The Other Side of the Fence

ANOTHER amazing week has passed in this sleepy town. God has tricks up his sleeves you could never out-guess or out-plan for!

Last sunday was the graduation service for the Lao bible students, where we premier-ed four of their original worship songs, including a jazz and Mawlam number! Pretty neat stuff - got the congregation up and dancing!


Ps Thamanoon and wife pi-Mai

Things were nicely quiet at the beginning of the week (and insanely rainy: rained practically non-stop for 2-3 days, with 3 hour respite inbetween); the Lao bible students were preparing for their return to Laos, since their semester ended, and their visit passes were running out. Mainly hung out at home and tried to do laundry, read my books, and listen to great music. For the first time, i realized that too much rain, may just drive people insane. But a cuppa darjeeling, a good book and music works wonder!


insane activities for a rainy afternoon


rainy friend on a rainy day

[side note: i've recently discovered one of the hidden wonders of Thai technology- the mosquito racket. Its a simple device, looks like a tennis racket, but at the flick of a button, its fully electrified, and you can swing it around at flying mozzies, and zap em dead! Totally cool toy... i've since been using it to zap ticks picked off our resident rottweiler. Cathartic! Just NEVER get your fingers caught in that thing...]

The rainy reverie was abruptly interrupted tuesday night, when Hubert received news that 5 of the Lao bible students were caught and detained while crossing the border back to their country. They were found to be carrying their bibles together with bible notes, and promptly arrested. Now, Laos is a communist nation, and although the constitution upholds the right to practice personal belief, unless you're a buddhist, other religions are simply not tolerated. Add to that a paranoia of 'foreign' ideologies in the corrupt communist government, Christianity is barely tolerated, as long as no proselyting happens. Pretty much like China, but more severe... corrupt officials and a disregard for human rights compound the consequences once you're caught.

The situation for these 5 brothers was pretty grave... a few years ago, when there was a massive purge of underground christians, believers caught were imprisoned for a year. Add to that torture and interrogation... if any of them cracked under the pressure and revealed identities, location and strategies, the game was up, and the goose cooked; these brothers were all strategic members of the house church movement. It didn't just affect them, but the hundreds of underground pastors and house-groups across this police state, as well as the various foreign outreaches working covertly in the nation.


vientienne, heightened security for the summit

For us on the other side of the fence, there wasn't much left to do, except to pray. And pray we did! Interestingly, that week Vientienne was hosting a massive international summit- the 26th AIPO (ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization) General Assembly, ironically formed to address social, economic and political issues, to discuss and share best practices. Hubert decided that one avenue was to slip into Vientienne, tip off diplomats at the meeting about the human rights violation which just took place earlier that day, and hope one of them take up the case. So early wednesday morning, Hubert and I went into Vientienne, with a simple strategy: drop off a tip-off letter to the various embassadors of countries represented at the summit... so we did just that. Interesting time roving through Vientienne amidst the diplomatic motorcades, heightened security and sleepy streets, dropping by various embassies and ambassador's residences, always careful NOT to retrace our steps for security's sake. Looped around, and soon found ourselves back at the Friendship Bridge. By 4pm we were 'safely' back home, commited it to God, and sat back and waited.



AIPO


mea culpa


aussie-land


philipine embassador's residence


mmmm

Thursday morning found ourselves setting off for youth camp, in a fabulously ULU wildlife reserve: Phu Wua Wildlife Reserve... 40 campers, a jungle setting, loads of nature =). Worshipped under the stars, fed loads of mozzies, workshop sessions, dancing around the campfire, trekked through a jungle, up a cliff, waded (and slipped) at a waterfall, made new friends. Kids came to Christ, others renewed their relationships w Him, life issues addressed.


on the bus to youth camp at Phu Wua wildlife reserve


toucan at the wildlife park


youth camp: after a zany game... gettin too old for such stuff!


Jeff and Tammy taking a session w the youths


an aggravated jeff with an aggravated bird


vince and me, tin soldiers


waterfall... and happy kids


bus back to church... all knocked out!

Thursday evening, just some 24 hrs after our vientienne operation, we received news that the Lao brothers were released, and were coming to join us at camp! It was amazing news.

The whole time from the detention on tuesday up to thursday afternoon, they were treated badly by the authorities (abused/humiliated?), interrogated, jeered, given little food and drink, stripped and kept in a tiny holding cell. What apparently happened, from their report later, was that on thursday afternoon they were all suddenly being treated very civil-ly , given a polite excuse, and had all their personal belongings accounted for and returned to them. Just before releasing them, the authorities also made a specific disclaimer that they were NOT 'detained' because they were christians, but because of a "slight error on their travel document". What exactly transpired behind closed doors we'll never know; we'll find out in heaven I guess.

