Same Same But Different

Pathway into the community and M's house

It was the same living room where I sat cross-legged five and a half years ago.  The same pictures hanging on the walls, the same plastic covering the floor, the same tin roof overhead. 

The hearts in the home however, where different.  Radically different.
 
"How have you seen your family change since they began following Christ?"  A new friend from Korea/America asked M.

M thought for a moment, smiled, and began to explain.  The change started with her mom.  Mom used to be a hot-tempered woman.  Everyone in the community knew it.    She also collected idols.  The home was filled with idols, from the top of the rafters to the low spiderwebbed corners. 

When some new faces in the community began to speak of a God who doesn't require constant merit-making, Mom was willing to listen. 

God started working on her heart immediately, and she was the first to believe.  The transformation was radical.  Mom threw out all of her idols.  She showed more love, was softer, and began to go to church.

Enjoying dinner in the living room with M's family in 2008.

Over the next few months and years, others who shared the space under their metal roof began to follow Jesus too.  First her sister, then her daughter, cousin and husband.  Neighbors could see a difference and some also came to know Christ and began going to church.

Come to think of it, the pictures on the walls are different now.  In addition to the smiles from the past, new photos line the walls.  They are pictures of M's extended family, those from all over the world who have shared a meal, Bible study, or words of encouragement in her home. 

The Thai saying, "Same same but different," comes to mind. 
Same physical person, same physical place but entirely different heart.

Hometown Faithfulness

From left to right, a neighbor, Ellen, K, and Mom

Ever since she became a believer in college, K has been praying for her family.  Sharing the gospel with her parents and siblings has been difficult.  But over 10 years later, she is starting to see the fruit of her prayers and boldness. 

At the beginning of our trip to her hometown last week K shared her heart, "I want to ask my mom to pray to receive Christ.  I've been talking to God about it, and I think this time is right." 

From that moment on, I knew my job was to be interceding for that time.  In the past, this conversation has come up between K and her mom, but Mom just dismisses the idea saying "not right now," "maybe later" or "our family is Buddhist."

On our first night in her parents' home, K found mom sitting on the patio upstairs.  She asked me to join them and asked her mom if she was ready to pray.  This time, mom said yes! 

As K led her in prayer, I prayed that she would truly understand the words she was saying and Christ's sacrifice for her.

We were overjoyed.  As we sat chatting, Dad came upstairs.  K had mentioned before that Dad is more of the skeptic in the family. 

Mom and Dad holding a picture of great grandma

The following night, in our small talk on the porch before going to bed, K suggested that Dad ask God for help.  Dad had reoccurring nightmares that he was fighting in his sleep to the point that he  would sometimes fall out of bed.  

Dad prayed on his own, and we prayed for him too. 

In the morning, Dad said he had no nightmares!  He couldn't deny that God had something to do with that.

K and I continue to pray for her family, for Mom to grow as a new believer (in a town that has no other Christians) and for Dad's heart to be softened and seek Jesus.  Will you pray with us?

K and I in front of a rice field near her house.

Lunch!  Sticky rice, grilled pork, fish, and vegetables.

Cutting fresh bananas off the stem.

K resting in the great weather and quiet town atmosphere.

Hanging out with neighbors.

Meeting new friends.

Watching the rice being separated from the stalk. (Stalk goes flying, rice gets poured into the white bags to be sold.)

Thankful Thanksgiving

LifePoint Team Thanksgiving 2013

"Today we are going to celebrate Thank God Day." We told our taxi driver as we piled into his car with yummy smelling, freshly baked pans of deliciousness.

"Have you ever heard of Thanksgiving?"  We asked him.  When he responded "no," we explained about the holiday.

"There's no holiday like that in Thailand."  He told us.

- - - - - -

Wouldn't it be awesome if "Thank God Day" became a Thai holiday too?

Wouldn't it be great for the holiday to be remembered and celebrated as it began?

