Learning Thai

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