Part III of IV
One of the first things you figure out when you spend any
amount of time immersed in foreign cultures is that you have to drop any expectations or existing understanding of how
things work… things just never look the same in foreign countries, whether it
is a church service or school or shopping or lunch dates — nothing is the
same. So when Pim scheduled hair
treatments for Brittany and I, I had no idea what to expect. After the way Thum blew us off, I
half-expected Pim to do the same. But
Brit and I showed up at the When when Pim asked us to and there she was,
waiting for us. “Okay, come on, come
on!� she said, leading us across the street.
amount of time immersed in foreign cultures is that you have to drop any expectations or existing understanding of how
things work… things just never look the same in foreign countries, whether it
is a church service or school or shopping or lunch dates — nothing is the
same. So when Pim scheduled hair
treatments for Brittany and I, I had no idea what to expect. After the way Thum blew us off, I
half-expected Pim to do the same. But
Brit and I showed up at the When when Pim asked us to and there she was,
waiting for us. “Okay, come on, come
on!� she said, leading us across the street.
“Are you going to get your hair done too, Pim?� I
asked.
asked.
“No,� she said, “I got it done this morning already.�
Well… so much for
hanging out with her, I thought, a little bit embarrassed that I had
assumed she was going to stay and get her hair done with us. Still, she brought us to a little salon of
sweet women and told us that the treatment would take an hour, and she
absolutely insisted that we spent
that time over in the bar with her.
hanging out with her, I thought, a little bit embarrassed that I had
assumed she was going to stay and get her hair done with us. Still, she brought us to a little salon of
sweet women and told us that the treatment would take an hour, and she
absolutely insisted that we spent
that time over in the bar with her.
We spent an hour with her that afternoon and then asked her
to get lunch with us, but she said she couldn’t leave the bar. “You come back tonight, though,� she insisted. “Promise!�
to get lunch with us, but she said she couldn’t leave the bar. “You come back tonight, though,� she insisted. “Promise!�
So we did. And when
we got there, she brought drinks right over and then sat with us and talked
about the bar and about men and her faith in Buddha and how he does not like it
when people drink too much. Soon a rowdy
group of British and Scottish guys filled the bar and begged her to play pool
with them. “Not without my friends!� Pim
said, dragging us into the game with her.
Though I wanted to shrivel up and die in embarrassment at my horrible
showing in pool, I could not believe the way that she wanted to include us in
her day.
we got there, she brought drinks right over and then sat with us and talked
about the bar and about men and her faith in Buddha and how he does not like it
when people drink too much. Soon a rowdy
group of British and Scottish guys filled the bar and begged her to play pool
with them. “Not without my friends!� Pim
said, dragging us into the game with her.
Though I wanted to shrivel up and die in embarrassment at my horrible
showing in pool, I could not believe the way that she wanted to include us in
her day.
We could not stay long that night, but when we told Pim that
we needed to leave, her entire countenance fell. “Why?â€� she asked. “Stay — have fun! Stay here with me!â€� We had to be home, though, so she sadly
walked us to the front of the bar. She
hugged both of us two or three times.
“Thank you,� she said gently. “I
can’t explain… just… thank you.�
we needed to leave, her entire countenance fell. “Why?â€� she asked. “Stay — have fun! Stay here with me!â€� We had to be home, though, so she sadly
walked us to the front of the bar. She
hugged both of us two or three times.
“Thank you,� she said gently. “I
can’t explain… just… thank you.�
Brittany and I walked home that night in complete disbelief — what was happening?!? This is Pim we’re talking about — Pim,
the cold one, Pim, the devout Buddhist, Pim, the one who is so rude to the
program coordinator — and she actually wants to be our friend? What was she saying “thank youâ€� for?? Neither of us could believe what the Spirit
was stirring in her heart — and we had no way of knowing that it was only just
beginning.
the cold one, Pim, the devout Buddhist, Pim, the one who is so rude to the
program coordinator — and she actually wants to be our friend? What was she saying “thank youâ€� for?? Neither of us could believe what the Spirit
was stirring in her heart — and we had no way of knowing that it was only just
beginning.
We started going back and to see Pim everyday. Soon she wanted us in the bar every spare
moment we had. She would sit with Brit
and I for hours, telling us all of the details of her life and her heart. After a couple of days, she asked us to go to
the temple with her, because it was like her second home and she wanted us to
know that part of her. I hesitated
before answering. “Pim,� I said, “We
don’t pray to Buddha.�
moment we had. She would sit with Brit
and I for hours, telling us all of the details of her life and her heart. After a couple of days, she asked us to go to
the temple with her, because it was like her second home and she wanted us to
know that part of her. I hesitated
before answering. “Pim,� I said, “We
don’t pray to Buddha.�
“I know,� she said.
“You’re Christians.�
“You’re Christians.�
We had never told her that… but she knew anyway.
There was one day where she took Brittany on an errand and
left me behind in the bar by myself. “If
someone comes, just get them a drink,â€� she said with a laugh — the bar was
impossibly slow, so the likelihoods of that were slim. I laughed after she left — I had the entire
bar to myself and I walked through it, praying against the confusion and darkness
in there and inviting God into the When.
Before long, some of my other teammates passed by and the four of us got
to stand in the bar, in the middle of the day, and pray for God’s will to be
done in that place. Then I got them
Cokes and we played pool until Pim came back.
left me behind in the bar by myself. “If
someone comes, just get them a drink,â€� she said with a laugh — the bar was
impossibly slow, so the likelihoods of that were slim. I laughed after she left — I had the entire
bar to myself and I walked through it, praying against the confusion and darkness
in there and inviting God into the When.
Before long, some of my other teammates passed by and the four of us got
to stand in the bar, in the middle of the day, and pray for God’s will to be
done in that place. Then I got them
Cokes and we played pool until Pim came back.
