Missive 2 – 2018

All those evocative old terms like “putting pen to paper”, “resorting again to pen and ink” and “scratching out some feeble lines” are gone forever, but whatever it’s called in modern parlance, I’m doing it again! We’ve been a good week back from Khon Kaen after a sad departure from Whun who shared with us a couple of plans for coming to see her again, and our dear Captain with whom we were getting along famously. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to get back there but will spend some face to face time with her on the phone. The meals here have been a bit of a challenge this time. There is a high vegetable content, but rarely potato, usually “exotic”, often bland (helped by chilli) and sometimes what we might regard as weeds. Meat is usually minimal, even though a pig was killed last week. We have fish soup fairly often and it seems as though Thai fish (last week it was catfish and snake-head fish) are blessed with an incredible number of bones. There is always plenty of rice. Consequently, we sometimes go into Lomsak (25kms) to satisfy our craving for a steak, pork chop or cordon bleu chicken. In fact, we went in three nights in a row last week when we missed dinner because we were engaged in something else at that hour. The food here is sometimes less than we would hope for because most months there is a shortage of funds coming from sponsorship money. This means that by the end of the month paying for wages, electricity and supplies is a struggle. This time we were able to bring a good sum from the Glenunga Church and other donors of about $3700 that was not targeted at other projects. Pawinee was very excited to see it and this will take some of the pressure off next month’s finances. We did however have the most wonderful Thai meal at Mum Whun’s Grandma’s house in a nearby village. We go there every time we are here and the visit is highly anticipated. The arrangements were made before we came and when it looked like we may have to postpone it for a couple of weeks Whun said, “Oh no, we can’t do that, they have already caught the chicken!” Why came with us and she and Colleen sat and cut a variety of ingredients into thin strips and made cold rolls, while the chicken, a bit beyond just being “caught” by the time we got there, was portioned with a meat cleaver. A couple of baked fish turned up, beautiful sauces were made, some hot and one mild, and the inevitable sticky rice was on the table. It was a feast and in great company. We feel privileged to be regarded as friends by Mum Whun’s Grandma, her Mum and Dad and a variety of aunties who are always there, even though we can’t communicate except through Whun, and this time, Why. Colleen took Whun’s Mum a bunch of flowers and she was delighted with them and wanted them included them in the photos. She always takes a couple of boxes of soft cakes for Grandma and they are also gratefully received. Mum Whun has changed roles here and is not one of the Mums any more, but rather the farm manager, a task she has taken to with great zest. She has schooled herself in aquaculture, has dug some more aerated dams and has thousands of fish (telapea) in various stages of development, harvesting on a 4-month cycle. She has a variety of vegetables under cultivation, a growing herd(?) of ducks and geese, and several rai (sixth of a hectare) under bananas, pawpaw and guava. A small herd of cows and a piggery round out the farm. Most of this has been there for years, but Whun has managed the team of workers well and instilled a sense of pride in their endeavours. And the farm looks an absolute picture. We are very proud of our friend. Sunday saw me in the pulpit again (well, at the front of the dining room really) and this week my voice was in good shape. The theme was “What have you got to give to Jesus?”, another of Pawinee’s suggestions. I usually do something visual and this time I took a smooth stone, borrowed some stuff from the kitchen and told them the story of making stone soup. No doubt you have heard the story – if not, remind me, it’s a good tale for the telling. Elisha and the widow with the oil is a more Biblical perspective. On Saturday we had a power blackout (planned) for half the day. Being South Australian we felt very much at home! To escape the lack of air-conditioning we decided to go to Khao Kho (one of those words means “mountain”) so we arranged for Moi and Why to come with us. Mum Whun got wind of the adventure and wanted to come so the 5 of us set off. We had a lovely lunch at a themed Coffee House and Restaurant called “Route 12” – lots of pictures of American film-stars, cars etc, reminiscent of Route 66. On the way back, half-way down the mountainside, we called in to a market we frequent often to buy a few things made by the Hmong or Hill-tribe people. Those of you who know the shoulder bag I often carry will have seen their craft. It was a lovely day of interacting more closely with Moi and trying to give her some confidence with English. A couple of days ago a highlight of Colleen’s time here was spending time in Why’s classroom. The classroom is set up beautifully, a legacy of Trish, an Australian teacher who has taught here for a few years, but a wonderful precedent for Why. The kids can be quite difficult to manage because they tend to be unruly, but Why has some good practices in place. Her teaching puts a high value on participation and she is a natural in front of the class. Colleen was able to give some advice about use of her voice and a few other things and came away very proud of her. Colleen rounded out the day by working with Jean Dunk’s sister-in-law, Helen, tidying up a basket of wool and then when Moi’s house came home from school spent time with them helping them with their crochet. Colleen has introduced Moi to a beautiful coloured dictionary and time spent with her has seen fruits of better English as well as the warmth of relationship – she is such a sweet girl (both of them!). Only 6 days left. Today I completed the information for the 6-monthly report that needs to go to Global Development Group which arranges for tax deductibility for us with the Australian Government. In the next few days I hope to complete a discussion paper on an issue that requires attention by the Mercy International Board. And that’s about it. A month here seemed a long time when we started but now it seems hardly enough. Again we’ve been invited to stay a couple of years, this time to run our English school in Sisaket (near the Cambodian border), but we don’t see that in our future unless God makes it clear he thinks otherwise. As Wol wrote on a sign for Pooh and Piglet – BACSON! God bless Ron (and Colleen)