The icing on the cake, was that while behind bars, the brothers got to share their faith with the other prisoners, and a few came to Christ! In fact, the brothers were told that the prisoners all knew they were christians the moment they stepped into the place simply because of the smiles that were always on their faces. Oh, what faith and boldness they possess!

So, its been another week. God moving, we sit back and be amazed. So humbled, so blessed, so awed.


fabulous Joma cafe


hornet grubs, waiting to be friend and eaten


dyed silk sold at Talat Sao


the jungle we were in...


fungi in forest


midway up the mountain


fuzzy plant


wild orchid


red flower


my group... reached the sandstone plateau on top of the jungle...


if you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat


vincent and kiong should have a showdown someday!


i've got happy feet!


the view from the top! You're looking at Laos... the Annamite range

Happy Mooncake to You

taken 17 Sept 2005 7:27pm, Nongkhai Thailand

Curiouser and Curiouser... the cheshire cat in nongkhai

God has a sense of humor. I'm glad we are given a measure of humour too, so we can cope with His wit, glee and wisdom!

After leaving Nongkhai, for what I thought was a done deal- said my goodbyes, ate the farewell meals, visited and photoed the places, and, after a mere TWO WEEKS of absence... I'm back here again!??

But I'm not complaining... its wonderful to be back, and the two weeks home was tremendously fruitful- completed a bunch of errands, caught up with friends, and mades some preparations for the next microstep on the water.

Arrived back in Nongkhai on wednesday with a light heart, a bubbly gut, and a sleepy head. And already, again, more stuff is happening.

The last two days I've been pulled in to help out at the Isan Bible School's song-writing class. They've got 14 students (mostly Laos brothers), and they've all been given an assignment to write a worship song each. Now, I've been assigned to help them work out the harmonies, as well as possibly lending a hand in crafting their song. Its been tremendously exciting- working w a whole new cultural context, involved in a poineering batch of Lao worship music... CCM - Contemporary Christian Mâwlam! (sparrow, word, integrity... eat yer heart out! haha).

As I was just sitting at the bible school earlier this afternoon, listening to their rehearsal of one of their compositions in the infamous Mâwlam genre, it just struck me that I just participated in the very thing I've been dreaming of doing for years now - to somehow assist believers from non-western cultural backgrounds develop indigenous worship music which was true to their cultural context. As I sat there in the heat, I was close to tears realizing I was right in the middle of a great ethnomusicological moment, or to be more precise - Ethnodoxological... involving ethnic musical idioms in worship! Here I were amidst the pioneering batch of Laos hymnwriters, working through their indigenous song-forms, co-crafting to make their lines leaner and stronger, recording and documenting the process, sifting through the melodies, and redeeming their cultural heritage!! God, you're amazing! I want MORE of that!

...I've got a sneaky suspicion, we may just be singing Mâwlam in heaven someday too...!

Back in HOT SUNNY spore.

Back at Changi, waiting for the minutes to tick by until my carriage becomes a pumpkin...

ITs been an exciting last 35 days- Yunnan, Sapporo, Nongkhai, Vientienne. God is really reall really faithful, doing what He does best- exceedingly, abundantly blessing beyond what I can ask, think or imagine! And what an excuse for a ministry trip! Ha... His ways are surely higher and greater than our ways! Thank God! Whew.

Got to encourage fellow believers in unbelievable settings and divine appointments; Shared my testimony in unusual settings (a carpark? a governor's compound?) - dunno what the fruits are, but I'm commiting that to God. After all, its His story... I'm merely the pages of the book He's writing.

Met amazing, wonderful, lovely people- unexpected, refreshing and gracious- former royalty, governors, mayor, pop singers, actor, political activist (orthodox zionist, left of the middle right...?!), teacher (who wins the best teacher in Thailand award), scrabble champ, TV station boss, but best of all- fellow believers, who've chosen to live out their lives to honor God. Deeply humbled by their livestyles and their outlook. Learning loads. I hope one day I'll have something like it to show for.

What happens next is a good question. I don't know, really!What I do know is, God's totally in charge, and He'll not leave me if I answer His call... "Come, walk on the water with me!"

If you want to walk on water, you have got to get out of the boat.

The nations are waiting... =)