The Muslim Situation

We have begun Muslim week here in Thailand. The Muslim people are an intimidating people to most Americans I would presume, and I was intimidated to start this week. The situation with Muslims in this country is tenuous. In the south of Thailand, there have been a number of acts of violence perpetrated by Muslim extremist groups. Because of this, Muslims all over the country are looked down upon and actively persecuted by much of the Buddhist majority. Here in Chiang Mai, many of the merchants do not want to serve them and if they do, will gouge them for exorbitant prices. Most of the Muslims here are tourists just trying to have a good time with their families so it is sad to see them on the short end of a situation they did nothing to bring upon themselves. We rode a Song Tau with a Muslim woman and her two children and watched as they were refused their change from a 500 Baht bill after their ride to their hotel (their change should have been about 400 Baht back to them out of a 500 Baht bill).

Muslims get a bad rap just about everywhere and most of them do nothing to deserve it. The ones I have been in contact with are gracious people with whom I was privileged to speak. I am meeting this week with a Kashmiri man and hope to form a good relationship with him as the week goes by. Pray for our time together that it might be fruitful.

-JP-

We've come to the end of Buddhism....

Last week we finished up learning about Buddhism. It is amazing how my mindset has changed since the beginning of the week. At first, it was very intimidating to share the gospel with Buddhist. I kept waiting for a time when they would get angry or argumentitive with us, but that was never the case. The people were very open. I realized right away how hopeless the people feel in Buddhism. They do not have a relationship with God like we do, and they long for that. They also are amazed that someone loved them enough to give their life for them. My team and I have had several great conversations with Buddhist. Although we have not lead anyone to Christ at this point, we have opened the eyes of several students at a local university who are meeting with us throughout this week to ask questions. We even have two coming to church with us this Sunday. I can't wait to share in detail more of our experiences when we get home!!

As far as our free time goes, we have been very adventurous. Everything from going to the top of a mountian to see a large Buddhist temple, to climbing down a waterfall in the pouring rain, to hitchhiking down the mountian in the back of a pickup truck, it has made the trip far from dull. We will have so many memories, stories and laughs from this trip, that's for sure.

Next weekend we are riding elephants, going down the river in a bamboo raft, petting tigers at a resturant and enjoying church at a local house church. We are looking forward to that!!

This week our class assignements feel much more intimidating. We are interviewing Muslims about their faith. Please pray for us.

Thanks to all of you that continue to check our blog and pray for us. You make the world of difference on this trip and it is because of your prayers that this trip has been a success so far. I'll write agian soon, and maybe post some pictures!!

Amy Perry

A Ride on a Song Tau

Our primary mode of transportation in Chiangmai

More Pictures

Amy's Birthday Dinner

Thoughts from Chaingmai

I am finally able to have time time to write some of my own thoughts down for the first time since I have been here. There is so much to take in here that it is hard for me to stop and take the time to write on our blog. But I will try to do it more often. Yesterday was our first day of class. It is very interesting but I find it hard to concentrate in the classroom. I just want to be out in the city as much as possible. I know the classroom time is very beneficial for us to learn how to share the gospel with the people here, but actually doing it is so much more rewarding. In the afternoon we went to a Buddhist temple. In the temple there was a memorial for a monk who had passed away. As I looked at his photograph my heart was burdened for the man. He spent his life following a lie. The reality that the man that I was staring at was in hell at that very moment, and for all eternity made me sick. I realized how important it was to share the gospel with everyone possible while we are here. We have the power to save lives with the gospel. I am praying that the Lord will help me become bold in my faith so I will be able to share more frequently, and that the time here will become habit when I return home and I will share in the states as well as overseas.

On a lighter note I am spending my 22nd birthday overseas!! It is very neat to be celebrating in another country. Tonight a group of us are planning on going to get full massages for 1.5 hours. I am so excited. I have never been able to go before. Plus it's only like 10 dollars which makes it even more exciting!

Well, we are on a break in class so I don't have much time, but for those of you praying for us, please pray for boldness. Also, we have three sick on the trip so pray for quick healing for those who are sick so they can get back out with the people here in Chaingmai. Thank you so much for your prayers!! God Bless!!

Amy~

The Night Bazaar and other night markets

Thai Food

The U-Mong Wat (Temple) in the forest

Our First Day of Work

Today was our first day of coursework and direct contact with those at the temples. I am in a group with myself, a San Antonio student named Bobby, and a Thai-American named Diane. After a great opening session of class from 8:30 to noon, we were released to meet together at a specific temple. When we arrived, we found out that there was a funeral going on for one of the monks of that particular temple. The casket was at the front surrounded by thousands of white flowers and a brief description of his life in Thai. I can't help but notice the coldness of the funeral in the Buddhist religion. There is no celebration of a life well lived or expectation of any glorious afterlife, only the "reality" of another reincarnation. When you ask most of them, they feel trapped by the seemingly endless cycles of death and reincarnation and desire strongly to escape that cycle. The tragedy is that they near death with the expectation that they are coming back here. I felt a similar cold, hopeless feel when I attended a Sikh funeral in Vancouver this past May. There was absolutely no hope, just a feeling of being trapped in an inescapable destiny. They feel like they have no choice but to live the way that is set before them to live. Our task is not to forcefully cram the Gospel message down their throats, but rather to tell them that the situation in which they currently find themselves is not inescapable; that there is a message of good news that they have not heard. We simply introduce them to the Lord's way as prepared for mankind through Christ and it is up to the Spirit of God to move their hearts to accept that message. Contrary to what many detractors believe, we are not forcing anything upon anyone. We are just here presenting to them another way.

