安静的平安夜

24^th Dec 2010

今天是非常平安的平安夜。没有上教堂，没有和其他信徒聚会，也没有热闹的倒数。那我们做了什么呢？

从下午开始，我们就忙着准备圣诞晚餐，有 pizza,curry, somthan (Thai salad), 米粉、鸡蛋、排骨。。。然后送下楼清在这里工作的书记、清洁工人、保安人员吃。为什么？只因为我们家耶稣过生日，要和大家分享喜悦！这个聚餐没有赞美敬拜没有讲道没有呼招，只有一张泰语的《普世欢腾》歌词放在桌子上，希望泰国人知道圣诞节到底在庆祝什么。。。

过后，我们一人一架电脑，各自在网络上联系家人朋友，家里变得好安静。。。老实说，当时的我，我希望和永平的弟兄姐妹在一起，有热闹的感觉。。。八点三十分，牧师带领我们在家里午夜崇拜，好久都没有听牧师讲道了！ 很巧的时，我们读的经节在四五年前黄牧师也在永平午夜崇拜是分享过，而刚好我那天在我的圣经里做笔记。是路加福音第二章，说到马丽亚以正确顺服的态度回应神的呼招，愿意放下自我和舒适（当时未婚先孕不止可能失去与约瑟的婚约，还有可能被羞辱用石头打死），以信心捉紧神的应许，成为耶稣的母亲。这正好成为我们一家人在这个陌生城市的鼓励！为什么黄牧师一家会来曼谷，也是因为回应神的呼招，愿意加入神的计划，把福音和爱带给泰国人！而这个时候，我们需要的是定睛神的应许，虽然没有弟兄姐妹熟悉的笑声，但知道我们在这里是走在神的计划中，满足创造主对我们的期待，就好像孝顺的孩子讨父母的欢心一样，有不一样的喜悦。。。

分享时间，大家都想念马来西亚熟悉的弟兄姐妹、一起过圣诞的喜悦。。。牧师也说这是多年以来第一次不是以牧师的身份、过那么悠闲的圣诞节。而牧师的讲道，带我们再次思想我们对圣诞的期待，是人的期待还是神的期待？愿意放下不是简单的事，我相信对决定离开家乡来到泰国，还在学着新的语言、适应新的文化思想的黄牧师一家来说，决定放弃舒适后这一段开始宣教的路更加不简单。弟兄姐妹，这个圣诞，请给你们认识的宣教士送张打气的圣诞祝福吧！

这是一个非常安静的平安夜。感谢神这安静的平安夜，我们有不一样的领受。

在不同的地方，我们基督徒筹备不同的节目，面对不同的挑战，但都有同样的目的，就是提醒自己和全世界，在两千多年以前诞生的耶稣是道路、真理、生命和爱。无论我们是忙碌悠闲热闹安静，圣诞节的主角不是我，不是教堂，不是礼物，而是救主耶稣。谢谢耶稣，给我们新的生命，可以成为神的孩子。希望能有更多的人，可以认识这美丽的祝福！

22 Dec 2010

This morning we brought the gifts and flyers to the poor in our neighbourhood, hope to share the love and joy of Christmas with them. We were amazed by the wooden 'houses' they stay… they are too simple and crude to be considered home. Yet, we were happy to see the smile on their faces when they received the presents from us! 

Thank God who provide money and time for us to bless them.

After song practice in Pastor Andrew’s house, we went to the Christmas celebration in Shalem House. It is a charity house built by Christ Church for the patients from rural area to come to Bangkok for more advanced medication but cannot afford accommodation. There, we met two mothers with their children having serious illness. Besides praying for them, provide little financial assistance, may God consult them and heal. Amen.

18 Dec 2010

今天有幸随报价音团出队！从只能跟着哼到可以跟着唱（虽然是跟着拼音唱的）也跟这里的会友有多点接触，对泰国人有多点了解，虽然有点累，但还是感谢神给我们这个机会。

本 来是下午两点在教堂集合，但由于我们迟了，所以三点才到百货公司和他们会和。怎知，我们在那里一晃就晃到六点才正式出发！又碰到严重塞车，所以我们大该 7.30pm 才抵达第一个家庭。那间家刚好有位老奶奶，会说朝州话，，也会看中文，见到我们三个，非常高兴，还把他的中文圣经那来给我们看。我们为他念一段经句，唱首 平安夜，也用中文为她祷告。临走前，老奶奶的女儿特底走到我们的车窗前说老奶奶今天非常的高兴，谢谢我们今天的到访。

到了第二家，主人的爸爸也会说中文！才知道泰国有那么多老一辈的华人能口操中文。牧师和娘跟方爸爸分享福音，也邀请他来参加圣诞节崇拜。感谢神的时间，让只会说流利中文的我们今晚也能'有用武之地'！

