Saturday, June 07, 2008
Family Update
i just made an update on my 'official' website, and cut and pasted below:
Sarah is learning a lot about herself and issues of culture, as she gets to know the Thai people and society. Please pray for strength and wisdom as she continues homeschooling Lydia, and has added on the responsibility of leading a weekly Bible study.
Lydia is growing very fast, as a preteen. Her attitude is changing and she's trying act like an adult while still being like a little kid. She's also getting to know the Thai culture pretty well as the only foreigner in a traditional Thai dance school. Please pray that we will be gentle and loving parents while she goes through rapid changes.
Timothy just started his third year of Thai kindergarten last month; he really likes school and has a lot of Thai friends. Please pray that he will grow to know Jesus Christ personally.
Paul says, "I am very busy this month (June 2008). This past week: Monday (Thai lesson in the morning and a weekly dinner with Eli), Tuesday (a full day of giving lectures in Chonburi seminary, 2 hours away from Bangkok, then rushed back for a farewell dinner for a missionary family), Wednesday (lunch with another missionary couple we studied Thai with, Newsong staff meeting, Thai Bible study), Thursday (speak at BCIS high school graduation, lead English Bible study, run to the airport to see the missionary family off for home assignment), Friday (lead leadership class discussion group in Chula University, take a long subway ride for lunch with a Thai deportee-- who cancelled after I got there, shopping with Eli for his stay in Chonburi Center, Lakers 1st finals game at Santosh's place-- a rebroadcast for Asia), Sat-Sun (regular church schedule). All this while I had to prepare annual reports and presentations for our agency's annual conference next week; I also had to make final arrangements for the visiting short-term teams. I didn't get to exercise once, or read or rest. And I just remembered that I have a wife and two children, especially while I'm updating this webpage! So, please pray that God will help me not to burn out but to be an effective missionary in this busy month; I barely have time to think. I need to focus and prioritize. I need to watch a movie. But, I'm also a month behind in my update newsletters."
Friday, May 02, 2008
eli is here
at breakfast this morning with my parents and with GP board member steve cheong (far right). eli will teach english in the local schools and also help with the weekend or evening ministries in chonburi center for about a year. but first he'll learn thai for a month in bangkok. i just picked him up at the airport last night and he delivered what i had requested-- the picture bible (david c. cook), plus other goodies other people requested.
left to right: sadie and dk, poom, annette, anabel, me, abe lim, abe; abe and annette will move back to california today(!), after ministering here for over 2 years; dk and sadie came to take them back. we will miss all of them.
lydia at her ram thai (traditional thai dance) performance last monday. can you find her? she's third on the left line. she'll perform again tonite, when the crown princess will attend; this is the only performance this school puts on each year. as the only non-thai, we feel lydia is learning a lot about the thai society and culture.
sarah and me looking distinguished, but not quite thai, during the concert.
an outside view of the concert, in the traditional thai house where they practice and perform-- that means no air conditioning; timothy was sweating and getting restless so i took him home early.
my parents for their bday dinner (both on april) in baang saen, chonburi province. more photos on my facebook.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
anticipation
some recent photos below:
fishing with some of my newsong brothers, tum took some good photos [except this one! i took it with my phone]
abe caught a big one
this fishing lake had a little gazebo thing for us (tum, bun, lon, yo) to sit in.
praying at a newsong staff retreat, peter, kilang, santosh
mehta is about to hold up his son and say, "Simbaaa!"
lydia and i trying to match our facial expressions
lydia and i trying to match our facial expressions, part 2
timothy is into marvel
in his bday party last month; he's older now.
in his bday party last month, part 2
more photos on my facebook.
my old theology professor wrote a book to make the point that business is not good just to make and give money to the church, but it should be a ministry in itself; if he had business experience he would've included more business examples. this is a book we're going thru in our men's group.
a book i read earlier, written by a businessman with lots of godly business examples.
ANTICIPATION [a postmodern classic event with a cause]. here's what my artist friend amie says,
For the first time, Artist Society brings a unique happening of classical music with live painting to Bangkok. At the unusual event of "Anticipation" on May 11, 2008, Thai soprano Sophie Tanapura accompanied by Elvira Galioullina on the piano will inspire Russell Fadavi during his "live" painting on canvas at the Thailand Cultural Centre's small hall. Part of the proceeds will go to Fuen Jai Foundation to help the underprivileged in Klong Toey.
Russell Fadavi never paints without music inspiring him in the process. When he heard a recording of German lieder by Sophie Tanapura, he exclaimed: "That is the kind of music that I would like to listen to while I paint!" That sparked the idea of "Anticipation." As Sophie Tanapura sings her program of German lieder, known for its intricate symbiosis of poetry and music, Russell Fadavi will paint.
Those who attend the event will have the very rare opportunity to witness "art in the making", to be involved in the creative process of both painting and vocal music. The success of the evening – the intensity of symbiotic art -- depends on the meeting of the hearts and minds of all three artists: Sophie Tanapura, Elvira Galioullina and Russell Fadavi.
The May 11 event starts with a reception at 5 p.m. The "Art in Creation" process begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m. with all guests invited to meet the artists over a complimentary glass of wine. Admission is 1,500 baht per person.