A prize for guessing what the table is made of

Mum Whun at the fish farm

With Whun’s Mum and Dad

Cold Rolls in production

Missive 1 - 2018

Missive 1 – 2018 Life has been a little bit in the slow lane but there is plenty to report. Travel over was a pleasant and relaxed time with help from John Grisham and my collection of crosswords glued into a book (much derided in the family!!). Our transfer at Changi Airport was smooth although we didn’t have much time. We were in the same terminal so a brisk walk to another gate had us there in plenty of time. And the exit at Suvarabhumi Airport (BKK) was expedited by that wonderful travellers’ aid and key to many doors – Colleen’s walking stick! We were extracted from the long queue at immigration and sent to another booth with signs and icons clearly indicating the sick, blind, lame and elderly. Just about expected a ministering Jesus to be standing there! We enjoyed a good night at the Amari Watergate (upgraded again because they had no non-smoking rooms left in our payment category, but not however to the penthouse suite). We lingered over a sumptuous breakfast and then waited outside for a taxi to take us to the Morchit bus station. The first taxi pulled up under the hotel’s spectacular portico, but shook his head and drove off. This has nothing to do with not wanting to transport ferengues (foreigners) but rather, the fare would only come to about 100baht ($4) for the 20 - 30minute ride. We did get the second taxi though. We thanked him and offered a good tip. He was quite chatty and the conversation went something like this. “Where you go?” “Lomsak” “Ooh, I know Lomsak. How far?” “Oh, about 500km” “Ooh, I take you. Only 5000baht” (5000baht ($200) is actually not too bad for a 5hour taxi ride. And remember, Harry says “Spend it!” Sorry, in-joke about our financial advisor!) “Noo, thank you. We will go by bus.” “Ooh, I take you, 4500baht.” “No, no. We will go by bus.” Add little white lie. “We are meeting somebody on the bus.” Taxi driver, not believing this for a minute, and nearing the bus station makes one last effort. “4000baht!” About $160, and a very good deal really. And Harry wouldn’t have minded! “No thank you. We want to go by bus and we will give you good tip.” So, we unload our luggage, and with a bit over 100baht on the meter I tell him I’ll give him 300baht and hand over 500baht. “Ooh, I don’t have any change.” No doubt his little white lie to match our own! “Ok. You can have the 500.” So we went in and bought 2 bus tickets for a 6 hour double-decker, air-conditioned bus trip for only $580baht (under $24). Again we enjoyed the journey, this time with Michael Robotham (not the friend we were going to meet at the bus station!) and the much maligned crossword collection. We arrived at the Lomsak bus station at 6pm to the warm and excited welcome of Mum Whun and Cheewar (you will remember we were praying for her when she contracted lupus and lost a couple of gangrenous toes). We went to Tescos to grab a meal and get in some essential supplies, like Coke Zero, and then travelled the 25kms out to Ban Meata. It was mid-evening but we were able to see Moi (our new sponsored girl) before repairing to our room, our second home, for a good night’s sleep. The next day was one of welcomes and many hugs from our “other family”. We spent more time with Moi who has for a couple of years now enjoyed a stable existence after being dragged backwards and forwards over the Laos border as Mum sought work (and probably another husband) so Moi came to us with no, or at best sporadic, schooling. Although she will be 12 next Monday she is in Year 4 (Yr 5 in May), but what is remarkable is that she is top of her class in everything. Her English is not good (we have been spoiled by Whun and Why) so we want to spend some time with her on that. What we have discovered is that she understands quite a lot of what we say but is very shy and not confident in speaking. Why was soon on our doorstep in a high state of excitement about our arrival. She works at the school teaching English to Year 1 and 2 classes (over 35 kids in each class) and Maths to a Year 3 class. You would have to say her university major is being somewhat underutilised! She is finding noise and behaviour control quite a challenge but is getting on top of it – nobody messes with Why for very long. In the new academic year (May) she will go to Khon Kaen to complete her education degree. This will entail, for the next 2 years, getting on the bus every Friday night, travelling for 4 hours, studying over the weekend, and then catching the bus back on Sunday night ready to teach on Monday morning. Pray for her!! She is using some smart and up-to-date teaching methodologies at the moment. Pray that her formal qualifications will not knock that out of her – a common occurrence in Thailand. Early in the piece we sat down with Pawinee, and she asked me to preach on 3 of the 4 Sundays that we are here. She also gave me a topic – several of the staff have been experiencing the presence of Satan and evil spirits in buildings and their lives. She wanted me to speak about spiritual warfare, about invoking the power of Jesus of Satan. I’d been praying for weeks about what I would preach about – and here it was! Over the next couple of days I spent time preparing, and wouldn’t you know it, the Enemy knows when he is going to be called out, and I came down with a chest infection and by Saturday night I had no voice. I called in lots of prayer support and by Sunday morning I had a voice but with all the high notes missing. By the time the service started it was getting better and not too bad when I began to preach, and the further I went the stronger my voice became. I had a few examples of Jesus demonstrating his sovereign power of Satan – that was one of them! So, what of Whun and Aun and Captain? They now live in Khon Kaen where Whun is a cook, child carer and cleaner, and Aun is the groundsman of the Ban Meata Children’s Village. Aun has recently got his licence and added to his duties is bus driving in a songtauer – a ute with a canopy and seats – and he takes the kids to a variety of schools and kindergartens where they are enrolled. We set out last Monday for the three-hour journey to KK in the SUV of friends here who are back in Australia for a couple of years. The trip was a slow one through the mountains but quicker on the other side. Too quick in fact. The speed limit for cars on Thai roads is sign-posted at 90kph. Advice over the last 14 years has been that you shouldn’t go over 110, and many BM volunteers, and Thais, have been caught doing that. Well, I was caught doing 103, as were so many people that there was a queue at the booking desk. It cost me 500baht. The police were unusually amiable and were quite chatty as they took my contribution to the Thai GNP. Things were not so light-hearted back in the car – Colleen had noticed the radar and said I was going too fast. There is no wriggle room in answering the question, “Was I right, or was I right?” And it was her birthday that day. Whun was so glad to see us and Captain was not as overwhelmed as he was the last time we visited. We didn’t arrive till after 7pm and Whun had prepared a special meal in the kitchen for Colleen’s birthday. She had a roast with all the trimmings, including gravy. We inadvertently spoiled another surprise she had prepared. KK has seen its older teenage boys move on to work and training facilities, so the upstairs of the 2-storey building has been turned into a visitors’ centre. There are 2 flights of external stairs to get up there and when we heard that this accommodation was planned for us, Colleen was concerned that her knee would not be able to manage the stairs, particularly the coming down part. Angela, the ferengue manager at KK, kindly gave us her room and she went up there. Whun had spent the day beautifully decorating the room around the words “Happy Birthday Mum”. She so much wanted Colleen to be surprised that she cried her disappointment into her shoulder. Colleen said she would go up in the morning and all was redeemed. We are so proud of Whun and Aun. They were sent to work at KK (for several good reasons) and sadly this coincided with Why completing her studies and moving back to Phetchabun. The long-awaited reunion of the sisters was thwarted! Whun has settled to her work wonderfully. When she was first rostered on as the cook she said she stood in middle of the kitchen, turned around several times and thought to herself, “I don’t know where anything is, and I don’t know what to do. Help me God!” She now cooks like a veteran for the 25 or so at Ban Meata. Her skills as a Mum continue to amaze us and she transfers that to the caring role with the youngsters, aged from 1 to 5. Whun has been weaning Captain and was talked into leaving Captain for a week with her mother-in-law who has dearly wanted to take him over until he starts school (common in Thailand). She packed milk formula, toothbrush etc, and left strict instructions for his care. He was fed fried rice and canned sweetened milk, and the milk formula was untouched as was the tooth brush. Grandma believes that he is not fat enough, so it seems she was doing something to remedy that, and for a while would not speak to Whun when he came back. Whun was livid and it might be a while before she gets another chance! Captain, not as emaciated as his grandma thinks, is a happy, active, inquisitive and smart little bloke. We have had some good times with him, sharing his books and teaching him some English words. He can recite the numbers one to ten with Whun and enjoys the songs that she sings with him (eg, “Head, shoulders, knees and toes”). Colleen has been passing on to Whun some sage advice about parenting, weaning, discipline and many other things, and Whun is very happy to put these into practice – in many cases she is doing it already. Aun has taken well to his job of groundsman/handyman. He has been encouraged to show initiative and the other day needed to trim a group of trees, shaped conically but getting a bit too high. His idea for a trim was somewhat akin to changing a mullet into a number two. This major truncation earned a quick lesson in mixing wisdom with initiative and he has yet to face Pawinee! As I write we are nearing the end of our few days at KK. Tonight we will take Whun, Aun and Captain out for dinner to Central Plaza, a huge multi-storey shopping mall. This afternoon Whun is at the local hospital taking a shift to look after Ben, an 11month old baby who seems to have a chest infection and is struggling to breathe. Colleen went with one of the carers to the doctor the other day and the poor little chap was said to have “allergic asthma”. He has had a tough start to life with his mother, HIV+, dying not long after he was born. The first thing the doctor asked was his HIV status because if he was positive it would be pneumonia and life threatening. He has been tested and so far is clear of HIV, but he has been put into hospital for regular time on a nebuliser. Anyone going to hospital has to have someone go with them to look after them – not the nurses job in Thailand! This missive has reached mammoth proportions and will probably need to be read in instalments. Shorter next time perhaps. God bless Ron Whun's big surprise Captain and Grandpa in the sandpit at KK Colleen and Moi at the Feb birthday celebration at Family Night

