Gospel revival at the church in Udon Thani this weekend

TG picked us up Friday night about 5 p.m. and went by the bus station to pick up a couple coming in from Vientiane, Laos.   Their bus was late, so we didn't arrive at the church building until after 7 p.m. and the building was full of people.   We sat outside the door in plastic chairs and enjoyed the evening cool with a full moon overhead.  

Piles of shoes were between us and the door as people in Asia take their shoes off before entering a building.   I whispered to Ron to see if he saw a pair that he liked better than his own. From the packed building and the pile of shoes outside the main door, I think there were about 150 in attendance.   With a membership of only about 20 on Sunday, this was a large crowd to support this meeting. 

The speaker spoke Thai, so we didn't understand anything but when it was over about 9 p.m. we got to see two of our safe house fathers from Laos.  One came all the way from Luang Prabang in northern Laos.   We met some members of the church that came with them.   Then we got to see our friends from Ft. Smith, AR and meet the people who came with them.   After a short fellowship time, we all disbursed to our respective places for the evening.

TG came at 8:15 to pick us up Saturday morning.  While we waited for her outside our condo, I took these pictures down the street.  

The building was not as full as it was Friday night.  There may have been 75 in the building.  Most of those attending the lectures Saturday morning were young men.  Perhaps this group of lectures were intended to encourage and promote these young men to preach the gospel.   I know a number of Bible school students came on the 8-hour drive from Bangkok. 

I think one reason there were fewer people was because they were behind the building preparing the food for lunch.   I'm sure there were at least 25 men and women working in various jobs around the building.   

This lady owns a small restaurant in Bangkok, so she came to help with the food preparation.   

The planning and preparations were done well. They had enough tables and chairs for everyone.  

We got some information about how to soak sticky rice for 3 hours before steaming and a plant boiled in water produces a blue color that turns the sticky rice blue.   There are medicinal benefits from the blue water of the plant.  Many leaves from plants ae used in cooking or eating raw.   Meg thought these girls were pulling leaves from a mint plant.   

TG helped make the shelters.   She got on a ladder and put the roofs on.    

Jerry Canfield spoke at 10:30 a.m.   Patinya, the minister from a church in Bangkok, was his translator.  Once he finished, they sang a few songs and then we were dismissed for lunch.   

Meg Canfield told me the Americans were going to the mall for lunch and they would like for us to come with them.   We were all concerned about the food they were preparing, either because it would be too spicy, or we might get sick from bacteria.    People from outside of Asia do not have stomachs equipped to handle certain bacteria that Asian people consume daily.   Plants washed or food cooked in unsterilized water will give us Montezuma's Revenge in a few hours.   

Two drivers took our American group to the mall, and we had a fabulous meal and fellowship with them.   We ate at the same good seafood restaurant where Ron and I went for our Thanksgiving lunch.  Being Saturday, it was packed with people, and we got the last table available.   It was excellent food and service, so everyone was pleased.  We parted after lunch as they were getting Uber transportation back to their hotel and we were returning to our condo.   

The meeting was continuing until late tonight and through the morning service on Sunday.    We will not attend again with all lectures in Thai.   I think the gospel meeting was a success from everyone's viewpoint and they really seemed to enjoy the fellowship.   I wondered where everyone stayed overnight and then upon arrival Saturday morning, I saw the many tents all over the rice field adjoining the church property.   

With nights about 68 degrees, I hope they brought blankets.  Everyone looked as fresh and clean as if they had just come from luxury hotel room showers.    

The weather is very pleasant at this time of the year with warm afternoons in the 80's and low humidity.  It was a perfect time to hold this event 

Events such as this are very popular in Asia to encourage Christians to keep on with the good work.    

They had a big meeting in Nepal this weekend also.   I will post a segment about it with some pictures they sent me.   

Progress is slow

The painting of the house will be completed this week.   The outside was finished at the end of last week and the work inside continues.   There are many windows in the house.   