We spoke with two Canadian Jews, a monk serving drinks at a temple, and a Mexican couple (one Jewish and one nominally Catholic). All were great to dialogue with and were not resistant to spiritual conversations. The monk grew leery of questions about knowing where he is going when he dies, but I think in retrospect we probably pushed a little too hard too fast. They are generally great if you establish a relationship with them through conversation before getting too deep into spiritual matters. With the Mexicans I even got to speak Spanish in conversation with them which really opened things up for Bobby to present a great message about Christ and the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.

If everyday is as stimulating and fruitful as today was, I will be thrilled. I am really enjoying the freedom to minister freely as we have the coice as to where to go and who to converse with. I am trying to get some pictures up here so bear with me!

-JP-

Thailand on day two

Well here we are on day two here in Chiang Mai. When I was in South America before I learned much Spanish, I could at least find my way around because of the similarities between the two languages. Well, Thai and English have absolutely nothing in common. The signs here with their Thai writing are like pieces of artwork to me: the script is beautiful but completely incomprehensible. The same is true with the language when it is spoken. I know three or four simple phrases but nothing beyond that. I lost my Bible at the food court in the mall today and trying to ask people about it was impossible. Not even my hand gestures worked. Communication is profoundly difficult here. I have been looking for a Thai soccer jersey for a day or two and I have yet to get anyone to understand what I want. I am relying completely on the two translators we have for most everything right now.

We have eaten out a few times now and I can say that the food is great overall, especially the shrimp! Thailand produces an incredible amount of shrimp so all of it is fresh and cheap. A typical lunch out is about forty baht ($1) and a typical dinner about 100-300 baht ($3-$6).

I keep hitting doorways here since I am so tall. Thais are incredibly short compared to Americans and incredibly petite as well. We were talking to a group of girls who were freshman at the nursing school here and they looked like they were honestly about 14 years old. We don't stick out too much though because there are hundreds of Europeans here, some for vacation and relaxation and some for spiritual pursuits. The marketplaces are teeming with them.

Well, more to come. I have to stand to type here so my notes won't be all that long.

-JP-

Finally here

Well we are here in Chiang Mai after an interesting bit of traveling over the past two days. Our 15-hour flight over the Pacific was not nearly as bad as I had expected it to be. Cathay Pacific is an amazing airline, and the in-flight entertainment was superb. I had never been on a B747 before. They feel like a flying city compared to what I am used to! I wondered if the thing was going to be able to lift off or not. On a B747, the sections and rows are arranged in such a way as to provide an 1/8-mile "track" to walk between all the sections, so I never felt cramped at all.

We landed in Hong Kong without incident and boarded our next flight to Bangkok in another B747. Unfortunately, after waiting on this plane in the 100-degree cabin for half an hour, we were told that engine #1 had problems and we had to evacuate the plane. We were marched a mile across the airport to another B747 and quickly took off for Bangkok. The airport in Bangkok is pretty far east of the city, so it was very uneventful landing there. But since we were so late in arriving after the plane switch in Hong Kong, our Thai Airways flight was about to take off even as we were landing on our flight from Hong Kong. The second we got off the plane in Bangkok, Thai Airways had four high-speed karts that sped us at breakneck speed across the airport where our plane to Chiang Mai had been held for a half an hour so that we might make the plane! After looking into the eyes of 200 perturbed passengers who were forced to wait for us, we took our seats and were on our way.

We are dying to eat breakfast right now so I will update with more traveling insights later!! Sa-wat dee crab for now!!

-JP-

T-minus one day

Here we are in Texas, dying to escape the 100-degree days for the lush, tropical landscape of northern Thailand. Everything except for the flying time is great -- we are flying from Dallas to Los Angeles (4 hrs), Los Angeles to Hong Kong (15 hrs), Hong Kong to Bangkok (4 hrs) and Bangkok to Chiang Mai (1 hr). All in all we are losing the entire 10th of July to travel and time zone changes.

In case you all were curious, Chiang Mai, Thailand is exactly twelve hours ahead of Central Time (midnight in Chiang Mai is noon in CST) and eleven hours ahead of Eastern Time (midnight in Chiang Mai is 1:00pm in EST).

Looking forward to relaying some good travel observations soon!! Our first of four consecutive flights leaves Dallas at around 9:45pm Central Time on Wednesday. Please pray for our safe travels. Also pray for our sanity as the second flight is going to be torture.

-JP-