Misc. Pics from March

A "tree" decorated with things to give to the spirits of dead ancestors.

An altar in a Vietnamese home.

The students in my beginning Foundations class.

On the property next to me, the neighbors burned their land and hired someone to search for land mines and/or bombs so the land can be cleared and ready to use.

Festivals

So

Some of the temples have had festivals this past month. The balloon game is a popular one (get three darts and if you pop three balloons then you get a prize...energy drink or sweet milk :) There were also other games including gambling type games, one with zodiac signs and dice, and another where you a fortune is chosen for you).

Blood Curse

A couple weeks after I arrived in Thailand in 2006, there was a bloodless coup ousting the prime minister. Ever since then, there have been multiple protests, multiple elections, and multiple prime ministers. In 2008 Thailand made news because Thais on one side of the protests known as "yellow shirts" protested by shutting down the international airport. And now in 2010 the "red shirts" latest strategy of protesting involved collecting blood from anyone who would donate it, in order to throw and curse the government. These pictures show the underlying worldview that penetrates this part of the world...a man holding his blood while wearing Buddhist amulets and charms around his neck...a Brahmin priest in the midst of the spilled blood performing black magic and pronouncing curses on the current government. So many people in need of the truth of Jesus Christ to free them from the darkness and bondage they are living in!!

Women's Day

March 8th was International Women's Day, so it was a holiday for everyone :) In the morning, I enjoyed the time I spent with some friends. They took me and my co-workers to a little place about 20 kilometers away. As you can see from the pictures, there was a river with lots of activities to do (play in canoes, walk along the rope bridge, swing from a rope into the water etc). There were also little huts set up for people to sit under while they cooked and ate a meal. Our group went to the market early and brought the things we needed to make a great vegetable, meat, and noodle soup with a delicious peanut sauce to go with it. It was fun spending time in the beautiful outdoors singing, chatting, and just enjoying the day with each other.

Vietnamese Class

Vietnam is a neighboring country and many people want to learn how to speak Vietnamese. Some would like to study there because the educational level is higher. Some are from Vietnam, but their children have not grown up there, so they want their children to learn the Vietnamese language. One of the ways D and E are reaching this community of people is by holding Vietnamese language classes for children a couple days a week.