Missive 3 - 2017

The age of miracles is still with us.  As I write Rob Dunk is in Bangkok and on his way back to Australia.  A couple of weeks ago he was so seriously ill that it was possible he may never leave hospital.  A hospital bug was partly responsible for that so the doctors were keen for him to get out, and suggested he spend a couple of weeks to consolidating his recovery.  His family (inc 2 doctors) decided to get him on a plane, so here he is for a 4 day stop-over.

On Monday I had the opportunity to go down to Bangkok with Pawinee, Glom, Kerry, 6 teachers and Cheewar, our girl with lupus who lost her toes, and who for a year used to dress Rob’s face daily.  We left in a mini-van at 6am and after a tortuously slow journey of 7.5 hours we arrived at the hotel where Rob was staying.  He looked in remarkably good condition considering what he has been through.  The side of his face is still paralysed but apart from a few words he could speak quite clearly.  In fact, he spoke to us non-stop for an hour, testifying to God’s grace, sharing about the days of excruciating pain, and telling us of how he praised and thanked God.  He told us of progress so far and exhorted us to pray for his complete healing.

After he spoke I led us to the Lord’s Table, and spoke of the healing that can be found at the Cross – “by his stripes we are healed”.  It was a precious time and Rob loved it.  We used an embossed silver communion cup and plate that Pawinee had bought in Israel a number of years ago, and it was the first time it had been used.  It was rather special to use a cup that was bought not far from where Jesus had the Last Supper with his disciples.  We then anointed Rob with oil – also from Israel.

