Tuesday

I woke up Tuesday to 2 Skype messages from Luke.  

Mom, Pray for Dad.

Mom, Dad is really sick and I have his phone.

I had just talked to Nate 8 hours before.  He had sent me a picture of a “target mark” on his leg. He had been at the doctor that morning and gotten antibiotics for Lyme Disease.  I am so thankful that they were home when I skyped.

Nathan had been very ill and taken to the urgent care center by his mother.  He stayed there for 2 hours while they brought the vomiting under control and lowered his temperature.  Finally, he was sent home with Luke as his caregiver while Gabe went to Grandma’s. (Gabe had to go to photography camp.)

So my last day of teaching began with a whirlwind.  I am so thankful for the support that I got here in Thailand and for the peace of God. Owen brought me yogurt to eat in my room so that I could be with Luke on Skype.  Nate was pretty out of it.

By 8:15, I packed up my computer so that I could re-set-it-up in my classroom.  Nate received lots of prayer from all of us in Thailand during worship and then when I went down to teach the kids, I turned on Skype for the next 3 hours.  Nate and Luke sat in the corner of my classroom and watched the whole morning’s worth of teaching and playing. (Ask me sometime about my lesson on the trinity for a 5 year old inquirer)

The interaction between my family in the USA and my students in Thailand was really very meaningful to me.  Luke gave taught a class on Myachi (a hackysack-like talent) and he had a very attentive audience.  You would have thought they were all in the same room, or at least on the same side of the Earth.  My young students marveled that Luke was up in the middle of the night.

At one point, one of my 5 year olds living in Cambodia came to me with a foam creation.  He whispered to me, “I made this bird for Nate.”  I told him he could go to the computer and show Nate. He went to the screen and held up his creation saying, “Nate, I made this bird for you because I heard that you like birds and I know that you are sick.”  Oh my.  When he stepped away from the computer he looked at me and winked twice.

What tender moments... I had just said at a staff meeting the day before that I was having to be real conscious not to pick up the kids and cuddle them the way that I do with my nieces and nephews.  After all, my students here have only known me a short time.  But on Tuesday afternoon (at different times) both of the older boys (ages 5 and 7) came behind me and grabbed my hand while we walked and talked.  It was such a blessing to know that they felt loved.

The afternoon was fun-filled as I reserved paddleboats for my crew and took them out for ice cream.  I was happy to share the time with 3 of our four teens as well.  We had the opportunity to see the baby bird who we had helped earlier in the week.  The woman at the ice cream shop was caring for it.  One of the teens also noticed that in the store’s fridge sat 2 LARGE ostrich eggs!  She was going to cook them up, but let us take pictures with them first.  They must have come from the zoo we had been visiting.

In our closing program, the kids amazed me with their puppet performance of the Good Samaritan.  One father (who was at Refresh! to finish his Ph.D) commented that his sons would become the president (of Australia) if I would come be their teacher.  What a joy to hear words like that.  He is the dad of the boy who made Nate the bird... very compassionate.  He would be a great president.

So I leave for the airport in 80 minutes.  There is so much more to this experience, but it is time to pack my last items and call my dear husband.  My trek home is a long one with a day spent in Singapore and another in London.  It is Wednesday and I hope to be home by Friday.  Bon Voyage, Thailand.  

ขอขอบคุณคุณ

(Thank you in Thai, pronounced Kahp Kuhn Kaa)

P.S. I should mention that by Late Tuesday, Nate was much improved!  Praise God.  Luke was a great cargiver and a special thanks to those who helped out! 

A weekend to Remember!

I was honored yesterday when the chinese missionaries who serve in the Philippines asked to speak with me.  I am not on staff as a counselor, but their questions were related to education and so one of the team recommended that they talk to me.  We talked for about 45 minutes in the alcove by my bathroom.  My room is not very conducive to counseling.  Around here this type of meeting can happen anywhere.  The family counselor has one group that he meets in the pool, at their request.  

I had to giggle (on the inside) when one person mentioned to me that their daughter was interested in graduate programs in Spain (she was a Spanish major in Singapore), but that there are many obstacles.  I suggested that they consider some of the other Spanish speaking countries who also have good programs such as Chile or Argentina.  The response was: “but those places are so exotic and far away”.  It is all a matter of perspective, I guess.  I replied: “Some people think South East Asia is rather exotic.”

