Flood

I'm a terrible blogger.  Terrible.  But I so rarely feel the urge to write this time around.  It's strange.  But, an update is well overdue.  I've been well, and healthy, and all that stuff, but...

Mae Sot has been under steady rainfall for the past few weeks, and is currently mopping up after their worst flood in a decade.  Compasio has been trying to do their part for relief, checking in on the communities we serve and helping with material distribution (mostly food at this point - Feed My Starving Children food, no less.)  There were 24 homes lost in the dump and some 60 people are huddled in a nearby school in need of food and blankets.  Our Muslim shanty towns suffer similar issues - unable to work (farming and trash sorting) because of the floods and therefore unable to put food on the table.  And their roofs leak like crazy.  And the clinic flooded and needs diapers...it kind of goes on and on, and neighboring areas (including Burma just across the border) have had it even worse.

I, personally, am doing just fine.  My house survived, as did the homes of the rest of our staff and the kids we take care of.  The Compasio office didn't fare as well, but we managed to get most things upstairs to the second floor and get trucks moved to higher ground before the water took over.  There will be differentials to drain and some other vehicle maintenance stuff (at least one motorbike used by the Safehouse staff didn't survive) to keep me busy, that's for sure.  We don't have running water at the house since the flood, and with four people living here our stores are running low for bucket showers.  I've taken on the look and smell of a tired wet dog! :)  Thankfully, the power here at the house has been steady.

Other projects are ongoing: the drop in center for street kids and vocational training just moved to a new location (our lease was up), the Safehouse and Grace Home (formerly prison baby home, for kids who's parents are in jail) kids get bigger and more awesome everyday, and the infant home has six little ones now - SuSu, with the rare skin disorder actually turns three in September!  We lose one soon, but it's good:  Plop goes to live with his grandmother in Aug.  We also continue to visit the garbage dump community twice a week for food distribution, building rapport and friendships, and providing basic medical care.  The schedule is full, even without a flood to make things extra interesting!

I say "trying to do their part for relief" because honestly, Compasio is kind of poor right now.  We've got our ear to the needs here, but can't meet them at the moment because all this stuff costs money we don't have.  Our staff took donations and raised nearly $10k baht (around $330) plus bags of clothes and some blankets, and that's a start but the need is great. Would you consider making a donation?  If helping us out sounds good to you, please visit www.compasio.org.  Every bit counts, and dollars go further over here too - a nice dinner of panaeng curry and rice runs me about 2 $USD.

Sorry this ended up a fundraising plea, but there'a a lot of people who could use your help out here.  Thanks for reading.

adam

Tighten Your Lugnuts or You’ll Get the Epic Mega Poohs

From my VAST experience here, they seem unavoidable for very long: that’s right, the poohs.  The combination of irregular sleep, my natural tendency to dehydrate myself, and the different food caught up to me today, first relieving me of my (pretty tasty, really) breakfast this morning from one end and then the floodgates ensued out the other.  Just what you were hoping to read about, I know.  Kellie and Daniel set me up with some doses of ORS, an electrolyte-laden re-hydration drink mix sort of like Gatorade and Charmaine, the Compasio grandma (her words, really!) sent me home to rest for the day, which sets me up well to sit around and write for a change.  The only other thing I’ll say about this episode is that I’m operating out of a household of Burmese dudes that DOES NOT USE TOILET PAPER.  What??!  Luckily I found some and was invited to keep it handy and didn’t have to explore any alternatives.  Sheldon would not approve.  J

I missed a portion of class that I was really enjoying, too.  We divided into four smaller groups and put together action plans for different hypothetical situations in Mae Sot based on what we’ve learned so far in the Compasio Training School.  My group had a situation where a 6-mos pregnant woman with an 11-year old daughter needed support after her husband was murdered in a field near the garbage dump.  Only thing is that these weren’t hypothetical situations at all, and we got to hear how Compasio dealt with the situations, loved the people involved, and helped provide hope and healing.  Just after my group presented (John Stephen and Eh Htoo Shee were awesome), my day got all digestive on me.

