This is a very nice Bible verse, and probably most of us smile inwardly and nod our heads when we read this passage from Jesus himself.  But what happens when something happens to really test if we will live it out in our lives or not?

Last Sabbath i went to the Bangkok SDA Chinese Church, getting there in record time of only 1:15.  The Southeast Asian Union ASI director was preaching there, and had asked me by email the day before to bring some English 1858 Great Controversy books.  Of course i was only too happy to oblige, and had a good time distributing the books to the people, and then listening to him give a sermon word-for-word covering the entire chapter 31 – Covetousness – wonderful!

My friend and i went back together, getting off our bus stop around 4:20, having spent almost 2 hours on the bus.  Arriving at my room, i went to my Acer notebook, and popped in The Miracle Maker CD, and watched that.  While getting the computer set up, i noticed that my shaver that i always leave on top of my little black personal-items travel bag was missing.  “Oh well, it probably just slipped down behind something” i thot, and spent the next hour and a half happily watching the claymation movie of Jesus’ life.

By now Sabbath is over, and i’m feeling hungry, especially since i don’t eat cooked food on the Sabbath anymore, and try to eat sparingly even of the simple food i do partake of.  So i put some split yellow mung beans in the water, and turn on the electric cooker.  Now i get serious about finding the shaver.  I look all around the black travel case – no luck.  I look elsewhere in my little room, thinking that maybe my brain was foggy in the morning, and i had left it somewhere else – no luck.  Something about the clothes in the box where my computer is wasn’t quite right, and hey! my notebook is always put in a black soft case and then inside a white plastic bag, but the plastic bag is on the bottom of the box now – what????!

My heart beats faster as i look at my suitcase.  It looks alright, in the same place.  My fingers slide down to the 3-number lock – my heart almost stops —– the numbers are set totally different than the way i leave them!!!  In a flash i open the suitcase, and look at the pockets where i keep all my money that i’ve earned since coming to Thailand in August – GONE!  I feel weak.  Oh no!  First thing i do is pray, then call my friend.  She and her husband come over pretty quickly, and advise me to fill out a police report.  There is a lot of advice given, like how i shouldn’t have kept so much money in my room, how i should have put an extra lock on my door, how i should have…..  Of course my own head presents me with lots of “what ifs?”, but the most important thing at the moment is to try and recover the stolen money.

…

do to others what you want them to do to youRead More »

In Values class today we reviewed the Mid-term exam.  We spent a little time with the last section, as that dealt with idols.  I drove home the point in several different ways that an idol cannot help you at all – it can’t speak, it can’t move, it’s just a rock or whatever somebody made it to be.  The kids got into too, making statements showing they fully understand that an idol is not going to get up and help you.  One girl, when i asked what an idol was going to do to help you if you have trouble, made the cross-legged position, closed her eyes, and put her fingers in the classic pose of this idol that is seen so often in Thailand, usually golden in color, sitting imposingly in or around a Buddhist temple.  I couldn’t help but laugh, and praised God inwardly that they fully understand that this rock isn’t going to, isn’t able to, cannot possibly, do anything at all, and will certainly not help you!

Then one student mentioned something, and 3 others (his brother was one) chimed in “yes, yes”.  “My mom said that there are good idols, and there are bad idols”.  Well, i was surprised, but quickly responded: “Even the GOOD one, what can it do to help you?  Can it get up and scare off a bad person who wants to hit you?  Can it give you food?  What CAN it do for you?”  They practically shouted out “NOTHING!!”  Praise God, praise God!!  I’m so happy i came here, and so happy that there are at least 7 young kids in Bangkok who have heard, and said it themselves, that idols cannot do anything at all 🙂

I started teaching in August with grade 3 and 4 students together – around 8 in all.  Then a new teacher was hired, and i got the 4 fourth graders only.  One left a month ago, one 2 weeks ago, and now…….i’m down to just one.  Why?  

Well, i started teaching at this school in August, and last Friday our administrator officially announced that the school needs more capital to continue.  I believe he did the right thing by telling all the parents and employees earlier than he is required to by law, as that is the Christian thing to do – to do unto others as you want them to do to you.

 What will happen to me?  I don’t know, but strangely enough, everything is moving pretty much according to what i had hoped for when first coming to this school, just that i did not know the format it would take – this school was not founded according to God’s will, in the country, starting small etc.  It is in a big city, with a huge building.  So no matter how further you purge the dross out, and make the school come closer to the ideal, it still has these two strikes against it.  But i believe that all this happening will somehow be to God’s glory, and that perhaps he has other plans that we don’t see yet (of course he does!)