Wow.  What an experience this has been!  Tonight at the debriefing meeting with the guests and staff, an american woman who is serving in rural Cambodia said that she (and the rest of the guests) are aware of the costs of sending 9 people from around the world to run a Refresh! program for 15 missionaries and children.  She expressed feeling God’s lavish love through the counselors and teachers that have spent 10 days teaching about communication, stress, personality types, and God’s grace as well as my own staff in the children’s area.  The concept of providing care for humanitarian workers at an intense retreat like this is in the beginning stages of development.  The keys to success in this area seem to be:

1. early identification of guest’s needs
2. teaching and counseling that addresses the needs
3. frequent team meetings to evaluate progress and make immediate adjustments
4. Childcare that allows parents time with adults

But you know what they say about all work and no play... 

On Saturday and Sunday our days were one adventure after another!  We began the weekend with a trip to the Maesa Elephant Farm.  I actually saw elephants paint pictures!  I think that the man who stands with the elephant must give him some instruction, but he never touches the paper or trunk and it is amazing!  I got a hug from two elephants only to find both of them waving 100 Baht bills at me after our photo shoot.  I had to pay up and then wash the elephant boogers off of my shirt.  Pretty cool though :).  

After a great lunch (pineapple fried rice), many of us took an elephant ride through the forest.  That was hysterical!  I think Owen (age 17) and I laughed more than anyone.  We must have had a defective elephant seat.  Whenever our elephant went downhill he dumped us out.  We had to hold on for dear life!  Owen lost his water bottle and every time he would hand me the umbrella (for sun) to hold, I found myself slipping through the 18 inch hole between my seat and the “safety” bar.  I couldn’t believe they don’t give you a seatbelt!!

In the evening, we went to a cultural center for thai dancing and dinner.  I have to say that I barely watched the dancing, but loved talking to my friend from Nepal and we went shopping together just outside the restaurant while the others watched the show.  I got a flowy green dress that I just love!

Sunday was equally packed with events.  In the morning, we had church and then went on the tour of five factories in the city.  My favorite was the umbrella factory.  They make the umbrellas out of wood and entirely by hand.  But the best part was the gift shop where they sold many items perfect for decorating a classroom.  I also liked the silk factory and the ceramic place.  There is a special name for the ceramic style, but it is not coming to me right now.  Oh yeah... Celedon.

After the factories we went back to the resort for an awesome BBQ dinner.  The chef was visibly proud of his western accomplishment and he was duly rewarded with compliments from all of us.  He floated around the grill and ice cream serving us and giving orders to his assistants.

And just when I was ready to rest from the weekend’s events... we headed to Old Chiang Mai and the Walking Market.

From 7 to 10PM we literally shopped till we dropped.  We dropped right into one of many recliners situated along the ancient brick wall surrounded by a mote.  The recliners signify the best invention ever... public foot rubbing stations for $2.50 USD/half hour.  I am not kidding.  My friend (who is a youth pastor in Cambodia) and I sat with our feet raised for 25 minutes of indulgence.  We had to cut the half hour rub short so that we wouldn’t miss our bus.  While we sat a man in a dragon suit passed by, very japanese looking.

I don’t even know where to begin describing the market.  You can imagine the crowded street with its temporary tent stores offering their wares late into the night.  The air was filled with the smell of thai food, the sound of street musicians and the brilliant colors.  Earlier in the week, someone had asked Jack (the Vietnam Vet) if he had been to the Old City before.  He answered that he had.  The other person inquired if he had noticed all the modernization of the area.  Jack responded that he had not been to the Old City for 47 years and that back then... it was just the Old City.  :)

And so the weekend drew to a close and we were back into the program.  It went much like the week before.  I had the added challenge of keeping the kids interested even though the newness had worn off.  On Monday, I got to teach an adult CPR class and for Tuesday, I made reservations for the paddleboats. 

The events of that day were one for the books, but not for tonight’s blog as it is midnight in the northern hill country of Thailand. I leave at 9AM for the airport.  Good night all...

Days 3 and 4 of the Children’s Program

(imagine this conversation between kids with an Australian/English accent)

Boy: You said TomAYto.

Girl: So?

Boy: I thought you were from the UK.

girl: I am.

Boy: But in the UK people say TomAHto.

Girl: OK. Let’s put some TomAYtoes, I mean TomAHtoes, on our playdoh pizza...

Boy: One time my dad put a roasted spider on my brother’s cake.  He ate it without knowing it was there.

Me: Do you eat roasted spiders?

Boy: No!

Me: Do other people in Cambodia eat them? 

Boy: Yes.

Me: Are they big spiders or small spiders?

Boy: All kinds.

