Culture Shock and the Reverse

 Culture shock is a big part of anybody's life who's ever been abroad and back.

One of the weirdest parts of it all is the REVERSE side of culture shock, when you come back to what is in fact your home country, culture and former reality. Obviously the depths of how it is felt depends on the length of time spent outside of it, and I can't really imagine what it would be like returning several years after being away; but I can tell you about what it was like after being gone for 15 months.

-I used to pride myself on my "thick skinned" abilities to stay warm in the midst of a cold Colorado winter, but 60 seconds into standing outside in Los Angeles, California, and I was ready for some tropical weather again. (And not to sound like a whiner, but I really don't enjoy the heat over here most days!)

-What happened to cash? I'm not really condemning credit and debit cards, but after living in an all-cash economy, and then trying to buy normal things with greenbacks only to have the cashier stare at me like I was from the dark ages wasn't really something I expected. Seriously, one clerk seemed to expect to encounter spiders when they opened the register till!

-Everything is so CLEAN! It didn't take my mom 30 seconds walking down the "sidewalks" of Thailand to realize she was going to need to be concious of her foot placement. But the States actually take care that there aren't dead/sick/lazy dogs laying across the concrete, and seemed to have realized that spools of wires hanging down from streetlights and power cables might not be such a great thing to put in a pedestrian's way.

-There's space to breath. Walking around everywhere you'd either have to be drunk or just horrible at walking to actually bump into sombody with all the space and lack of people in your immediate proximity. Coming from living in a city that has 1,000 people/square mile can feel a little tight, especially when they're all trying to avoid said dogs and power lines on a 3 foot wide walkway.


-And the biggest shock of all was the EASE of talking with ANYBODY. There was no need to look up specific words in advance or awkward mumbling searching for the right tone just so you could get a table by the window. It took living with basic conversation skills to truly appreciate the awesome capability to just chat with the barista, or stranger in line.



Now after being in the US for 6 weeks, its good and bad to be back in the hot, sticky, cash-wielding, Thai-speaking crowds of SE Asia. But oddly enough there were no shocks to come back to; it was all the same as I had left it, and I took that to mean that I must be home.

Return to ChiangDao

Muse:
This update was supposed to have posted when I first wrote it almost a month ago, but with a combination of it being deleted before I could save it (twice), my frustration that followed, the busyness of other things in life being added, the multitude of ducks I had to get in a row before this week...and a little procrastination on my part, it is finally now being posted...again.
So hit the rewind button on your memory and go back to the second week of October:

Set:
-back when time was a little slower, rains were still coming regularly, and the morning mists were only JUST enough to make you second guess your decision to attempt a day without taking a second shirt with you (at least in this part of the world).

-most of the girls from BHJ were back in the villages visiting remaining relatives during their school break.

-I was ending teaching English to the staff for a little while to prepare for time spent elsewhere.

-a team from America had just arrived....

Scene 1

The team came mostly from the mountains of Colorado and my native city of Woodland Park with a ministry called E3/SportReach. After spending a few days in ChiangMai, getting acquainted with the city, the culture, and the heat; we headed out to BHJ and did a small work project, only to be interrupted by monsoonal torrent that turned most of our efforts into a soggy sandbox - much to the enjoyment of the girls who were only too eager to start burying each other and building sand castles like they were at the beach.
The following day we packed up from ChiangMai and headed North. Winding through the mountains on curves that still make me more than a little car sick thinking about it, past military checkpoints intent on halting the traffic of opium from the hidden plantations to the cities until we reached the small municipality of ChiangDao; a central location to the multitudes of smaller villages surrounding it, each with their own people group residing in it.

Scene 2

Sunday through Wednesday we split the team of 8 recently arrived Americans into 3 groups adding myself, the Jessen family and several locals, each going off to different villages that we were going to be working in. I led a team of 4 into a Lisu village called HuaNaLin, where I knew the pastor already and where four of the BHJ girls had come from. We spent the afternoon on Sunday prayer walking through the village and inviting anybody we met to come to the church that evening to a special program we were going to have where I gave a small teaching on the mission that God has called every Christ-follower to; not just pastors or "great white missionaries."