I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently.  Yesterday i was feeling wretched, because of the partially uncooked garlic-type greens i had eaten on Tuesday, so stayed home.  While waiting for all the poison to get back up and out of my system, i had a chance to pray a lot.  I prayed mostly for the leaders of the school where i work.  They want to know exactly the will of God for them and this school, and wish to follow that will.  It is great working with people who put the will of God first and foremost in their lives 🙂

Bangkok is a much cooler 20C or so at nite, and 31C or so in the daytime – perfect!  If it weren’t for the noise and smells that assault most of the senses, this might be nice….well, no, i know we are supposed to get out of the cities, and if things go well, hopefully all of us following God’s will, will be able to get out of the cities soon.

Got my “non business” visa yesterday.  That lets me stay here for 90 days, but they said i can extend it to one year – good!

 The new health book i’ve been compiling has been on my mind, but off my fingers, ever since i came here from Malaysia.  There i worked on it a lot, and got it just about where i want it, but want others to take a look at it.  I haven’t printed it up, but yesterday a Fuji-Xerox team came to the school and put a gigantic demo model in and told us to do whatever we want with it for 7 days.

Yippee!

With the one-week 1858gc/Bible study in Chiang Mai coming up next week, this is really looking like a God-send 🙂

Yesterday my friend and i went to a small “evangelistic center” in the Thornburi section of Bangkok.  It took us about 2 hours of city bus travel to get there.  This is a Seventh-day Adventist run center, where they are supporting a family from Africa to open up new work and press forward the gospel in this neglected part of “old” Bangkok.

Mostly they teach English and other subjects, and slowly build up contacts and confidence among the people in the community.  Yesterday almost 30 people were there, and it was very nice to see these precious souls who have decided to follow Jesus in this land of Buddhist false-gods.  I think the most encouraged by the visit was the man who is the running the church himself.  In his sermon about Lot leaving Sodom, several times he had my friend and i come up to the front where he said we were like the 2 angels who came to Lot’s place 🙂

He played loud “Christian Country Music” from the VOP singers during lunchtime which was most unfortunate, but i pray the assembled people will want to learn more and more of Christ and spread the word to others.

After that i went to the Bangkok Chinese SDA church.  I met the Union Publishing Director while he was walking out.  He commented again about how he keeps running into me all over the place – ha!  I got my Sabbath clothes that i had left with the pastor when i went to Laos over 1 month ago, and then waited to see if that couple who so eagerly studied the 1858gc with me the previous week were interested in doing so again this week.  I saw the lady rehearsing a song on the stage, and what is that she is holding…..sure looks like a small black book with a golden 10 commandments on it.  Sure enough, when finished, she eagerly calls her husband over and the 3 of us cover chapter 4 in that precious book.  What a wonderful time!

Then i got on the bus, and after sunset, got off at Foodland.  It was my first time to this supermarket.  It is a “high-class” supermarket, with lots of imported items.  I was surprised to see that some of the things were cheaper than at BigC where i usually shop.  It felt a little luxurious/shameful to walk out of the store with only 2 bags and having spent 19usd.  But the kilo of German muesli, fresh-made cream cheese, olives, sda-made pnut butter, whole-wheat bread, japanese sweet potatoes and seaweed, tamarind paste, green peas, tomato soup, and especially the young coconut jelly (yummm!) will last a while i believe.

Tomorrow i have to go to the immigration office again to get my one-year teaching visa.  Then next week i plan to go up to Chiang Mai where i’ve been invited to speak to an assembled group of Thai-Hmong believers.  Lord willing, i plan to talk about the 1260, 1290, and 1335 days – of course all being in the future.

It’s been a long hiatus, but finally some of my pics are back up on the internet – yea!

Went to Safari World in Bangkok last Thursday with all the school students.  It was interesting to see the animal shows, but the large enclosure with the parakeets was probably the highlight.  Like most everything in this country, the facilities were not “world class”, but not terrible either.

Friday afternoon i was “teacher on duty”, so had to babysit the kids until they all go home.  It was great fun being the “horsey” until one 70kg 3rd grader fell on it at an angle — muscle being crused is a yucky feeling.

God is very good, and i’m getting along quite well in everything as far as i know.  Please keep praying for me.