We were there just 2 hours and then we hopped back in the van for a 6.5 hour journey home.  Pawinee and Kerry stayed overnight to spend some more time with him on Tuesday and then travelled back in the afternoon.  Rob’s flight to Australia is on Wednesday when he goes to Canberra where a daughter lives.  Her name is Roxanne Kelly and she was named in the Australia Day Honours list for her work in the administration of the Defence Department.

So, back to Ban Meata where on Tuesday I finally made the transition from the building site to the office.  On Friday I took Malcolm and Kay to Khon Kaen where they caught a plane to Bangkok and from there to Perth.  I stayed overnight at KK so I could catch up with Why for the last time.  We had a wonderful time together for a few hours in which we spoke of her uni results (much improved) and her future goals and aspirations.  She graduates in July and will then come back to Phetchabun to teach at the school here while studying for her education degree.  We went to Sizzler in a big shopping centre for lunch, and my pork spare ribs were to die for.  We talked over matters of faith throughout lunch and it was such a privilege to share Why’s faith journey – a remarkable young lady and we love her very much.  Rich and Rebecca and the kids are so proud of her and see the fruits of sponsoring her through her school years and through university, and praying for her throughout.

While on that topic there are 2 other girls who are developing into beautiful young women and becoming gifted worship leaders.  Giv and Booay are sponsored by Andrew and Nichole and the girls.  Several other friends and family who are reading this also sponsor kids here and as I see them take part in worship or other activities it brings tears to my eyes – I just wish you could see them and meet them face to face.

There is a joke going around about a Thai clock.  Instead of numbers there is alternately “Think about Food” and “Eat Food”!  I don’t want to be too Thai but I must share with you a couple of wonderful meals over the last week or so.  Every year I report on a visit to Mum Whun’s grandma’s place for a meal, and I went again last week.  Her grandma is now 89 (bat sip gau), a tiny bird of a lady with failing eyesight and hearing.  Her first question when I arrive is “Where’s Colleen?” and I assure her that Colleen talks about her all the time and will come next time.  She then tells me all of her ailments which fortunately Whun translates for me although the hand signals give me a fair idea of where the problem lies.  I make comforting noises and say “mai sabai” which means “not well”.  The meal came out and everybody, including Whun’s Mum and Dad, a couple of aunties, and Giv and Jam, 2 girls from Whun’s house at Ban Meata, sits on a platform which is like a low table.  Because Colleen wasn’t there I got to sit on the only stool, which is good because after sitting cross legged for a while it takes time to get my legs straight and working again.  There were a couple of bowls of soup with generous quantities of pork pieces and other vegetable dishes along with a basket of sticky rice.  In this village setting you eat by rolling a wad of sticky rice then putting your fingers in one of the bowls, pick up what you want and put it in your mouth.  It is communal eating at its most basic.  And it was stunningly delicious, or “aroi” as they say here. 

All of this was done under the verandah of grandma’s house in the jungle and is just a beautiful setting - quintessentially Thailand!  Whun and her girls had brought a little portable gas stove (available at Ray’s Outdoors!) so they could make pancakes for dessert.  Grandma is suspicious of such new-fangled things (although she has electricity any cooking at her place is done on an open fire) so she moved herself to another platform and watched from a safe distance.  Although she uses a long stick to walk she doesn’t suffer my difficulty in sitting for long periods on a hard surface.  The pancakes were cooked without any major explosions and there were enough to leave for her lunch (“kin khow”) the next day.  Incongruously the whole meal was eaten in front of a TV with a Thai game show followed by a Thai soapie, which although much loved, is truly awful, with much pouting, whining and slapping each other.  I left after that meal so grateful for my Thai family and a sense of how their love and hospitality has blessed me so much.

So, onto another meal.  Our Whun became a devotee of a roast dinner when she was with us in Adelaide and when we came in August last year she reminded us of this and asked if we would bring a packet of gravy next time.  One of the first questions she asked when I arrived was, “Did you bring the gravy?”  To my shame, I had forgotten! (Memo to self: Don’t forget next time!!).  Anyway, she informed me last weekend that she would cook me roast potatoes and gravy, and mashed potato.  So, Sunday afternoon she borrowed some Gravoxfrom Trish, another “ferengue” (foreigner) volunteer and set about preparing the meal.  The result was absolutely wonderful – she really is a great cook.

We had to have the meal on the verandah of Mum Whun’shouse because Whun’s “ban” (house) was being used by the Ban Meata manager, so she had to transport it all about 100 metres to where we (Whun, Mum Whun and Cheewar and I) sat on a mat (no stool this time!).  She had a container of pork steaks, ceramic dishes of golden brown roast potatoes, mashed potato, sliced carrot, green beans, and the “piece de resistance”, a bowl of gravy with onion in it (because that is what Colleen does).  And it was all hot!  It was heaven!

Well, Life now consists of sitting in front of my computer writing up a 3-year plan for HOMF.  My sugar levels unfortunately have responded accordingly so I’ve had to up the insulin a bit.  Only a few days to go and a few things to do apart from the admin work.  It’s Moi’s (our new sponsored child) birthday in a week or so, so I want to take her out for a treat.  And I also want to take Whun, Aun and Captain out for a meal before I go.  Pawinee gave me the keys to Rob’s beautiful Nissan Teana while I’m here so we can ride in style.

My preaching commitments also end on Sunday and I’ll take my last teaching session on worship on Pawinee’s front verandah on Sunday night.  Despite the preparation this has entailed I have really enjoyed it and God has blessed it in many ways, and thereby has blessed me as well.

