Settlin' In At The Daycare

The last week has been great! I’m very happy to be at the Daycare, serving the kids and the staff. My role is to look & find needs, providing an extra set of hands to help in all aspects of what the kids are doing. Typical morning begins with a crying fest of the children who are struggling with separation anxiety from their moms…sadly a few of these kiddos cry the whole morning that I’m there…Hai is one example. No matter how much I’ve tried getting him interested in a game, a toy, an activity, he wails unendingly and, if he can, he’ll take my hand and pull me towards the door, pitifully whining “Pai! Pai!) (Go! Go!) The ‘criers’ seem to struggle the most on Monday and get a little more adjusted as each day of the week goes along.

Given their short attention spans, I’ve been picking low commitment activities to do with them to help the staff – counting objects in Thai, telling them colors, playing “Ring Around the Rosie”. The kids are usually divided into either 3 or 4 groups, about 8 to 12 per group, with a staff person responsible for each group. I’ve been helping Khruu (Teacher) Yuun since I’ve been coming. Yuun is in charge of the Daycare and speaks the most English of the teachers. I’m happy to do whatever I can to help ~ this afternoon I raided the kids section of the Lotus/Tesco store (similar to a Walmart) in Trang for some more teaching aids. I picked up some balloons, plastic fruits w/ 2 halves to match together, little bowling pins & extra crayons. Along with some photocopies of paper activities, I’m armed for the week ahead :)


The BODY of CHRIST

Last Tuesday was a holiday in Thailand – celebration of Coronation Day – to mark the 59th anniversary of the Coronation of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the Kingdom. For me it was wonderful – extra day off to catch up on some things and to continue exploring the town of Trang. I woke early and took one of the CCS bikes into Trang. I covered a lot of ground quickly – had breakfast by the Train Station, got times & prices for traveling for the weekend, stopped by some stores…but the highlight was stopping by a coffee shop. I had passed it earlier & noticed the sign “Grace & Peace”. Hmm, I thought, wonder if they’re Christians…?

I’ve been looking for a nearby place (and there’s really not a lot that’s too nearby to the CCS Homebase) where I could meet Kwan, the woman from the church who wanted me to help her with her English exam. Grace & Peace is owned by a Christian Thai couple who have two children – Grace (a girl, about 9) and Peace (a boy, about 7). Instantly they welcomed me into their store & we had a conversation about our faith in the Lord. Mana, the wife, studied English at the University about 10 years ago, and though she feels rusty, we managed quite well. She was so happy for us to have met & asked if we could pray together right then – which we did. I left so encouraged & have been back twice – first with James to get an afternoon Iced Mocha before a CCS meeting & then to meet Kwan to practice English.

What struck me was how similar it felt to the weekend my Thailand plans were becoming official: I shared my concerns & the unknowns about my plans with a few believers and they made some calls, sent some emails & prayed with me that the Lord would coordinate the details. Likewise, I asked Jack about going to church in Trang & within a few days new friendships have opened up that I sense are among the reasons that I’m in Thailand. None of it has been about my efforts - it’s the Body of Christ working in harmony to accomplish the Lord’s purposes. I’m so grateful to receive these blessings and the renewal it’s brought to my heart.

Coronation Day also gave me the opportunity to see a Thai Dance ceremony - menora dancing.

WAIT A SECOND, ANOTHER BOUNDARY TO SET?

Just after finding a better balance of my time and stress with my Volunteer Placement, I received another new “boundary” opportunity….seems to be a theme lately! Long story that I’ll abbreviate: I was asked to select the color schemes for a group of chalet resort rooms in Trang. Now, isn’t it funny that I’ve left my interior design career in the US only to have this opportunity on the other side of the world? My heart is to serve people – which sometimes isn’t so good because I can commit to things that I shouldn’t. So, especially lately, I’ve been seeking greater discernment in my ‘yeses’ and my “nos”. The man that asked me to help him is the same great Christian gentleman from the church who invited me last Sunday night for dinner with his family.

So, “why is a boundary needed here?”, you might wonder…Well, I was immediately concerned that this project might not be little in terms of the time commitment. To serve him well, I would need to visit the rooms, consider the type & amount of lighting, take into account any existing furniture or furniture to be purchased, see how the exterior building colors would relate to the spaces, select paint colors and their placement within the rooms (and, oh, did I mention that he’d like different schemes in the rooms, not just the same for all of the rooms?). Would there be additional materials to select too?
The whole opportunity for me to help him had an air of concern to me about it. “Becky, don’t just say yes to this” were the words loud & clear in my head. So, after praying & considering some of what I did know about the opportunity, I wrote an email expressing my desire to help but also my concerns. I gave some options of how I could help him with more reduced time on my part but which would allow my expertise to give direction to his overall goals. The gentlemen very graciously wrote me back, letting me know he sees my concerns, is fine if I can’t help at all but will accept whatever amount of help my schedule and desire allows for. So, still a few decisions to make but I’m headed in the right direction…

Koh Mook

I made a solo journey to Koh Mook this weekend, an island off the coast of Thailand, about 2 hours (minivan & ferry) from Trang. It being low season, there were very few tourists & very few people that spoke any English. It was quiet and kind of empty; I felt lonely and got a little stir-crazy! But, it was beautiful & I took advantage of time in the ocean & the sun, time to read , pray & journal. Definitely wished you were there! Becky :-)