leaves. Out of 150 of them, we found 2. But no matter, we all shared the eggs and other food that was brought for breakfast.
Some of our breakfast fare was a bit ‘exotic’ for us, but most was very good. (I chose to stick to the chicken eggs and decided I was not up for ant egg omelet. Sorry Pastor Bill )

Can you spot what I brought to breakfast? I was a bit puzzled when no one seemed to be eating them. Then I realized that they thought the cinnamon rolls were a snack, or dessert for after breakfast. How silly! Cinnamon rolls are not snack, they are breakfast!

After church, we tried to find a western-style Easter Dinner at one of the restaurants in town, but were not too successful. The kids and Greg decided that hamburgers would suffice and so enjoyed a rare meal of a juicy and messy burger!

It may not be a spiral sliced ham or lamb roast, but it was good!

May the reality of Easter be present in your hearts and minds each day, looking to Jesus for your daily needs and strength.

He is Risen, He is Risen indeed!

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And if this is your first time to visit us, welcome!

We are a Bunch of Burts.

An ordinary family living our first term overseas with a mission organization in Chiang Mai , Thailand.

Our blog is a place to share our adventures, discoveries, photos and things God is doing in us as we seek to serve Him and share the Good News of the Gospel of Christ.

Life overseas is a blessing, being allowed to participate with God in His work of reaching people who have never heard His name or know Him.
Life overseas is difficult, dealing with language and cultural barriers every day, and standing out as a foreigner in every situation.
Life overseas is a grand adventure, taking each day and trusting the LORD for His grace and strength as we learn language and develop relationships with people we meet.
Life overseas is no different than one’s home country, God asks the same of each of us. To love Him, trust Him, and look to Him each day, faithfully living out the Life of Christ to those around us.

I am fairly new to blogging, but please, browse around, and let me know what else you would like to see us talk about. Some topics are best ‘discussed’ in a private email rather than a public blog, but we are happy to answer nearly any question you have for us.

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