I’ve had the good fortune to visit all of our children’s homes by now, and the kids are healthy and happy and awesome!  Su Su especially is a miracle baby and will turn three in Oct, walking around quite well despite her issues and babbling playfully like a happy little toddler.  It’s almost tear-jerking when I think about how far she’s come!  The new babies in the infant home are ridiculously cute, if headstrong sometimes, and I have really enjoyed my visits with them.  The safehouse and grace home (formerly prison baby home) kids are also looking great and have been a joy to reunite with.  Saturday night, I played an exhausting version of ping pong with Siri and the three elder safehouse boys that involved running around the table and hitting the ball in turn to keep the volley going. Sorry - I’m not quite in picture-taking mode yet, as I’ll wait until these relationships build a little more before becoming my normal paparazzi self.  I’ll have a lot in my facebook album before too long, but If you want to see pictures, there’s lots on the Compasio website at www.compasio.org.

I’ve also visited the dump a couple times (a new thing the kids love are these wet colored pencils we use to draw temporary tattoos, glasses, fu man chu beards, etc),  helped lead worship for our Wed evening get togethers, refinished some poorly built tables we use for class with a couple other guys, charged up a car battery with the scariest battery charger I’ve ever seen (I don’t blame Bob at all for not wanting to touch it) in our Mitsubishi wagon that might eventually need replaced (the battery and the car, actually), and handled a bit of a broken wheel issue on our old Land Rover.  Do me a favor:  go outside and tighten your wheel lugnuts.  Right now.  Preventing your wheels from falling off should be among your top priorities as a responsible motorist.  Just sayin’. 

At the dump, we ran across a woman whose husband has been at the clinic for four months with some kind of infection or disease going on in his arm.  We haven’t seen it firsthand yet, but it sounds terrible and is progressing up his arm with seeping sores – whatever treatment they’re going for at the clinic doesn’t sound like it’s working, and for a garbage-picker to lose an arm would be devastating.  Another woman has a staple inside her from a C-section EIGHT YEARS AGO…she will need a surgery to remove it and we’re working with her to defray the costs.  So, yeah, there’s lots of stuff to pray about and do around here, and your support is so much appreciated!

Every day is a gift, even the ones that ravage your intestines.  Hope you’ve had a good week!

Oh, and I’m feeling much better – it’s evening now, raining softly (earlier it was a crazy windy downpour) and should be a good night for rest.

Back in Thailand - 2013!

Hi there!  I’m writing from my hotel in Chiang Mai – I’m back in Thailand for another season with Compasio on the Thai/Burma border, and very excited to be back!  Last time I wrote quite a bit about the journey travelling here but I’ll spare you most of that this time.  I’ll just say that the sushi in Tokyo is pretty good, and that 5 airports, two taxi rides, two guesthouses and ZERO bus rides (or complications!) later I’m here, decently-rested, and grateful.  All that remains is a 6 hr car trip from Chiang Mai to Mae Sot, where I’ll be living until October.  If you're one of the people that's been praying for traveling mercies for me, that definitely was the case.  I even......wait for it......SLEPT (some) ON THE PLANE.  This never happens, except for the kind where I fall asleep for a nanosecond and, failing to balance it properly on my neck,  immediately loll my noggin backwards with an alarming snort and jar myself awake, looking around to see if anyone saw me.  They never do, because they're all dreaming away like comatose babies.  Jerks.  The only thing that would count as a complication was the fact that the luggage for our flight from Tokyo to Bangkok took a good hour to show up at the carousel, and this was after we sifted our way through the customs line.  The helpful prerecorded message over the PA told us that our baggage was delayed for...(pause)..."other reasons."  I don't know what the other choices were that were not covered by our circumstance, but it lets the imagination wander.  Not mechanical?  Not weather?  Not unruly monkeys?  Anyway...

