QingMing @ Liu
Hottest time of
the year, temperature soaring close to 40's, not exactly the
perfect time for an outdoor picnic! On the first Saturday that I
arrived in Liu Village, it was Qing Ming period, just round about
Easter, our Lord's Resurrection Day, (hmm, I wonder if there are any
connections?), when Ming Xing called everyone for a memorial service
at his father's tomb. Picked 12 noon to start, High-noon!, and
Richard had been invited to speak.
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 It
was like a picnic, I said. The women turned up with their
multicolored umbrellas, with kids trodding on, refreshments,
buscuit and sweets, fizzy drinks, ice, yes ice. Beautiful setting
of rolling hills and lush greenery, lychee trees as backdrop! But
before all that refreshment, there was the service to go through,
(less I sound a little insensitive, it was Qing Ming, afterall,
but I was just describing how it seemed. It is a little difficult
to feel sentimental under the hot sun on the hottest month of the
year! And all the activities buzzing around, the sound and noise,
well it was a picnic).
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 Pastor
Xing Wu turned up on foot, (what a surprise for he goes every
where in his bike, but I learned his bike was used by his brother
in law to deliver pork to surrounding village at that time) and
led the singspiration, and than the hymn, and then he started
preaching! I looked at Richard and Ming Xing, for I thought Ming
Xing had asked Richard to preach, Ming Xing apologized profusely,
and said it was probably a mix-up, he thought he had merely asked
Xing Wu to "lead"! So, even among the locals,
communication is a problem and imperfect process!) NEVERTHELESS,
it was good sermon, if a little matter-of-fact, souless; then
again, it was too hot to feel anything other than hot on such a
day like this.
It was soon
over, then it was sweets, coke, and buscuit, and time to hurry
back for lunch at the DRC. Most of us chose to walk back to the
village, past a rather steep valley. It was years since I had
last walked this path, and the advancement of age and physical
attribute was much evident! I told myself I must walk more
nowadays to maintain some semblence of fitness. Afterall, you
never know when they will call you up for IPPT again
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Vocational Bible School
I
wonder when was the last time we had a VBS in Cherith? I remember my
own VBS experience when I was much, much younger, with fondness.
There were corny moments, of course, especially when we have to stand
up and sit down together to greet the teachers, according to some
signal from the pianist, I think it was a G chord followed by a C
chord, or something like that! But mostly the experience was
positive, and the lessons taught helped shape my outlook in life.
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 The
Liu Village Church had their VBS lately, and they invited a team
from Chiang Khong Christian Education Center to come and conduct.
My involvement was official photographer! I wouldn't be able to
help much otherwise, as the whole thing is in Thai... on the other
hand, my Thai isn't that bad, or was it? 70 kids gathered from all
villages, and it was a major logistical undertaking! They ate so
much food, I was told Ming Xing, the purchasing officer, developed
a phobia of sort, having to make repeated trips to the town for
the food. Anyway, the conduct of the VBS was lively with much
singing and games. The setting for the classes, were picturesque,
set against the lovely views of the mountains around the church.
 We
never had such beautiful settings for our own VBS in Cherith, but
I think the important thing is allow children to have a chance to
meet, play and learn together. It is a huge and sometimes
thankless undertaking but I think, at least for my case, bears a
lifetime of fruits.
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The Dedication
Don't quite know
how to put the whole thing on paper, because there were so many
things happening that I do not really know where to start...
Really
the occasion comprises two events, firstly, a five day bible seminar
for ex-addicts, followed by the actual dedication itself. The idea
for the five day bible seminar was mooted when dear Chee Kuong (bless
him) suggested to Richard he would come earlier to teach Ephesians to
the leaders..., so Richard activated the whole network to get
everyone to come back. Then when Chee Kuong couldn't make it on time,
but since the ex-inmates had already promised to come, (and they are
making significant sacrifice to come, as this is the midst of their
corn planting and tea plucking season), the responsibility for the
bible teaching fell squarely on both Richard's shoulder and mine...
Not exactly totally surprised, but a burden nevertheless with just a
week's notice.
