Real Life: I Live in a Thai Village

The race so far has been wonderful, fun, exhausting, trying, life-giving and beautiful. Everything is different and there is no way I could have prepared myself for it.
I am living every moment of my life with 5 other people. When I wake up they are there, when I eat they dine with me, when I talk they are listening and when I go to bed they are the ones bidding me “sweet dreams!” There is no time a part and we are, in every sense, doing life together. They are not normal roommates that you can walk away from or close your door to when they annoy or frustrate you. They are always there. But, they are the roommates that are always there. Always praying, always loving, always fighting for you and for the cause. We are a team.
Then there are the other “roommates”, our host family. What wonderful people! Ma and Pa, as we call them, do not speak any English, but have so much love for the Lord and people that it needs no translation to understand. My guess is they are in their late 50s/early 60s. Ma could be a chef, she is such a great cook and has given us a lesson or two. Dad is just plain ridiculous. At any given time you will find him on his motorbike, shirt pulled up over his belly yelling, “uh, uh!” He loves teaching us Thai and is just as eager to learn English. We also share space with our 2 translators, Pom and Ice, who are still learning English which makes for interesting conversations.
Me: what are we having for dinner?
Pom: pork gill
Me: I’m not sure I knew that pigs have gills. Did I hear you correctly?
Pom: yes, pork gill. Put pork on fire.
Me: oh yes, grilled pork. Of course.
They are a lot of fun and we have enjoyed their company.
Speaking of food… Thankfully, Ma has an American son-in-law who has helped her master the art of cooking for Westerners’ stomachs without losing Thai authenticity. We have had everything from frog, ants, fried rice, Pad Thai and a delicious dish called Laip. It includes cilantro, lime and mint leaves, need i say more? There are even some meals where we see “the process” from start to finish, meaning you can hear it quacking one minute and the next it’s on your plate. I also really love how spicy everything is, but if you know me this should not come as a shock to you.
We pray over the village every morning, walking its streets and reading Scripture. Spiritual warfare is definitely real here and we are boldly praying against it. During the day, we teach English at the village school (see post) and every afternoon, the kids from the village meet at Ma and Pa’s. We play games, sing songs, and share a Bible story or skit. This is a wonderful ministry that started long before we arrived. After school the kids show up and play hard until sundown. This is where the village will catch fire for the Lord. These kids are the future of Thailand and will be the leaders who change this country for Christ. This has been our prayer over and again, that they would blaze like wildfire through these villages and be the voice of a generation.