Our main goal was to be an encouragement to the already established church and help motivate them to reach the remaining families in the surrounding area and not remain stagnant and legalistic in their faith. We spent time with pastor John Bee and the elders of the church asking where their needs for prayer were and where we might be of service. The next few days we spent the mornings playing with the kids of the village who were too young to work in the fields, and then during lunch going out into the fields where the majority of the villagers were working the harvest.

We would meet with them in their homes or their fields sharing with them about the Good News and explaining the gospel to them, praying with them and discipling those who God had created cultivated hearts. Then in the afternoons having sports camps for the youth and then in the evenings holding small bible study groups at the church or returning to the houses of people we met that invited us to come back and meet with their entire families.

It's hard to explain the spectrum of people we would meet when going out with the pastor or other church members; but these three examples give an idea of what we encountered:

1. Cultivated heart - I went with one other American, a Thai translator and a local church member and met a young man of about 21 who when we asked if we could share with him about the Bible, he was immediately excited and asked us to come in! We sat down and shared with him the story of the Bible from Creation through to Jesus' death, highlighting the points of our original design to be with God, our fall and separation and the effects of that, and the master plan God had already put into effect with Jesus. After hearing, he was already eager to pray and commit his life to Jesus. We spent nearly an hour or so with him and left him a Bible and invited him to join us at church that evening, to which he came. Later that week I went back with the local church member and visited with him again to encourage him and his walk.

2. Open, but non convicted - We met with a family of 3, the father, mother and their daughter who all listened very intently to what we were sharing and then after asking very motivated questions the father ultimately said that they were still deciding what was the best way to act, but when we asked what we could pray for them for, he said, "please pray for us that we may be able to discern what is the true path and way to live life."

3. Closed - An elderly woman we met with was sitting on her porch outside of her home, working on weaving a basket when we asked if we could spend some time with her, she was very polite and listened to what we were saying. But after sharing with her, she told us that Buddha already took care of her sin and the pendant around her neck was what kept evil spirits away and brought her good fortune. Despite the fact that she said that the Bible was true and how it says that God's biggest commandment is worshipping him alone, meaning believing in Jesus, she said that it was more logical to believe in many things.

After spending most of the week with a similar routine, and having the opportunity spend some real one-on-one time with John Bee and one of the elders, Daniel - spending several hours just hanging out in his house and communicating between my Thai and his English we were able to have a very fruitful time surfacing things from both of our lives and what God was doing in both of them. Daniel, who was about 28, was chosen to be an elder 2 years previous on the premise that he was one of the few men in the village who "knew how to pray."

We regrouped with the rest of the team in the evenings to eat dinner around 8:30 or 9pm, debrief, pray and go to bed.

Scene 3

Once Thursday rolled around we all regrouped and went to a different village that our friend and pastor Kamsen had been involved with over the past several years - this village, consisting of Karen, Shan and Northern Thai peoples, had only 3 professing Christians and only 1 young couple actively attempting to spread the Good News to their neighbors. We spent the entire day with all of the team going out to the families and inviting them to a youth soccer game in the afternoon and then a church meeting in the evening.
The soccer game was a great hit (as always is when Soccer is involved), we played with a group of about 20 youth from the village and we were able to share with them and I spent some time with a few of the guys and hanging out with them. Then in the evening, the church was packed out with people from all over the area to hear the message that Kamsen taught and to see a video geared towards helping explain the Gospel to those of their background. It was awesome to see God bring a full crowd to a village that God had been working on in the previous years.

Final Scene:

The next day we packed up and came back to ChiangMai where I spent most of the next day saying goodbye to my girlfriend as she was leaving for the States after her 2 year commitment in SE Asia, and then met back up with the team afterward for debriefing and helping them get onto their plane the next day to go back to the snow and cold of Colorado (and Washington).

Sequel:
One week later, after the team had gone, I went back with Pastor Kamsen to the same village for the dedication of their church building and saw many of the same people we had met the previous week, including several of the guys I had played soccer with. I'm already excited to see them again in the months to come!

Coming attractions:

-My mom visits me in Thailand for her maiden voyage across foreign soil. (Single day trips into Canada and Mexico don't count).

-I visit friends and family in the USA to cultivate relationships, spend the holidays and do some fund-raising.

Location:ChiangDao, nearby villages, Thailand

On God and Church Planting in villages to the North.