The boy is an Australian serving in Cambodia and the girl is English/Scottish serving in Nepal.  At that moment the parents walked in and I just had to know more about the roasted spiders.  I went to a teen from Malaysia and asked if they ate roasted spiders.  He said, “No. But we do eat roasted grasshoppers and scorpions.”  This boy is an Eagle Scout and an American born in Malaysia.  He looked completely natural telling me this.  I just nodded and went back to my work matching children to their parents.

***

I have taken the night off.  The rest of the guests and staff of Heartstream are off for a night of shopping in the market, but after a day of interaction I feel like I could really use some quiet time.  Could it be that I am becoming more of an introvert?  I guess my personality testing may shed some light on that.  Staff members were given the opportunity to participate in these evaluations.  More to come...

It is probably no surprise that I hit some bumps in the road in these past two days.  I am thankful for all the support that I have gotten both here and at home.  As I look back, the hard moments stand out like mountain peaks.  I had a battle of the wills with a 7 year old that resulted in a painful timeout on a bench while he stuck his fingers in his ears.  The other incidences involved a baby with separation anxiety and some staffing matters. 

If I take a step back and look at a bigger landscape, I realize that these mountains are only hills in comparison with the glorious spires of teachable moments and gifts of time for the parents that have come to Thailand to be refreshed.  There are two moms in particular who have repeatedly come to thank me.  They are my age and genuinely appreciate time to take a nap, get counseling, hear lectures, or spend time with their spouses.  

A page in our Thankfulness Book. I drew the one on the right.

On top of the gratitude there are beautiful moments with the kids.  Yesterday I showed them the picture of an amazing bird on my iPad.  I had taken the picture of a Yellow Bittern on Monday in the rice paddy.  The kids were amazed at how the bird could lengthen its neck.  We decided to put the bird in our Thankfulness Book. Later in the day, a 5 year old said to me...

Boy: Chris, is God real?

Yellow Bittern, take two

Me: Yes.

Boy: How do you know?

Me: Because God helps me all the time.

Boy: Do you hear God talk to you?

Me: I don’t hear his voice out loud.

Boy: Then how do you know he is there?

Me: Well... Do you remember the long-necked bird?

Boy: Yes.

Me: When I see that bird and the amazing things God has made.  I am sure God is there.

Yellow Bittern, take one

I think I could have done a much better job theologically, but in that moment this settled things for me and the son of a woman who spends her days reintegrating sex-trade victims into society.  I have to step back and see just how small the “hills” really are.

This afternoon when I arrived at the lobby to pick up the kids for our afternoon adventure, I noticed that the lobby staff were huddled on the walkway.  I went to see what was wrong and found that one woman was holding a baby bird.  She said to me that the bird had ants clinging to it and she couldn’t get them off.  Praise God for long nails :).  I covered the bird’s face so that it would calm down (we have 14 birds at home) and picked off the tenacious ants from its naked body.  The woman was so happy.  She told me she couldn’t find the nest and didn’t have food.  I gave her some tips and went to wait for my students.  

The biggest blessing to me was that, when my little ones arrived, I asked the woman if I could show them the bird.  I got to talk to the kids about caring for our world and specifically about baby birds.  Back in PA I had actually longed to have the chance to share a baby bird with the kids.  I am in awe of God and how he works through creation.

Looking at the baby bird

Aside from my work here, I also tried a foot massage for $12 at the spa.  It was a cool cultural experience, but Nate does a better job :).  I also have enjoyed getting to know Dick and Sue, senior staff members.  They have been very supportive of me as a person and as the child care provider.  Today Sue spent an hour with us so that she could coach Owen (age 17) in how to care for the anxious baby while I taught my lesson.  I have also been so thankful for Jack, a Vietnam Vet times two, who has come to the pool to serve as my second pair of eyes during swim time.

I am wondering today... what will the culture be like in heaven?  Culture varies so much on earth: greetings... how we walk... Just a thought.

Day One of Teaching

(No names or identifiable photos of Heartstream guests can be included in the blog.)

Chris: “One day Jesus told a story about a man who got hurt and got help.  He was walking to Jerusalem when some robbers came and stole his money and pushed him down.  Can someone tell me what happened next?”

A 5 year old living in Cambodia: “Yes. God took care of him.  He gave him breakfast, lunch and dinner from the fish and bread that a little boy had.  There was lots of extra food.”

And that was the highlight of my day :).  Today I began my work with the kids of the guests of Heartstream Resources.  I felt like the beginning was rocky, but hearing all the thank you’s from the parents improved my outlook.  I am so used to secondary students that the 1 to 7 year olds were a shock to my system. That said, we built a tent, made magnets, acted out the Good Samaritan, and ate little tarts with some unrecognizable fruit provided for our snack time.  There are no pretzels or animal cracker type snacks to be had here.  all the kids were picking off the fruit and throwing it in the grass.  I thought it was delicious...