So, that’s it for another year.  I’m looking forward to getting back and seeing you all at some stage.  Thank you for your prayers – I have felt very supported and there have been times when I needed it.

God bless
Ron

PS Rob and Jean arrived safely in Canberra this morning (Thursday).  Thank you for your prayers for them.

Gables and outside walls finished

Malc's last job at Ban Meata

Dinner at Grandma's

Trevor's ears getting a workout

Missive 2 – 2017

Again, a couple of bits of news before the more mundane adventures of the last couple of weeks. Rob’s condition has worsened and although there was the intention of him coming out of hospital and staying with his doctor son in Leicester (I think I said in error last time that he was in London).  He is unable to be moved and has no mobility.   The left side of his face has dropped, his eye has rolled up, and apparently only one lung is working so there is some concern about pneumonia.  It has been very distressing to see him like this.  We have spoken with Jean on the phone a couple of times and have been assured that Rob’s spirit is buoyant and that he continues to praise God.

He spoke with Pawinee some days ago, and wished to pass on a hug to all the kids and staff here and to bless each one.  So, on Sunday after worship Pawinee shared his situation with everybody and then Malcolm and Kay stood at one door and Kerry (long term volunteer) and I stood at the other to hug each person and bless them as they left.  That was hugely emotional.  Please continue to pray for Rob.

The other piece of news is also momentous.  Malcolm has announced that this will be his last building trip.  13 years of visits starting in 2005 with the “South Aussie Building Team”.  I am currently the only South Aussie still on it, and the Queenslanders are starting to get restless about the name!  In that time, he has started, designed and had a major contribution to 4 huge school buildings, a huge dining hall at Ban Meata Children’s Village, as well as the office, a new dormitory building, the second storey on another dormitory building, and the two storey Ron’s Place where we live when we are here.  As well as this there have been countless electrical jobs, plumbing and sewage systems, building repairs and so on.  Then at Khon Kaen he designed, and started from scratch, a complete new Children’s Village of 4 major buildings including the dining hall and a 2-storey dormitory building.  It has been an unprecedented and amazing contribution, and it has been a privilege to work with him on those projects.

The other amazing thing is that he is 75 and still clambering around on top of buildings, and with his legendary strength, lifting steel trusses into position.  He would be reluctant to admit it but it’s beginning to take its toll.  We work from 8am to 5pm and it’s usually hard and difficult work.  Lunch times these days he usually heads off to get his feet up, rest his back and grab 40 winks.  The fall he had a few weeks ago didn’t stop him but there have been some persistent sore spots.

For the last 3 weeks I have left my dusty and dirty chasing out job and he and I have been laying blocks.  That really means he is up on the scaffold laying them while I cut them to size, hand them up, make mortar, shift scaffolding and generally keep him happy!  Between us we have handled hundreds of blocks which has taken a bit of a toll on my hands – I’ve completely lost all my fingerprints.  In fact, Richard Wray, who has also spent some days on blocks, says that he can’t open his i-phone using the thumb print identification!

Richard and his team have now left so it’s just Malcolm and I building the gables and trying to devise ways to get lengths of steel up in the rafters to stand on to be able to reach high enough.  And this means carrying the blocks up ladders to get to him so my fitness levels are rising and my weight is falling!

On other fronts I’m also keeping busy.  I’ve been preaching each Sunday bar one and will probably do so for the next 3 weeks before going home.  The Sunday night teaching sessions on worship have also gone really well.  I’ve ranged over a number of different ways that we worship (thanks to Rebecca for feeding me some really good ideas) and the kids have been riveted.  I challenged them last week about being “free” enough to bring their Bibles with them (many girls do, most blokes don’t) and I was thrilled this week to see these 16 to 20 year old young men appearing out of the dark as they walked up Pawinee’s driveway, all carrying their Bibles!  One of the pleasures is that a couple of the lads with motorbikes offer me a ride back afterwards on the back of their motor-bike – rather nice on a warm evening to have the wind through your hair (not that there’s that much – hair that is!)

A couple of weekends ago all the building team went up to Khao Kho in the mountains near Ban Meata and had lunch at a lovely “organic restaurant” which besides Thai food specialises in an Italian menu.  Many of us took the opportunity to have a steak which was just perfect.  We then went to a coffee house called Pino Latte which is built on a ridge and has stunning views over the valley which lies between 2 mountain ranges.  This area, in which Ban Meata is situated, is called the vegetable bowl of Thailand because of its fertility and the huge quantities of vegetables grown here.  To finish the day we called into a Hmong (hill tribe) market and bought some of the distinctive Hmong craft work – including my next model of the shoulder bag I carry everywhere in Australia.

A word about the Dutch team that have been here for 2 or 3 weeks and left last Friday.  They have been coming for several years and have raised enormous amounts of Euro for our building projects.  This year there were just three – AdelbertHesseling, my age, but suffers from chronic asthma and has a pacemaker which is not keeping pace too well (he is struggling after walking over from the visitors’ centre to our building site).  Annette, early fifties and fit and healthy.  And Corrie, 83 years old and also fit and healthy (on enquiring about a piece of her jewellery, she said she got it recently on a dive trip to Oman!).  The 3 of them are dogged workers and they usually spend their time painting – and woe betide the admin here if they run out of paint and they have to sit and waste time!  What a blessing they are to us.

Till next time.