我 们从一家到另外一家，从曼谷的东北到西部，在从西部到市中心，还常因为不懂路而兜了很多风。虽然我们只报了四五家，却用了六小时！这是我第一次凌晨时分在 人家的门外唱歌，还好邻居没有出来丢臭鸡蛋, 哈哈。。。到凌晨三点半，我们实在非常累了，所以提前离队回家，而他们还有三个家庭需要去。。。第二天我们还需要崇 拜呢！真是佩服他们。

16 Dec 2010

After English lesson with Joy and May today, niang invited them for dinner together. It was a warm and enjoyable dinner, we spoke mostly Thai, then translated into English or Chinese... Joy suggested that we may call it ban nanachat - international house. Yup, with God be our Lord, we can be one family regardless of our nationalities and races. Praise the Lord!

Before I slept, pastor, niang and I had a short 'meeting' for our Christmas. On the 22nd, we will be delivering gifts for the poorer children stay nearby us and the children in Salom House, 24th we might have a Christmas dinner for the clerks, security guards and cleaners in our block. May God's will be done, and the birth of Jesus Christ be glorified in this Christmas season!

Niang also asked how I felt about this trip so far. To be frank, I actually expected to have tougher life but thank God that pastor family has treated me so well and Bangkok is a developed, convenient city so thanks God that I am still healthy and feeling easy. Besides, through living with pastor and niang, listening to their happiness and hardship living as a missionary in Thailand, I had learnt a lot, too. Besides, now I am fully understood how severe is traffic jam in Bangkok, please avoid traveling during 4.30pm-9.00pm here, or else...

In addition, I never know that Tom Yam tastes so nice! A cuisine can taste the best only in its origin… Here, Tom Yam is cooked with numerous you-can-name-it types of herbs and spices, fresh uncooked prawn, and even white fungus! Even for me, whom can't really stand spicy food, also can fall in love with Tom Yam's unbeatable combination of sour and spicy tastes, you can imagine how wonderful it is...

15 Dec 2010

This morning we walked pass  and have " mee hoon soup" in a stall at road side. Niang took the    chance to talk to the stall owner and told them that we will bring Christmas gifts for their children soon. On the way back, niang also show me some lousy wooden houses. we may bring the Christmas blessing to the poorer people there, too. Gotta get both our gifts and faith ready to approach them!

In the afternoon, I had an English lessen for a retired lady who stays next to us. I taught her tenses and it took me about 1.5 hour. Before I started the lesson, she asked me a question:" Why you are willing to teach me without charging any fee?" It was a great chance to share God's love! Although niang had asked me to get prepared to answer this question, yet I was still stumbled at that time. I told her that becuase God loves us, so we  would like to share God's love with the Thai, and happy to befriend them. That's why I am here.

After the lesson, she thank me and told me she really would like to do something for me. I suggested that we may have a meal together on Christmas day and she suggested a vegetarian restaurant nearby. However, pastor and niang told me better to be careful not to give the wrong impression that I want her to give me a treat as the reward of teaching her English. Because for her, she might still think that it is impossible to have free English lesson, we must have agenda... May God teaches me with wisdom and gentleness in attitude and word of mouth.

Besides that, the neighbor lady told me she would like to learn something more interesting, preferably not grammar... Hmm, what is more interesting and meaningful worth learning for her?

In the evening, we went to church for song practice and prayer meeting, again, in Thai. On they way, we  passed by Sayam sequey, a very beautiful shopping area. Aha, added it into my visiting list after Christmas.

I though the prayer meeting will be a boring one but thank God for a sister beside me. She kept translating for me so that I wasn't left out from the prayer team. While for the song practice and rehearsal, I realize that I still have a big room for improvement... Gotta play more at home!

13 dec 2010

Today was a rainy day. After waiting for more than half an hour, we finally got onto a taxi and it took us another 50 minutes to reach school (which is about 20 minutes by walking) because of nam thuam - flood.

The water level raised above ankle. Despite the raising water, there were still students walking to school with flip flop, motorcyclists traveling (with almost quarter of the wheel hidden in the grayish water, which can be quite dangerous, isn't it? ) on the street.

I visited pastor’s family’s school – Bangkok Grace International School. There are slogans “Grow in God’s wisdom and knowledge” all around the school and more than 50% of Korean students there. Although the campus is not huge, it is well facilitated with music room, sport field, library, computer room and a church sanctuary.  In addition, all the Thai teachers are very friendly and gentle. I wonder, will they be bullied by the students?

In the evening, Grace, one of the Thai teacher in BGIS came for piano lesson. I would not call myself a piano teacher but like niang told me, I just shared whatever I have with her. Pray that we both can serve God with piano together.