Ron in Thailand: Missive 2

It’s a quiet Sunday afternoon as I write after church with the Ban Meata kids this morning. I was the speaker today and it was my first experience with Dtim (the KK manager) as a translator. It went very well and Dtim translated very quickly which keeps the flow going. It was a story followed by a simple message so there weren’t too many complicated concepts.
Last weekend we travelled to Phetchabun after knocking off at 11am on Saturday morning. It was a wonderful “homecoming” and such a delight to see Whun running from her house to greet me – followed almost as quickly by Why and Big Whun. The first time visitors on the team were amazed at their reception and Stephanie, half of our Irish couple, was almost in tears when she said she could feel a spirituality about the place.
Big Whun and the big girls organized a party at the back of their “house” and it was very much like home as we sat around the firebuckets cooking chicken, pork balls and bananas to eat with rice and som-tum and bowls of chili of course. The girls had their karaoke music hooked up to a lap top and some speakers and sang non-stop for hours. There are some young blokes on the team so the girls were very keen to get them involved. Pawinee sat with us and it was good to catch up with her and all that she is doing. Our next trip there will be for her birthday and her housewarming on the 28th.
I found out on Saturday morning via a phone call that I was speaking at church on Sunday so the trip over there in the hired bus was put to use in preparation. Whun translated as usual and it went well. We travelled back that evening ready to get on the site on Monday morning.
We poured the floor on the first of the houses this week and it came up like a dream. Graham Wray (Richard, his Dad has been on the team for a couple of years now) had a good idea for the mesh on the floor of the second house. For the first house we sat in the sun and twitched the 6mm steel rod together for hours. Graham wondered if we could weave the rod into mesh so a team set about doing it. It worked a treat and although it takes about 15 people to move it onto the floor it is now in place for the second pour tomorrow (Monday).
Our team has reached its maximum size – well over 20 – and we are a league of nations. Two Dutch blokes(Edelbert and Hennie) turned up yesterday, a Singaporean lady (Claire Ng) also yesterday, a New Zealand lady (Sarah) last week, an Irish couple (Steph and Tim) – and of course we have a lot of Queenslanders!! Some team members have had their share of problems. Tim and Steph received word during the week that their son (estranged for a number of years) has just been diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. The news this morning was a little better – it is a more manageable form of bone marrow cancer. A positive outcome already has been the first steps of reconciliation.
Jason, a young man who is a long term volunteer at the KK orphanage, bought himself a new motorbike to get around on, and the following day he T-boned another motorcyclist doing a U-turn in front of him – many abrasions for him and the motorbike. His dad and brother were over to see him and are working on the team. A couple of days after the accident his Dad’s Mum collapsed from a brain tumour so the three of them have flown back to Brisbane. On the positive side worksite injuries are low – a few steel cuts, a bit of sunburn, and some stomach upsets.
I am staying very healthy and the only mishap has been going head over turkey over one of our new wheelbarrows which is poorly designed with the front wheel guard so low it too readily digs into the ground. A fearsome crack on the shins and wounded dignity were the only injuries and both are fading fast. Keep praying for the safety of the team.
We are getting ready to walk down to the local markets for our meal tonight so must close. Maybe BBQ’d chicken and sticky rice. Maybe som-tum with seafood. Maybe pad thai. Drool with envy all you out there.
God bless
Ron