Quite
as burdensome was the logistic preparation for the training
seminar... The new building had to be rushed to completion, then the
fixtures, beds, sign boards, charts and photographs for presentation
for the dedication, marketing for food, tentage etc..., plus Lao
Dah's wife Na-Teh ready to give birth anytime, all seems to converge
at the same time, but I must say, Ming Xing, Lao Dah, and Richard
bore the blunt of it, and I expect all of us would have to take a
break when everything is finally over!
Anyway
the "dreaded" day did arrive, 17 April 2000 when the
MaeSalong Akha's arrived right on cue... There was much joy as we
received them for we have not met for quite sometime... They last
visited in December but I wasn't here. These MaeSalong Akha's are
illiterate, but they more than make up with their exuberance,
especially when it comes to song learning! They get us to record new
songs on tape, and they would go back and listen to it repeatedly
until everybody is able memorise the songs! So, appropriately, we
started teaching new songs on the first night, and I followed up with
a message on being the "salt and light in the Golden Triangle".
In additional to the MaeSalong Akha's, those who live nearby also
came back, so we had an average of 30 plus adults living in for the
next few days.
At
9 am the next day, Richard got the whole thing rolling with the book
of Johah, instead of the Ephesians... and for the next two days we
got to hear much about the big fish, the worm, and how an
individual's disobedience could bring trouble to the whole community.
Ever wonder how we made 4 short chapters last so long?? I took care
of the evening sessions, where I preached from Luke 5:1-11 for two
nights, emphasizing on different aspects of the passage. A common
thread between both Richard's message and mine was to encouragement
the ex-inmates to think mission and rise to the challenge of bringing
the gospel to Burmar and China.
Three
days of training soon passed, and it was time to go down to town to
get our Cherith team from the airport. Time flew even faster, and it
was obvious some of the planned activity could not be excuted. We
were not going to get our corrected sign board ready (original had an
obvious typo in Thai). The Mandarin sign board, we left it all to
Ming Xing, and in the end, we haven't even got the wood for it yet!
Found out on the day before that Ming Xing "forgot" to
invite the government officials... too late! I think someone was very
stressed!
Cherith's
team comprised Chee Kuong, Jonathan Thong and Kin Seng. They had an
uneventful flight, save for the fact that Jonathan and Kin Seng were
the last two passengers to board the flight (sounds familiar) and
someone had the usual stomach upset along the way... Anyway it was
fun to have the team around. Jonathan wasted no time and soon
"touched base" with all the kids, mesmerising them with his
video cam, while Kin Seng and Chee Kuong were rather more "serious"
and spent much time with Richard.
To
cut the whole thing short, time flew by. The dedication, on the whole
went without a glich, (close to 200 turned up, minus the government
guests!), Pastor Du Gwang Yao (dean of Mae Sai Bible College) gave a
powerful message, followed by a sumptious feast and we all managed a
trip to Mae Mong Ho village the next day on foot (Kin Seng, Jon and
I).
Sunday evening,
Na-Teh began to have birth pangs, and off she goes to Mae Suai,
accompanied by her husband Lao Dah... so did she have a boy or a
girl?
Sunday
night, a freak lightning storm arose out of nowhere, with the
accompany power failure... what an awsome experience, both the storm
and the candle light experience... (how often do we get a blackout in
Singapore? I can't remember my last one). And in the Singapore team's
room, there was three candles lit, and talk of a "fan shu"...
The
next morning, everyone bid everybody goodby, and we were soon in
Chiangrai, with two hours to spare, and all of us, true blue
Singaporeans, we adjourned to Swenson's, for a last fling together,
(BTW, the toilet was clean). Later, at the Airport, when the
Singapore trio stepped through the departure gate, I felt a tinge of
longing, longing to step through the gates with them! It was then I
realised I was homesick, and deep down inside I was a true blue
Singaporean after all!
Gallery
It
was like a picnic, I said. The women turned up with their
multicolored umbrellas, with kids trodding on, refreshments,
buscuit and sweets, fizzy drinks, ice, yes ice. Beautiful setting
of rolling hills and lush greenery, lychee trees as backdrop! But
before all that refreshment, there was the service to go through,
(less I sound a little insensitive, it was Qing Ming, afterall,
but I was just describing how it seemed. It is a little difficult
to feel sentimental under the hot sun on the hottest month of the
year! And all the activities buzzing around, the sound and noise,
well it was a picnic).