I am encouraged and challenged by this reminder about Thanksgiving's beginning,

"The mission trip started with great hope. Their pastor wished the families well and prayed for them as they set out on this adventure.  But now their food supplies were critically low, there was no way to return home, no hotels for shelter and bitter cold would soon begin claiming victims.

"The Thanksgiving holiday did not start as a result of great abundance but in the midst of pain, loss, grief and sorrow. Though surrounded by the enemy on all sides these believers chose to look heavenward and express gratitude.

"They did not thank God because there were no challenges or because life was easy. They recognized He owed them nothing but they owed Him everything."
(www.rickmalm.com/thanksgiving)

I have so much to be thankful for.  Among many other things, I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve overseas, to see God's kingdom expanded and share of his great mercy.

What makes the top of your "Thank God" list? 

Ministry Glimpse: Timothy House

Welcome to Timothy House, a children's home in Thailand.  "Most of the children we have come from an abusive background.  Their stories are as varied as their personalities. We show them the love of Christ. They slowly heal and return to a child like nature. Only love can heal the broken heart."

Currently 17 kids between the age of 4 and 17 call Timothy House home.  Located on the edge of a national park, Timothy House has plenty of space for these kids to play and grow.

Rodney and Phimpha love the kids as their own.  Acting as dad and mom to 17 children is a big job though.  Volunteers, donations, love, and a lot of hard work keep Timothy House running. 

Playtime after school!

Catching dinner in the fish pond out front.

Making dinner in the kitchen.

The dish washing crew!

There's always work to be done, but doing it together makes it more fun!

Every night after dinner everyone comes together for worship (led by some of the kids) and a Bible study (led by Mom).  Every Sunday church is held at the home and members of the community join for worship. 

Praise God for the heart he has given this family, for the love that overflows to these children, and for the example they set for the community!

For more information or to make a donation, please visit:

www.lovecareproject.org/wp

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A's Story

When I went to my hometown, I brought a couple of my American friends.  My father asked, "Are they Christians coming to serve Father?"  "What?"  I asked, confused.  (My dad is Buddhist.) 

"You know, the Father of the world." Dad has worked outside of Thailand, in Singapore and places like that, so he is familiar with a lot of religions.

(Could he really be referring to God?  I wondered to myself?) 

"Yes they are." I responded hesitantly.  Still unsure I was understanding correctly.

"Do you believe in the Christian God?"  Dad asked.

I stood silent.  I hadn't told them yet.  Then my mother shouted from the other side of the room, "Don't you go changing religions on me." 

My dad nodded at my silence.  He understood.  Mom, on the other hand, is very concerned about which of her children are going to make merit for her after my sister became Muslim.

My whole province is full of very strict Buddhists.  It's not like most of Thailand where people are cultural Buddhists.  My neighbors are serious about what they believe.  All over the province are many important temples, honored monks, and sacred bones of past monks.  There's not a single church near my parent's house. 

I wasn't surprised when my parents wanted me to go to the temple to make merit.  They actually wrote my name down on the paper to make a new giant bell for merit ringing.  I was really uncomfortable, but I didn't feel like I had a lot of options.  I didn't participate, but everyone asked me why.

That's one reason I was hesitant to go home since I became a Christian.  

***
6 days later...

"Julia!  I told my mom I am a Christian and she was okay!"  Were the first words out of A's mouth when I saw her.  "She said I can do whatever is good for me." 

A was glowing.  Freedom, relief, and joy, filled her face.


***Praise God that as students have gotten up the courage to tell their parents they have decided to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior, God has prepared their parents to hear it and love them anyway!***

Wonderful Whirlwind ABCs (Part 1)

whirlwind (hwûrlwnd) noun : 2. a confused rush

That's the best word to describe the past couple of months for me.  It has been a wonderful confused rush.  Really wonderful.

A Biasi family tradition is to remember a time by making a summary by choosing a word for each letter of the alphabet.  So here's my alphabet summary:

A - Ahan (Thai for "Food").  Lots of delicious, home-cooked American and Thai food. 