I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be here again and work with these wonderful children alongside a tremendous staff in a beautiful place!  Bonus: it seems like this can be a long term arrangement – I’ve got a new employer back in the states that will work me part time and turn me loose to come back to Thailand every year – kind of six months on, six months off.  This time it works out to about 4 1/2 months in Thailand before I need to be back in Colorado in October.  Besides work, I’ll be a new uncle this fall when my brother and his wife welcome to the world their first kiddos – twins! – and I want to be around for some of that insomniac diaper-changing extravabonzo.  No, really.

So, differences this time:  I’ll be doing a lot of the same sort of fix-it-guy type stuff and from what I hear, there are a few things that need some attention.  But, I’ll be also going to class every day with a new round of Compasio Training School.  The organization wants all the staff and volunteers to attend either this school or a DTS (through YWAM) or some other sort of “Hey, so you’re a missionary, here’s some baseline stuff you ought to know” training – stuff about culture, child development, language, how Compasio does its mission, how not to be trampled by street kids, that sort of thing.  It’ll be good to know and a solid foundation to build on.  Another difference will be living conditions – in 2010 I stayed in a guest house in town, by myself, and this year I’ll be living with three Burmese guys (also Compasio people) and have a really good opportunity to absorb some language and be perpetually confused :).  A third difference will be the staff – there are several people here who are the same as before, which is awesome, but also a lot of new people.  I’m not worried about it, but there’s always a danger when you return of expecting it to be just like it was – and a lot of how it was had to do with other volunteers or staff who have since moved on to other things or other roles with Compasio – so there will be some adjustment needed and a re-determining of where I fit in the mix.  Like I said, not worried, but I need to go in realizing it will be different this time and each time after that.

Today, I’m hoping to get some phone stuff figured out (might jailbreak/unlock my iphone, ever try that?) and deliver some of the things I carried over here from the states to the Browns – it’ll be good to lighten my luggage a bit, and great to see them!

Thank you again for your prayers!

--------

Ever do something kind of epic, let some time pass, and then try to experience it again?  How’d that go?

last day teaching

Today was just an amazing day, so I have to write another post.  I had a great day teaching with the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, and they were really cool when they heard it was my last day, and seemed honestly bummed that I wouldn't be back for a while...they wanted my phone number and email so they could keep in touch.  Of course, they're elementary kids, so who knows, but there might be some time on translation websites in my future to keep up with them!  :)  To think that a couple months ago I was down on this teaching job is just an amazing thing to me, but God has kicked my butt again.  I will miss those kids a lot, and if I do come back I'll know more Thai so I can really communicate.

Tonight, a lot of my Mae Sot/Compasio family met at the Jungle Restaurant for a sendoff of sorts...I hadn't been to this restaurant before and it's a really neat atmosphere of trees, rocks, waterfalls, and lilly pads.  Even the bathrooms are pretty sweet and unique!  It was fantastic, and I was touched by how many people turned out.  I truly have a home here, with wonderful people and amazing work.  I knew it would be so, but it's going to be very hard to leave in three days.  There's a lot going on - Christmas parties to come for the school, Safe House, Baby House, and Dump Community, plus a party at the Thai church where some of our kids will sing.  Somewhere in there I need to think about packing!

Please pray with me that despite the hectic schedule, I do right by all the people here in my last few days, that I spend time where I need to and say goodbye well.  This has been an amazing experience for me, and I sincerely thank you for your support!

In Him,
adam

Ten Days

Time flies.  It really does.  In less than 10 days, I’ll be headed back to CO.  Hard to believe my time here is nearly up!