After that, she started letting us pray with her, for her,
over her — she began to ask for it and then expect it. We prayed for her parents to be healed of
their sickness, for her cold and headache to go away, for God to provide her
needs, before we ate together… when we sat down for lunch, she would hold her
hands out. “Are we going to pray?� she
would ask.
over her — she began to ask for it and then expect it. We prayed for her parents to be healed of
their sickness, for her cold and headache to go away, for God to provide her
needs, before we ate together… when we sat down for lunch, she would hold her
hands out. “Are we going to pray?� she
would ask.
We spent entire days with her, traipsing around the city,
seeing the river tours, getting lunch, and treating each other to Thai massages. Sometimes Brittany and I would pay, but other
times Pim insisted on it, which is completely
out of character for a friendship with one of the girls in the bar. “No, no, no,� she would insist when we tried
to pay. “You buy me drinks and take me
places — no, I pay for this.â€� She saw us
as real, honest friends and she was completely loving and affectionate with
us.
seeing the river tours, getting lunch, and treating each other to Thai massages. Sometimes Brittany and I would pay, but other
times Pim insisted on it, which is completely
out of character for a friendship with one of the girls in the bar. “No, no, no,� she would insist when we tried
to pay. “You buy me drinks and take me
places — no, I pay for this.â€� She saw us
as real, honest friends and she was completely loving and affectionate with
us.
She even gave us Thai names.
“Carly� and “Brittany� were hard for her to remember and pronounce, so
we became “Fon� and “Som� respectively.
“Fon� means “the rain� and she told me it was because everyone feels
happy and peaceful when the rain comes.
“Som� means “beauty� and “color� and that was exactly how she saw
Brittany.
“Carly� and “Brittany� were hard for her to remember and pronounce, so
we became “Fon� and “Som� respectively.
“Fon� means “the rain� and she told me it was because everyone feels
happy and peaceful when the rain comes.
“Som� means “beauty� and “color� and that was exactly how she saw
Brittany.
More than almost any other person I’ve met around the world,
I completely and fully loved Pim from the beginning. Her heart was so devout and faithful and
hungry for peace and joy — and the more time we spent with her, the more we saw
God’s plans for her life. One afternoon,
she told us the story of her current “boyfriend� John, a married British man
who recently wrote to her and effectively ended their relationship. She could not understand why he was doing it
or what he was communicating to her and she sat with us in the bar, crying
about John. “He’s the only one I love,�
she said, “and now he’s gone. I have sex
with one other guy, but then I say, ‘No — I love John!’ What do I do?? What do I tell him??â€�
I completely and fully loved Pim from the beginning. Her heart was so devout and faithful and
hungry for peace and joy — and the more time we spent with her, the more we saw
God’s plans for her life. One afternoon,
she told us the story of her current “boyfriend� John, a married British man
who recently wrote to her and effectively ended their relationship. She could not understand why he was doing it
or what he was communicating to her and she sat with us in the bar, crying
about John. “He’s the only one I love,�
she said, “and now he’s gone. I have sex
with one other guy, but then I say, ‘No — I love John!’ What do I do?? What do I tell him??â€�
It’s incredibly tricky trying to comfort someone who is in
the kind of situation that Pim was in.
What do you hope for her? That
John comes back to her? No, of course
not. But that is what she wants to hear
and how to do you tell her that it is better this way and that she could turn
to the One who will never leave her or reject her or turn away her love?
the kind of situation that Pim was in.
What do you hope for her? That
John comes back to her? No, of course
not. But that is what she wants to hear
and how to do you tell her that it is better this way and that she could turn
to the One who will never leave her or reject her or turn away her love?
I put my arm around her and tried to tell her that there is
something better for her. “Pim, you are
a beautiful woman,� I said. “You are
easy to love!� She laughed sadly.
something better for her. “Pim, you are
a beautiful woman,� I said. “You are
easy to love!� She laughed sadly.
“Easy to love,� she said scornfully. “Easy to forget.�
“No,� Brittany said.
“Easy to love, impossible to
forget.�
“Easy to love, impossible to
forget.�
She held her hands out to us. “We pray?� she asked. “We pray and ask God to bring John
back?�
back?�
So we prayed. We
prayed and we asked the Spirit to come and reveal His love to Pim, that He would fill her to overflowing with His
goodness, joy, and peace. We begged Him
to make Himself known in her life and to bring her all of His comfort and
understanding and freedom. When we
finished, Pim wiped her eyes.
prayed and we asked the Spirit to come and reveal His love to Pim, that He would fill her to overflowing with His
goodness, joy, and peace. We begged Him
to make Himself known in her life and to bring her all of His comfort and
understanding and freedom. When we
finished, Pim wiped her eyes.
“I say, ‘Father, thank you,’� she said, smiling. “I don’t know Him, but I call Him
‘Father.’ I say, ‘I want to be Your
daughter.’�
‘Father.’ I say, ‘I want to be Your
daughter.’�
The next day, she had another bracelet on her wrist from the
Buddhist temple, signifying that she has worshipped that morning. We watched her prepare the usual plates of
food for Buddha in the afternoon and even though we prayed for dinner that
night, she still talked about John and Buddha for most of the evening.
Buddhist temple, signifying that she has worshipped that morning. We watched her prepare the usual plates of
food for Buddha in the afternoon and even though we prayed for dinner that
night, she still talked about John and Buddha for most of the evening.
However, the atmosphere in the bar had completely
changed. It was lighter — literally and
almost tangibly, we could feel the
Spirit of God in the When Bar. And He
had come to stay.
changed. It was lighter — literally and
almost tangibly, we could feel the
Spirit of God in the When Bar. And He
had come to stay.
