Learning Thai

Eliza turned five yesterday!! Her birthday comes at the very hottest part of the year, so we thought it would be fun to have a "snow party." We turned the air conditioning in her bedroom waaaay up, hung snowflakes from the ceiling, had a snowman cake and watched a snowy movie. Our thermometer was reading 98 degrees so it a good way to escape!

Some pictures of the festivities

Winter wonderland. Well, sort of.

Opening her presents. Loved the homemade doll clothes, Grandma Mast and the books and money, Rhodes Grandparents and purple dress, Aunt Anita!

Don't worry- we ate him before he melted.

Earlier in the day we celebrated with breakfast in bed for the b'day princess, followed by a treasure hunt to find her birthday gift, a Hello Kitty bike, and and then a trip to an indoor funland....

Breakfast in bed for the birthday princess, with her favorite, kiwi.

The Daddy-designed treasure hunt lead from the rabbit's food bowl to a Madeline book to an orange tree out front and all over the house before ending up with a key that unlocked Silas's room where she found...this!

We had fun discovering Funerium for the first time. We loved the bike track, the separate baby play area, the big slides and ball pit with ball vacuum and ball blower.

Silas was addicted to this big slide (even though it was for 5-13 year olds! E. was too scared!)

Eliza loved the trampoline.

So, in spite of the heat (Tom wondered if there is such a thing as "bitterly hot". Yesterday was. Other words? Scorching, boiling, roasting. You literally did not want to be in the sun for five minutes)....and a few birthday meltdowns, scraped knees, etc, we all had a lot of fun celebrating Eliza Grace.

-Candice

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We got back last night from a three-day team retreat at a nearby guesthouse. It was a good time of Bible study, praying, and planning and I think we all came back feeling simultaneously refreshed and like we've got a lot to do! The kids enjoyed the change of pace as well and they even got to play in a sprinkler in a yard - a first for all of them!

When we got home last evening I had received an email from an English student who I was scheduled to meet today. We meet near his office in the main banking/business area of Bangkok which has recently become the scene of a standoff between the security forces and a group of red-shirt protesters. He strongly advised that we cancel the class for today. Here's part of his email:

"Silom is now like a Bagdad in Iraq .. :( .. full of polices and solders .. There is a rumor that there may be crackdown in this couple days .. So, I then recommend you to not get in around here...Even me and my staffs we have to check news from our spy in Red Shirt Mob and asked from Solders who we sponsor for waters and some foods to trade off with internal news .. which we highly hope that they will inform us early once there is a command to fight...Many many office around here close for safe .. it seems like there is nothing .. everything goes in peaceful .. but there is like a under water wave .. moving in around here .. there is more solders and polices more and more in everyday .. and as I notices ..there are many strange people hide themselves as Silom worker .. I think they are spy from Red Shirt to check activities and news in Silom area...I have never face the situation like this before .. I think this time is the worst I have found in my live."

A few hours after he sent the email he sent me a text message saying that there had been explosions at the nearby skytrain station while he was there. Over the course of a couple of hours last night someone shot 5 grenades into the skytrain station and surrounding areas killing at least one person and injuring dozens.

We're obviously saddened by the violence and the situation in the city remains very tense. In our neighborhood we are unaffected and will continue to take precautions to make sure we're as safe as possible. Thanks for your prayers for this country.

-Tom

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We're celebrating our fourth Song Kran (Thai New Year) this year! As always it means: water wars, colorful shirts, loud music, an emptier neighborhood (most people go home to their provinces to see family), and a holiday mood for three days.

Survived one battle and ready for more!

Neighbor kids at our gate this morning armed and dangerous! :) There is a major waterfight on our patio right now and the girls are still in their nightgowns!

He's got a water balloon and he's not afraid to use it.

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many of you may have heard about the ongoing political turmoil in Thailand. The "red shirts" (supporters of the former prime minister currently living in exile and opponents of the current government) have been in the city for several weeks. They are demanding that the parliament be dissolved and new elections held. Their most attention-getting activity was donating blood and then pouring it out on the gates of the government house and the prime minister's residence.

