The Bees are Gone

Where do I even begin with this update? Let me start by explaining the title! Right across from our house was a gigantic bee hive. Now, these bees never bothered us, other than flying around our outside lights at night. Even then, they weren't a menace. One day I even saw them swarming around the tree, a cloud so thick you could hardly see the leaves. Lots of people walked by every day, but not once (as far as I know) did the bees give chase. Well, someone complained about the potential of harm, despite the lengthy proof that they weren't harmful. So, the muban admin decided to remove the bee nest. It was quite the spectacle! The men doing it simply donned thin plastic raincoats, the kind you buy from 7-Eleven for 2 bucks, climbed the tree, and start hacking away at the hive. Down below others tried to create smoke so as to calm the bees.

Today, the bees are gone. It is all quiet. I wonder what will happen to all the beautiful flowers and trees in the muban; surely the bees helped it grow. And the spiritual lesson—I am not sure. There is often a spiritual lesson in what I observe going on around us, but this one eludes me. If you have an insight, tell me!

All I can say is, the bees are gone. They didn't need to be. And maybe that is what is tugging at my heart. Life moves on.

At GIS, Michelle is thriving as one of the Grade 4 teachers. Her students just adore her, and like at BFA, many want to come to school just to be in class with Michelle! I don't recall ever having a teacher that had that effect on me… do you? Her team members are hard-working and full of good cheer. Her principle is even another WECer! Michelle worries sometimes whether she is doing a good job, so I point out how the students feel, and ask her how many complaints she has received – none? Well, there is a good answer! It is a lot of work though, and Michelle does fret about how much time away from us, from Liberty and Van, she needs. However, when Michelle stays after class to grade assignments or prep a lesson, Liberty and Van also stay for their sports. In the end, Michelle gets to drive one of them home.

You know what IS new and different this time in Asia? We are living in a house. Actually, over our entire time serving overseas this is only the second house we have been able to live in. All our other places were either apartments in an apartment building, or one unit in a larger 3 unit building. This house doesn't have a yard per se, but it does have an outside area. We don't use it as much as we envisioned, mostly because the mosquitos were there first! But there is a nice patio entry, a small parking spot, trees and bushes all around. It is even 2 stories, and all our bedrooms are on the second floor. The kids are happy as their rooms are bigger than most of the previous places.

The muban we live in has several other expat families, some of whom serve at GIS. Others are in ministry of one kind or another. It is funny though that expats generally don't greet other expats we haven't met yet; it's like we are all in China still! So after seeing others a few times walking around the muban, and then at GIS, results in a nice hello and handshake the next time we cross paths.

Speaking of expats in Chiang Mai, you might be interested to know that some estimates reckon there are more than 4000 missionaries in Chiang Mai! Now, they aren't all WECers, that's for sure. And I think this number includes such groups as Catholics, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses. But still, that's a large number! Why so many? Chiang Mai is a good place to base an agency out of, and many do so. They use Chiang Mai for conferences and meetings, and as a place for rest for those serving in tough surrounding countries. But work IN Thailand is on-going, and only a very small percent of Thai have believed in Jesus. An article you may like to read is here, from Christianity Today. One of the reasons is typical: inability to contextualize the Gospel. What's marked though is how even the Thai who believed seem to have inherited a mindset that seemingly removes or diminishes their own ability to explain or share what they believe in. Yet, it really isn't all that different from Germany, nor France, and definitely not Central Asia, this divide between sharing and understanding.

Every place holds new opportunities. Van has reignited a love for motorbikes. The pics I've shared below show that he has long loved motorbikes (haven't we all?) Well, for some reason, motorbiking is super popular here in Thailand. It is #5 on a global list of number of motorbikes; the US is 14th, and Canada 36th. Lots of expat families have at least one, and that means their kids have one, too. Of course, the majority do not, due to the risk of injury or death. You may recall that a student at GIS just recently passed away due to a motorbike accident he had; we heard from another parent whose child, having turned 18, got their car licence and within a week had rear-ended someone else (just recently)! Now, these accidents can happen at home too, but it just adds to the stress when it happens in a foreign country. At any rate, after talking with the parents of the kids who do ride motorbikes and being assured that they don't speed or otherwise drive recklessly, we opted to let Van go on outings.

As usual, my goal is make this a regular place to share about our life here. Be sure to come and check it out!