You use what you have……you know what you know…..
It’s fairly primitive living in the village we are residing in this month; and yet it feels more like home then any place I have been to on the race. We are staying with a wonderful Thai family, on their base, in the Nong Buaban village in Chaiyaphum Thailand. Ram is our main contact, and she happens to be the only one who speaks somewhat fluent English in the entire village. Her family also happens to be one of the only two Christian families in this Buddhist town.
Ram is about 3 months pregnant and following the Lord’s call to bring her people to Him. Her husband Nan, a jack of all trades, has joined forces with her; and mentors many of the local children. Ram’s parents Pa and Ma also live with us…..probably some of the cutest grandparents you could ever meet. They both talk to us all day, in Thai, as if we understand what they are saying. The entire family lives on the Lord’s provisions, as they don’t have any income. Ram quit her job to do ministry fulltime and there isn’t any work in the village. Our team is here to help them build up their ministry and to teach the locals English……yet it’s been so much more. Here is what our days may look like…….
The village wakes up early. By about 5:15 AM, Thai music is blaring over the loudspeakers all over the village, roosters are crowing, dogs are barking, and the people are up and about. Huge buffalo are herded down the dirt roads, adding their scuffuling hoof noises to the sounds. Eventually the music evolves into a man belting out announcements in Thai…..usually messages about raising money for the Temples. We eat a simple breakfast and coffee (or Milo) at 6:30 and begin work at 7.
It is important to start early, as the temperature soars over 100 degrees quickly. Many days are spent bending and twisting wires to make post forms; shoveling dirt, rocks, and mix to make cement; carrying cement cinderblocks; and building a cement brick wall. I have macheted weeds, spread truck loads of dirt to cover a road, with a shovel; and dug holes with a hoe. Nan is village smart and has created tools with the materials he has: a wrench is rope and sticks, a level is string and a heavy weight. I have also sweated more then I ever thought possible, even when standing 
completely still. It has gotten to the point where I bucket shower with my clothes on, midday.
By around 10, many break off to begin the English lessons/bible stories. Sometime after that, some of us might help prepare our lunch for the day. Usually that involves sitting cross legged on bamboo mats (made by Ma) under the bamboo shelter, slicing ingredients and crushing spices. The food is 
either cooked over the open fire or on the one electrical burner they have, in a huge wok.
Lunch is at noon, always delicious, and then we usually have the afternoons off. The whole village kind of takes a break from the heat…..sleeping or doing as little as possible. The local kids have gotten in the habit of hanging around us and sharing their Halls candy. Dinner is usually around 6:30 and recently we have headed to one of the local temples, at 8:00PM, for dance practice. We are learning Thai dancing and will be performing for the Governor of the province, with about 50 Thai women. Periodically, we will pile into the back of a pickup truck (tight fit for 11 girls) and drive an hour to a grocery store.
This way of living is very slow and truthfully sometimes boring; but it leaves a lot of time to 
contemplate and talk to God. A lot of sweat and love goes into the work at the base; and though Nan can’t fully communicate with us, sometimes one word and gestures is enough. I have learned to read him and to stay a step ahead, knowing what he would want me to do. “Alycia, mix concrete,” he calls and holds up two hands. So I start shoveling 10 buckets each of rocks and dirt to begin the process. We all joke and laugh like family, and though I am so sore at the end of the day…..it’s okay. Working with an attitude of service and love is the most important aspect. It’s all God asks for sometimes. It is what motivates our contacts, giving them hope to keep persuing their ministry. Actions can speak so much louder then words; and silence can awe us so much more then voices. This includes our shaky communication with the children, but they don’t care. Smiles, games, hugs, and laughter are all they really ask for from us.
I usually crawl into bed (a flat mattress under a mosquito net with Emily and Sarah) sometime after 10PM (or before), with the luxury of a fan circulating the air around us. I don’t even remember falling asleep, it’s that instantaneous. The day begins early again, the next morning……..
How amazing. That we are serving so simply and yet it is stirring up things around us. It takes a village to raise a child, they say; well it takes one person and one action to make a difference.
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