This is great for wind flow to keep it cool but time-consuming to paint the windows and the trim, in addition to the metal ironwork.  It is beautiful so we have left it on all the windows even though it is not really needed for security.    

The electrician says the rewiring will be completed by the end of December    That will almost complete the work inside the house.   There is still much to be done outside with the drainage ditches, yard and garden work.   

Yesterday, we went to the VISA office to extend our VISAs for another 45 days.   After January 15th, we have to leave Thailand and return to start another tenure here.   Ron's passport is out of pages, so he had to send it to the U.S. Embassy today in Bangkok with an application to request a new passport.  The embassies used to add pages, but they said they will not do that any longer but promise to issue a new passport within 30 days.  We are surely hoping that is true and Ron will receive his back before January 15th. 

The VISA offices are racking up a lot of money as they renew passports for the "grandfathers."   That is what we call the old men who come here and take up with Thai women.  They are like a swinging door going in and out of the VISA offices to renew their VISAs for another 45 days.    We call them grandfathers as they are usually twice as old as the women.   This is almost as bad as trafficking even though these women willingly accept the offer to take care of an old man in desperation for a better life.   I think they are expecting these men to die soon and leave them a fortune, but I seriously doubt that will ever happen.  They are using the women as slaves/prostitutes.

Ron and TG bought a lot of things for the house today   Ron said it bothers him that people may consider him one of the "grandfathers" on these buying sprees.   They probably think he is building a house just for TG.   She is 36 and about the age an old man of 85 would choose for his companion.  The problem for me to go with them is the long hours of waiting and walking in the stores without anywhere to sit.   After about 4-6 hours of trailing along behind them as they purchase things, my back is killing me.

They have purchased bunk beds and the mattress pads for the beds (not really mattresses as we know them), lockers for them to use for their clothing and personal items for privacy.   The girls will have a plastic bin underneath their bed to store their underclothes and t-shirts.    Today, Ron purchased a washing machine.   Girls will still handwash their underclothing and small items, but they will use the washer for heavy clothing, sheets, towels, and blankets.  

Speaking of blankets, yes, they are needed before morning at this season of the year.   It is winter here!  It was 68 this morning and the next week's forecast had one morning in the 50's.   The afternoon temperatures are in the 80's.   I'm not sure how long this cooler weather will last.   The Thai people wear jackets and sweaters but many of them ride motorbikes and it is chilly weather to them.

Some friends are coming in on Friday from Ft. Smith, AR, traveling with some of their friends.  They have done mission work at this small church for more than 20 years.  They have a revival scheduled this weekend.  The meeting will start Friday night, continue all day on Saturday and end on Sunday.   

TG told us the minister from Bangkok is bringing some from his Bible school students to do the cooking.   This small church is in the middle of a rice field and very primitive, so they have no kitchen.  They have a shed where they wash the dishes after a fellowship.  I imagine they will bring grilles to do the cooking.  TG said they will serve breakfast about 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.   She said they will prepare non-spicy food for the American visitors.    I am more concerned about the food not being refrigerated during the day on Saturday.  Ron and I may take our own lunch since we don't want to end up with an upset stomach.

The building has only wooden seats so we will have to take our pillows as our old backs can't take the hard seats for hours at a time.   It will be a long day to sit on hard benches when you don't understand anything being said.  Speakers will be Thai-speaking except for the time when Jerry Canfield from Ft Smith speaks.   Ron and I may have to take Uber back to the condo before the activities for the day are finished.

I will take pictures of this revival and post next week.   Thanks for following our progress.  

What is life like in Udon Thani?

At first, we only had internet on the hot spot from Ron's phone.   When I stayed at the condo and he went to the safe house, the bank or to purchase supplies for the renovation of the house, I did not have a phone or internet service.   He and TG tried to get internet through the condo and Ron tried to get it through TRUE, the internet phone company.   

