My crazy, crazy friend Alison Williams

This week we officially said goodbye to our Team Leader and friend Alison Williams. She isn't leaving quite yet...but since we got into the farewell mindset I thought I would write some reflections on here now.

Well, I say write...actually I just want to show you some photos...there are some things words can't even get close to describing!

 

One of my favourite things about our Team Days together is how we just laughed and laughed....and laughed....and laughed some more!

 

Thanks Al - we're going to miss you!!!

The Storm (pictures and words)

Last night we had a storm. It started around 7pm. The Youth House was full of people as usual. The wind and rain were so strong that power cables blew down in front of the Youth House (with a big bang and impressive explosive power!).
Plunged into darkness. Scrambling around looking for candles. P’Daaw was away, but, organised as ever, was able to tell us quickly where we could find the candles. We all felt very small huddled around candles in the Youth House with the storm raging outside and no electricity inside or out. Panicked people were all around. But if you were there you would have found it hard to forget that God was bigger than the storm, bigger than our fears. All night songs rang out from the Youth House, of God’s love, of His power, of thankfulness to Him, of His wonderful mercy that falls on us like rain. I am grateful to Best, who didn’t put that guitar down for hours, who kept playing, kept singing, even though all was chaos around.

And I am thankful that we worship a God who is bigger than storms and power-cuts and panicked students. I am grateful too for the opportunity I had to sit and read God’s word with a student for most of the evening, songs of praise to God ringing in our ears, reading by candlelight, in 3 different languages, she in Chinese, me in English and both of us in Thai, using Thai to discuss what we understood. God’s Word: a rock in a world of flux.

Last night was an unexpected but truly amazing evening.

I felt like I caught a glimpse last night of what it means for us to be a light to those around us. May the Youth House truly be a light in this dark neighbourhood.






On a more humourous note, one of the highlights of the evening for me was when the storm had passed over but the electricity was still out, and Best decided to go and make a cup of tea.
Best: (merrily filling the kettle)
AJ: Best, how are you going to use that?
Best: huh?
AJ: how do you think you are going to make tea using that!?
Best: (looks blank)
AJ: We have no electricity!!
Best: D'oh!!

Here is how he ended up making the tea (note the ladle!! I love the ladle!!):

What am I beholding?

I was pleased to get this shot of young novice monks gazing out the window of the observatory tower, their eyes falling upon the local temple, in all its glittery array. I just wished I had my proper camera with me instead of just my phone, to get a better picture, I was only thinking about what would make a good photo...a snapshot of Thai life.

But looking at it again now it drives my thoughts deeper than artistic questions of lighting and composition. I am forced to challenge myself about what I am gazing on. This is something I seem to have to go back to over and over again.

When I start to gaze on the glittery man-made things in this life, or the black clouds that gather, or my fragile, broken self, instead of lifting my eyes up to the all glorious, majestic, wonderful, mighty God, I am no different to those novice-monks in the picture - looking to things that have no power to save. And I know when I have slipped into that pattern because the joy goes. I eat and am not satisfied, I drink and am still thirsty. I choose to drink from broken cisterns instead of the living water from God that wells up to eternal life. My eyes become glazed and I sit in darkness, drowsy and empty. I talk often about the battle to 'behold the light'. Jesus is THE Light. If I am not looking at Him where am I looking?

May I have ever increasing desire, discipline, conviction and capacity to behold the Almighty LORD of the heavens and the earth. Over all rulers and powers and authorities. May I keep doing so until that day when with the multitude, I will fall before His throne and cry:

"Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" - Revelation 7:12

Brown...the new black?

So, a friend said to me the other day:

'I have noticed you like to wear a lot of dark colours'

Today I realised what she meant!

I just finished ironing and folding clothes and was starting think about packing to go away on a conference tomorrow when I noticed a distinct theme in my clothing...it is mostly brown! I will have to think carefully about the clothes I take away...if I get the balance slightly wrong I may end up wearing brown trousers and a brown t-shirt on the same day!



And to think that when I was a child brown was my most hated colour and the colour I was certain I would NEVER wear! So fickle...

Still...think I should probably get some new clothes!

Mae Jan, April 21-25: Kids Camps with Karen Tribe Children [In Pictures!]

beholding the light of sunrise...

Youth House Antics...[January 09]

Get some paint, apply to faces, do some dances and you have a fun (but typical!) evening at Nakhon Sawan Youth House!!

Tea Drinking.... No-body in the whole of Thailand makes (or drinks!) tea like these boys
- they are true experts!

AJ, Bom and Nam drinking tea.
Tea Party - Partii Naamchaa!
This happens every day at 'tea time' (roughly every hour).

Interactive Club!

Interactive Club - on the Rajabhat Campus

Hockey - and dirty feet after hockey!

A selection of random pics from the last month!

Youth House Logo - on a black board!

The coolest flip flops I have ever seen - no joke.

Associates Retreat, Jan 09 - How many Associates can you fit in a car?

Thai Adventures...all in my own home!!

Language study has been busy, busy, busy the last week, but I have still had time for some adventures!

Last weekend we had a visit from a giant poisonous centipede (about 30 cm!) Julia (roommate) and I attempted to dispose of it (well…if I’m completely honest my role was more of the ‘assisting’ variety) but, despite our bravery, our attempts were in vain. The creature was fast and very hardy! But, upon hearing our screams (screams of bravery of course…) our housemate Sheila came down and, using a mop handle, got rid of the beast. A great girl to have around!

The next day I dropped the (full water) container that we get our drinking water delivered in. It must be at least 10 litres. It promptly broke and within seconds had spread right across the whole of the downstairs of our house! Another use for our mop!

Pictures:

1). 2 warriors preparing to face the giant centipede

2). Sheila, the hero of the story, killing the beast

3). Our 'flooded' house'

Week 1 in Lopburi, Pictures

Top to bottom: a fruit seller in the market; me and roomate Julia in a song thaew (transport); my bike (yes...I'm aware that it's not cool!); Our street; My room (note the gold curtains!! Have you ever seen such a sight?); my NEW guitar!!!)

So, today's most exciting news is that I purchased a guitar! I love it! Can't think of a suitable name for it yet though, any suggestions?

I am wondering why the evenings seem so long here in Thailand. I think it may be because it gets dark so early (6pm) and probably also because I know that when it is evening here it is still only afternoon back home. I'm sure they won't seem so long once I have lots of language study to be getting on with!

Lots of new sights and smells and sounds and information to take in today. The most wonderful discovery yet is that God is the same here as in the UK! Woop woop!!

P.S. If you are reading this as an imported note into facebook you will have to go to the original post on my blog to see the pictures!