I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty awesome to be able to be a part of what God is doing in Thailand!

Sure, there are times when it's extremely difficult and the many clashes of culture and distance from things that are familiar weed their pricking thorns into what were my otherwise comfortable feelings of peace with where God has me...and believe me, they are not fun. But that happens to everybody regardless of their physical location, current vocation or heart status. I'm just glad for the incredible opportunities He's deemed me worthy enough to take part in; most recently a trip to Chiang Dao with Kelly Jessen and Pastor Kamsen.

We got a late start heading the 2 hours North from Chiang Mai to the small municipality surrounded by countless smaller villages, each distinguished by the minority people group that inhabits it. We made our way up the curving mountainsides, rain splashing the windshield, whipping around corners that still make me a more than a little carsick thinking about it, and passing police checkpoints intent on discovering smugglers from transporting their loads of opium. Eventually reaching our destination just next door to the Lisu Bible Institute, where Kelly would be teaching the next 3 days.

The mornings and afternoons consisted mostly of Kelly, teaching in English which was then translated into Lisu, with me following along in the Thai copy of the notes. (Got a headache yet?) The students, who are mostly aged 17-20 with a few village pastors mixed in there, sat on hard benches scribbling notes in their all-capital handwriting that when read out loud sounded like trying to talk with a kazoo in their mouth, making buzzing sounds as they formed words.

Kelly was busy teaching them all sorts of tools that most Americans would have understood since they were young growing up in the church; how to pray, how to share the gospel, how to make disciples versus converts, leading small groups and Bible studies, developing leaders and expanding their own personal ministries so not to just become stagnant and filled with the same people.
Because honestly, after the last hundred or so years of Christian influence and ministry in Thailand, the 1% Christ-following population isn't exactly something to brag about. We've gotten so focused on coming in with money and the importance to build a church BUILDING rather than expand the actual church of believers. Fund-raising and filling seats is far less important than really meeting with people and discipling them where they're at. Forget the pews, the stage, the podium and musical equipment; those are nice, and blessings, but they're so WESTERN and ultimately unnecessary. Many pastors and church leaders in Thailand have the mindset that if ONLY they could get those things, then they would have a successful church. (Wonder where they got that mindset from?)

It was awesome to see them break into small groups and tentatively begin reading through a passage of scripture with a set of questions to get them diving into the word of God. At first with many awkward glances and unsure comments to those around them, afraid of getting the answers wrong. Then an hour later seeing them come back into the big group and when asked if they liked the time, responded with a very loud "KAZOO!" ('Yes', for those of you who didn't pick up on the earlier comment).

During the evenings, after a quick shower and dinner, the three of us headed about 30 minutes into the jungle to a Lahu village, which several of the girls from BHJ are from. Met with the pastor and the congregation there along with swarms of children riding their bicycles barefooted and skidding to a halt and peeking around each other why large, shy eyes. (The second night...not so shy; instead we were tackled.) We had come to lead a shorter version of all that was being taught at the Lisu Bible Institute.





With Kamsen translating this time into Thai, I was able to be a lot more of use and helped teach some parts of it and participated in smaller groups as long as we kept speaking Thai instead of Lahu (another tonal buzzing dialect). We practiced with praying and discipling, and especially with explaining the Gospel, because this village is one of the several we'll be coming back to next month with a short-term team with the intent of creating more house churches and spreading the word to the Hmong, Karen, Yao and Northern Thai peoples - with the current church members as the ones doing most of the evangelism rather than our own translators.






So, now back in Chiang Mai, I'm already looking forward to seeing those at the Lisu Bible Institute and the Lahu village of Godbodbong in a few weeks and seeing what God will have done and what is going to be done in the future!

P.S. I was told that Lisu and Lahu could each be learned proficiently in 6 months...could be useful in Thailand, Laos, Burma, India and China!

A year of God

Usually reflections on the recent year-gone-by happen under an inky sky illuminated by bright flashes of colored sparks and the sound of clinking drinking glasses harmonizing with the booming of far-off explosions that muffle the otherwise noisy party. However, right now the booming I hear is instead from electrodes doing whatever they do to produce the lightning that is accompanying the sheets of rain inundating everything it can touch, what was otherwise previously dry and more than likely, hot to the touch.