Grandma and me making bagels.

B - Boiling Bagels and Baking pies, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and holiday desserts.

C - China.  A quick stop in China to visit my friend Adrienne was an encouragement to us both.

Downtown Shanghai, China.

D - Decorating for Christmas.  It's been a few years since I have gotten to help put up the Christmas decorations and decorate the tree.  This year reminded me of my kid years of decorating, at almost everything I pulled out of the box, I exclaimed, "Oh, wow, it's so beautiful!  I forgot
about this one!  Look at this!"

E - Elephant, White Elephant.  Christmas at Community Bible Church wouldn't be complete without our White Elephant gift exchange.  Many laughs and another fun experience to share with a few international friends. 

Brother, me and Auntie at Christmas.

 F - Family.  The holidays were made extra special by the fact I got to spend them with my family.

G - Gathering.  Part of Thai culture is to bring small gifts back for your friends when you return from traveling.  This trip I had some special requests: beef jerky, taco seasoning, Almond Joy candies bars, sparkly lip gloss, and snow.  (Yes, I brought some snow back too...in plastic form.)

H - Hosting and Hospitality.  Each was visit special whether I was the host or I was being blessed by the wonderful hospitality of good friends.

First time gingerbread house engineers!

I - International Students.  Trips to the grocery store, mingling with 50+ people for Sunday Dinners, sharing holiday traditions like cutting down a Christmas tree and building gingerbread houses all made for great memories.

J - not Justify Just enJoy.  A relief and praise this visit was the freedom God gave me to enjoy the fact that I have two worlds.  I can enjoy my American world without feeling guilty or like I
have to justify my American home.

K - Kids' Sunday School.  When I got to share about Thailand for the kids' Sunday School class, we learned a few Thai words, about the 10-40 Window, and how the kids can be missionaries in their own city.

L - Life Care.  I got meet many people and share my testimony with the elderly people during the weekly church gathering. 

Taking turns cutting down the tree.

M - Mountains where Christmas trees live!  This was a first for the Chinese and Japanese student we brought along. 

N...

Next week part 2 


Thank you so much for your hospitality while I was in the States.  It was so good to visit with so many friends!

Karen Celebration

 Naam, right, invited me to her home town for a celebration of the opening of a new church.  It was the biggest gathering of Karen people in their village in 10 years.  

 

We ate a lot of pork, as it is the food for special occasions.  Pigs were killed the day before we arrived.  One dish was raw pork in pig's blood, of which I wasn't very excited about.  However, I gave it a try, a little bit, and I'm alive.  Then I asked Naam, "Aren't you going to eat it too?"  "No, I'm scared."  She responded.

 

Meet Lek's dad.  Lek is another girl from the dorm where I live.  Her dad has worked at this elephant ride company for over 20 years.  He gave us a ride on his elephant, 24 year old, Jackfruit.

 Lek's mom (left), Michelle, Me, and Naam.

 Every house we visited had food to share with us.  (Even when we had just eaten.)  It is their way of being hospitable and sharing life with us.

We always ate on the floor or on a raised floor table.  Life is simple and relaxed, but all the essentials were met. 

Look past the row of heads to see the writing on the wall.  That is the church's key verse written in Karen.  I could not read a single word, but according to my book, it says "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)

 

Here we have three single ladies.  How do you know?  From their shirts, married women wear black shirts with red horizontal stripes around the middle.  Married men wear a red shirt with vertical stripes.  Single girls wear a long white dress or colorful shirt, and single guys wear a shirt any color other than red.  The clothes are handmade by by the older women in the village.

 Everyone was buy going here and there, taking care of guests who came from 4 other provinces, and getting everything ready for the celebration.

 Paintings decorated all walls of the church.  My favorite was Adam and Eve, wearing traditional Karen dress, in a beautiful garden, with a beautiful view of the hills and valleys surrounding them.