God bless

Ron

Son-in-law Aun "sharping" a wall (rendering)

Malcolm doing block work on the gables

Reading to Captain

View from Khao Kho

Epistle 1 – 2017

The adventures of the journey to Ban Meata paled into insignificance when we were met with the latest news on Rob Dunk’s condition.  When we arrived Pawinee said that Jean wanted to ring us at 7.30pm that evening to update the situation.  I think I shared with most of you that Rob and Jean had gone to England and then to Edinburgh where one of their sons lives.  Their other son, a doctor in London, Sharon, their daughter in Thailand, and their other daughter from Canberra, had all gathered with their families to share Christmas together.  After Christmas Rob had a bad bleed from the cancer in his ear – a daily occurrence, but he was hospitalised.

The report from Jean indicated that the cancer had progressed to the bones of his face, and untreated would give him between 6 and 12 months.  Rob, as the man of faith that we know him to be, was, and still is, waiting for a miracle of healing so that with full strength he can continue his work in Thailand.  Untreated though, he is not allowed to fly out of Edinburgh, so he will undergo radiation therapy to shrink the tumour and stop the bleeding.  Hopefully he will then be able to fly back to Australia, stopping off in Bangkok, for what will be, barring the miracle we are all praying for, palliative care.  Rob, again the man of faith, is OK with that and says that he is ready to go when God calls him home.

On Saturday night we again set up a phone link, this time to talk to Rob.  We spoke a little to him (thankfully lucid after a regime of morphine) but he was quite emotional and struggled a bit.  It was good to hear his voice though and we were able to tell him about the prayer support from all those at Ban Meata.  It is sad to think, that without the miracle, he will be unable to return to Ban Meata.  Pawinee gave me the keys to his car to use while I am here, so I am enjoying that little luxury which he may not do again.  His thoughts though are that none of this compares with the glory of taking his place in heaven!  But then ……. What about the miracle!

After all that, back to my travelling adventures. Uneventful, except that I had to get my skates on in Singapore to catch my flight to Bangkok.  The skates were entirely ineffective in Suvarnabhumi Airport though and I missed my connecting flight to Khon Kaen by a fair bit (memo to self for next time – one hour is not enough!).  I then had to try and transfer to the next flight but unfortunately it was full – except for a seat in first class which could be mine for an additional 2200baht (about $90) when the economy seat was only 1800baht!  It’s an ill wind that blows no good  however and I was able to go into the Thai Airways lounge to wait the 2 hours and enjoy unlimited Coke Zero and eats.  And on the plane I had a napkin with my meal which compared pretty well with sandwich you get in economy.  It’s only a 45 minute flight so they barely had time to serve it before they whisked it away again.

I was picked up by Phet, the KK manager and what a delight it was to see Why who came with her despite the late hour.  She was so pleased to see me she held my hand all the way back to Ban Meata.  Malcolm and Kay were already in KK staying in a hotel with friends they had invited from Broome.  The next day we hired a minibus and travelled to PhetchabunBan Meata.  Why decided to come with us to spend a week here before her return to university.  

What a welcome we always get at Phetchabun.  Everyone turns out and everyone needs a hug.  It is so good to see our friends and always a surprise to see the kids who were pre-schoolers when we first came and now young men and women.  The best reunion of all though was with our Whunand of course our little Captain.  He is such a good baby and I am so proud of Whun who is such a good Mum.  Captain has a huge family.  He must be the most cuddled, cossetted, coddled, and carried baby in Thailand, all of which he accepts in the best of humour and with the most delightful smiles for everyone.  Mum Whun, who now calls herself Grandma Whun, just can’t get enough of him.  

The building team is of course into action.  Malcolm and Kay’s friends from Broome gave us a couple of days before moving on to the rest of their holiday in Thailand.  Richard Wray brought the Brackenridge Baptist team – Steve (a tradie) and his wife Gail, and Ninan (a bloke of Indian background who has recently retired from Deputy Principal at a Brisbane College). Chris Stolte of course always commits his time to the team when we are here. Dave and Sherie Ang with their 2 children arrived a couple of days ago, and Dave will be on site for a few days.  Colleen and I met Sherie and Dave here a few years ago.  They were having trouble conceiving and Sherie was particularly upset about it.  Colleen spent some time talking with her and prayed with her, and a short time later she shared the happy news that she was pregnant.  Not sure if Colleen has a ministry in this area!!  They still say of their son, “Made in Thailand”!

The building team is working on the second storey of the Bill McMartin house.  It has to be said that Malcolm was bitterly disappointed with standard of work done on the building throughout the year.  Walls were not tied in, were poorly built, and sometimes in the wrong place. He spent several days putting some things in place to make the building safe.  It’s not entirely surprising though because the Thai workers are just young boys and they haven’t really had sufficient guidance.  We are on a roll now though and walls are being topped, concrete beams going around the building and overthe windows.  My job over the first 5 days was chasing in the electricity and water.  There are 8 rooms each with a bathroom, and a common room, and each with 6 power points, 2 light switches, water to the shower, basin and toilet.  This is done with an angle grinder which creates an amazing amount of dust.  I wear a hat, glasses, dust mask and ear muffs which makes it even hotter.  It’s a filthy job and I think worthy of a place on Tony Robinson’s show about history’s dirtiest jobs!!  Over the last couple of days I have worked with Malclaying blocks and although we both end up exhausted at the end of the day, at least there is no dust.

Continue to pray for safety for us.  The equipment often does not meet Aussie standards.  Malcolm had a plank of steel he was walking on break one of its welds, dumping him on the floor.  Shaken but not stirred he was able to get up there again.  No huge damage but at 75 years old you don’t bounce like you used to and he has been a bit stiff and sore.  I had my brush with safety slipping off a stool I was working on.  The distance down was minor, but the stool barked my shins, then it turned upside down and I fell on one of the upturned legs which punched me in the ribs.  I have a 50mm square tattoo on my ribs which is currently rainbow coloured.  It’s getting better – I can bend down now pretty well although it’s still painful to cough or sneeze.  That evening I discovered I had also sprained my ankle – it had paled into insignificance compared to the other things!