Nevertheless, I can't help but reflect on the past year -

the long plane ride that I was miraculously able to sleep all but an hour of...

the first impression of hot, sticky Chiang Mai as I confusedly tried to find the correct side of the van to enter...

the awkward first time I met the brown-faced girls that I now call my "little sisters"...

the many different travels around the city and Thailand as a whole, seeing the beauty of God in stark contrast to the stomach-wrenching sight of Satan's grip on the lives of so many...

the unsure trip to a neighboring communist country in hopes of obtaining at least a few more weeks allowed to stay in Thailand...

the exhausting weeks of feeling like a 4 year old trying to sound out the alphabet and the headaches that followed...

the moments of sheer frustration when a trip to town for a quick errand turned into a week-long ordeal...

the joy and excitement of participating in a country-wide water fight that left everybody sunburned, sore and exhausted...

the feeling of accomplishment once having a house to call my own and roommates to live life with...

the new friends made from a short-term team from WA and the excitement of seeing my little sisters enjoy the attention from people who had come simply to show them the love of an all-powerful and loving Father...

the many many many mistakes with language and cultural differences and being able to laugh about it through red cheeks and sometimes gritted teeth...

the growing of relationships back in the states despite the time differences and long distance between us...

the lives changed by the grace of God and them moving of His Spirit through those who follow his leading...

the love and acceptance of a family of believers, young and old, tall and short, dark and pale; brought together through the mutual joy of the love that we all received individually and can't help but share with those around.

Through the past 12 months, despite times of joy, anger, frustration, contentment and so many other emotions - God was/is ever-presently showering me with over-abundant gifts. So I thank those of you have been with me through this crazy upside-down year, whether I've known you for many many years, or just last week. I give thanks to God for the life we've been able to share one way or another.

Be blessed in the Gospel alone, and take everything else as our Dad winning you back to himself.

(Photo: Loi Krathong Festival, November 2010)

A lazy, rainy Friday afternoon

Its a monsoon outside right now.

So all plans and endeavors to finish volleyball games or get that one last round of hop-scotch in were abandoned as 41 girls scurried into the dorm in a mad dash of such dark-skinned pigment that most western models would kill for. They slid into the main room and dragged the few peices of furniture together, the little ones stacking plastic chairs on top of each other to see over the heads of those in front in desperate attempts to be able to see the television.









Dark eyes peek over my shoudler as they watch my pen trace marks along the page, curiously trying to decipher their meaing.
This is my life currently, The television trying to drown out the roar of cascading water outside, while I sit surrounded by little girls staring intently at the color-changing glass in front of them. A lazy Friday afternoon spent among the least of these, a million miles away from what I might've ever thought my life would look like.
God is probably still chuckling at the idea of me trying to make plans of my own.
I'd like to think I've given God a few good belly laughs in the nearly 23 years I've been alive; and hopefully I'll give Him a few more before I go and listen to one of His own.

I'm not paying attention to the show, and my thoughts linger elsewhere....

...to the conversation in broken English and Thai I had with Mama Leah, smiling as she leans over the massive wok, a freshly picked flower pinned proudly on her shoulder that was given her today for Mother's Day.

...to the round smiling face of Supansa peeking through the doorway for the 3rd time asking if I'm finished with what I'm working on and can come play, only 45 seconds between intervals.









...to the date I took a girl on last night, that I think went pretty well. (Hopefully she'll smile to herself if she reads this.) It was the first time I'd ever taken a girl out on a date with her on the back of a motorcycle - something I'll admit I'd been wanting to do ever since seeing how cool Tom Cruise looked in Top Gun when I was a kid. Smiling to myself a little as she gripped a little tighter as we leaned a little further into a turn. (Don't worry mom, we both had helmets and I was careful...in case you read this...or her mom does....)

It's a relaxing afternoon which is best spent giving God thanks for the random smiles and all that he's done and is continuing to do.

And then the sun breaks the clouds.

The Friend Dilemma

It sucks. (I apologize for the cable TV language).
But it really does; when you can't find real friends.
Friends that actually stick within a decent proximity to you.
People that are intent on staying close by for longer than a few weeks, or several months at the most.

