The Worldwide Banjo

Andrew playing banjo in Buutsagaan, Mongolia (2003) [Note the Mongolian Mandolin]

Well, it's official... the banjo is the new worldwide instrument of this century. Amazing that while I cannot speak a lot of Thai, I can speak perfect Thai with a banjo, whether playing their songs or songs I grew up with, when I play, the message is plain. In any language. This banjo has been all over the place... Apache reservations in Arizona, the steppes of Mongolia, and now the jungles of Thailand. Now just so you don't get worried about my sanity, there is a point to this.

We had the opportunity to have a unique guest over this past week. His name is Michael, and he is a fellow teacher here at SRU. But he doesn't teach English, he teaches science. Oh, and he's not American, English or Australian. He's Israeli. He spends half the year in Surin teaching, then spends the other half in Tel Aviv teaching. So he is fluent in Hebrew, Thai and English (perhaps others, but that's what I know). Oh yeah, and he is a big fan of bluegrass. If that doesn't make your head spin, I don't know what will.

Since we had met him a month or so ago, and he found out we played bluegrass and such, he has been practically stalking us itching to get into a picking session. So after being hunted down at a fair, we set up a lunch with him at our place. So last week, I picked him up guitar in tow and took him to our house. We played this and that, most I knew, some I didn't. At the end he played and sang a Jewish song from the Bible, but he didn't know where. He is not a believer in Jesus Christ, but I was glad that God gave us this opportunity to be a light and to build a relationship with him. I am praying that God gives us another opportunity to speak more directly with him about spiritual things. He was quite a talker actually, but really wanted to talk mostly about which bluegrass festivals he had been to in the US. After about 20 festivals, we desperately tried to get the conversation elsewhere! We thank God for each opportunity He gives here in Thailand. We are learning the value of relationships. Here, it is extremely easy to build a relationship, at least on a surface level. People are generally open and accepting unless you give them a really good reason not to like you. Keep praying that God will use us in whatever way He sees fit!