As has become common in recent years I have a fairly full preaching load over the coming weeks, but this time I have been given a theme.  “Setting Goals” is the topic and I have a few weeks to develop it.  Last Sunday I spoke on “Seek first the Kingdom of God …”, using a wheelbarrow to illustrate (you’ve got to use it the right way round to make it work properly).  God used it wonderfully and afterwards one of our long-time relief carers came forward to give her life to Jesus.

Pawinee also is starting a Sunday night session of worship, and teaching about worship, over at her house for the older kids.  She asked if I would do the teaching part so a bit more preparation was needed on Sunday afternoon.  It went well and she wants to continue this over the weeks I am here.  She is very much missing Rob who would have normally done this sort of thing, so I am somewhat humbled and want to support her where I can.

This is developing into a record length Missive, caused because I haven’t had the internet in my house and it is therefore late.

So, that’s it for now.

God bless

Ron

A happy Captain with his Grandpa

Where we are up to on the building

Malc laying blocks

Missive 2 – 2016

As always the pace changes a bit when Malcolm leaves.  It’s been amazing to see him, in his mid-seventies, clambering around on top of the building, hanging on with one arm while he welds trusses together, or climbing the ladders with the weight of enormous trusses on his shoulder.  After he goes some of the Thai workers go back to other jobs like gardening or working on the farm while the rest continue on the building site.  Malcolm’s wife Kay, and daughter Kathryn thoroughly enjoyed their first stay at Ban Meata and there were tears as they tore themselves away from the farewell hugs and drove away.

We didn’t quite get to where Malcolm was expecting.  He was hoping we would have the concrete planks making up the floor of the second storey in place, but we only got 20% of them in place and as at this moment still have some welding to do before the next section goes on.  I have been dividing my time between the office and measuring up for the posts which have to welded in place to hold the roof of the second storey, and having one of the trusses cut and re-welded into a position which fits over the old building better.

Now for those who are already bored with building, some other stuff.  Firstly, news of Cheewar who has lupus and has lost two toes on one of her feet.  Her hospitalisation coupled with inadequate care in her home village (resulting in the amputation) has left her walking on a frame and with “drop foot” on her good leg.  With son-in-law Rich’s help and advice we have devised a physio regime to overcome the problem.  I have gathered all the girls in the “big girls” house and shown them which muscles to massage, which muscles to stretch, and which exercises Cheewar must attempt to restore mobility.  They take it in turns to do it 3 times a day.  Cheewarseems to have brightened considerably since I have been here, despite the pain we are inflicting on her thrice daily!  Please continue to pray for her and her swift return to university.

I promised an update on Whun’s life and circumstances.  Over the last year she has had more ups and downs than a hotel lift but seems to be in a better place now.  She has a job as a trainee teacher at our school and despite having a “downer” late last year because of some criticism, and wanting to leave, is now much more settled.  Children begin school here at 3 or even younger (some still in nappies) and she is partnered with a teacher in a classroom of nearly 40 of these kids.  One of her jobs is to clean up the kids who have wet their pants, or worse, during their afternoon nap.  She is learning to serve!  I am delighted that she reads to them and has developed a dramatic reading style which captivates her audience.  This year she will commence weekend university study to get her formal teaching qualifications.

Underlying all this, and more importantly, is her encounter with God over recent months.  She has had an experience of the infilling of the Spirit and she speaks often of her desire to do as God wants of her.  I have been encouraging her in this, and teaching her about extending this into her love life.  A boyfriend with whom she has had a somewhat tumultuous relationship over the last couple of years posted on Facebook that he could do without her but not beer!  The status of the relationship is now “broken” as she puts it, and it was pleasing to see her make that decision.  Thank you to all those praying for her.  Don’t stop now!!

The Sunday before last Kay, Kathryn and I went for a drive with Stuart and Trish (long term volunteers here) into the mountains nearby.  We visited the Prince’s palace (the future king), drove past numerous holiday resorts and strawberry farms, and ended up at Pino Latte, a coffee place with stunning views over the Phetchabun valley between parallel mountain ranges, and over the new Buddhist temple, spectacularly decorated with literally millions of mosaic tiles.  At the coffee place we enjoyed drinks at Western prices and some cake and desserts that don’t even get close to being on a diabetic’s diet list.

Last weekend Why came over from KK again to say goodbye because she will be unable to do so over the next couple of weekends.  She, Whun and I had a wonderful Saturday together, going into Phetchabun and enjoying the delights of the Pizza Company, Swenson’s the ice-cream parlour, and shopping in Tescos.  (Those of you concerned about my sugar levels, rest assured they are very good, testament to the day by day diet and working in the sun.)  We played a few word games which brings out the competitive juices in Why, and confuses the daylights out of Whun, so we had a great deal of fun, reminiscent of the time they spent in Adelaide.  They are very keen to come again one day.

That night we went in to Lomsak, our nearest town, to the night markets and to watch a dancing and music competition in a park there.  We took Cheewar in a wheelchair and she loved being included.  You couldn’t say Thailand is a “disabled friendly” place.  I had to push the wheelchair on the street because the footpaths are full of either stallholders or pipes and concrete bumps.  Some of the kids from our school were competing in the competitions and got some good results.  It seemed that only girls danced and the skimpy clothes and steaminess of the routines made me wonder about appropriateness for our kids – but, that’s Thailand!

