Elephant Roundup

Sai reading her part during the presentations (she is in the black with the white on the shoulders)

Well, we just got through the Elephant Roundup in Surin for 2007. This is the big event that is centered in Surin. People come from all over Thailand, even all over the world just to see this event. It lasts for about 4 days and all takes place in my backyard! Every night, there was a concert (at the loudest decibels of course) just across the street, and a fair that is running even to this day. The fair was really something, just like an American carnival with rides and everything, but instead of artery clogging stuff, you could buy bugs or papaya salad, or pad thai. Incredible, we were loving it. Why, they even had Thai bingo going on around every corner. The only difference was the ear-drum busting volume at which the leader bellowed out the numbers. Absolutely deafening.

Elephant Buffet- check out the jaws on this guy!

The first real day started with the presentations by the local schools. We went around with our Thai teacher, Khru Wee, who was given a microphone (always dangerous for a Thai, they love 'em) and proceeded to have us try out the Thai words for every vegetable or fruit featured on the floats.

Hey! No snitching!

It was very good practice, and it was televised. So we are famous... somewhere, we just don't know where. It was a really neat thing to see, the school kids put a lot of work into the floats and the presentations. There was all kinds of Thai dance and traditional music being played, and Sai from Surin Baptist read the English welcome for her school. They had her in all the traditional regalia, she looked great, and did her part perfectly. Made us so proud! She was just one big smile the whole evening.

The elephant Stadium in Surin, just down the street from our house!

The next day, I was told by Khru Wee that I needed to be at the "Elephant Buffet" in the morning. So I finished up my morning class and hurried over to the main road. There, they had large tables piled high with melons, sugar cane, cucumbers, bananas, and various turnips and roots. The elephants paraded in and proceeded to tear into the tables of food. Everybody sat behind the tables and fed the elephants. It's kinda weird to be sitting across the table from a couple ton galoot who is feeding his face with everything in sight. They are so huge and slow, but so very precise with their movements. They are strong enough to do incredible damage, but careful enough to take a melon from a child's hand. Amazing.

The Burmese army reenactors march in

On Saturday, they held the actual Elephant Roundup. This was positively amazing. About 300 some elephants paraded at one time into the arena that they have built. They did cultural shows, elephant demonstrations, and even a reenacted battle. I've never seen anything like it! Our own Archan Jim narrated in English for the "farang" guests. You're looking at the show and understanding the amount of elephants running around in front of you, but it's hard to really fathom that. My favorite part by far though was the battle reenactment. It was Thailand against Burma in costuming that was reminiscent of a couple hundred years ago. So there were swords and spears and such, but also cannons.

The fighters engage! Lots of action!

Very cool costuming though! They had explosions going on all over the field, it was really incredible. Then at the end, they had the king come out on the biggest elephant, a monster of an animal all decorated with gold, and they played the kings song. This is a song that they play all the time here, at 8:00am and 6:00pm every day. So everybody knows it, and is supposed to stand out of respect when they play it. So it made for quite an ending!

Thai traditional dance at ancient ruins

That night we went to a cultural show at some ancient ruins near Surin. Dr. Li and her family took myself, Leah and Amanda to see this. We were expecting to pay for the 100 baht seats (about $3 USD), but she insisted on paying for this, because she was the elder of us. So we let her, assuming this was a cultural thing. Well, this was actually because we didn't sit in the 100 baht section, we sat in the 3000 baht section. Right behind the governor of Surin! Yikes! I felt seriously under-dressed. They started off with a fashion show of Thai silk dresses, so Leah and Amanda were loving that. Then they did a cultural show telling stories of the ruins and legends, etc... There was such beautiful lights and sound, dances and music. All in all, it really gave me a new-found appreciation for this culture and their ways. There are so many things here that ring true of biblical culture. Like the agricultural rice-farming communities, even Thai dance is probably a lot closer to the dance described in the Bible. It puts things in a fresh light. For instance, the descriptions in the Bible of the early and latter rains and how that affected the harvests. Well, here in Thailand things have to happen just right for a good rice harvest, something that a lot of the dear church people depend upon for survival. Too much rain and it drowns the rice, too little, and it withers. You get the picture.

So that was basically the elephant roundup. We had a little more trouble getting around as there were tons of people and literally tons of elephants walking all around Surin. I found myself dodging people and elephants as I motorcycled around the town. What an experience!