They have also taken over a key intersection in the heart of Bangkok's shopping district and have camped out there for nearly a week. So far the army and the police have refused to use force against them (although a few hours ago they did fire tear gas in an unsuccessful attempt to keep the protesters out of a satellite TV center).

As foreigners and relative newcomers here it is difficult to understand the root causes of this conflict - but it is a serious divide within Thai society that has some ominous implications for the future. The protests are taking a serious toll on businesses and on the stress-level of Bangkok residents who have to put up with the traffic jams and threat of violence.

Anyway, after reading about the carnival-like atmosphere of the red shirt rallies I decided to get a closer look this morning when I went into the city to meet a student. I got off the train at a nearby station and, since the situation looked pretty safe, decided to venture in. It was like a big party. They were playing music with people singing and dancing on the stage. Everyone in the entire area was shaking their foot or heart-shaped clappers in time with the music. All-in-all it was a bizarre scene. One of the busiest streets in Bangkok was empty except for the crowd around the stage in the intersection. Food vendors were doing a brisk business up and down the sidewalks and many of the tired protesters were sitting or sleeping in the shade of a huge mall (that has been closed for a week because of the protest).

The red shirts are continuing to do "roving protests" in violation of the government's emergency decrees.

It was really strange to see the streets empty except for food vendors.

These enterprising people were giving foot massages to the tired protesters.

We invite you to join us in praying for peace in Thailand. The Thai New Year's holiday is coming up next week and similar protests over this holiday last year did turn violent.

After I left the protest I went to meet my student and read in the Bangkok Post that "Foreigners are warned to stay away from the protest sites." Candice thinks that sounds like good advice, so I probably won't be doing any more first-hand reporting!

-Tom

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Claire kept a journal during the trip. She wrote about one of our favorite days in Laos visiting Wat Phou (ruins of an ancient Khmer temple - dated as early as the 6th century).... and taking a boat to an island in the Mekong River for swimming.

"Today we went to some old ruins. I liked the climbing part. Going up was easy but going down was harder. Then we went home to our hotel in Laos. We had naps there and we all went to an island. We swam. Me and Eliza made sand pies. It was fun! Then we had a boat ride home. We ate at a really yummy restaurant. The moon was really pretty. It was red at first, then it turned to silver. My favorite part of the day was eating all that laap and all the pretty flowers at the ruins."

-Claire

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Self portrait by Claire.

Claire was having that classic problem of not being able to see what was written on the chalkboard in her classroom. So, I took her for her first eye exam yesterday, and sure enough, glasses are needed. Fortunately, it seems that seven year olds LOVE needing glasses. :)

-Candice

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

One of the highlights of our recent trip to northeastern Thailand and Laos was participating in a worship service with the local believers. They meet as a large group on the last Sunday of each month so they were celebrating Easter a week early. We are always encouraged by our interaction with these brothers and sisters. Their testimonies are amazing and it's obvious that their relationship with Jesus makes a real impact in their lives. We're hoping and praying that someday there will be more groups like this all over the country.

They started the service off with a baptism. I had the opportunity to sit with these new believers before the service as they reviewed the Bible verses they've been memorizing over the past weeks. One of the ladies cannot read, but one of the elders was encouraging her that through memorization she can always have God's word with her. Elisha, the REACH team leader, asked the church leaders to re-baptize him and they were happy to do that.

We had communion - using sticky rice instead of bread since bread is categorized as a snack here while sticky rice is a necessity. So, it makes sense that Jesus is the "sticky rice of life" not just the bread.

There was a short drama depicting the death and resurrection of Jesus. In spite of the somber subject matter the combination of the charcoal beards and eyebrows and the enthusiastic over-acting by Jesus' persecutors had the crowd laughing heartily.

The drama ended in a celebratory dance and Eliza joined in.

