The Mays’ Weblog

Sawat dee Krup again.

I want to say a few words about our Easter break. If you want a lot of words then visit www.ajoliver.org for Adrian’s blow by blow account of our time. I also took no photos as Adrian took thousands so see his gallery at www.ajoliver.org/gallery2/v/2006/Spring/Thailand/, currently empty which is rather surprising as Adrian has been home 4 hours already. What is he doing?

It was a real pleasure to spend some quality time with Adrian and Jenny again, and of course our children really enjoyed having Tom, David and Jessica around. We had a great week here in Chiangmai before heading south to KhaoLak. I cannot remember much about what we did other than spending a night at the Reservoir at MaeNgat near MaeTang which was great fun. I am coming to realise that I am not blessed with rapid recall of events. If you were to ask me “did you have a good weekend?” my features would contort with the effort of trying to remember what I actually did with the last 48 hours. It is not that my life is boring, but just that I have not catalogued the events that have occurred. When I am greeted by someone in the street it takes me just that half a second too long to remember their name so all they get is “Oh Hi there ..ermm”. When I am invited to tell a joke the only one that I can remember is about a chicken and a road, even though I must have heard hundreds over the years… I could go on but will spare you any more details. If you share this malady then I would love to hear from you – perhaps there is a self-help group out there in cyberspace, if anybody can remember the URL.

On the other hand I can remember that we had a GREAT time with our friends and are sorry to see them go and are truly grateful for them enriching our lives.

I also know that the time we had in KhaoLak was a spiritually exciting time. Each area in Thailand seems to have a different spirit about it that is tangible. Here in Chiangmai there is an exciting sense of being at a hub of what God is doing in Northern Thailand and the surrounding nations. Pattaya had an oppressive spirit of hedonism, lost ness and abandonment and the missionaries there need our prayers to stand upright in the task that God has called them to do and hold up Jesus as a light in the darkness.

KhaoLak on the other hand, in the province of Pang-nga, 520km south of Bangkok, has a real spirit of brokenness and openness after their tsunami devastation just over a year ago. The children at the summer camp were a delight to be with. They were soft-hearted and friendly, affectionate and playful and seemed to really appreciate the things that were organised for them. I went round with a group of about 9 children aged 8-10 roughly, and we had fun. My Thai is limited but they were kind and helped me practice how to get it right. Esther worked with Jenny, Bronwen and Kirsty doing craft which was one of the favourite sessions each day from what I heard. They did a great job.

Our children were also on team and they enjoyed the extra responsibility of helping out and befriending the Thai children. Jacob got given flowers by some of the girls there! It was also very good to have out new English friends the Coes with us there, where Matt led the games beautifully and his boys Callum and Dylan  helped out. 

We are hoping to return next year if possible.

It was very good to be able to be there for Josiah’s baptism in the sea at KhaoLak on the last night there. Wonderful sunset, thunder etc. We were pleased to be able to represent the Arun family there, with the Olivers too, in witnessing this significant moment for Josiah and share Jeremy and Kirsty’s pleasure in this. See http://j3k.co.uk for their blog and photos.

Among many other things, when the camp was finished and while near Pattaya, we were able to take part in a church meeting in a converted chicken house with Niti, a friend we met through Thomas. We, the Mays, with the Olivers and the Hyttedalens doubled their number as we worshipped in Thai and English (concurrently). This is a small house church about 6 months old which is growing and it was good to share communion with them and then a meal afterwards. I know that we were blessed by the opportunity and hope that they were too! We are excited by all that God is doing here in this wonderful country and privileged to be able to witness it and be part of it.

Well, we are back at school now, with only about 8 weeks until we are back in the UK for the summer!

Bye again, with love, 

Andrew and Esther, Jacob, Luke, Mollie and Isaac XXXXXX