(Not "The")Village People

Greetings To One And All,

Whew! This past weekend seemed to be really busy. However, what is considered "busy" by western standards and Thai standards differs. Our group traveled north to visit some hilltribe village people. We drove by truck and van for four hours to get there. The two villages were only about a ten minute walk apart from one another, but they are still considered two separate villages. What did I (Carson) expect to see there before we left? Well, I was thinking it would be primitive. Part of that is because of the information I received from our leaders before we left. So, were they? Compared to us, yes. As what we think of caveman days? Not by any means. The Thai government takes care of its people. There is a program to bring solar panels to people who live in the hill villages. So, the villages had those by almost every house. And what comes along with electricity? TV. That was somewhat hard for me to see. Why? I don't exactly know why, it just was. But the people there were very hospitable. Their main form of financial support is the crops the grow: corn, lychees, and peanuts. They harvest their crops and then sell them to some one who takes them to market. All of the kids walk down to the (paved)road and all of them cram into the truck taxi to drive about one hour to get to school. The truck taxi is one of the smaller Isuzu or Nissan trucks from the 80's. There are sides that go up from around the bed and join to form a roof over the bed, and there are bench seats along both sides. (We have ridden in several of those since being in Thailand.) In total there are about 25 kids. They enjoyed the games we played and songs we sang while we were there Saturday afternoon. That night we were in charge of the church service. I gave a short testimony followed by a brief message from another member of our group. What an experience that was! I spoke in English to a lady who went with us, who translated into Thai to the village pastor, who translated it into the local dialect. (There is a picture of a group member in this same scenario with this blog.) Sunday morning we gave another service, and then drove down the hill to another village. Sunday night we gave another service at that village church. In all we were gone for two-and-a-half days and two nights. I now have another least favorite way to be woken up in the morning. Behind a ringing phone in first place, a dog barking in second, and a vehicle honking in third, I place five roosters crowing. Oh, my word! For some reason it wasn't as glamourous as some farm people make it out to be.

One of the main nuggets of insight I walked away with from this trip is this: even in remote villages that are not completely modernized, the people share some of the same problems, emotions, and desires that we do. For instance, we saw a grandfather holding a tiny baby. As we talked with him, he told us that the baby's mother left the village shortly after birth. And the baby's father, the man's son, went to look for another mother. We didn't find out exactly why the mother left, but she did leave. Saturday night some of the village girls performed a dance for us. Instead of cheery, bright faces, half of the eight eleven-year-old girls looked like they would rather have been cleaning up after the pigs. Saturday afternoon as we were walking from hut to hut each on of our group members had a child there to hold our hand. I was doubly blessed because two boys, about six years old, each grabbed one of my hands. They kept standing real close to me and seeing how tall they were compared to me. I joked with a group member that my local village name would be "measuring stick."

Another thought that came to me on the drive back to Chiang Mai was this: as we each pursue our own idea of happiness, why wouldn't we want to take other people on that journey with us? Buddhism focuses on the self. What I do for other people is only so I will receive good from people. I wouldn't care what happened to them as long as something good happened to me. Karma. If what we pursue as happiness is soooo awesome, then why wouldn't we want to share it with others? We, as followers of Jesus, share the happiness of forgiveness and love. We do so not to receive in return, but to pass on what has been given to us. It's not just a better life for me that I seek; it is a better life for those I encounter that I seek. As each one of us has been blessed and continues to be blessed, let us pass it on to others for their well-being, not ours.

While I was away, the girls did play. Kathy and Dakota stayed behind from this village trip. Over the weekend they spent time with the local pastor, Gampon, and a long-term missionary, Anne, who lives here in Chiang Mai. (Gampon's wife, Miriam, and Anne's husband, Sean, were on our trip as translators.) Along with the helpful conversations Kathy had with both of them, she and Anne visited the "Walking Street" Sunday market. One of the streets in the middle of the "ancient" city is closed down and vendors bring out their wares. Kathy really enjoyed it. Also, Gampon and his two boys took Kathy and Dakota to a mall where there is an indoor play center for kids. Dakota absolutely loved it! We went there today as a family because we had a free day to do as we pleased. We also walked around different parts of Chiang Mai.

Along with this entry are photos and a video(hopefully) of the village and Dakota's time of fun in the pool of balls. God bless each one of you, and may each one of you be a blessing to some one else today. Thank You for keeping up with us.

Carson, Kathy, Dakota