The Journey Pen: What you didn't know about toothpaste

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ who gave himself as a ransom for all men …”

1 Timothy 2: 5,6

Last week I joined a group of teachers on an outing to a couple elementary schools to share about the importance of learning English. I had such fun with the Thai teachers and loved seeing the young students. At one school the talk turned into a Heather question period as the students and teachers of the small rural school were beyond excited to see a foreigner. I’m still not used to the instant fame and was surprised when the students lined up to get their picture taken with me. For some reason, students in Canada don’t tend to form a queue when a new teacher walks in the room.

This past week I received my mark as a local. It is known as the Thai Tattoo and pretty much every Thai can tell the story of when they got theirs. No, I did not go get myself inked, but rather I burned a nice 3inch red oval on the back of my calf when I accidently placed my leg on a hot exhaust pipe. Anytime someone notices my burn they smile, nod, and say “ahh, motorbike”. While walking home one day, a kind lady ran out of her shop, eager to show the “farrang” how to treat the typical Thai wound. She brought me into her store and proceeded to cover my leg with a white paste. She showed me the aloe plant on the label, but it was the other side of the tube that caught my eye. It had a picture of teeth along with the word “toothpaste”. I thanked the lady numerous times and continued on my way with my toothpaste covered leg. It was indeed a T.I.T. (This Is Thailand) moment.

A couple weeks ago Connor and I went to a Karen hill tribe village. To hear more check out his blog entry below. On our way we stopped at a gorgeous look off. When I took my first step on the massive staircase, the words of a song I heard two years ago in Africa came to mind: “My Jesus bled and died for my sins, He spent His time with thieves and the least of these…”* As I stood on the mountain, looking down at the valley farmlands, I couldn’t help but reflect on the awesomeness of God. Although Jesus was already with God from the beginning of time (John 1), He came down to Earth, He was born in a stable, He worked as a carpenter, He healed the sick, He cast out demons, He brought the dead back to life, He suffered and died for people of all nations, and above all that, He is alive.

The word “gospel” means “good news”. Living in Thailand has made me realize even more how amazing, the news of Jesus truly is. “Fear not,” is written 365 times in the Bible. These words from a loving God stand out so beautifully as I live amongst a people whose daily routines, purchases, and home appearances are heavily influenced by fear. It is interesting hearing Thais speak of the spirits and watching the colour drain from their faces as they do so. The appeasing of the spirits is foundational to most Thai people. I in no way claim or pretend to have a full understanding of this culture, but rather I write simply what I have observed and learned from the Thai people thus far. In John 10:10, Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." How awesome it is that the creator of the universe desires us all to experience life without fear!

*“My Jesus” by Todd Agnew

Cultural Tidbits:

-The nick name for Thailand is “The Land of Smiles”

-ASEAN is the acronym for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

-ASEAN is comprised of 10 countries: Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore

-ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will come into effect in 2015

-ASEAN was established in Thailand. The declaration was signed in Bangkok in 1967 by five founding nations.

-The official language of ASEAN is English

We had a camp to teach students from 12 different schools about ASEAN. Here are a couple photos:

ASEAN will soon be here. These countries will form a union in 2015, or 2558 in the Thai calendar.

It is so nice to see the kids stop studying and have fun!
(I know this is not a usual teacher comment, but these students are always doing school work)