Born To Thai

I was recently very blessed to have the opportunity to enjoy a mini beachside break in Thailand.  Not only did this prove to be a lovely time of refreshment and hanging with my ‘bezzie’ and her Mum, but it also ended up providing time for an unexpected reflection on all that has happened in the last year or so.

You see, it was to this same beachside location that I went in April last year having just done my reconnaissance trip to Chiang Mai, seeking confirmation of a call I was sensing to move there.  It was here, after this first trip to Chiang Mai, that I processed the major step of faith that a move to Thailand would be, alongside the very clear calls and ongoing confirmations that I was receiving.  And it was here that I said to God my own version of those never-to-be-taken-back words, “Here am I, send me.”

As you can imagine, it was pretty surreal then to return to that same place some 15 months later and wonder at the things that had transpired since I said those “yes” words.  To marvel and feel so blessed by the amazing support I received that enabled me to get to Thailand so quickly; by the ongoing confirmation of my call that continues to this day; by awesome friends and my SIM family here in Chiang Mai; and by God’s undeniable provision with regard to practical aspects of relocation such as housing, language studies and finances.

I can’t quite figure out whether my first 100 days in Chiang Mai went by quickly, slowly or at a normal pace.  I guess it’s all relative, really, and I don’t think I’ve ever counted 100 days of anything so I find myself without a reference point. 

However, the fact that my time here hasn’t at all dragged and that I’m still loving my “Born to Thai” adventure after this milestone occasion is indeed a good thing and definitely worth celebrating!  So I thought I’d do so by giving a little insight into just some of the things (in no particular order) that I am loving and learning about living here…….

Food

Even in Australia I was a big fan of Thai food but the authenticity of eating it in country and off the street or from the market just adds a whole new dimension to this delicious cuisine!  And when one can have a serve of “gu-ay dtee-ow” (noodle soup) ready to “glap baan” (take home) in less than a minute and for around AUD$1, who’d bother with Macca’s or KFC?! 

Still, for all its yumminess, the process of learning and trying new and different Thai dishes is not without the frequent encountering of ingredients such as bugs, pig skin and innards.  Eat first, ask later (or not at all!) seems to be the way to go!

Family & friends

It’s been a real blessing to have been so warmly welcomed and included within the broader SIM team here in Chiang Mai.  It really is testament to the fact that in God you have family everywhere.  I love the diversity of family here – the representation of different countries, backgrounds, interests and perspectives only serves to add to the richness of this adventure! 

Of course my friends and family back home have been extremely important as I’ve settled into my new life here.  While there have been times when it’s been really hard not to be at home, I am thankful for the many family and friends that are 100% supportive of my call here and who are invested in keeping in touch and cheering me on!

Fun times

So much about living in Thailand is fun!

I’m discovering that for all my exploring to-date there is so much more of Chiang Mai still to discover.  I love being able to jump on my bike on the weekends and see more of what’s in and around this city and its surrounds.  I also love the opportunities to explore beyond – waterfalls, hills, etc……just beautiful!

While the process of learning the Thai language is not without its challenges, I’m finding in general that it is fun……or funny (certainly for the locals who try and understand what I’m saying as I seek to put it into practice!).   I am blessed with a fabulous Thai teacher and Thai colleagues who encourage me and give me the opportunities to use my Thai without too much fear of embarrassment (knowing they will extend me much grace).  Moreover, I’m finding that it’s pretty essential to focus on the funny side of Thai language learning and to expect many a faux pas as – because it’s a tonal language (meaning one word can be said multiple ways and mean multiple things) – they’re inevitably going to happen…..often!

Freak outs

For me, bugs, snakes, frogs and the like have – under most circumstances – been a cause of freak outs, or at least exclamations of, “Euwwwww!”  While my preference is still not to encounter these things I find that, knowing the possibilities of doing so are generally pretty high, means I’m less prone to freak outs…….it’s just the way life is here after all!

Faith and the future

Here’s a little story – as told by one of my colleagues - that recently rocked my world and opened my eyes to the awesome ‘hope-bringing’ work God has called me to be a part of here through Project Radical Grace! 

“One recent Saturday afternoon I'd just returned after a trip and I was called by a friend working in one of the 26 slums in Chiang Mai. He was very upset and was requesting the help of the Radical Grace team.

One of the families in the slum has a 16 year old boy who was dying and dying fast.  My friend had tried everything and everyone to get this boy and his family help, but nothing had materialised. The boy had just been diagnosed with HIV and needed medication to help him redevelop his non-existent immune system. If he didn't he would be dead within the month.