Since I wrote last, we finished painting, cleaning, and furnishing the new infant care home.  Dara, the new caretaker for Su Su, will move in next week!  Thanks for your prayers on Su Su in particular…her skin looks good after a good picking and lotion application, and she is cooing, smiling, and chattering like babies do.  There is even a family that is (very early stages) considering the adoption of a special needs child that might provide her a permanent loving home, too, which would be a total answer to prayer.  We’re not jumping up and down yet; there’s still some work to be done getting Su Su some paperwork so she can even be adopted, but since this is what we hope for her it’s hard for me to not get a little excited.

Thursday night at the dump was particularly cool.  I don’t know exactly what it was, but everything seemed to be clicking well.  Four kids rotated happily through the four badminton rackets that we brought (I used one until the fourth kid came along and wanted to play) with little to no conflict.  About 20 other little kids went to town on a stack of coloring books that we bring every week.  So many of them came to show me their pages when they were finished, it was pretty sweet.  The medical people went about the houses, interviewing people for health checks and treated a few people for minor things.  Also, this was the first time in a while that I either didn’t see more houses hiding among the trees or a house didn’t move or get built or torn down since the last time, so I don’t have to make any changes to my map this time!  That’s super rare!

Today was a fun day – I went with a few other Compasio friends to a Christmas celebration in town put on by the schools.  There was a parade (that I was in…didn’t really plan on that part) through town, and then a bunch of group games (tug of war, 3-legged race (with 7 people), a few others), music, food, and some light rain that didn’t last long.

Tonight, we had a small Christmas party of our own…more food (Mexican night at Rachel’s), Christmas music, a White Elephant gift exchange, and a movie (Elf).  Fun people that I will miss a lot!  Trying not to think about that too much for the moment.

Tomorrow morning, I leave early with a few friends to go visit a small village between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai called Doi Chang.  It’s a community of coffee plantation workers where Sia grew up and I’m told it’s really beautiful.  It’ll be great!  So I’m on a road trip for the next 4-5 days, returning to email, facebook, hot water, and that sort of stuff sometime on the 21^st or 22^nd.  Good times!

When I get back, it’ll be a pretty hectic pace getting ready for Christmas and getting ready to leave Thailand, so I’m not sure there will be another blog post.  If you’re on facebook, that’s probably the best place to get updates.

Thank you!!

Teaching English

You know by now that I teach English to 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th graders at one of the Thai schools here in Mae Sot.  You also know that this was a frustrating assignment for me until a friend helped fix my attitude.  Since then, I’ve had a lot of fun with it though I still doubt my effectiveness.  My classes today went pretty well.  I taught the 4^th graders from the book; they’re learning “can” and “can’t” and what can do what.  Can a tiger fly?  No, a tiger can’t fly.  Can you wash the dishes?  Heck no, I did them yesterday.  We also talked about sports they play, and I am proud that all my 4^th graders now want to be hockey players.  =)  Fifth grade was tougher…their book is hung up on food, and it’s really kind of boring.  We slogged through this odd exercise telling them how to make a tuna sandwich…really?  But it did give me the chance to teach some shapes (something gets cut into squares in the recipe) and different eating utensils and dishes (stuff gets mixed in a bowl).  Then, we went outside and pointed out stuff in the schoolyard and parking area, and I think they liked that. We mixed it up between natural things like plants, leaves, rocks, dirt and sand, and (of course) car parts.  My timing was perfect, too – we settled back into the classroom, did our “Thank you Teacher” and “see you next week” rituals, and the hour was up.   Then another teacher rolled on up into the room and ruined everything.  The way my caveman self understood it:  No 6^th grade this week, stay here for another hour.  Anyone who has to listen to me for two hours is bound to be miserable, but we made it through talking about numbers and clothing, and not once did I whack my noggin on this low-hanging cage for a television, the way I have done TWICE in previous weeks.  I’m a slow learner.  Anyway, it ended well, and several kids wanted my autograph in their little lesson books.  Ha!

There’s no school next Thursday.  I’m going to miss them.  Strange how things turn around, isn't it?

