Culture Shock; or, Wow, I Have a Lot to Learn

Hello from Thailand! We flew in about midnight two nights ago, and for the last couple of days we've kept ourselves busy. Yesterday we explored the area, found some local grub, picked up some supplies at the supermarket and went to church. I've met a lot of new people, and I'm finally beginning to remember names after a couple of days. I spent most of today in downtown Bangkok with Scott and a couple of Thai guys from the church and had some fun adventures involving tuk-tuks and water-taxis as we explored some amazing temples and palaces. The city of Bangkok isn't very old when you compare it to other huge Eurasian cities, but it is so rich in history and culture that it hardly matters.

Over the last couple of days there have been a few things that have stuck out to me. One is the poverty here. It isn't everywhere--there are lots of people who are well off, with cars and houses and nice clothes, though the standard of living is certainly lower than in the U.S.--but that might make the dichotomy even more disturbing. It isn't a rich country, but how is it that people can live in nothing more than a one-room shack made of sheets and second-hand plywood suspended by nothing more than a few 2x4s over a side-canal that smells of sewage when just down the road is a high-rise condo, probably filled with rich foreigners? Of course I can't and don't expect these foreigners--or even the nationals--to solve the poverty issue so simply, but seeing these things first hand is a little jarring. It carries through everywhere, though, not just in residences. We ate lunch today at a place that was shoddily built over the river in Bangkok, and though it was one of the nicer places we have been to, we ate on cheap folding tables and plastic patio chairs. It just makes you realize how wealthy we really are in the States--and by wealthy, maybe I mean extravagant. Should we expect the kinds of things we do as a part of our daily lives?

The other thing I've been struck with is the incredible amount of spirituality in Thailand. Walking down the soi (that is, the side street), it's common to see little shrines with Buddha images set up every couple of blocks, and almost every one will have recent sacrifices of food or drink. Sometimes you will see sacrifices even without an altar, as some kind of spirit-appeasement. I never honestly thought I would be in a place where household idols are legitimately worshipped, but it is a common practice here. The temples are always busy, with tourists but also with Buddhist devotees and monks. Many say that there is an incredible amount of demonic activity here, and while I'm hardly ever comfortable calling anything demonic or assuming much of anything about the spiritual realm, I cannot help but wonder if it isn't true. But then, so may be the other side of things, the miracles and healings and the movement of the Spirit. A new friend was telling me about his mother, who was not yet a Christian but kept reading the Bible, because it was, in a way she couldn't describe, powerful. Just last night, she accepted Christ. And yesterday I heard a testimony of how God miraculously removed a 9-mm ovarian tumor, which happened within the last week. Faith is a living, breathing thing here, not just a remembered sentiment, and that is inspiring, and perhaps just a little unnerving. Maybe the spiritual world is a little more real than I was prepared to understand, and that which you can't see is always at least a little frightening.

Tomorrow morning is church; Friday night we have our worship service, and Sunday morning is cell groups. Classes start on Tuesday, three days from now; I have two evening classes back-to-back, which may be tiring, but may also make for a very free schedule, which is a good thing. For now, I had better get to bed; I've been awfully tired the last couple days. If you're praying, pray for stamina and energy, motivation, spiritual growth and readiness, more opportunities to connect with community, and that a solid foundation would be laid in my own life so that I can be an effective witness of the love of god to others. This will be a challenging month, but it may be one of the most rewarding times of my life. I pray that I will be able to say, after a difficult and grueling month, "To God be the glory!"

Look, Ma, the North Pole! or, Are We There Yet?

It's not quite four hours in, and I'm already feeling how odd and how long this 15-hour flight is going to be. I've eaten a meal, had a good spiritual conversation, met a Taiwanese student from Boston and watched a disappointingly depressing movie, and I'm already wondering what it is I'm supposed to do next. I'm currently flying somewhere over the Arctic Bay, though we've been told to keep our windows closed for now, so I'm watching the outside camera on the screen in front of me, marveling just a little at the idea that on my way to the hottest place I've ever been, I'm flying over one of the coldest in the world. If I were to jump out of the plane into these waters below, I would freeze to death. Maybe that's a little bit morbid, but it's an incredible, fascinating thought all the same.

