Rest & Stability

The main message at church today was to rest in God rather than just work for Him. It made me realise how much my perspective has changed. I'm over 'doing' church and into 'being' church. I'm actively avoiding religious duties and no longer believe in putting on a program just because we should be doing something. I'm into organic community and just being with people- flaws, absurdities and all. People over programs every time.
The other major mental gear shift God has changed was my idea of where my stability came from. Frankly, coming into the middle of this year I was getting tired. I have changed continents every 6 months for the last three years. I'm always leaving my friends or they're leaving me and who knows how many years will pass till our next meeting (heaven?). Then I start over afresh in every new place with new people and sometimes a new language (or accent). I just needed a home. So seeing as I know I will be here in Chiangmai for a while, I began to look for a more stable living situation. Hilariously, while I was thinking this, I have had at least 5 good friends and 3 flatmates leave and moved house twice already. One of my closest friends here is leaving on a jetplane in a couple of weeks, don't know when they'll be back again. Driving me, in desperation, to the realisation that my stability is in God and that must be enough.

Thai Plumbing

This week all our plumbing problems came to a head. Nearly a fountain head. The upstairs toilet had been leaking for a while all over the floor and the butt-sprayer would not turn off if we tried to flush but hey it was a slow flood so we told the landlord's representative, stopped using it and weren't too worried about it. Then in the space of 24 hours, the downstairs sink broke so all water went straight through to the floor, the upstairs shower knob was missing so my housemate cut herself on the rusty thread sticking out and the upstairs sink tap broke and would not stop shooting water full force. Part of my morning was spent alternating turns in holding down on the tap to stem the flow so that the other person could continue getting ready for work.
All fixed now, but what a morning! Is it possible there's some sort of synchronised built in break down date on thai plumbing?

Adaptation

Last night I could not sleep and decided to have a midnight milo. I went into the kitchen without turning the lights on and reached for the jar. As I opened it up and went to put my spoon in, I realised that my milo smelt a bit damp...and there seemed to be a streak of black in there. 'Probably water leaked in' I thought as I flipped on the light.
A dead gecko lay with it's head buried in the milo.
This was a real dilemma...milo is my treat, but that was the damp gecko blood I had smelt.
In the end I tipped half the milo powder, and the gecko, into the bin and then continued on making myself a hot milo out of the same jar. Ahh... how I've adapted to the life of a missionary.

Where did you recieve your call?

Interestingly we just took a survey in ywam staff meeting and only 2 people recieved their call to missions while at their home church. 8-10 people recieved a call to missions while on a short term mission trip. Most people recieved their call between 20-30 years old, a few people knew as kids they wanted to be missionaries and 1 person after 50 years of age.
So hey, next time we send some young adults off overseas and wonder what they could do, just remember if even only one of them decides to go into long term missions and the rest just come back with a greater understanding of missions...its worth it!

Last post of outreach

So hilariously, the rest of our filming became so exhausting that I didn't manage to write again.
Here are some photos of the process though:




One of our locations we filmed in...beautiful areas.




The 'older brother' acting out a scene where he explores meditation as a way to relieve his guilt.




On the last day of filming the headman's wife asked if we could pray for the family, the village and the Shan people. They had only 1 son left alive out of 4 children.




Then we had a big dinner with all people involved and they laughed themselves silly watching a trailer we'd made on the fly.
All together it was extremely hard work but extremely fun too. However, i caught some unidentified fever on the last day and am still recovering!

Radio & Formulas

Last week I was interviewed on radio about my faith and missions. Overall it was a good and comfortable chat and I thank God that I was able to get clear phone reception out in the fields we were filming in.
But, like many public presentations I've done, I was kicking myself later about one answer I gave. Ross Clifford, the interviewer, asked me "what does the gospel of Jesus mean? For my radio listeners." Now, admittedly I am standing in the mud of a rice paddy in a small village and am having trouble picturing the average Australian listener at that moment, but really that is no excuse for the jargon and ramble about love, salvation, hope and heaven that came out then.
Peter says to be ready at all times to explain faith, and after all this I should certainly be able to do that. Yet, currently I am reading a Donald Miller book, 'Searching for God knows what', and in it he says that we sell Jesus short by trying to present the gospel as a set of theological ideas or 5 step formula.
And while I do believe in knowing clearly what you believe, I think in half hashing through formula on radio is where I went wrong.
It caught me off guard. In reality, the person of Jesus and all that He means to me is too hard to fit into sentences, although I'll try now.
Jesus is the great holder of my hand as He tugs me wildly through this adventure that is my life. And although we career together into crazy and unfathomable places, He will never let go, even if I might sometimes, until we reach the final eternal holiday beach resort in heaven where every tear is wiped away and all the kids I've met suffering from HIV are playing in the sand. Till then I will try to introduce more people to Jesus and see His influence spread, because through watching suffering I have branded on my soul the realisation that only His kind of love and reign can heal the world...because only God can change the heart of men.
Ok, I love you Jesus and that was a way better attempt to explain that!

"Have you seen my brother?"

Today we are filming in a Shan village the story of a young man who sets out to find his brother as the dying wish of his mother. The search takes him back into Burma, where his family had originally fled from, and where his brother was last seen trying to revenge their father.







A flashback shot of the brother.

Filming has been fun... Villages and fields, myself running around madly dressed as a Shan woman in a village on fire scene, swordfights and 4 wheel driving late at night.