July 15 has been marked on the brain calendar since February as a “big day”, and sure enough, it was.

Malaysia is a Muslim country, officially designated so, and while being more open than most other Muslim countries, is still antagonistic to other faiths.  While i’ve been here, i’ve read in the newspapers about a woman who married a Muslim man, so changed to Islam (easily!), but after her husband’s death decided to switch back to Christianity.  No go.  Everyone here has an identity card, and on it is the religion of the holder.  Also, anyone born here of the Malay race is automatically registered as Muslim when they are born, and it is next to impossible to officially change that status.  All Christian material must have the phrase “For non-Muslims only” printed on it.

But the two Borneo island states of Sarawak and Sabah have a little bit of autonomy, and being non-Malay, the majority of the population is not Muslim.  This concert was planned in the city of Kota Kinabalu in the state of Sabah, being either the biggest or 2nd biggest metropolitan area on the whole island, with perhaps close to 1,000,000 residents.  The approval process dragged on, and many times the church members gathered together to fast and pray for govt. approval.  They decided if it was not approved by May 9, that they would call it all off.

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1,000 voices concertRead More »

Last week in Bangkok, there was a 4 Division wide Literature Evangelist Convention.  My friend thot i would like to go, and she was right, this would be a good opportunity to see some friends i’ve made, and to promote the 1858 Great Controversy book.  I get unofficial approval from a delegate, so am off and away on Thursday afternoon to the site – the Ambassador Hotel.  The bus takes about 1 hour to travel the 6 or 7kms, and while in the bus, i can only think of my friend in Georgia.  He used to be the Mission President there, and now his wife is needing surgery.  I can’t get it out of my mind, so even tho it is my birthday, i take out one of the 5 remaining crisp 10,000yen notes, and for the first time ever in my life, send money by Western Union.  It was quite painless actually.

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departuresRead More »

Two weeks ago was a “hard day”, and knowing how the Lord has been leading recently, i was expecting a “soft day” some time soon.  Well, actually, the “hard day”, was not in a spiritual sense – an apparent defeat for the spread of the 1858gc book, but just a physically hard day.  But the last few days, culminating with the wonderful victories yesterday in spreading this book, have more than made up for many “hard days” 🙂

After the first few days in Sabah, i’ve been living with a family, and going to their clinic every morning to use the internet.  There are three receptionists there, all Adventist, and one of them i met before, when first coming to Sabah in the fall of 2004.  She started talking to me, and in showing her what i’m doing, i held up a 1858 Great Controversy book.  She said she had one, and that every Sabbath afternoon this quarter at her church, the Adventist Youth group are doing a study and quiz on that book.  WOW!  I had met the man she said was leading out in this, and met him on Friday.  He was happy to see the study guide i’ve done for the book (all except 5 chapters), and put it on his computer, laughingly saying that it would save him a lot of time in preparing questions.  It thrilled me to think that i could be a small help to him in this.

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soft dayRead More »

The nite before brought me great joy, when the printer arrived just after Sabbath with 2 boxes full of 100 newly-printed Khmer 1858 Great Controversys.  So with a joyous heart i went to bed.  From 1am – 3am i couldn’t sleep, thinking about what had happened, and what was planned to happen the next day and near future.  The mama cat calling for her one kitty unable to claw it’s way out of a room reminded me of the here and now tho 🙂  After returning to sleep, i dreamed the worst dream i’ve ever had.  Perhaps this was a precusor to what kind of day i was going to have.

Things started out well enough, the young man of the house kindly took me to the Sorya bus company’s station near Central Market.  I arrived at 6:15 for the 6:30 departure time.  Hmmm, our bus is behind another bus that has a “7:00” sign in the front window.  Not good.  Sure enough, we get out of there a bit after 7:00, only to wait another 15 minutes or so just outside the station… Time to eat!  I bite into the crunchy apple, and with some crackers and raisins and p-nuts, makes a standard travelling-fare breakfast.

About an hour later, i realized my stomach was telling me the apple was too acidic.  This happened before to me with apples, when i ate 2 very acidic ones in India in ’98, and paid for it with all my insides for about 16 hours.  It wasn’t as bad as fresh gralic attacks i’ve had several times that have lasted for 2 days, or even the durian in Vietnam last year, but it was bad.  Now i’m on a bus, just starting a long trip back to Bangkok.  What to do?  Pray, pray, pray.

