A Ministry of Presence

As I write this entry, Kalya and I are celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary. We have begun to get plugged in more here in Chiang Mai. When we first planned on coming we knew that we wanted to live in a Thai neighborhood and be more embedded in the culture by just being and showing the love of Christ through our lives. It wasn't at all about setting up a check list of things to, as westerners say, "Gitterdone!", but more looking at our opportunity to be in Kalya's culture and be a part of peoples lives through relationship.

We had a wonderful meeting with one of the directors of New Life Center Foundation a couple of weeks ago and had them mail a packet of information to us. New Life Center is a Thai NGO providing services to over 250 tribal women every year. Education through the 9th grade is the goal as is literacy in Thai. After this the girls are supported in a variety of vocational training to acquire viable employment skills. The women that are taken in range in ages from 12 to 25. Tribal people are not guaranteed automatic Thai citizenship and "this lack of status, coupled with a growing decline in their ability to sustain their traditionally nomadic lifestyle, has left tribal people highly vulnerable to poverty and exploitation." Girls are often lured away from their families under false pretenses to provide for their family and end up being trafficked into abusive labor situations. As Kalya was reading the document, she called me over to look at the materials. What we were reading was finally putting into words exactly what we have felt in our hearts all along about THE WAY we wanted to devote our time here with the people that we encounter. Here are some quotes from the document that we read:

"Ministry of presence has to do with risk. Your most precious gift to give is you. You have come far or near to 'give' to the girls. You may have thought that what you had to give them was your knowledge, your medical supplies, the benefit of your teaching skills, or your money. I challenge you to realize that what you have to give, the most important gift, is the gift of your time, your interest, your laughter and your love. It is the gift, the sacrifice of self....Let her know you need her, are learning from her, appreciate her, and are receiving encouragement and joy from her."

And then a quote in the document from Henri Nouwen:

"Ministry is, first of all, receiving God's blessings from those to whom we minister. What is this blessing? It is a glimpse of the face of God. Seeing God is what heaven is all about! We can see God in the face of Jesus, and we can see the face of Jesus in all those who need our care...We so much need a blessing. The poor are waiting to bless us."

That was all it took. Kalya and I looked at each other and said this is where we need to volunteer our time while we are here. Finally we were able to connect our hearts with the words we had been looking for to describe what our desire was for being here. As we begin to volunteer at New Life Center we want to be fully present to the girls receiving as much from them as we hope to give to them. The same is true at Payap when I am teaching at the school. I want the students to know that they have all of me while I am working with them.

So this has been a time of helping to define our role here and we are looking forward to it. New Life Center really sees Kalya as a very good fit to just be with the girls and the office staff and engage in life with them. They also see the great strength Kalya has in her bi-lingual ability to speak English and Thai and how that can benefit the girls and the office workers. I also will have an opportunity to bring some groups from Payap over to share music at New Life Center and let some of the Christian students that I have share their testimony. This will be huge, because of the somewhat "taboo" nature of the whole issue of trafficking. The students will be allowed to use their gifts to bring joy to the women and, in turn, receive so much more in return. I am very excited to see how this all goes. Please pray for us to:

"revel in the simple
walk in others shoes
borrow others eyes
surrender by seeking humility
practice sincerity
forsake rigidity in favor of spontaneity
relax
loosen our grip
encourage
be encouraged
give the Spirit room (to surprise!)
affirm innate equality
BE PRESENT TO OTHERS IN LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE"

And not only to the students at Payap and the women at New Life Center, but also to our Landlord who is becoming a fast friend, our neighbor who is also our massage therapist and the food lady down the street who we are getting to know as we buy meals often from her. In other words, all who we encounter.

In His presence and grace and love,

Bryan and Kalya

Simply Living Life

I have been getting back into a regular schedule again at school. Last weekend I had a real dose of missing home and questioning being here. This week I am beginning to understand. Relationships are forming with the students. I am beginning to see progress in their work and making new friendships and that is very rewarding to me. I know that I want to be a blessing to them and to pass along my passion for music and look for opportunities to share my faith with them.

As I sat, depressed (in Starbucks of all places) I remember remarking to Kalya that there are so many layers in Thailand. Don't worry, I'm not going to go all Shrek on you. What I mean by the layers is there is this whole "tourist" layer where people come to visit and take in Chiang Mai on their terms going away with a very shallow picture of Chiang Mai and Thailand. They don't realize the wide contrast of poverty and wealth here. It is seen as a very inexpensive holiday. I see a people, on one hand, that work so very hard just to make enough to daily exist while, on the other hand, there are people that are quite well off. Not so different from anywhere else, really. It's just that the contrast is so much more apparent. Tourism is such a huge industry here that many people have found a way to make their living on the tourists that come through town regularly. These merchants seemingly think nothing of setting up their stalls and stands weekly and sometimes daily just to bring in an income selling anything from beautiful pieces of artwork to T-Shirts by the thousands. And selling them very, very cheaply by Western standards. To compare, I was trying to imagine Spokane setting up Pig Out In The Park every weekend like clock-work. Things of that magnitude happen every night in Thailand, especially in places like Chiang Mai which rely so much on tourism. But it's not just catering to the tourists. There are Morning Markets and Evening Markets that cater to the locals, as well.
The hard work that goes into this day in and day out blows me away. I know it's a cultural thing that is just a normal way of life here. But, clashing with that, there is a "Western" ideal that Thailand is continually being bombarded with through television, advertising, billboards and mass marketing. It's so strange to see the culture hit with this when the vast majority will never be able to have most of the things that the advertisements are touting. I am seeing very clearly that where many Thais find their joy is in the simple things. Things as simple as a walk, a bike ride, sitting at a street food stall and having a long leisurely meal with friends and family. I am really beginning to appreciate that again, not unlike when Kalya and I were first married and couldn't afford to do anything but enjoy each other. This is a good lesson to re-learn. This is just a lot of thinking out loud as we try to find our place here. Living in Thailand on a Thai wage has really made me take a look at these things much more closely than I ever did before.

We have noticed how much more slowly things move here (I am not talking about the traffic). The process of getting things done like a vehicle title transfer, to getting a workers permit, to even getting contractual things regarding my job ironed out, move at a very slow pace. Patience is definitely a virtue here in Thailand. Our appointment with the first place we were looking into to volunteer can't happen until August 16, which seems like such a long ways away. We are praying about what other places to look into to see where God might have us work with children and young girls that have been rescued from child trafficking. We are needing patience and discernment in this area, as well.

The rainy season has definitely hit. Our streets within a two block radius around our house were all flooded this weekend with 3 to 4 inches of water filling the entire street. The Ping River is rising and threatening many areas of Chiang Mai. A lot of flooding has already happened and there are many concerned people wondering if their home will be flooded next. In fact, many areas of Thailand, especially in the north, are experiencing this.


There is great potential for mud slides and severe flooding and the heaviest part of the rainy season has not even hit, yet. With this thrown on top of the things that I opened this post with, there is great cause for anxiety here in Thailand. What a need for a Savior and God to put their trust in to supply their needs and take care of them. We hope to somehow be His hands in showing His love and care here.

Lots of rambling, I know, but please know that, while we really miss home, family and friends, I really am enjoying the students here at Payap and the relationships that are developing. We are doing our best to simply live life. Thanks for reading and thanks for your prayers.

Bryan and Kalya