Hey all! This is just a quick update to let you know what's been happening here. For those unaware, there is major flooding all around the north and central part of Thailand. So far, my school is not flooded, but nearly everywhere around us is. It's very strange to go into the store and see no dry food or water on the shelves. Schools are shut down and people have been asked not to work in an effort to keep people out of the city. I am okay. I'm actually headed out of town tomorrow so that I can stay out of the water.
So here's what I've been thinking while all of this is going on. Our God is so much bigger and mightier than the flood waters. If people are this frightened of nature, which is under His control, how much more terrifying is the God who created it? As my pastor said recently, what do you do when you encounter a God big enough to crush death and also powerful enough to crush you? You get closer. I've been praying for God to use this to His glory, and I can already see that He has. A friend has been staying at my house for awhile as her house is now flooded. She is Buddhist and was never really interested in God before. Lately, we've been talking nearly every night about God. She asks me some tough questions, which are even more difficult to answer with the language gap, but she deeply wants to know. She has begun asking me about what God's voice is like, saying she wants to know. I've told her that she can ask God herself to speak to her and that He would if she would listen. She said she would try. Please, pray for her if you think of it. Also, please pray for the people of Thailand. It is a dark country, and God's light is just waiting to burst out. There are already cracks in the enemy's hold where you can see God's glory shine through. I'm praying for more cracks.
Until next time, thanks for reading! Leave me a comment if you want to make me smile. :)
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Beaches and Sandbags and Floods...Oh My!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought to myself that I needed to update my blog but wasn’t able to because of time constraints, lack of internet, or sometimes merely a loss of words to adequately describe what has been happening lately. To sum up, God is moving mightily. The enemy is also on the move. Fortunately, our God is greater than our enemy.
Right now, we are halfway through our 2 week break before the next semester. A lot has happened so far. On Monday, my first real day of vacation, I went with a friend to help at a nearby university that had been turned into a refuge for flood victims. The road was flooded out in places and the overpasses were clogged due to people parking their cars there to keep them out of the water. I saw people wading in waist-deep water on the street. It was definitely an eye-opening experience.
We showed up expecting to work with children or do some cleaning. Instead, we helped with sandbagging in preparation for the water that was still coming. At first we helped with unloading the trucks by creating a line to pass the bags down. 2 truckloads later, we split into teams to reinforce the doorways with plastic lining and sandbags a meter high. The next step was to go around the campus and rebuild improper sandbag walls to make them stronger. I now know a lot about the proper way to create a sandbag wall. Believe me, there is a certain skill in it. By the time the walls were rebuilt, it was time for my friend and me to leave. We were both pretty tired at the end.
The next day was spent in preparation, because Wednesday morning, I left to do an English camp with a bunch of local university students. We went to Pranburi, a nearby beach. The water level was very high because of all the water that has been flowing into it lately. The camp was a great success. I met a lot of great people and had tons of fun. I was able to talk about God with a few of them, which was wonderful. I’m now friends with many of them on Facebook, and I hope we’ll be able to stay in touch.
At first, there was a bit of chaos, as we’d planned on breaking up into 4 groups and had skits and songs and games etc planned with 4 groups in mind. Once we got there, however, we found out that they had decided to make 5 groups instead of 4. Sigh. So, I gave my skit to Naomi, who I was supposed to teach with, and created a new skit for my group. It actually wasn’t that bad. Basically, I had two groups of pirates, the first of which was following directions on a map to find some treasure. Partway into the hunt, the second group pops in and says “This is our treasure!” The first group resists, and a bad pirate tells them to “prepare to die!” Then they started shooting at each other until all of the bad pirates are dead. The good pirates yell out that they one, and then they leave. Then, we all sang a song about a baby shark. The best part was that there were only a few simple lines, so we had a lot of time to sit around and talk and let them practice their English and ask questions. We played a few language games and I tried to make it comfortable for them to try and speak. I had a great Thai co-leader who helped me a lot. We definitely had a lot of fun!
At night, some of the guys played guitar and a few of us sat around and sang with them. One guy, Nhor (pronounced “Naw”) really enjoyed singing. He was nearly always flat, but he had so much fun with it that it didn’t matter. It made it more fun because you didn’t really care about singing with a pretty voice. It wouldn’t matter if you did. One thing that I learned from this is that I apparently need to brush up on a lot of songs from The Beatles, The Carpenters, The Beejees, and Michael Jackson if I want to have a lot of songs to sing with them in the future.
Coming back from the beach took a lot longer than it did getting there. While we were gone, one of the dams upstream broke, flooding more houses. Many more roads were submerged. Most of the time, the water was waist high. There was so much that it started coming through the doors of the bus. I wasn’t sure what we’d find at the school, but fortunately, the water has not yet made it here. It’s definitely coming, though.