TG's mother went to the U.S. the 2nd week of November.   Her son is married to an American girl, and they live in Lubbock, TX.   I thought she just went for a visit but in about a week, TG said we could buy a sim card for her mother's phone, and I could use it while we are here so I could call her or Ron and use the hotspot for internet.    I asked her how long her mother would be away, and she said she got a green card and had gone there to live.    That solved one problem very nicely.    TG added her number and Ron's phone number and showed me how to use the phone. 

Remember, everything is in the Thai language so you can't assume you can figure anything out easily without help.   

Shopping can be a challenge as there will be a few words in English, but the majority of the products will have only Thai.   You would be shocked to see the variety of food available in the supermarkets.  They are very big on snacks and there are packages of everything...crisp dried fruit chips, salmon skin chips, pork skins, cookies that are probably made from egg whites, or thin noodle like snacks that Ron refers to as salted air.  Ron can't read the ingredients to complain about too much sugar or fat.  And, 90% of the snack packages are unidentifiable to us.   Yet, we have seen very few overweight people.  Meats are very expensive but most everything else is cheap.   Fruits, vegetables and flowers are very fresh and beautiful.

There is heavy traffic early morning and late afternoon.   Driving is on the left side of the road but there are no horns blowing or rudeness by any of the drivers.   They are very calm and courteous as there are few traffic lights and many streets coming together at a roundabout where tires are piled up in the center.   There is a steady flow of late model cars and motorbikes, and the motorbikes are traveling the fastest.   We have not seen any accidents.

We continue to use Grab (Uber) drivers as Ron has an account set up on his phone.   When calling for a ride, he types in where we want to go (i.e. Central Plaza, Lotus supermarket) so the driver knows where to take us, and he can tell our location from the phone call.   We do not pay as it is charged to our credit card set up on the account.   This makes it easy not having to have the right change.   Rides are also cheap and fair.  They have nice, late model cars and drivers are always courteous.   We are told the tag number and kind of car that is on its way and how long it will be before the car arrives.   There are no restrictions here about using phones in the car.   Drivers use it for their GPS system and sometimes use it to ask questions and to translate.  Most of the drivers do not know much English but most workers in the mall are very fluent in English.  

Another convenience that we have not seen in the U.S. is the method of paying at a store or restaurant.  Ron can pull up an app on the phone and photo the (QR Code) matrix bar code on the clerk's phone and it will transfer funds directly from our bank to their bank.  The transaction comes up on the phone to register the transaction and you can verify the amount is correct.  This code system was designed by the Japanese in 1994.   No cash is needed, nor a credit card.    It is like using a debit card in the U.S. 

There will not be many vendors at the open fresh market across the street until after 5 p.m. each day. But stores are along every street with no grouping of the same types of things.  A restaurant may be in the center of businesses selling other kinds of things.    

People seem to spend their evenings shopping and eating.   The streets are so busy with cars and motorbikes, we can hardly get across the street.  Motorbikes are parked along the sidewalks and there's little space to walk.   Private businesses set up tables, chairs and racks of things to sell along the sidewalks and many are actually cooking food and selling it as people walk by.   It is very cheap to eat street food and it appears many Thai people get off work and eat along these places before they go home for the evenings.    They are used to the bacterial level of the water and contaminated foods that may have been out in the sun for hours, but we would be sick within a few hours of eating street food   It smells and looks delicious.

When we were in China, at the congregation in Beijing, an American girl attending a university there, was always sick from eating street food.   One Sunday, she told us that was why she missed services so often.   We asked why she continued to eat street food and she admitted that it was cheap and delicious.

Copied from the internet:   The Tung Sri Muang Festival is one of the biggest annual festivals in Udon Thani and one of the most important ones for the Thai people.   There is no religious significance to it.  The main objective of the festival is to honor the King, hence it begins a few days prior to the King's birthday.   It begins on December 1 each year and runs through about the 12th.   It is an opportunity for citizens of Udon Thani and the rest of Thailand to support and encourage the expression of the local culture and Chinese mixed culture blended together.