I'd be lying is I said it doesn't aggravate me when I meet a seemingly-cool guy or girl at church or a random café or restaurant; go through the pleasantries and introductions, realize that they could really be a cool person to get to know - beneficial for both of us...and then the next question is asked and answered....

"How long are you here for?"


And would-be friendships immediately divert into a new facebook acquaintance...at the most. These awesome, God-loving, brothers and sisters go into a category with even less depth than the returning customers I used to have while working at Starbucks.
And it sucks.

Don't get me wrong, I have friends here. Deep, meaningful relationships that I'm excited to see grow in the future, but gosh darn it I wish it were easier to make more!

This was kind of a long intro in the real update I was planning to post, but please if you wouldn't mind praying for the opportunity to make more deep and lasting friendships while here.

Another big request I am asking for is this: after being here for just under a full year, and having just about everything settled to be here as long as God would like me to, the big question still remains: what has God REALLY sent me here for?
I am still working at the Breanna's House, still loving being with my little sisters and "family" out there. Still enjoy helping where I can with TheLight and the other small ministries I've been a part of.
Yet, as I continue to work myself out of a job at BHJ, the more time I have to spend seeking God in His direction for my ministry. I don't want to be here coasting in the midst of so much potential and need. So I ask for your prayers and petitions to our amazing God and Father who sent me here in the first place.
That He would lead me into the exact fit that He has for me, a place that will challenge and grow me, but ultimately where His FAME will be most spread and His GLORY be most admired.

P.S. I am still attempting to raise my support level to allow for a modest budget enabling me to plan for the future and the occasional trip back to the states. If you or anyone you know would like to partner with what God has brought me here to do, please contact me or donate online via
https://www.newhorizonsfoundation.net/index.php?option=com_dtdonate&task=authorizenetonce&Itemid=5&pid=0
with "Joy to the World - Ben Watson" highlighted in OPERATING PROJECT.

Missionary Season

The locals call it "Reedu Missionary" (insert falling tone on last syllable).
It's the time when teams come and visit and do building projects, VBSes, Bible studies, and retreats. And while most come and go with a good impact, I still had my doubts about what this month was going to be all about. But yet again, God has shown Himself more than capable of using whatever willingness is offered and producing great things from it.

I'm not against short-term missions. I mean, without it I would never have ended up where I am now had I not gone on that fateful week-long trip to Shiprock, NM back when I was 15. But with my progression into longer and longer termed commitments, my view for myself has changed into being one to hardly consider myself going to a place unless I have ample time to really meet the people and understand some of their language and make real friendships. But that's not for everybody. Some people are used as quick booster shots and encouragements for those staying long-term. However, some come as more of a hinderance than a help, using the opportunity to see the world or to just build their own faith rather than give it. Thankfully, God saw it necessary to bless us with a team that deeply intended to bless others rather than be built up in their own hearts. 

We just had a team of 19 High School students and Chaperones come from Washington state for just under 2 weeks; and even though the work projects they blessed us with weren't extremely essential, the reminder of a larger family of God and plan can never be re-emphasized enough. The girls ADORED the attention they got from the team who came prepared to give themselves out completely until they went home exhausted from the heat, sweat and many tears spent on the last night that everybody had been dreading since day one.

I saw God's love open the hearts of the younger ones who have come from such broken stories I don't think anything but a God who is love could fix. Witnessing Him use the games of volleyball, tag or even paper, rock, scissors to encourage the hearts of both parties involved was evidence enough even had I not been acquainted with both cultures. The team left after days of sweating, painting, building, gardening, more sweating and ultimately loving on the hearts of 41 precious girls and 6 Thai staff who wont't be quick to forget the joy that came with the "super cool Americans."

Thank you very much, Bellevue team for blessing us out here in Doi Saket, the girls already miss you guys a ton and continually ask if I've had word whether or not some of you are coming back again soon.

P.S. If you would like more information on Breanna's House of Joy or sponsoring a girl/local staff for $50/mo. please visit www.breannashouseofjoy.com or email me at onegirlsponsor@gmail.com

P.S.S. If you'd like to contribute to my personal funding please visit www.newhorizonsfoundation.net and select "Joy to the World Thailand - Ben Watson" for Operating Project under the DONATE tab.