After the worship service we enjoyed a huge meal together - lots of fish, vegetables, taro soup, jackfruit salad, and of course, sticky rice.

After the meal there was a mock beauty pageant involving the oldest ladies in the congregation. They dressed up, put on a lot of makeup, stuck flowers in their hair and then paraded around and answered silly questions from the "pageant hosts." Even without understanding all of the plays-on-words and inside jokes, it was pretty funny. Mae Khun, our host mom for the weekend, was one of the participants. Afterward, she gave her paper crown and sash to Eliza.

-Tom

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last week we went with the REACH team to Ubon Ratchathani province in northeastern Thailand. The purpose of the trip was for the REACH team to learn more about Thai culture through experiencing life in the countryside (where most Thais live or come from) and to visit with a church group there.

Our family stayed in the very small village of Palanchay with Mae Khun, an elderly lady who is one of the leaders in the church. She was a very kind hostess and particularly enjoyed talking to Silas – and he was fascinated by her. It was encouraging to see her dedication to the church and she had some amazing stories about miracles that she's witnessed as part of the church's prayer team.

The pace of life in the village was a big change from Bangkok – we had lots of time on our hands and we weren’t always sure what to do with ourselves! Although we enjoyed the break we all agree that we’re happy in the city!
We also had to adjust to some different kinds of food – fried salted fish for breakfast, sticky rice for every meal of the day, a mixture of fish, mango and onions, etc. We weren’t sure how the kids would handle the new diet but they all did really well. In fact, Eliza did a better job of eating there than she normally does at home! The most difficult part of the time was just being out of our element and not knowing what was going to happen next. Mae Khun had to spend a lot of time at the church and we were left behind wondering whether she was going to come back to cook supper or if we should try to fend for ourselves. We also had to get used to bucket showers and washing the dishes on a table outside. But all in all it was a good adventure and we were able to laugh at our own confusion and ineptitude.

Mae Khun's house - we all slept downstairs on a raised platform under mosquito nets. We weren't sure how sleeping as a family would go - but the kids behaved very well. We all went to bed really early and were woken by the roosters in the morning.

Mae Khun makes and sells brooms.

Much of the activity in the village takes place in front of the houses (or under the houses that are built on stilts) where it's shady and cooler than indoors. People spend a lot of time there - eating, working, napping, and socializing.

Several neighborhood kids enjoyed coming over to check us out and learn a little English during our time there.

We ate all of our meals like this - on a mat on the porch.

Silas enjoyed napping in the hammock.

Every morning the monks from the nearby temple would walk out to collect alms.

On our last morning Mae Khun was cooking us a breakfast when the songtaew (large truck with benches in the back) that we were taking to the Laos border came by. She quickly bagged up the food and we took it with us and ate it at the bus station. The girls loved the fish and I had to fight with them to get my share!

-Tom

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Easter this year.....

Coloring eggs

Breakfast and worship and communion with our friends

Claire on the egg hunt

"I found one!"

First egg hunt

Easter treats.

Thanks for the peeps, Aunt Anita!!

Two families (the Ringers and Shoenhals) of EMM workers also joined us for Easter, so the kids had some playmates for the day!! As you can see from all those sweaty faces, it was a hot, hot Thailand Easter (way up in the 90s).

"Lift then your voices in triumph on high, for Jesus has risen and man shall not die!"

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

At Vat Phou in Laos

We're back!! Thank you so much to all of you from LCF and other friends and family who prayed for our trip. It was blessed. We had a good home stay in Ubon and enjoyed worshipping with the believers there. And our three day trip into Laos was great too- we visited temple ruins, swam in the Mekong, ate lots of good fish and beef and bread and generally enjoyed a little break. We have lots of pictures to show you, but we're having a weekend of catching up and getting ready for Easter, so we'll save that for next week. We just wanted to let you know that we're home safe and had a great trip! Happy Easter!

Posted by Tom & Candice Mast at 07:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)