As with most physical health issues, they are complicated and interconnected with emotional, social, and spiritual issues. Relationships within his family were very broken. There were many types of abuse and addictions: abuse that was generational and, in so many ways, this family was choice disabled.

Twice family members sold this young man and stigma and discrimination was our team’s biggest hurdle. This family, and particularly the young boy, felt no self-worth and therefore he had no will to live. Getting to a place where he could receive medical treatment and medication for the disease was only one aspect.

In this case it was more important for the family as a whole to see that there was hope in their very long tunnel of life and to decide together that they wanted to choose life. This takes time! 

During the Radical Grace Team’s first few visits they were not able to talk with the boy, but with much prayer from many places around the world, and as the team created trust with the parents and older brother, they were able to share the truth about HIV.

The young boy started to open up and acknowledge that he wanted help. As with any lasting change it needs to happen on the inside and, in this case, the boy and his family needed to value themselves before any medication would make a difference.  This family is now seeking help. They are now caring for each other and much of their alcohol and drug use/abuse has stopped.”

I am so blessed to be joining an amazing, locally-led team in Project Radical Grace.  Each member of the team has a personal faith and a heart to see the transformation of communities.  Combined with a vast knowledge, deep understanding and many years’ experience of working with the issues of HIV, the team’s heart for transformation is enabling lives – just as this story depicts – to be radically changed…..and I feel very excited and privileged that I get to be a part of it!

I am encouraged so much by how God continues to affirm my call here to Chiang Mai.  Even though I’ve already made the big move and am well into the settling-in phase, the ongoing reassurance that this is definitely where I’m supposed to be brings me so much peace and, of course, strength to face those challenges that do often come.

Most recently I’ve seen God affirm my call here through some training opportunities that I’ve undertaken as part of further preparation for my life and ministry here.

First up was a week long course in Community Health Evangelism (CHE).  CHE is a model of development that is foundational for the Radical Grace team (of which I am a part), as well as for many other of SIM’s ministries in Thailand and across the world.  It is a best practice model for integrating evangelism and discipleship with community-based development (see http://www.chenetwork.org/index.php). 

Without going into all the detail of my mind at work throughout this CHE training, I found that through it I received some much needed insight into how it is God intends to use me here.  I began to see where my skills and experience gained over the last 10+ years might be utilised as the Radical Grace team seeks to work with Thai communities in and around Chiang Mai….and that small revelation was pretty exciting!

Furthermore, just this weekend I had the opportunity to do a 2-day Channels of Hope course focused on breaking the silence and reducing the stigma of HIV and AIDS (http://www.wvi.org/church-and-interfaith-engagement/channels-hope-hiv).  Wow, what a challenging, eye-opening and emotional few days! While I’ve often wondered why God would call me to serve in a ministry focused on people affected by HIV when I have very limited knowledge and experience in the area, Channels of Hope has certainly helped me to find my answer.  In reflecting on the experience of Channels of Hope, I see that it’s not about what I already know and have done, but it’s more about what God will do in me to equip me for the call – a work I can see He’s now begun; to give me a heart and mind to see love, hope and justice for those affected by HIV.

In the name of cultural immersion – a very important part of my mission – I enjoyed a pretty epic first Songkran festival here in Chiang Mai.

Songkran is celebrated every year from April 13-15 and marks a celebration of the Thai New Year. The observance of New Year in April, rather than January, is a custom adopted from India’s ancient Brahmins who considered the passing of the moon, sun and other planets into the zodiac sign of Aries to be the start of a new astrological year or  ”Songkran”, a Sanskrit word implying ascending or moving on.

From the outside Songkran may appear to be nothing more than a huge water fight, but there is real history behind the soaking wet mayhem that - for at last three days - makes it impossible for anyone to go anywhere without getting soaking wet! What is today characterised by buckets of water thrown from every direction and water pistols as a necessary accessory, began as a gentle sprinkling of water to symbolise luck and renewal.

I can honestly say that I didn’t miss out on the Songkran experience in this my first year here in Thailand.  I was suitably water-logged for the best part of two days and had the pruney-looking fingers to prove it!  Of the whole country, Chiang Mai is particularly known for its celebrations and I can certainly see why.  The city and surrounds were packed and the water (be it ice water from huge barrels on the back of slow-moving vehicles or warm and very dirty water from the moat) was flowing freely and intentionally over everyone without discrimination! 

