Farang

Greetings To All:

How in the wide world are you? Hopefully you are doing well. As is par for the course on this trip, our plans changed. We are back in Chiang Mai several days earlier than what we once thought. The main reason: mode of transportation. But, that is another entry for another time. Let's talk about family, shall we? Since I'm the one writing this, we shall.

I am farang. It is because I am of different color. It is because I speak a different language. It is because I come from a different land. It is because I am of different culture. It is because I am of different religion. There are so many reasons I am farang. This longing for and finding, at least a sense of, it not the actual presence of, belonging is very powerful. So many factors seem to play against us discovering that phenomenom that we may just give up. Why even bother wanting to be a part of anything? What do we want to be a part of anyway? Some people may say: other people who think/live/look like us. But I don't think that is enough. There is something more raw than that. People with whom we share beliefs, core beliefs, will help fulfill that need in our lives more than any of the other superficial reasons can. Some of the time people find that in families.

When we speak of the family of God we have a good sense of what it means to be a part of a family. Most of us have them. But what I mentioned in the above paragraph may not be found in our earthly families. When some one decides to live for God and be open to doing what He wants done, there is something that is shared with others of the same following/calling. Suddenly, there is an awareness of the attraction and connection with other people. A bond is formed on a deeper level than is normally addressed. It's almost like they're . . . . family.

All this to say that despite all of the differences Kathy, Dakota, and I had with the children and staff of the Musekee Center we felt like family with them. Siami, the lady who started the center isn't even Thai; she's Indian. And there was another couple there (who need to have a book written about them), who are both Australian, that we connected with. Despite age, culture, and different life experiences among us, it felt as if we were among family there on that mountain in the far north of Thailand. The belief, faith, and trust in our Father that we all shared caused a bond to be formed that will not fade. I have found that we can be in the middle of nowhere and still feel like we're among family. And that is because we belong to the family of God.

Siami is the older, dark complected woman in the first video with the children singing. Don and Kay Fox are the Australian couple I mentioned, and he is the hairless gentleman wearing the red shirt in the first video. The song being sung is one that Siami made up to welcome people to her center.

"What is the center?" you ask. It is a place that school aged children live (away from their home villages) so they can be close enough to a school to attend. Also, the children are sponsored through Don and Kay's nonprofit organization "Handclasp" so that they can have money to attend school and have the proper uniforms. There almost sixty children who live while school is in session. They travel to and from school every day to this center. Musekee is a Karen area, and that is the ethnic group of these children. (They are Thai citizens.) While we were there the children were back in their villages for a national school break. But, for three days there was a Bible School that we helped with that hosted almost fifty children. We mainly helped teach them English. Somehow we were qualified to do that. On Saturday we were privileged to attend a wedding that had some traditional aspects to it. (The start of the wedding is what the second video is showing.) That was pretty neat. When we get to see or talk with you in person we would be more than happy to tell you more about this past week in Musekee. There simply isn't enough time and space to do it now. I bet you even stopped reading this two minutes ago. So why am I still typing? Optimism.

The picture of Dakota with the pair of twins is showing what she did for a lot of the week. They were her playmates. They are seven year olds who do live at the center because they were adopted by Siami. Named Yupii and Yupah, the loved to play with Dakota. Dakota would say, "Play pii pah.", which translates into,"I want to play with Yupii and Yupah." Finally, some one who could match her energy level.

Well, until we hear from you or you hear from us again, have a blessed day. Oh, thanks for all of your comments. We'll keep begging for you to leave more comments because it seems to work. And when you step out of your door today, and possibly end up on the side of a remote mountain in a foreign country or just across town, remember that family may not be only those people who are or have been under your same roof.

Blessings To All,

Carson, Kathy, Dakota

(Along With The Entry Below)

