Crossing Cultures

This past Saturday I attended a Seder, or Passover, dinner at Chiangmai Christian Fellowship church.  While a bit difficult to pull off because 1. we're not Jewish and 2. we're in Thailand, I thought it was beautifully done and a great reminder that Easter is coming. Yes, I have committed to practicing Lent this year and deepening my relationship with God, but not hearing sermons regarding this season and the holiday to come has made it easy for it to slip to the back of my mind ... especially as I get caught up in everyday living in Thailand and the curve-balls that come at me each week.

We went through the order (seder literally means order) of blessings, eating, drinking, remembering the sadness and bitterness of the Israelites and how God delivered they from the Egyptians.  It seems to me that very few Christians have been able to participate in a Passover meal, or know what one involves and what the different symbols associated with it represents.  The actual meal we ate was catered by a local Middle Eastern restaurant and featured deliciously flavored chicken, salad, falafel, humus, and pita bread.  Not quite at traditional Passover meal, but at least it was close.

On Monday, I joined Jonathan on a short trip to visit The Life Center.  We took two Hmong American girls with us and dropped them off  at a Karen/Hmong village where they will be volunteering for the next 2 weeks.  While both girls were born in the states, both had extended family living in either Laos or Thailand.

We were greeted in the Karen/Hmong village at lunch time with a splendid spread of Karen food.  Our plates overflowed with rice, perfectly seasoned morning glory and potato yellow curry, savory stir fry beans with pork, fried pork (that tastes like bacon), juicy watermelon, sweet pineapple, and one of my favorite fruits: green mango.  This was probably one of the best meals I've had to date.  And I proved it ... not by simply saying that it was a great meal (even though I did that), but I had generous second and third helpings of rice--proving that their cooking and hospitality was more that satisfactory.  While I wasn't able to interact with any of the Hmong villagers (Jonathan and I had to head over to the Life Center), Jonathan pointed out an interesting difference between Hmong and Karen homes.  Karen homes tend to be elevated and 'built on stilts,' while Hmong homes are built level on the ground.

After a few more hours bumping up, down, and around mountains in Jonathan's truck, we finally arrived at the Life Center.  While pointing out the different buildings and explaining their uses, who should pull up on a motorbike, but the most loving, bubbly, and cheerful Karen woman.  I was immediately wrapped into the biggest hug this tiny woman could give me and welcomed with the warmest smile.  I had finally met Tatumo.

How can you not feel loved, when greeted by this smiling face?

The Life Center itself is wonderfully located outside the village, in a naturally beautiful location.  Tatumo and her husband, Tatupa have put a lot of work into making the place look even more beautiful and welcoming to those looking to break free from the powerful drug and alcohol addictions.  You could really feel God's peace and His desire to restore and heal you throughout this place ... you couldn't escape it by walking up to the 'guys dorm,' or down to the stream, or in the kitchen, or out by Jonathan's rabbits, or by crossing the bridge over the pond.  His presence settled over the entire Center.  Unfortunately, His presence isn't always felt by those who come to the Life Center to break free from addiction ... of the 7 who started this last cycle, only 3 made a concerted effort to turn their lives around and graduated.  A bit disappointing, but when you see the impact the Life Center has made over the years, and the impact the graduated students have made throughout the surrounding mountains, it reminds all of us that God is faithful.  That it is His work in the students' lives and in Northern Thailand ... it's nothing we can do, but everything He can do.

During this short trip, I was also able to visit Tatumo and Tatupa's home in the village, where they live when they don't have students at the Life Center.  A classic Karen design, though only slightly raised ... with the kitchen separate from the rest of the house and mostly made out of bamboo, and a wooden living/sleeping area.  Both the Life Center and their house in the village are surrounding by fruit trees and vegetable gardens, but at the house, Tatumo has 3 pigs!  We had an enjoyable time, walking around the village house, naming different fruits and vegetables in Thai, Karen and English.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to be welcomed into the lives and work of Tatumo and Tatupa.  Their strength and faith is a wonderful encouragement to me and great testimony to the work God is doing through them and the Life Center.

On Saturday I'll join Jonathan on a visit to the sustainable agriculture program, lead by Witoon in Chiang Rai.  While slightly disappointed I'll miss a majority of the Thai New Year/Water Fight/Songkran festivities, I'm excited to experience something brand new! I was able to "play water" while here for the semester, but I didn't go to a Lahu/Akah village and that's where I'll be headed on Saturday.

Thanks for joining this journey with me ... your prayers and financial support me a lot to me, and I love being able to share my experiences with you through this blog and my newsletter updates.

All the best,
Hannah