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