As this festival is underway, we see a section of the streets set up with everything imaginable for sale by vendors.  A large amount of wooden furniture can be seen and there will be clothing and food.   Crowds will stream through the vendors every night with festivities going on for hours.   

We will not go and expose ourselves to Covid-19.   We do not know the number of cases here, but everyone is wearing a mask; even on a motorbike or driving alone in a car, people will still have a mask on.  

There are Christmas decorations in the mall but nowhere else that we have noticed.   Hotels and places where tourists are located will have wreaths, trees and other Christmas decorations.   It is not an official holiday since Buddhist is the official "religion" in Thailand.   Life goes on as usual but Thai people still enjoy a party and a family dinner on December 25th.  They don't have the usual turkey and ham but often have roasted chicken and other special dishes.  Children have Santa visits at schools to bring sweets and small gifts.   

We do not see as many Buddhist temples or monks here in Udon Thani as in Bangkok or most cities in Laos.  I am sure there are some beautiful and famous temples for tourists, but I have only seen a few as we are driving by.  

I will take pictures again soon and post them in later blogs.   This segment is just for those who have time and interest to read more about life in Thailand.

God bless you all!   I appreciate our family and friends who follow up on this blog and on Facebook.

Pictures taken by TG of the progress of the painting

 Here are additional pictures of before and after of the house   There is a significant difference!

Progress on the work at the safe house

 We went to the safe house Saturday morning to check on the progress and to pay the workers for the week.   The painting continues outside and inside.    We had thunderstorms two afternoons which caused some delay in getting the outside painting done.   The man who is also the carpenter, is painting the outside while his wife and daughter are painting the inside.    He is now working from a scaffold on the second floor on the left side of the house.    He expects to get the painting done within another week.

This is a very hard-working man.   He can do many things from carpentry, painting to drainage work.  Although he is not a professional at these jobs, he knows how to do many kinds of work and he is very diligent to do the best he can.  The quality of work in Asia is not like in the U.S., but it is acceptable here and especially for a 40-year-old house that has been neglected for many years.   

When the electrician wires the house, some lines will have to be put in conduit along the walls, but they can be painted when he completes his work    He has not even started as there are no 3-phase lines run outside in this area.   The house is outside the city limits of Udon Thani, but the electrician is working with officials to get the lines installed to this area.   When that is done, he will begin wiring the house. He said it would take about two weeks.  The electrical will cost almost $3,000.   The cost of paint has been high also as the old wood is soaking up paint.  

More purchasing of supplies, equipment and furnishings were done this past week. 

A fridge and bunk beds were purchased, and pricing was checked at different stores for other items to be bought soon.    

When the painter is finished outside, he will begin work on the drain.  Large drainage pipes were delivered for the French drain that will be done on two sides of the house to prevent flooding.  

The drop ceiling in the kitchen is complete but lighting still has to be installed when the electrician begins his work.  

The inside painting is really brightening up the rooms.   

Ceiling of living room being painted.

The iron work on the windows is being painted black with a small brush so it is tedious and time-consuming work.   

The ironwork on the upstairs windows has been removed for safety purposes.  The girls could go out the windows and onto the roof that is not too high for them to escape a fire.  

The full weeks' work for these three people was about 29,000 baht equals about $800 U.S.  This did not include TG's salary and mileage on her car.  The total weeks' salaries for four workers were about $1,000 U.S.  They worked very hard, but these are good wages for them, and they are grateful for the work   TG keeps track of everyone's time and figures the wages of each job at the normal rate of pay.    

Thanksgiving In Thailand

When we were working in St. Bart, French West Indies (island in the Caribbean) there was one French restaurant that prepared a traditional Thanksgiving meal for tourists.   I think it was good but still no family means a less happy occasion.   

This year, we decided to go to the Central Plaza mall here in Udon Thani, Thailand and find a good restaurant for lunch.   The last time we were at the mall, we saw this restaurant that looked really good, so we decided to try it.   

