Action Team's adventure in Thailand
Report from the BMS Thailand Action Team on their visit to ITDP.
In late March 2011, at the end of their time in Thailand, the BMS Action Team - Sarah, Ross and Pete -but minus Hannah who was unwell, spent time working in a remote North Thailand village helping to install a clean water supply as part of the project work of the Integrated Tribal Development Programme which OA supports through our partner Mike Mann. This is the record of their work and witness during that period.
Our time with ITDP lasted for 5 days, in an extremely remote village in the middle of the beautiful mountains of north Thailand. Unfortunately, on the morning we departed, Hannah was unwell and so could not come with us. Obviously this was a great disappointment for all of us, and it was strange not having her with us, however we still saw God work in amazing ways, and we know God had it all in hand!
We departed for the village, alongside the 5 Americans, with whom we were working, on Saturday 18th March. The journey was long (around 5 hours), very bumpy and quite tiring, especially for Ross who decided to stand on the back of a truck whilst weaving along the mountain side! On arrival, we moved our things into our hosts' houses, before commencing work.
As there was no running water in the village, it was essential that we connected the pipes running from the water source at the top of the mountain down into the village. This meant that as soon as we got there we had to climb up the mountain, carrying a number of pipes to the water source. The Karen people were so agile and speedy in getting up the mountain, it put us foreigners to shame, as we battled with the scorching afternoon heat! After a couple of hours, and a few near misses avoiding falls down the mountain, the task was complete and we had a running shower and water source for cooking in the village!
Perhaps the biggest struggle was the language barrier. The village is Po Karen, which was very different for us as we have been living and working with Skor Karen people. Not only does this mean that they spoke a completely different language, but they were also very shy in using their Thai, because they were worried about being embarrassed in front of us. We did have translators, but the majority of the time they were busy, and so it was often left to us to encourage the people to use their Thai and talk to us! After a while, however, they got over their shyness and we were able to find out more about them by using our basic knowledge of Thai, and build some really good relationships! In the end we found ourselves translating for the Americans quite successfully, as they knew no Thai at all. I guess this is a real example of how God equipped us for His work, and used us in a way that we never expected.
As we arrived on a Saturday, the next day was a day of rest. The villagers expected us to have a day off, as we are Christians. This was quite encouraging, as it meant they already understood some of what Christianity is and they showed us a lot of respect for being Christians. Sundays in villages, as we had already experienced, are completely different to Sundays in a western culture. They truly follow the teachings of the Bible about the Sabbath, and use Sundays as a day of complete rest and break from work. They use their time wisely, to catch up on some needed sleep after a hard week's work, play sport with their village friends, and most importantly spend time reading God's word and learning more about Him, being refreshed by Him for the coming week. Whilst the village we went to was animist rather than Christian, we were still able to do some of these things, and whilst in some ways we just wanted to get the work started to ensure we finished on time, we understood the importance of resting, spending time with God and building relationships with the villagers.
In the morning, we visited each house in the village, to work out how many villagers there were, and get a note of their names. The afternoon was spent playing sports, swimming in the river and having fun with the children. We also began the first of the Vacation Bible School sessions (VBS) in which we taught the children a Bible story and then aided them in craft activities. We also played games with them, such as duck duck goose, and gave out cookies and little gifts, such as bubbles and balloons, everyday. These times were very special and it was such a privilege to be able to share the gospel with them, especially when we know they may never hear it again. Sunday evening was then spent in devotions with the team, where one member shared a testimony and we generally got to know the American's a little more.
Monday morning we started early with breakfast and then boys and girls were split, as the work the boys were doing was physically very demanding. The girls headed up to the site of the holding tank, where we, along with many of the villagers, began laying the frame for the base of the water holding tank. It involved a lot of twisting wires and readjusting parts of the frame, but the job wasn't too taxing and we were finished in good time. Meanwhile the boys were hiking up the 700m mountain, where they began working their way along the connected piping, trenching and burying it, to ensure it was not damaged.