To Musakee And Beyond

Greetings To All:
Wow. I almost don't know what to say right now. But, wow. Today (Friday) is our last day in Chiang Mai for two weeks. Tomorrow we leave for a smaller town for the remainder of our Outreach. What will we be doing? We still don't know. It's almost like the "Missions Mafia": a van will pull up in the morning and we're supposed to get in it to go to an undisclosed location and do undisclosed acts of service. Well, maybe it's not that bad. We are all having mixed feelings about this transition. There are a lot of unanswered questions we have about this situation. And it's not that we didn't ask them; it's that they were not able to be answered. The reasons behind that are unclear. But, I digress. . . .
This morning we took the Home of Joy kids to the public pool for our last ministry time with them. They really love to swim! For a couple of them, their times there gave them new confidence in their abilities to swim for longer distances. Sidebar: did I say the ages of the kids yet? If I didn't, or if I told some of you different than what I'm about to write, the ages are: three six year olds, two five year olds, and three four year olds. After swimming we were invited to stay for lunch at the Home. Before we ate, one of the four year olds named Gong prayed. Kathy got it on video, and I'm going to try to post it with this entry. (Yes, he really did sit of the wall like the video shows. It's a meditation technique that the kids learn.) It was a very sweet prayer. In a way it seems like we spent more than two weeks with the kids, but in a way it doesn't. (Figure that one out.) Dakota, as always, loved the pool. There is a section that is only a foot deep that she loves to play in. She's really cute in her swimsuit!
So, once we get back from Musakee two weeks from today, we will stay here in Chiang Mai for one or two nights before we catch a night train to Bangkok on that Saturday night. We as a family will have to get a hotel room for Sunday night because our plane for Beijing doesn't leave until Monday. Beijing will be a time of relaxation and exploration for us. Where are we going to explore? A trip to Russia for me is no longer on the table for this visit. We do feel like we are being lead to investigate Harbin, China. It is a city northeast of Beijing, population about four million, and has a large Russian influence. What we are going to look for is a language university for me to study Chinese and possibly find a private tutor for me to learn Russian. Kathy is also thinking about a private tutor for brushing up on her Chinese. Living arrangements will also be looked at. A language university there has a program that begins March 2009 that we are praying about for me to attend. (If any of this is repeat information for you, sorry. But thanks for bearing with me.) All the while we will be looking for those valuable relationships to form with people whose lives we will come into contact with.
We are asking you for your prayers to receive clarity in what God has for us in the next several months. We feel that overseas work is where we are meant to be, but what that looks like, we don't know as of yet. Along with that we also ask that you begin praying about supporting us financially on a monthly basis. When we get specific numbers, we will pass that information on to you. We would also like to send out a newsletter in the near future; we would like to do that via "snail mail"(sorry, aunt Becky.) Any questions you have for us, we would love to hear and answer if we can. If any of you would like to come over tonight to help us finish packing, you are more than welcome. Packing, unpacking, and then packing again is really beginning to get old.
Once again, we thank you for your support. Please let us know what is going on with you.
God's Blessings On You,
Carson, Kathy, Dakota

Wide World of Missions

Greetings To All:
Sorry, I know it's been a while since the last update. Some may be wondering if we're still in Thailand. Yes, we are still in Chiang Mai. What are we doing? What have we been doing? Are there pictures? How's Dakota? How much longer will we be here? Questions, questions, questions. If either one of us held any answers to anything, we would let you know. Oh, I do have an answer, sort of: there are no pictures (for now.) We'll put some new ones up at a later time. (It's a little game we like to play in order to make you keep checking our blog.) Oh, and Dakota is doing fine.
For this past week and this coming week our group is spending time with the orphans from the Home of Joy. Yes, the same children we took to the zoo on that one Saturday. We've taken them to a swimming pool, the library, the park, and played with them in their home. After one week they are starting to warm up to us a little. There are seven boys and one girl. You all can probably imagine the energy level in that home. Their hesitancy to relate to new people has led me to reflect on how I involve myself in forming new relationships. At first I don't want to throw myself out into the relationship arena and simply stay to myself. I wonder if the people in the arena are trustworthy. If they are, then I might put myself out there. Security is involved. When some one is available to interact with me in a positive way (I wouldn't have attempted to interact if I knew it wasn't going to be positive) I will pursue the relationship. Of course at first progress will be slow. Eventually it will speed up. Then it will slow down. Then it speed up.

If I can get to a more personal note (I'll get back to news later) I'll explain how the speed of development changes. For me, and I suspect a lot of us, it has to do with conflict. And not just conflict, but the ability of all involved in the relationship to handle conflict. If through conflict promises are made, but then after the conflict they are not acted upon, the relationship will probably not grow as fast if at all. The broken promise doesn't promote trust. "Sit in your seat and you can have a candy." If the child sits in the seat, and doesn't receive the candy, how would that relationship be strengthened? (Of course, asking a five year old boy to sit in a seat doesn't involve only asking once.) If there is no conflict, then there might not be any growth. There might actually be separation. When the parties involved are not asked to examine themselves and their lives, they may stay in a rut. Two ruts from the same cart rarely cross each others' path; they rarely come together. (If they ever have, I'd like to see the cart.) After all of that, then I wonder about the length of time the relationship may last. The longer it may last, the more likely I am to become involved in a deeper level. I'm not saying this is right; I'm saying this is the way I view it.
Okay, back on track. This coming week we will be doing most of the same things with the children again. On Saturday we will be leaving for Musakee (sp?). That is another town about four hours away from here. What will be doing there? We polled 100 people and their answers have been recorded. Survey says: no idea. We'll be there for almost two full weeks, and then we head back to Bangkok, and then we as a family fly to China. Oh, last Thursday we had to run to the border to get our visas renewed. So, each of us has actually set foot in Myanmar. On the way to the border Dakota threw up in the van. Kathy was in the front seat holding her, and she threw up a lot. We think it was from having orange juice and dairy in her little tummy. She did fine the rest of the trip. We have been blessed with how well she handles most travel. She has her moments, but for a vast majority of the time she does well. Praise God.
Well, that is all for now. If we can get internet connection in our room again, we'll post some pictures. Thanks for reading our entries and keeping up with our lives. We would also like to hear from you, and not just what you think about our blog. Please keep emailing us.

God Bless You,

Carson, Kathy, Dakota