So the meals deserve some mention.  The chef is top notch.  I am accustomed to thai food from our local Bangkok Wok and I am pleased to be able to say that it tastes just the same here. I have had thai tea, chicken coconut milk soup, and pad see-ew among other things.  I actually had the pad see-ew for breakfast this morning.  The cereal here looks weird and I hear that the milk is from a water buffalo?!  I even had one dish that I often get at our friend’s japanese restaurant (Fried Gyoza from Issei Noodle) and it even tasted the same!  That says a lot for the american establishments.

So my job is to entertain/teach a group of 5 kids.  They come from fascinating families serving in Nepal and Cambodia.  I also have gained 2 more teenage assistants from Malaysia and the Philippines to add to my original pair from the US and Thailand. Our total then is 9 kids and me.  In general, we spend 2.5 hours in the morning doing quasi-educational things and 2 hours in the afternoon exploring the grounds and swimming.  I was quite stressed about the swimming with so many non/moderate swimmers, but I am thankful to say that it went well.  I wish the parents of the babies would always come to pool time like they did today, but at least I had some time to figure out the routine.  

I especially enjoyed the conversation I had with one of the dads from Cambodia.  He is writing his dissertation on keys to successful reintegration of sex-trade victims.  Wow. His wife works for an NGO serving girls in this situation.  I asked what he believes to be a key factor.  He said they need to feel a sense of worth/belonging to community and they need to have a job where they feel valued.  He noted that sometimes this requires relocation since they are considered “contaminated” by their communities.

This evening I ate dinner with the family from Nepal.  They come from Scotland and England but are working in a christian software company in an effort to improve the technical training of the local people while also living a christian lifestyle among them.  I was able to share some thoughts on ways to improve their language acquisition rate.

My boys like this dragon topiary
that they can see through my window
when we skype.

Following dinner, I did a CPR/ First Aid review with my 4 teens.  I am glad that we had the chance to go over these skills because the time allowed me to see each kid’s comfort level with emergency care.  I have some ideas about who to call upon if there is an unfortunate event.  

The day was packed!  I was either in a meeting, eating, caring for kids, or cleaning up from 8:00AM to 11PM.  I am so thankful that this morning I got to talk to Nate and the boys before all the craziness began.  Skype is a beautiful thing.

JFK to CNX (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

One of many bridges in the gardens

Traveling is a great reminder of how small we are in this big world.  It was a hard feeling to escape my first 4 hours in the JFK airport.

That said, I soon connected with four people while flying: 2 teachers (one high school and one pre-school), a woman who went to school with my brother-in-law and just finished working on the the film “Girl Rising” for CNN which is about education of girls around the globe, and a Thai woman who spoke to me for an hour in Thai.  I am pretty sure that she was trying to teach me how to get a taxi in Bangkok.  She had me repeating things and writing them down all with the money from her wallet on the chair between us :).  Two of these women were on 2 consecutive flights with me.

(Trailer link for the “Girl Rising” video http://girlrising.com/)

Though this journey lasted 26 hours from my first take off, there were virtually no layovers.  I spent 1/2 an hour at each airport once I left the US.  I slept as well as I could on the plane and otherwise filled my time with talking to my neighbors or watching a movie.  On my third flight, I read half of the book Tales from Thailand, mentioned in the tribute to my Grandmother post.

As I flew into Chiang Mai, Thailand, I could’t help but notice some similarities with the geography of El Salvador.  The mountains rise abruptly from the ground and are covered with trees.  Once you land the buildings vary from modern to barely standing or unfinished.  Some of the major differences that I noticed were the rice fields, which are everywhere, the multitude asian style structures with dramatically sloped rooflines and the altars on every block.

As I exited costums, I was met by a Thai gentleman holding a sign for Heartstream and together we took a silent ride to the hotel.  My vocabulary allows me to say two things so far: Yes (chai) and no spices (Mai pet).  

There are topiaries for everything
from dinosaurs to the solar
system

Horizon Village Resort is situated on 150 acres of botanical gardens that rival any I have ever seen.  The owners are dedicated to revitalizing the ecology of their area and have worked very hard to create a haven for plants and wildlife.  They operate their hotel as a nonprofit and have recently been recognized by the king for their efforts.  It really is an inspiration.  Those who are not working in children’s ministry will have the opportunity to hear the owner speak about their work.