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hard dayRead More »

The bus lets me off at Lumphini park, and i see a tatooed man standing nearby who is going thru his stuff and throwing trash out on the street.  In my heart i despise what he is doing – littering.  Wouldn’t you know it, this is the man God was wanting me to talk to, as he comes over to me and strikes up a conversation, saying he was a mercenary in Afghanistan etc.  I tell him i’m a missionary, and give a short witness as we catch different busses.  Lord, please may that short contact not prove unfruitful.  Sure do wish i had some little pamphlet to hand him…

Of course i go to Pantip computer mart, amaze myself at how the prices for flash memory has fallen, and spend time on the free internet, getting caught up with stuff that had been left when i had to pay by the hour for usage.  I plan to go to Mission College on Wednesday, stay one nite, then go with my friend up to Chaing Mai on Thursday to the first-ever Hmong campmeeting that i first learned about from MaryAnn Mcneilus.  I need to go to Pantip again (of course), but my bus #113 doesn’t come.  Bangkok busses amaze me, in that there are so many busses, and that sometimes the same number bus will be 3 in a row, and then sometimes, the one you want doesn’t come for an hour, and then when it does, the driver doesn’t stop.  Finally i grow tired of waiting, and take #29.  I know it lets me out at the corner of the road going down to Pantip, about a 7 minute walk.  But what i don’t know, is that i’ve left my 17 1858gc books in a white, plastic bag on the bus.  About half way to Pantip it dawns on my memory-challenged mind, that i’m missing something – books!  With a sick feeling i go to Pantip, only to hear that they haven’t looked at my computer yet. 

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in thailand april 2007Read More »

The main reason to be making this trip at this time, is that 3 of my former English students in Japan are taking a trip to Saigon, and we have made plans to meet there.  Also, i wish to push forward the stalled Khmer 1858gc printing.  But i’m a bit afraid that i will be a burden to the people there.

The Cambodian visa people are like always: “1,000baht”.  No, i’ll only pay 20dollars.  “900 baht”. No, here is 20dollars.  “20dollars plus 100baht”.  No!  I’ve seen the Cambodian govt’s web site, and i know it only takes 20dollars.  Here is 20dollars.  Please give me a visa.  “100 baht for express service”.  No thank you.  Five minutes later, there is my passport with the visa in it.  The man standing outside the office talking to people doesn’t have a uniform on, but it is very evident that he is working with the immigration people, splitting all “proceeds” that come in.  Well, have fun splitting the 0 you got from me.  Just maybe you might think that if you didn’t do these kinds of shenanigans, more people might be interested in coming to your country.

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in cambodia-vietnam-cambodia feb-mar 2007Read More »

Starting that Thailand-hopping thing again this year.  This country is just so convenient to travel around SE Asia from, and there are people here who let me stay, and i know where many things that i want are located, and the SDA College is nearby, all things that make me keep coming back again and again.

My computer is on the fritz again!

What to eat for supper?  It is already late, and the vegetable market is closed.  I buy some cooked rice for 5baht (14cents), thinking i’ll just have that with maybe p-nuts for supper, when lo and behold, what is that registering on the back of my irises?  Could it be, yes! it’s pickled plums that my Japanese friend brought me in January!  I had forgotten about them, but they quickly form the main side dish for my supper tonite – yummy 🙂

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in thailand march 2007Read More »

The lady at the tourist information desk at KL Sentral station is very helpful in pointing me to an area where there are many cheap lodgings.  It is just one stop north on the LRT, so i think i should be able to walk it, but she is adamant that it is not walkable.  In looking at the map, i agree that it is not feasible, as Kuala Lumpur is crisscrossed by so many expressways, that it is difficult to walk for far.  So i catch the train, and quickly find a 10myr/nite (almost 3usd) dormitory.  Our tiny cubicle room, without a window, hold 4 people, but only one other guy and i occupy it until around midnite.  Seems that there is some Hindu festival where people poke themselves with sharp objects etc., and get into some ecstasy, and the main procession winds up in some cave.  That attracts many of the tourists here now, but of course i’m revolted by it.  It is nice being in KL again, and i remember this “China-town” area from when i stayed a couple of nites in 1996 on my way back from Cambodia.  KL is getting quite rich, and this “cheap” area may go the way of some skyscraper some day soon.  I hope not.