This morning, I looked at the street drains and the water level was about 20-30 cm from the street. By the evening, it was half that. My roommate went and helped sandbag the pier, and by the time they left, the water had made it to the first intersection. I’ve gotten everything of value up to where the water can’t get it and have stored up food and water. There are no more non-perishable foods to be found anywhere. Shelves in stores are bare. It’s a very surreal feeling to climb over a wall of sandbags into a store to see empty shelves. I’m not too worried, though, because I’m sure that when the water gets here, our school will likely evacuate and take us somewhere safe. There is talk about extending the break for another week or so depending on the water. I’m not entirely sure what will happen, but I do know that God is in control. I’m not panicking and I’m trying not to worry. My life is not at stake, merely inconvenience and discomfort. I can live with that. Prayers, however, would definitely be appreciated. People have and still are dying because of the flood, but as my pastor reminded us this morning, the water has no effect on the situation that has already been in place. People who do not know God are dying and going to Hell. That is what was happening before the flood and what will still be happening when the water goes down. That is the greatest tragedy. So yes, please pray for safety and provision, but most importantly, pray that God will use this to draw people to Himself. All things work together to give glory to God. His will be done! Amen!
Right now, we are halfway through our 2 week break before the next semester. A lot has happened so far. On Monday, my first real day of vacation, I went with a friend to help at a nearby university that had been turned into a refuge for flood victims. The road was flooded out in places and the overpasses were clogged due to people parking their cars there to keep them out of the water. I saw people wading in waist-deep water on the street. It was definitely an eye-opening experience.
We showed up expecting to work with children or do some cleaning. Instead, we helped with sandbagging in preparation for the water that was still coming. At first we helped with unloading the trucks by creating a line to pass the bags down. 2 truckloads later, we split into teams to reinforce the doorways with plastic lining and sandbags a meter high. The next step was to go around the campus and rebuild improper sandbag walls to make them stronger. I now know a lot about the proper way to create a sandbag wall. Believe me, there is a certain skill in it. By the time the walls were rebuilt, it was time for my friend and me to leave. We were both pretty tired at the end.
The next day was spent in preparation, because Wednesday morning, I left to do an English camp with a bunch of local university students. We went to Pranburi, a nearby beach. The water level was very high because of all the water that has been flowing into it lately. The camp was a great success. I met a lot of great people and had tons of fun. I was able to talk about God with a few of them, which was wonderful. I’m now friends with many of them on Facebook, and I hope we’ll be able to stay in touch.
At first, there was a bit of chaos, as we’d planned on breaking up into 4 groups and had skits and songs and games etc planned with 4 groups in mind. Once we got there, however, we found out that they had decided to make 5 groups instead of 4. Sigh. So, I gave my skit to Naomi, who I was supposed to teach with, and created a new skit for my group. It actually wasn’t that bad. Basically, I had two groups of pirates, the first of which was following directions on a map to find some treasure. Partway into the hunt, the second group pops in and says “This is our treasure!” The first group resists, and a bad pirate tells them to “prepare to die!” Then they started shooting at each other until all of the bad pirates are dead. The good pirates yell out that they one, and then they leave. Then, we all sang a song about a baby shark. The best part was that there were only a few simple lines, so we had a lot of time to sit around and talk and let them practice their English and ask questions. We played a few language games and I tried to make it comfortable for them to try and speak. I had a great Thai co-leader who helped me a lot. We definitely had a lot of fun!
At night, some of the guys played guitar and a few of us sat around and sang with them. One guy, Nhor (pronounced “Naw”) really enjoyed singing. He was nearly always flat, but he had so much fun with it that it didn’t matter. It made it more fun because you didn’t really care about singing with a pretty voice. It wouldn’t matter if you did. One thing that I learned from this is that I apparently need to brush up on a lot of songs from The Beatles, The Carpenters, The Beejees, and Michael Jackson if I want to have a lot of songs to sing with them in the future.
Coming back from the beach took a lot longer than it did getting there. While we were gone, one of the dams upstream broke, flooding more houses. Many more roads were submerged. Most of the time, the water was waist high. There was so much that it started coming through the doors of the bus. I wasn’t sure what we’d find at the school, but fortunately, the water has not yet made it here. It’s definitely coming, though.
This morning, I looked at the street drains and the water level was about 20-30 cm from the street. By the evening, it was half that. My roommate went and helped sandbag the pier, and by the time they left, the water had made it to the first intersection. I’ve gotten everything of value up to where the water can’t get it and have stored up food and water. There are no more non-perishable foods to be found anywhere. Shelves in stores are bare. It’s a very surreal feeling to climb over a wall of sandbags into a store to see empty shelves. I’m not too worried, though, because I’m sure that when the water gets here, our school will likely evacuate and take us somewhere safe. There is talk about extending the break for another week or so depending on the water. I’m not entirely sure what will happen, but I do know that God is in control. I’m not panicking and I’m trying not to worry. My life is not at stake, merely inconvenience and discomfort. I can live with that. Prayers, however, would definitely be appreciated. People have and still are dying because of the flood, but as my pastor reminded us this morning, the water has no effect on the situation that has already been in place. People who do not know God are dying and going to Hell. That is what was happening before the flood and what will still be happening when the water goes down. That is the greatest tragedy. So yes, please pray for safety and provision, but most importantly, pray that God will use this to draw people to Himself. All things work together to give glory to God. His will be done! Amen!
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