Our team of 9 are here to offer support to people serving in full-time humanitarian work.  Most of the staff were missionaries at one time.  Lois, our leader, lived in the jungles of Mexico for 10+ years, Dick was born to missionary parents in Venezuela and later he and his wife served in Thailand, Mike and his wife were in member care services in France, Aasha is living in Thailand where her Father works for World Vision, Patricia has been leading women’s programs around the world for 10+ years, Jack did two tours of duty in Vietnam then became a helicopter test pilot with the black hawk project and Owen has just arrived here from doing conferences with his Grandmother, Lois, in both Abu Dabi and Ethiopia.  I could go on but this list will suffice for now.  We all arrived 2 days early to get to know each other, to plan and to attempt to adjust to the time change.

These flowers are outside my room.
They are constantly falling
from their branches.  Beautiful!

Last night we went into the city to have a look at the market and eat a little Burger King.  Street vender food was pretty low on the list.  This afternoon, Owen, Mike and I took a bike ride through the botanical gardens and grabbed lunch at the Canteen.  I had pork and rice with a side of mashed potatoes and fresh pineapple (chocolate frozen “confection” for dessert).  I am eating a lot of rice and noodles these days.  On Friday I had chicken lo mien for breakfast and today I had ramen noodles to start my day.  :)

It is good to get a better feel for our mission here.  I am glad to have wifi to facilitate communication with my boys and Nate.  Tomorrow the guests arrive and our program begins...

A tribute to my Grandmother, Suzanne Hilton

Yesterday I lost my Grandmother and Heaven has gained a very special woman. I have often felt that my spirit of adventure came from Suzanne Hilton, my dad’s Mom. Today I leave for Thailand, and as I look back over the trips I have taken, I have to see a link between Grandma and my love of traveling.

When I was a kid, we camped our way across the U.S. I ate New England clam chowder from Pennsylvania to California and back across Canada. Grandma spent her days doing research in the Historical Societies, reading diaries and seeking forgotten adventures to share with young readers. When the work was done, we made our own forays into the wild wild west. I will never forget the evening walk when Grandma and I had a celebrity sighting. He was a small dog named Benji. We sat at the picnic table alongside a camper while the pooch showed off his tricks. I still have his paw print.

In 1995, Grandma sent my sister, Darcy, and I backpacking across Europe.  We traveled through seven countries sleeping in hostels or trains.  We saw cathedrals and museums, met interesting people and experienced a terrorist attack on the Saint-Michel metro station in Paris.  We called home to be sure Grandma and our parents knew that we were not the casualties being reported on the news.

When Grandma moved too far away for frequent visits, she left memories carved into my very being. I can still see her office stacked with papers and an old type writer where I wrote my first “book” alongside her own award-winning manuscripts. I can still feel the sugar she loaded on my french toast and see her sewing an “extra-strong seam” around the Christmas stocking we made for a short-lived boyfriend. I can hear the dinghy bouncing on the waves and Grandma calling out “Bumps, Connie” to the dog.

After getting the call from Aunt Diana on Tuesday, I was looking through my box of memories. I could smell the old books. Grandma was an historian and I have all of her non-fiction. She was good at what she did. Her writing brought her the Drexel University and the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Legion of Honor award (1979) and the Western Writers of America’s Golden Spur (1981), but to me the photo albums she made hold the best treasures. I looked through pictures of her as a young mom and as the mother-of-the-groom. I see her on horseback and laying in the sand. What shocked me most as I dug through the cardboard box was a book she didn’t write. Although Grandma didn’t pen the words, I felt the message was poignant and timely. The book is entitled Tales from Thailand and the message in the cover was written by the author:

November 4, 1978 [I was four] 
To Christine, ...with a special wish that you will learn to love the Thai as I did. My fondest wishes are ever with you and your charming Grandmother... 

God gave me my Grandmother to inspire me and love me. I am so grateful for her appreciation of everything around her. I am honored that this book that she gave me so many years ago surfaced now as I head to Thailand and she arrives at the gates of Heaven. Her gift confirms that I am who I am supposed to be and that I can give to others what my grandmother deposited in me.

"T minus 24 hours"

Tomorrow I leave for Thailand.  I haven't gone abroad without my family since Nate and I were married in 1996.  When I saw this youtube video of the Piano Guys today (Thanks, Aunt Cathy), I felt like I could hear my own guys singing along.  I will start this blog with it and maybe you will hear the voice of someone special to you.  Let's get this adventure started!

 Forget the box... Just think outside!

~My favorite shirt of Luke's