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.