Two weeks ago, the realization that I would soon be on the other side of the world hit me with stunning clarity. Now, mere hours away from touching down in Hong Kong, it seems little more than a vague abstraction. Oh well... It will hit me again soon enough! I suppose the first intercontinental travelers must have felt pretty surreal too. Can you imagine finally seeing the New World after months of traveling over mile after endless mile of ocean, your entire world looking exactly the same until you can't even remember what land looked like? In the meantime you would feel as if you were nowhere at all, even when you knew you were in the middle of an ocean never before traveled. The profundity of your adventure would seem overshadowed by its monotony.

Anyway, I wonder how people can do this all the time. Maybe it grows on you. Right now, I mostly just feel bored. Only 11 hours to go! I will have to wait for Wi-Fi to post this. Next stop: Hong Kong!

Update: It's 9 p.m. here, but my body tells me that it's time for breakfast, and I'm hungry. I was surprised to fly into Hong Kong in the dark, but it's closer to the equator, which means that light and dark are closer to equal. Apparently the sun will set at about 6 p.m. in Bangkok. These little things will be the things that disorient me the most, I expect.

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire; or, Holy Crap, I'm Leaving for Thailand in 24 Hours!

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.  --Acts 20:24

For I am God, and there is no other... saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I shall accomplish all I purpose'... I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.  --Isaiah 46:9-11

Only a couple hours ago I got back from a full summer of working at camp; 24 hours from now and I'll be at the airport in Chicago, ready to fly to Thailand.  The lunacy of moving from one place to another so quickly has been hitting me; and yet, while I'm nervous and scared out of my mind at what may be in store this coming month, I am sure that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be.  There have been few times in my life that I've been able to say that with relative certainty.

This summer has been one of the best I can remember, and though I probably say that every summer, it is without a doubt a truth today.  I feel like God has used me, but in ways far different from what I expected, and that I have learned so much more about him and about myself than I expected I would.  I have seen God work, but in different ways than in the past.  This has not been a summer where I have been a part of summer campers being overwhelmed by emotion, trying to ask me about Jesus through their tears.  It's been one of deepening understandings, of being convinced of the reality of God, of seeing him move and being astounded.  I got to see high-schoolers open up like I never have before, telling their stories and their weaknesses in front of newly-found brothers.  I got to see my brother come to camp and be convicted about his faith in a deeper way than I have ever seen before.  I got to be a part of baptisms of campers and of staff members that wanted to declare that they would live for Christ.  And in my own life, I saw the paradoxical power in vulnerability, the power of story and testimony, and I am walking away from camp having built some of the most honest, affectionate, and (I expect) enduring friendships that I ever have.  I was stretched outside of my comfort zone and challenged to give of myself unconditionally, to understand the need of laying down my pride and being humble, counting others as more important than myself, giving my time and affections and energy to my King, relying on his promises and not my own merit.  I walk into the next season of my life with the understanding that God, and not I, is the one who changes hearts.

And that is one thing that I will need to keep in mind as I move to Thailand for a month of teaching and building relationships.  A camp counselor gets one week with his campers; I will have four with my students.  But not matter how long I have with them, no matter how many conversations I have and how bold I am, no matter how wise I think I am or even how willing, God will be the one changing hearts.  I am merely planting seeds.  "He sleeps and rises day by day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how."  (Mark 4:27)

I am already blessed on this trip.  My support has been covered; my passport came in quickly.  My bank card, which had been subject to fraud in Italy, was replaced and arrived just in time last Friday.  I am traveling with a guide that knows everything there is to know, and am going to teach at a school in Bangkok that is supportive and bathed in prayer.

I am tired after this summer, and there is little time to rest before I leave again, but I know that God will use this time, and I know that when I am weak, then he is strong.  Pray for energy, for courage, for wisdom and knowledge, for physical and spiritual safety; but above all, pray for God to work in these students' hearts, to change us all and to call to himself those whom he wills.  It sounds stuffy, but it is so true, and so freeing.  I cannot save anyone.  Only God can.

I hope to update often from Bangkok; we will see just how cooperative my schedule is.  I am excited for an adventure; I think this will be one of the most exciting and memorable times of my life!  To experience a new culture, as foreign and distant as Thailand's is, has been something I've dreamed about for a long time.  (I am super excited about real Thai food for a month!)  Praying with and working alongside Thai Christians is going to be amazing, and getting to know my students will be beautiful.  And I'm excited to be used of God, to--for the first time!--have the opportunity to make disciples of all nations.

Honestly, I think I'm probably going to get hooked.