Tears on the Street

Regardless of the time in Bangkok the traffic is heavy on the streets. At the end of a work day, as people return to their homes, never is a statement so true. Just yesterday our family, visiting Bangkok for the day, were in a taxi. We were exhausted. We were ready to get onto the bus that would return us to our home an hour and a half away in Photharam. It was already dark and we were stopped at traffic lights. Ahead of me I saw the tail lights coming from four or five lanes of traffic. Then in amongst the cars Mackenzie (who was on my lap in the front) and I saw a young girl. She was selling something at the car windows. As she got closer we could see that she was selling a single white flower wrapped in a small piece of banana leaf. I admired such a little entrepreneur and I decided that I would buy one, when and if, she came past our taxi. It was a while before she did and so I felt the pressure of the pending change of lights when she approached our taxi. I proceeded (in a rushed manner) to wind down the window. But, when the window was down we did not find a sassy little entrepreneur but a young Thai face, about 9 years of age, with tears streaking her brown skin. I saw fear in her brown eyes. I was taken aback. Perhaps she had been forced out into the lanes of Bangkok traffic at the end of the day to make enough money for her family to eat that evening. Perhaps she made money for someone else and would never benefit from the money made. We didn’t know her story. We knew in that instant though that she was scared and sad. I was more panicked now and in my simple Thai asked her how much the flowers were and she was unable to respond. Until now I had not realized that my bag was twisted up in the seat belt making it hard to access. I felt around in one pocket and found some coins, I put them into her small brown hand and she handed me three flowers. I tried to hand back two, but she insisted. The light changed and off we went. I couldn’t talk. Kenzie couldn’t talk. We just sat there overwhelmed. Mackenzie then said ‘Why did you rush mummy?’ I said sadly that I wish I hadn’t rushed but had allowed the taxi to sit there in the traffic while I found a more substantial amount of money. ‘Never… rush… again… mum…ok,’ was Kenzie’s slow, sad and thoughtful reply.

I long to live as Christ lived, yet I fall short so often. I am reminded that Jesus kept his pace slow. He stopped for Zaccheus up a tree. He stopped for the woman at the well. He stopped his teaching and fed the crowds. He stopped for children and brought them to his chest. He stopped for the Centurian, the bleeding woman, the thief on the cross. He stopped for questions, sickness and feasts. He stopped for perfume to be poured on his feet. He stopped to embrace and be embraced. He stopped to cry and listen to tears. There is a similar need for his followers to stop today. There is need for mercy all around us. Be it Australia, Thailand or America. We can’t rush by people. That was my lesson this week….maybe it can be for you also?

Arrived

Just a brief blog to let you know we have arrived. We have taken the teaching job at Photharam which is about an hour from the border. We hope to go to the border villages on the weekends and slowly build relationship with the Karen there. The teaching job is on an initial 3 month contract and this will allow us to obtain the appropriate visas and so on. We are looking at a possible house tomorrow. We will appreciate being settled. We will write again soon.

Mary Valley Knitters

We (the Harrison family) leave for Thailand in a week. We are ready and peaceful. Today we went to Mary Valley Wesleyan where we were able to speak about Connect and were given a bag full of jumpers, beanies, booties and blankets to take to the Karen people in Thailand. We will arrive at the beginning of their winter and so these gifts, hand made by loving hands, will be greatly appreciated by Karen living in Bamboo huts in the mountains.

It is overwhelming to us that before we even know the people we will work alongside in the border villages we have gifts to bring them when we first meet. Thank you ladies for your partnership with us.

It seems that I (Ruth) have a teaching job in Phathoram, about an hour east of the Burma border. This will allow us to obtain visas and initial income. It will also allow us to gain our footing in a new country. The contract will mean I work Monday to Friday and so we will head out to the villages on the weekends for the first few months and we will see from there what doors open to us.

It seems often that God shows his children only a little of the path ahead...and for now we know this much....we leave next week and we have a bag full of gifts....God knows the rest....that is enough for us.

Next post from Thailand soil!