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in malaysia-singapore jan-mar 2007Read More »

The Air Asia flight was only half full, so got a good 2 hours of sleep by laying out on 3 seats of the brand-new Airbus A320.  With these discount carriers, it is good to get a seat near the rear of the plane.  Usually the last row, and maybe one more, are reserved for flight attendants, but most everyone wants a front seat, so as to get off early, so usually you can find empty rows near the back.  Even with getting off, if, like bangkok, you have go by bus to the terminal, they wait until the last person gets off the plane, so while there may be 2 busses, and those in the very front of the plane get to the terminal 5 minutes earlier, the rest all come at the same time 🙂

The former “Clark Airforce Base” is where the budget airlines come into Manila.  Actually, it is around 80km north of Manila, but there is a bus waiting to take you downtown for 350peso (7usd).  I try to call my friend, but, similar to last time in the Philippines, things just don’t work right.  One telephone doesn’t take coins, and the shop that is supposed to sell cards doesn’t have any, while the other phone doesn’t give any dial tone.  Fortunately, a lady in the bus lets me call on her cell phone, and my friend’s smiling face greets me at the PhilTranco bus terminal downtown.  I was in the Philippines 15 months ago, but in Manila only a couple of days, so don’t remember it well, except that it seemed very, very third world.  Something has changed, and now it only seems very third world – ha!

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in the philippines 2007Read More »

Perhaps instead of focusing on long, country-specific bloggings this year, i should instead try to put more little “incident” postings up….

Getting off bus #551 from the airport at 10:30pm, i adjusted my backpack, set my big black bag holding 50 English 1858gc books onto the ground, and waited for bus #54 to come.  “Show me what’s in your bag!”  A policeman coming up on a motorbike barks at me.  I’m in shock, as i’ve never heard of the police in Thailand asking to see what’s in your bag.  Thinking he might be a fake policeman, i look at him closely, and he asks to see my passport.  Still confused, i oblige.  He looks thru things, says “thank you”, and roars off.  What was that all about?

#54 had come while he was searching me, so i wait another 20 minutes until….one flies by me.  Now i’m getting a bit worried.  Not being sure just where i am, or what time the busses stop running, i edge closer to the light emanating from 7-Eleven.  Good old 7-Eleven!  It’s great to see civilization 🙂  The bus finally comes after waiting over one hour, and i find out quickly that i’m near Victory Monument, where it dumps me out.  The books are just too heavy to carry 45mins back to the Chinese Church, so i take another bus, which lets me out near MBK Plaza, where i ring in the New Year watching many pickup trucks with sirens on screaming their way thru the nite.  I find out later that some bombs had gone off, and 3 people died.  Sure glad i wasn’t caught in it.  My angels must have been on high alert tho. 

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in thailand 2007Read More »

Bangkok, with its friendly SDA Chinese church pastor, easiness to get a visa, freedom of religion, SDA college, and proximity to all the other SE Asian countries, has become a base for my travels in SE Asia.  There is a brand new airport (Suk???) situated a bit out of town, but bus 552 takes me close to Rama IV road.  551 takes you to Victory Monument.  The ticket girl on the bus tries to cheat me out of 5 baht (15cents usd), but i don’t let it pass.  She tells the bus driver about it, and they have a good laugh.  It is great coming from areas of the world where cheating is a common pastime, but done in a gruff, aggressive manner, so the cheating done here with its laugh and smile is much more appreciated.  I was told at the bus station near the airport that i would have to transfer to another bus, so wait about 15 minutes getting my blood thinned out quickly after being in cold climes for awhile.  No bus.  So i start walking to Rama IV road, lugging my two-good-wheeled suitcase behind me and up and down stairs.  I was given two tickets at the station, so thot i should give one to the bus i transfer to, but am told i have to pay again, so i get down.  Finally someone helps me to understand that i have to pay again, so i do for the next bus, a total of 32 and 11 baht for the 2-hour, traffic jammed ride.  Even after just being gone 7 1/2 months, it seems like Bangkok has become richer.  The inner city is definitely cleaner and richer looking than all the countries travelled to since Italy.

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in thailand 2006 – vRead More »

Selamat Pagi from Kudat, Borneo,
Almost one week has passed since coming to Sabah state, Malaysia, and it has been an exhausting, interesting time.  Arriving at the biggest Malay-speaking church coming straight from the airport in the evening, and seeing a table laden with a good number of English 1858GCs and the two-week-old Malay version books too, it made me very, very happy.  And they were selling too!

It was very nice when at the airport, the immigration officer apologized to me for taking so long with the man in front of me!  It was a very, very pleasant shock, as coming from places where surly faces, seemingly uninterested in their work, don’t even pretend to recognize that you are human — starts to make you dislike being a human.  No doubt it is partly because the way that people look at and treat them.  Anyway, this SE Asia attitude and way of looking at people is very sweet to be the receipient of.  I give a big, surprised smile back to him, tell him it is no problem, and walk out with an extra spring in my step 🙂

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in malaysia 2006Read More »