After a great lunch with the other teachers at school,  I rounded out the day with painting at the new infant care home til about 8, then a quick visit with Su Su and then to Casa Mia for a ridiculous beef burger and fries.  More painting tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers!

Visa Run

Recently (Dec 3) I went on what the locals here call a visa run – as in, my 90 days are running out, and I need to extend my visa for 30 more days.  The idea, months ago, was to go 3 miles down the street to Burma, walk across the bridge, and get my stamp.  It wasn’t to be, as the border with Burma here has been closed and seems it will stay that way for another 4 months or so.  But, I still had to get out of the country because the fee for overstaying your visa is like 500B/day, which for those into following exchange rates closely, converts to “sucky.”  I selected the cheapest flight I could find, to Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia.  I didn’t leave the airport, and took one picture from the plane as we descended.  I don’t really count it as a place I’ve visited.

The side benefit of such a run though, was another trip to Bangkok.  This time I would visit Ake, a friend of my brother’s whom I’d met several times when she was living in Denver.  She showed me a good time and took me to some great food, including some salty sea bass at a cool place by the river where we could watch the occasional practice firework or lantern for the King’s birthday celebration to come.  I contributed to the agenda by suggesting the Saxophone Club, a cool jazz restaurant and bar with great music and more fantastic food.  All three bands were excellent and the three of us (joined by Ake’s friend Frank) rocked out and ate ourselves silly.  The third night of food came from one of Ake’s favorite places, which I am not to reveal to the immense readership of this blog.  Whatever.   =)  It’s called “Papaya Salad,” and was incredible!  The four of us (this time also joined by my friend Rachel, also with Compasio and happening through Bangkok at the time) topped it off with ice cream sundaes. 

Other points about visa runs:

1.  Don’t write your old visa number on your entry card when you get to immigration in Bangkok on the way back.  You used that visa already, and aren’t really extending anything.  You get a new 30 days with no visa.  Writing it in there gets you a stern talking-to from the immigration guy.

2.  Stern immigration guys are turned into happy fun immigration guys by small electrical fires. 

 

3.  For those ever tempted or have even thought of mentioning the whole Adam and Eve thing (it’s really funny to Thai and Burmese familiar with the Bible story because they don't run into "Adams" very often), wait no longer:  I found Eve.  It’s a guy, and he works at the Starbucks in BKK.  I so wanted my picture with him, but the place was busy and there were ‘no cameras’ signs up.  It was a short relationship, unfortunately:  I gave him 60B, he gave me a banana-chocolate chip muffin, and it was over between us.  A fleeting, magical moment.

Ok, so the story on #2:  When I got back to Thailand something unusual happened - I was in the passport check line and finally got my turn, and I was a little nervous because I'd never done this before.  I could totally see the guy saying "hey, your visa has already been used, what are you trying to pull here?" and having to call Allan at Compasio and tell him I was stuck at the airport.  Because I dorked up and wrote my old visa number on my entry card he had to call me to the desk to ask me about it, and when I explained he was nice enough, but vaguely annoyed and he shooed me back to stand on the line, a bit back from the desk.  All the desks have these electric fans on them.  Little ones, maybe 10" in diameter, on plastic bases that clamp to the top shelf on the desk.  Well - no sooner than the agent shooed me back than I see his fan start sparking inside the base.  The cord had been twisted around and abused to the point of wearing through the insulation - a little fire was starting as the insulation burned.  So I'm like, "Uh, can I tell you something?"  He's looking down at his work.  "Hey, yeah, you got a little fire goin' on there," and I point to his fan.  He looks up at me, questioningly, and right on cue the fan goes BANG very loudly and flashes brightly as the wires shorted together.  He jumped...it was awesome.  The fire didn't last, it just fizzled out after the electricity wasn't flowing anymore, but it was smoking pretty nicely.   After that he was all smiles and laughing with me.  It’s true:  nothing breaks the ice like fire. =)