-Andrew

A Wonderful Opportunity at SRU

I am still amazed at our Lord. I am honored, humbled... everything at the wonderful chance I had to let these college students know about Jesus. That is all I wanted to do with them, was to let them know that God loved them so much that He came Himself to take care of our sin that we could do nothing about. And I think they understood it. I used many illustrations, both verbal and pictorial, as well as a song at the end. I taught them "How deep the Father's love for us", but had it written in their notes in Thai. I wanted to make sure they understood what it was all about. However, the rest of the lesson was in English (as it is an English class after all!), so I repeated and restated what I was trying to get across. I started off by clarifying some things about Christianity, such as where did it come from. Many people here view Christianity as a European or American religion, so I told them how it really started in the land of Israel in the middle east. I was hoping that would help them to think of this as something that could be for them, instead of writing it off as an attempt to Americanize them.

I told them the story of the gospel as the story of God redeeming mankind to Himself. Think about it, is there a more beautiful story, really? An all powerful God creates man for friendship, and that creation rebels and breaks the one rule that He had set. Because of that, man is separated from his God. Throughout the years, man's attempts to reach God are futile because of his own sin. So God comes down to man Himself and takes the punishment for that sin in the person of Jesus Christ. Because of this, man can be reunited with God. I said more than that, and not using those exact terms, but at the end, I really felt they understood what was being said. And I know they understood the song. I told them over and over again that God loved us so much, that He allowed His own people to kill Him in order to bring us to Him.

I had much freedom to say what I wanted to say, and I certainly am grateful for that, but I was cautioned against pressuring the students. So I simply left it open to come and see me if they had questions about anything. I don't know if they will, but I know they heard about Jesus today. Thank you to all who were praying for this. I want to let all of you know how much we appreciate the prayers, we are excited about the opportunities that God has given us here and are working to make the best use of each one!

I am not sure how many of the students had heard of Jesus before, but I am thankful to God for the chance to present our Savior in such a way. I have found that being here in Thailand makes me think about many things, see things in ways I had not thought of before. It tends to put things in perspective. As I was teaching today, presenting Christ to people who had no idea about this life, it dawned on me yet again the raw power and the incredible love contained in the story of the Jesus. Sure makes it worth dying or living for Him!

Drew

Opportunity of a Life-time...

Hello all you who are praying out there! I wanted to give you a quick prayer request. This week in my "Backgrounds of English Speaking Countries" class, the subject is on religion in English speaking countries. I am planning on taking this opportunity to tell the class about Christianity. Of course, it's not just going to be a history lesson on the church, rather I am going to take them on a 1.5 hour tour through the Bible, looking at what God has done with man, and how that climaxed with the person of Jesus Christ. While I will probably not teach this the exact same way I would in the States (Thailand is open to the gospel, but one shouldn't be careless), it is an incredible opportunity to show them the Way the Truth and the Life. I am going to teach them the song "How deep the Father's love for us" as I believe it embodies the gospel in a clear and powerful way. I have it in Thai with a transliterated copy that I can sing with them. Please be praying that this goes well. Oh, and it's a class of about 60 students, the biggest one I have! But these are the opportunities afforded to me by my position here at SRU. So I praise God that He has put me here and will do the best with the opportunity He has given me. Thank you all, and know that I will report how it goes. I plan on leaving it open ended (I don't think an invitation would be in order...) and inviting them to learn more at the English Bible Study we have on Sundays.

All our love!

Drew

Motorcycle accident

Leah again. Well It happened. I know some of you had bets going.
Friday drew and I where heading out to the local lake near by for some much needed rest time. I was going to drive us there to get my feet wet in driving the motorcycle. As Drew got on the back the bike became unbalanced. I asked him to get off so I could turn the wheel a degree over to get it strait. Suddenly I leaned on the gas to shift, hitting the gas control in the handle. (We where still in my street which is walled on both sides, not on the open road) The bike slammed forward into the wall. I tried reaching for the handle brake but the bike hit me into the wall. The only thing I knew to do was to turn the bike, which was spinning on down the street. It hit a cement flower bed and fell over, spilling me into the street under it. I hurt all over, but I could wiggle every toe and finger. A good sign! All my neighbors came running out into the street. I looked up through my helmet and saw all these nut brown faces jabbering in Thai at me. I was so grateful in that moment for these people. If Drew had not been there they would have gotten me help right away! Drew got me up and they all helped me walk home and get the beck up out of the gutter. They even wanted to take me to the hospital on the back of another motorcycle! Yeah right.... But it was the kindness of these people that meant the most to me. God was so good. Kathy Hayes came right over and helped me clean up and got me to the hospital to check me out. I was so thankful for her and Drew. They kept me smiling through the pain. All of me checked out fine! Just lots of bruises and some road rash. But I am so thankful to God! Even after it happened, I knew that he was in control of it. He had kept me safe. What a blessing that I remembered to wear my jean jacket and pants! When I checked my cloths and my helmet, there was not a scratch, or bump or tear. God literally let me fall without my head hitting a thing. That is a miracle.
I had no control of the bike. And yet God had it all. I am at peace with this and I will get back on that bike again! God is so good!