You could be inclined to think that Songkran is a festival for the young and crazy but it really is a celebration marked by the whole country.  It was an amazing thing to see people of all ages and stages out and about in the thick of it – young and old, parents with their children…..everyone!

Moving to another country and another culture I am expecting that the next few years will be filled with countless learning experiences.  However, never did I expect that I would learn something so significant about myself from a motorcycle!

Sure, there are the little things I’ve learnt like: don’t spend too much time on your hair in the morning because the helmet will just undo all your hard work; and always, always, always be alert to the unpredictable traffic around you.  But, beyond this, it’s been a motorcycle that has taught me that I do have the capacity to step out and be bold beyond what I think I have capacity for.

You see, it’s very unlike my conservative and risk-averse nature to be jumping on a bike only 10 hours after arriving in Chiang Mai, but that’s exactly what I did. 

When Kenneth said that first night, “Do you want to jump on and have a ride?” the Jacqui that most of you know – that I know – would have smiled politely and said, “Not tonight, maybe in a few days?”  So imagine my surprise when, in that moment of decision, a stirring inside of me reminded me that this was the first in many, “Do you want to…?” moments that I was going to face on this adventure and that many of them will be opportunities that I don’t want to miss.  A thought which prompted me to say yes and go for it…..after all, I was going to have to get on eventually so why not straight away?!

That’s right my friends, it’s now just six sleeps until this “Born to Thai” adventure steps into its next phase....that is, the actual moving to Thailand phase!!!

It’s very surreal to now be counting in single digits.  Time certainly has flown since finishing up at work almost two months ago!  My last few weeks have been jam-packed.  While those watching my Facebook page could be right in thinking that I’ve just been living the life, swanning around, catching up with people and venturing out into this beautiful city I’ve called home for so long; trust me when I say that there has been a whole lot of preparation, packing and paperwork done in that time too!  And even still it will continue in these last few days, with the “to do” list still quite lengthy.

I am super excited that – having committed to taking this step almost 12 months ago – my departure date is almost here.  While every now and then I do have those anxious “What am I doing?” thoughts I am very quickly reassured, by continued confirmation received over the last year, that this is what God is calling me to next. 

I have been so amazingly blessed in this time of preparation by the support I’ve received.  In particular, I now have a very awesome team of financial partners around me; partners who have responded to God’s call on them to be involved with the HOPE for AIDS ministry through the provision of finances that will resource me on an ongoing basis.  I feel very privileged to be representing this team as I head over to Thailand!

Excitingly my ongoing financial support target has been met!  I am still a little short of the target set for my initial passage and establishment costs but I am fully confident and trusting  that God will provide.  If you think this is an area to which you could contribute then you are able to make a donation online at http://www.sim.org.au/online-giving/c/c/p/croxon-j (donations are tax deductible).  Of course a massive thanks to those who have already donated.  Again, you have been such a blessing to me as I’ve been preparing to go!

As this Born to Thai adventure gains momentum and as I go through the motions of preparing to move, I find myself reflecting on the question of “Where did this all begin?”  This is possibly a question you’ve been asking as you’ve begun to follow along with “Born to Thai”, so here’s a very brief summary (let me know if you want more of the detail).

Essentially I’ve always had a sense of call to ‘something greater’ but - not ever really knowing what that might be - my life has continued in a rather normal fashion.  I’ve been raised in a great family and church environment, have established a strong network of friends and have progressed down the typical school, university and employment path.  In amongst all of that I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy a fair bit of travel, including four short-term overseas mission trips with my church (Werribee Baptist).

About 18 months ago, in the background of this normal life, I found myself beginning to grow less contented and in fact quite restless, again having that awareness of a call to something more.  Moreover I had a very strong sense that God might just be calling me overseas.  What followed was a period of increasing clarity as people in my life and situations I was finding myself in confirmed this as God’s direction for me, my next step.

Today I make this first step into the land of the blogger and I do so after just having stepped out of the land of the employed!

Last week saw the end of a fairly significant era of my life as I closed the door on 12 years of working at Wyndham City.  How is she possibly that old, you ask?!  Bless.

My fabulous workmates sent me off in fine style with an awesome celebration comprising a trip down memory lane, some lovely speeches and gifts……….and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup trees (they know me so well)!!!

As I enjoyed the celebrations I had the opportunity to reflect on what has been an amazing decade-and-a-bit.  I am thankful for the investment in me and the many opportunities I was given to grow and develop both professionally and personally - in ways I have no doubt will be invaluable as I enter into this next stage.  I am thankful too for the great friendships established and that so many people are keen to stay in touch and follow along on this journey.