 The married men and women from this church singing.  Almost every church had a song to share in the Karen language. 

 While this looks too western for my idea of a Karen church, the amazing thing is that it was completely funded and built by the Karen congregation, an amazing picture of how a village can come work together.

The pages of this Karen hymn book were brown and falling out but it was still being used.  Naam, having grown up going to Thia school, can speak and understand Karen easily, but we had to ask for help to find the right page because she hasn't studied reading or writing Karen language.

 

My favorite part was meeting grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins and beginning to see what life was like for the students I live with while they were growing up.  7 students I know come from this village of about 200 homes.  Life is simple there, but God is working, growing the church, and changing people's lives.

9 Provinces in 10 Days: Biasi Family Travels

Here's the traveling crew with a couple Thai friends too.

Nid, Me, Mom, Rusty, Dad, Gif

I spy two monkeys!  

Our journey started out flying to southern Thailand, where we found these funny guys.

 The island, Koh Yao Yai, was beautiful and relaxing.  The beach was a 5 minute walk from our hotel, which made for good sunset watching.

 There were all sorts of interesting things to find.

 A three-finger wide brown/red frog joined us for breakfast this morning.

 And there were plenty of places to explore.  We rented motorbikes one day to see the island firsthand.

 There was a lot to see, and all of it was beautiful.  :)

Sometime in the last 20 years the guy to my right when from crawling around and pulling my hair to taller than me and a friend to go on adventures with.

The water buffalo is on of the most well-known animals among the Thai people.  Probably only the elephant is more popular.  

We learned, by observation, how starfish flip over, mover around and hide themselves in the sand.  Very interesting!

Any idea what these creatures are?  They look like they are between pollywog and frog, I think this is their child, teenager and adult state. 

On motorbikes we found another great beach with only two other people on it.  

One day was spent snorkeling on this beautiful island.  We could walk around the whole island in about 10 minutes, but it was perfect for snorkeling. 

Rock climbing!

 The island had very few tourists.  It was nice.  Every evening, the locals played volleyball.  We enjoyed a delicious meal under the grass-roofed hut to the right.  

 With a few hours to kill in Phuket, we visited the Butterfly Garden and Insect World.  

 After three days on the island, it was time to head back to Bangkok.

 I took the family to a traditional market dinner.  That means we walk between the market stalls, pick out what we want to eat and enjoy it in the park nearby.  Rusty found grilled corn, Mom and Dad found spiraled potatoes.  We also had fried chicken, sticky rice, and curry over noodles.  Yum!

Ayutthaya, one of the ancient capitals of Thailand (when Thailand was known as Siam), gave us a look at another side of Thailand.

 Gif (middle) was our tour guide for the day.  She did a great job, and we all had a lot of fun.  She's actually one of the students I live with at BJD, but she wants to be a tour guide when she graduates because she "loves history and English."

 Dinner at the floating market and a boat ride as the sun set, doesn't get much better than that! 

(Yes, they are selling dinner out of these boats, and it's delicious!)

Looks like next year's Christmas card to me!

 We found a couple of white frogs at one of the 7 levels of Erawan Waterfall.  They followed us out of the national park and jumped into the song taow (truck) to come home with us.

 

 Another of the 7 layers of waterfalls...we could have spent all day exploring this park...maybe next time!

 

I had no idea there was so much WWII history in Thailand.  In the western of Kanchanaburi, we visited the Death Railway along with some museums and cemeteries.  Very interesting!

 

 At first we were debating if we should ride elephants or not.  Once we got on, no one was debating anymore.  It was definitely fun! 

 Our elephant was 30 years old Mom & Dad's was 35 (if I'm remembering right.)

 Whoever though it was a good idea to let this guy drive...was right! 

 

The hair on an elephant's head is really coarse.  The elephant trainer/guide/rider made my hat out of some leaves he collected along the way.  Don't you like it?

 

Bye!  Have a great trip!

What a great trip and great blessing to show my world to my family.