After a lunch break, everyone was working together at the site of the holding tank, mixing and laying cement to create the base for the tank. It was a hard job in the scorching heat, but with so many workers we completed it on time. At 3pm, the girls, along with a translator, went back down to the village to begin VBS for the children, and some of the parents again. They all loved singing the songs, listening to the Bible story and even some of the adults joined in with the crafts. The evening was then spent with the villagers and team again, swimming in the river, playing takror and talking to the villagers - a great opportunity to learn more about the village - before some time sitting by the fire and a relatively early night.
An earlier start on Tuesday morning began with the task of laying the first ring of the holding tank before breakfast. However in the cool morning temperature and with many helping hands, we were able to complete the task relatively quickly. After a hearty breakfast of rice, we set about our morning activities. Once again the boys, who had completed much of the trenching the day before, were sent back up the mountain to complete the trenching, whilst the girls were given a different task! We were assigned the job of helping to build a toilet for one of the homes in the village. One of the workers for ITDP is an expert in this field, and so whilst he was laying the base for the toilet, we were asked to mix the cement and collect the things needed for the cement. This was quite a large task for just 3 people, and so some of the female villagers offered to help. Again this was a great opportunity to build relationships and find out some more about them.
After lunch we set about laying the second ring for the water tank, before another session of VBS and an evening with the villagers. This evening was great fun, as we played some games with the children, such as hide and seek, as well as swimming in the river and playing takror with the villagers. This was the evening in which we really felt we made a connection with the people and we just loved seeing everyone laughing and having so much fun together. Whilst we were playing with the children, some of the Americans set up a game of UNO with the men in the village, which they absolutely loved and had so much fun!
Wednesday was our last full day in the village, and they made the most of having 3 extra pairs of hands to help. After laying the 3rd ring for the tank in the morning, the men and women were again assigned separate tasks. The men had a very gruelling morning of carrying backs of cement and stone up the mountain to the water source, in order to secure the dam and ensure it doesn't break. After a few near misses with Ross nearly falling down the mountain they finished the job. Meanwhile the women spent the morning sifting sand, so that it was fine enough to be used to cover the filter tank. I think we all felt that this was the hottest day of all, and so whatever we were doing, it was a hard task! After lunch, and once the third ring of the tank had dried, we laid the fourth ring of the tank, which was by now very tall. We also had the task of creating a frame, so that the fifth ring could be poured, as it was too tall to reach without something to stand on! Not only that, but the final spot of trenching (from us) to the holding tank needed to be completed, and the filter tank needed to be created too. Therefore, I think we can safely say that this day was the busiest and most productive day, as so many things were completed.
At our final VBS one man coloured in something for the first time in his life, and he must have been at least 30! The evening activities topped off our time in the village, as before dinner we swam in the river with some of the people from the village, played games with the children and just generally had fun. As our team was leaving the next day, the Americans decided to give the village a concert to say goodbye to them, and show them a little of what Western Culture is like. We based the show on the idea of a wedding, as a western wedding is so different to Karen weddings. Ross played a starring role, and it was absolutely hilarious. There was so much joy in the village that night, as we gave out gifts, entertained them with singing and dancing, and even saw a young boy put a very giant bug in his mouth! Looking at the stars that night made me realise how beautiful the country is, and how powerful and supreme God is. He was with us in everything during our time in Thailand, and I can't even begin to express just how blessed we are!
Our last morning in the village was spent laying the final ring of the storage tank, and although it was a shame not to be able to see the finished project, we left that place knowing we had made a difference, and being able to see a glimpse of what the final product would look like! Our farewells to the villagers as we gave away a few of our clothes and took photos was fairly emotional. I guess it hit us that we will never see these people again, and we were desperate for them to know our incredible and loving God! It is in times like these that we have to trust that they will remember us because we were Christians, and we hope and pray that we were some sort of witness to them! Overall, despite not having Hannah there, it was a fantastic experience, if very exhausting! We are so grateful to OA for supporting us during our time there, and I know we are all eager to return to Thailand!
God bless,
The Thai-gers- Sarah, Hannah, Ross and Pete