They had a place to check a person for fever at the door, the first I have seen since we arrived.  Ron said every business had them operating in Chiang Mai, Thailand last year.   We see everyone wearing masks, but I think most cases are in other cities, such as Bangkok.   

I asked the waitress to take our picture, so this was made while we were waiting for our food.   

Ron ordered salmon in garlic sauce since salmon is his very favorite.    We also got fried shrimp with coconut flakes.   These were pieces as long as your hand and not at all like our shrimp (but I see regular shrimp here in the markets too).  

The fried rice and mixed platter of vegetables were delicious.    We had hot green tea to drink.   It was very delicious.

Our food was brought out from the kitchen by a robot and when it stopped at our table, the waitress appeared to put the food on the table.   It said something, but of course, we didn't understand it.   

After lunch, Ron had an ice cream sundae at Dairy Queen which was right outside the restaurant in the mall area.   

The mall is decorated for Christmas but not nearly as much as we find in the U.S.    Thailand is primarily Buddhist, so Christmas is not celebrated here to any large degree.   

A storm came up before we left, and it had gotten darker, so the lights came on the large Christmas at the main entrance to the mall.    

We shopped at TOPS market, which is in all Thailand malls.    It has many specialty items and everything in made to look so appealing.   It is expensive so we shop for items we cannot get elsewhere.

We had trouble getting Uber to pick us up to take us back to the condo as they claimed they could not find out application.   An Uber taxi took us to the mall a few hours earlier, but the lady said we had to file the application for an account again.   In the meantime, TG called to see if we were back at the condo.  When I told her we had trouble with Uber, she said she'd come get us.   I told her she was our #1 Uber driver anyway.   Before we came to Thailand and she began working with us, that is what she did for her living.   She said her worst time of driving was from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. because she had to take a lot of people home that were drunk.  She said being registered with an Uber company made it a little safer since they can trace people easily from where they are picked up. 

Anyway, Thanksgiving was good even without turkey.   We just missed our family very much.

Arrived three weeks ago today!

Can't believe it has only been three weeks since we got here.   We have gotten so much done in this short period of time.  And, it already feels like home since we know how to get to the mall, the open market and grocery near us.   When driving to the safe house and back to the condo, I recognize the route.  These photos of Ron and me at the safe house were actually taken the 2nd day we arrived.    TG took us to see the house the first thing the next morning.   We are smiling so we don't look nearly as tired as we felt.   

On Sunday, we went to the church with TG.   It is a small group of Christians, about 15 in number.  Before services started, a rice harvesting machine was cutting the rice in the field very close to the church building.  By the time services started, it had moved to another section of the field so we could hear.  But, hearing, we could not understand the services or the people.  Everyone wanted to communicate with us so much, but we could only smile and speak.   A few hugged us and we felt very welcomed.   After the service, there was a fellowship at the back of the building.   The pews are wooden without cushions, so we had a little trouble with our bad backs on the hard seats.   

The girl in the middle with the white shirt is TG (our translator and worker to renovate the house).  

Pat with a sweet sister after church.

Two more sisters at church.

The past two Sundays, we have stayed in the condo and watched services on-line.    Each Sunday, we sign it to hear sermons at Willow Avenue church of Christ in Cookeville, TN, Red Boiling Springs church of Christ in Red Boiling Springs, TN (our sponsoring congregation) or Brown Street church of Christ in Waxahachie, TX (a supporter of our work).

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.   In spite of the liberals who hate this holiday, I hope millions will enjoy this special turkey feast and thank God for all of the many blessings we enjoy each and every day.

It will not be a holiday in Thailand, but we are thankful for many things.   Our family is well in three different locations.   Even with inflation and troubles of the world, we have everything we need and more blessings than we can count.

May God bless you all with many blessings and good food on this yearly feast to celebrate family and blessings from God.