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It all started on Monday…
Every Sunday and Monday were my off days from ministry while being in Thailand. Therefore, Mondays turned out to be the best time to spend with my One named Duan.
On this Monday, Duan and I talked about many different things. I learned that she is a Christian. I also learned that she used to work in the bars, and used to drink a lot. She laughed about being miserable when she woke up with a hangover, but people liked her and wanted to buy her drinks so she used to participate. She also had people proposition her, but she responded by saying
“I cost 1 million baht!”
And they would respond “but that’s a lot of money and you are old!”
“Oh really?!? Now $2 million baht!”
“Ay yaa, now the price is going up more and you are still old!”
“3 million baht! And I will not sleep with you; just cook and clean!”
We laughed at how she stood up for her worth, but I appreciated her story so much more when she said…
“Then God changed my life. I don’t drink now.”
It was so great to talk to Duan and get to know her. We talked about me leaving the next week and she invited me to go to church with her on Sunday.
If I knew then… what I know now… I would have better prepared myself for the day.
9:30 am Sunday morning
I woke at around 7 am, but somehow at 9:15 I was still not dressed and speedily running around to get to Duan’s papaya stand on time, where she was picking me up. I run around the corner looking for her and she gets out of a truck and calls me over. We greet each other and I get into the car.
“Hello everyone!”
I already knew Jitthe since she works next to Duan at her corn stand, but I also got to meet Jitthe’s daughter, Duan’s grandson, and a co-grandparent from Duan’s daughter-in-law. It was a bustling, but very friendly bunch on a beautiful Sunday morning. We shared breakfast as we drove to church and we had hot chocolate and coffee when we arrived.
To my surprise, church in Thailand was vaguely similar to an old school black baptist church in the US. The service was from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm – super long; the language of praise was dancing – which by far was the most lively I’ve every seen a Thai person and exactly like a northern baptist church; and they fed us after the service – seriously this could have been my Grandma’s church. I had to make an effort to remember I’m in Thailand!
As the offering bucket came around, I realized the first horror of my day… Remember how I had been rushing around that morning as I got dressed? In that rush I forgot to pick up my wallet. #EpicFail on my part, but as I was served lunch at the church, I thought that maybe I would be ok. There can’t be much more before they drop me off at home right?
Not exactly…
Today happened to be Sports Day 2016 at the church so there were games and cheerleaders to boot. Duan convinced me to be a cheerleader with her so I put on the grocery bag tutu and my paper visor made for the small head of an Asian and tried to keep up with the cheers in Thai language. I’m sure I was a sight to behold as we posed for pictures and videos throughout the day. But we had fun and headed home…
Not exactly…
I did have fun, but after church, we got in the car and as we drove and drove and drove I realized that we were not headed in the direction of my hostel. Luckily I had cleared my schedule for the day and soon Jitthe shared that we were on our way to the lake. This would have been awesome had I remembered my wallet. I was so super embarrassed to tell them that I had forgot my wallet at home, but I could no longer avoid the topic. Through broken English they said “ATM”. Oh how I wished it was that easy! But I explained all was forgotten at home including my card.
They seemed slightly bothered, but offered to buy my snacks for the lake. Of course I said no and they bought a couple things anyway. They paid for entrance to lake and also bought dinner. This should have been fun and time of celebration, but I struggled to overcome my shame of not being prepared. Still Duan and her family were genuinely kind and welcoming to me. When we got to lake we were joined by some more of Duan’s family and friends. We ended up being a party of 11 including the original 6 plus Duan’s son and his wife, Duan’s girlfriend and her husband and another of Duan’s girlfriends. We sat by the beauty of the lake while the 2 kids swam, the adults ate, and I “followed” the conversation by simply looking at the person speaking since all was spoken in Thai.
The day continued and by this time it was 6ish pm, Duan was sleepy, and it was getting dark outside. So we finished dinner, they paid for the meal and we headed back to the car. The groups said their goodbyes and we were off! So I thought “of course we were on our way to drop me off at home”
Not exactly…
Jitthe kindly turns to me and says
“We’re going to Duan’s house for dinner!”
I affectionately give her the biggest fake smile I can muster as I say “yay”!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a great time. I am appreciating how loving, friendly, and hospitable everyone is, but after being with them for the last 9 hours I’m starting to wonder what else could this day possibly have in store?!?
We arrive at Duan’s house and everyone scatters and makes themselves comfortable since they are at home. I sit on the couch and try to do the same by watching TV. And to be honest, I was doing ok until a black something runs at me and then under the table as I squeal and see a long black tail follow behind. I scared Jitthe and her daughter who were in the room with me, but they laugh it off and say “rats, rats”. With my Eyebrows raised I try to just concentrate on the tv. Duan comes back from the store and the four of us watch a tv show.
I think that the group realized I was getting restless because Duan says “my daughter-in-law is in university and has an English assignment to do. Will you read this in English for her? It’s a very important assignment and due tomorrow!”
Did she just ask me to do her daughter-in-law’s homework?!?!
Yes, yes she did.
Well I have nothing else better to do and don’t seem to be going home anytime soon. So I read the first page to them and looked up to a bunch of blank stares as they tried to process the words I was reading to them.
“That is not working. Can you read this all and write a summary that we can study with her?”
So I do as I was asked and say “Yay!” Thinking that I’ve completed the task, but the daughter-in-law walks over to me and says
“Oh… One, Two, Three, Four, Five” as she shows me the other 5 pictures of the written assignment on her cell phone. I accidentally let out a cackle as I realized I still had work to do.
So again, I get to work.
I was interrupted and called to the other room.
I walk in and all 10 were already on the floor, set up and ready for a communal eating in the back of a shop within Duan’s house. The group was sitting in a circle on a bamboo mat with a plug in pot in the middle of the circle cooking the soup that we soon ate.
After all that had happened, I couldn’t help be blessed that they were treating me like family. I was part of the circle; Not having money didn’t matter; Doing homework didn’t matter; Being black didn’t matter; Being a foreigner didn’t matter; at this point, I am family.
I was kidnapped for the day and returned an honorary Thai. I think it was worth it. The next day as I prepared to leave Thailand, I gave Duan a couple gifts to show my appreciation for inducting me into her family. And as I walked away she said “come back next year and bring your family!”
I have lived in 6 different cities around US since I’ve moved out of my moms house in 2001. God has blessed me in every city by sending a family who has adopted me and took me in for holidays and special events. If you know college students who are far from home, foreigners that are living in a new place, or singles that are not close to family kidnap them for all the special events and holidays with your family. It’s ministry to love someone particularly at the times when they can feel the most lonesome. Believe me, they will be thankful for being kidnapped.