For purchase of tickets, please contact:
www.thaiticketmajor.com Tel: 02-2623456
Ibycus Co.,Ltd. Tel: 02-9329208 Email: ibycusmusic@yahoo.com
Artist Society Tel. 087 717 8479 Email: artistsociety@gmail.com.
so, do we still bury people alive? or is this what atheists call a 'spontaneous remission of symptoms'?
i like astronomy; is this a real death star for earth?http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080310/sc_space/realdeathstarcouldstrikeearth
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Missionary Rambo
warning for those of you too young to have seen rambo 1-3, this movie has some violence. see my special movie poster here. it's about the conflict in burma (now myanmar, been myanmar for years actually, but 'burma' still sounds better). haven't seen the killings myself, but the different scenes in the movie correspond to real stories i've heard and individuals i've met. missionaries smuggling in medical supplies (won't give out the name of the agency i know), the brutal tactics used to control the karen hilltribes people.
EDIT: check out my pastor friend's more detailed review of john rambo.
the movie was refreshing, even with the stupid missionaries who remind me of the korean medical group that dared to go to the southern part of afghanistan last summer (and now no korean is supposed to be in that country AT ALL-- what a great missionary strategy). seriously, religious people can get some weird ideas into their heads, and even some that visit foreign countries, they just don't get it. they look at us like we're idiots, but the whole country is looking at those stupid foreigners cuz they ARE being idiotic. but i have hope, and just try to see the humor in all this. God is funny.
new movie idea: Rambo vs Aliens vs Predator vs Terminator vs Jet Li
and who'll look after the north korea refugees? here's the recent news.
a friend in california introduced me to a thai guy who got deported; he'd been in usa since the age of 2 but only had a green card. now in his twenties, he's in thailand for the first time since he left. what can he do? what can i do? had lunch with him, and his uncle drove him to meet us, so i invited him too. turns out, his uncle was deported too, 4 months ago, after 40 years in usa! after a while, i realize that i know the man! he's the mechanic that fixed my car in south pasadena! small world. still, what can i do? i say 'no' to the north korean refugees, 'no' to deportees, 'no' to the fleeing burmese hilltribes people, 'no' to the koreans living here, 'no' to my parents, 'no' to my agency supervisor--- is this a better missionary strategy than that of the idiots in rambo? [i know the answer depends on Whom i'm trying to please.]
'i'm afraid, amie, that i'm going to end up believing in your God.' one of my favorite recent quotes shared by my artist friend amie, who tries to reach out to her social networks through her daily life.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
i love saying 'no'
ACTUALLY, I WAS BORN TO SAY 'YES' but there are just too many needs calling for help. i find myself saying 'no' most of the time, just so i'll contribute something to the Thai church; otherwise, i'll be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. if i tell you some of the opportunities i turned down, you might get angry. but i have to maintain focus-- i only have one body and 24 hours/day. this is going to be a busy month. even before it started, last week, i led a team to the karen hilltribe village for two days. then drove back 3 hours to bangkok for the nite, before heading out 2 hours the other way to chonburi seminary to lecture all day. two days later, i went to chonburi again for some important visitors. this week, i have a 3-day retreat at chonburi with an association of thai church leaders and GP missionaries. next week, my home church pastor (rev. nathan kim) is coming with 4 people; he'll speak at the 90th good shepherd institute in chonburi center, a conference for church leaders. they'll be here for 5 days. the week after that, we'll go on a very important 3-day trip to hua hin with 2 other thai families-- it'll be a little vacation actually! and the week after that, i'm going to philippines for 5 days to help a fellow GP missionary. so i'll be busier than usual this month. i'll also be missing my son's 6th bday.
PRAY THAT I'LL BE SAYING 'NO' more professionally, and still not forget the story of the good samaritan. but right now i'm in the process of inviting people to help out at chonburi center for a year or so, so i hope they say 'yes'!
i did have a really good visit for my friend Milo, who teaches at ABAC (assumption university) in bangna. some photos.
newsong staff retreat 2 weeks ago. mehta (not pictured) reminded us how we gotta focus. and peter (not pictured) reiterated that as well. photo by kilang (pictured)
bun looks more tough in the above picture, with shades on. he's got a heart for street kids and gangsters walking around bangkok.
Rev. Jaroen of the Karen Hilltribes, writing labels for a skit which say 'Jesus', 'alcohol', and 'sin' in his language (Karen); i forgot which paper means which.
timothy playing with his friend, faa, after school
see more of timothy's recent drawings in my facebook page.
Lydia has an updated webpage here. she's growing so fast, i'm just praying more.
oh, and you also got to take a look at these videos of jon sigworth from wesleyan university (Middletown, CT), my old school, here. he's a quadriplegic rugby player; i saw him and talked to his parents when i visited their christian fellowship group last fall.
gearing up for battle. no, i don't believe in gun control. timothy's asking a lot of practical questions now, like, "how do you [physically] go to heaven?" he asked this at P'Oy's funeral, when we told him that she went to heaven. i just tell him to look up the world wide web.