Well, if you’ve lasted this far well done.  As much as I’m enjoying myself I’m missing home as well.  2 weeks to go.

God bless

Ron

 

Missive 1 - 2016

I have just sat down after returning to my “ban” (house) after a delightful meal with Mum Whun, Whun and Why, Jip and Sun (carers for the big boys) and some of the uni students.  Jip and Mum Whun went to the markets, bought some food and invited me to join them for the meal.  We had “larp” (mincemeat mixed with herbs and chilli), and a heap of squid which was cooked over a fire bucket and then cut into rings and dipped into a hot herb and chili sauce.  A few other dishes completed the menu – all made as we sat there.  It was so good to be sitting under the stars with my other family, sharing stories (some had to be retold to me), and simply enjoying each other’s company.  When I bid them goodnight and thanked them for their hospitality they said that I was like a local and one of them – a wonderful affirmation of friendship.

When Nook (once a child here and now with children of her own) saw me for the first time her first words were, “Welcome back!  I’m reading my Bible more because I know you will be telling us that’s what we should be doing.”  Pray for Nook – she has recently had a large lump removed from her breast (benign apparently) and has to go to the local clinic every day to have the dressing in the hole replaced.

All this is after a good flight over here and a night in a hotel in Bangkok before catching a bus to Phetchabun.  I had a bit of minor trouble with taxis.  The driver from the airport, although in a metered taxi, suggested I could pay 1000baht, and have a “Happy New Year”, and then on my refusal dropped it to 500.  I tapped the metre and suggested he turn it on.  Consequently the cost was only 270.  And the next morning I had a few taxis stop for me but when I said I wanted to go to the bus station they wound up their windows and drove on.  Eventually I had a very pleasant driver take me and the cost was a mere 100baht – obviously not enough for some of them.

Our job this year is to put a second storey on the big girls’ house (where Whun and Why used to live).  When I arrived the holes were dug around the house for the posts by a team from Brisbane/Nambour under the leadership of Russel Lee who has worked with us over the last few years.  A big team of Thais, several of them Ban Meata boys who have left school, were painting steel and taking the old roof off.  My first job was to knock a wall down and dig up a concrete path so I was reacquainted with my old friend Jack (Hammer) very quickly.  Later I, and a few Thai boys, put up the cement posts and welded the steel frames inside ready for the cement truck to come and fill them.

Malcolm has brought his wife Kay this year for the first time in 12 years, as well as his daughter Kathryn.  Both are enjoying their first experience at Ban Meata, amazed at the welcome and the “100 hugs a day”, and already at the school helping out with English teaching.  Last weekend we went to Khon Kaen where Malcolm was able to show off this amazing new orphanage which was just a rice paddy 4 years ago.  There is a new phase beginning at Khon Kaen with the introduction of new babies of which by next week there will be eight.  Three of them are only a few weeks old and a couple of them born to HIV+ teenage Mums.  Medication from birth and not allowing the Mums to breastfeed them is having good deal of success in the preventing of HIV+ status in babies.  I fell in love with one of these little tots because her name is Pam after the 10 year old that I had a lot of contact with a couple of years ago and who subsequently died after an infection.

We couldn’t go to Khon Kaen without taking Kay and Kathryn to the steak-house where we have been dining for the last 12 years when we go over there.  All those years ago we ate all we could for 89baht (then about $3) and now it is 189baht (nearly $8, shock, horror) but the food is the same – unlimited pork, beef and chicken steaks with numerous salads and vegetables, then dessert and icecream.  We also took them to one of the multi-storey shopping malls and also to an open air street market.  This latter was mainly for meat and fish, so we saw lots of pork laid out on tables, flanked by the heads of those poor individuals, and plenty of fish, eels, tortoises and frogs in plastic bowls either swimming, hopping or crawling around, or in a state much closer to the cooking pot.

We brought Why back with us from Khon Kaen because she had a few days’ break from Uni so this may be a good time to report on how she and Whun are getting on.  I spent a wonderful hour or so with Why one night with conversation ranging over uni results, her ambitions, her spiritual life and her history, of which she has an awakening interest.  Her results this semester have been a little better although she still finds the work very difficult.  When I raised the issue of finding a tutor she said it is very difficult to find a tutor at this level.  She has 3 semesters to go to complete her degree and she will then teach in a school for a year to get her teacher’s certificate.  She has asked us to pray for her decisions after that – whether she continues to teach in a school or go back for a Masters and teach in a university.  She insists that she wants to do what God wants for her, and not just choose for herself.  She is involved in a local church at KK, playing the keyboard and getting a lot out of the preaching there.  She heads back to KK tomorrow but perhaps I’ll see her again in the next few weeks.

Whun is going well after a very challenging year.  She has some decisions to make soon about a study regime and the best way to achieve her ambition of being a teacher.  I will tell more of her story in the next Missive.

At the time of finishing this Missive we have put up all the posts around the old building on the building site today and by the next Missive hope to be able to report the beams around and across the building being in place.  Malcolm leaves next Friday so we are going flat strap to get as much done as possible, and hope that he gets time to write down the next steps so we can continue the good work.  The top storey is going to be enormous (bigger than the dining room) and will tower over the quadrangle at Ban Meata.  The old building had concrete trusses so rather than build the next storey on the walls, it will be over the roof level.  The floor on the new storey will be between 4 and 5 metres above the ground.  I have suggested to Malc that we put in oxygen outlets for assisted breathing at that height.

Till next time, continue to pray for us.  I think of you often and am experiencing “song jai” which I think I explained last time.

God bless

Ron