I can honestly say that we are relieved to say good-bye to April. It is the hottest month of the year, with a daily average of 42 degrees combined with 60-80% humidity... And it scarcely drops a few degrees at night. I never thought I'd say this, but... I really miss a good old South-African winter at this point, complete with all things winter I used to hate... haha!
April also marks the time of Songkran (the Thai new year). It's a very big social celebration that lasts for an entire week. During this week, the whole city turns into an enormous water fight!! The Thais (which are Buddhists), believe one should be cleansed of all misfortunes from the past year and thus enter the new year purified and unburdened. So it is tradition to throw anyone with water at any time and any place... We've spent the entire week running and hiding, but could not successfully avoid being drenched. Even the Buddha statues are being gently "cleansed" with fragrant water.
As Westerners, this is not a sight we see very often (if at all). But here in Bangkok it's something we see on every street, every corner, inside every building, and all the spaces in between... It is such a heartbreaking reality that literally millions of people are blinded and deceived so that they can neither see nor recognise God.... There is so much work yet to be done....
On a lighter note, and as I promised in last month's blog, here is some of the weird and wonderful local fruit.....
This is called a jack-fruit. The yellow pieces (called arils) they harvest from the fruit (far right) has an almost rubbery texture and tastes like... well... yellow rubber??? But a bit more more tasty.... (Some says it tastes like chicken or a cross between a banana and a pineapple)!
"To durian lovers, the taste is mildly sweet, almondy and very creamy, not unlike a rich cheesecake. It has a whiff of alcohol about it, which explains why eating it gives you this hot feeling inside – like you’ve downed a shot of vodka. In fact the Chinese believe you shouldn’t eat too much of it, or you’ll develop “internal heat” – and you should definitely not eat durian with alcohol". - Monica Tan.
This is the Asian guava. It has almost the same texture as an apple, hard but still moist. It tastes like an apple with a tinge of guava... One of our favourites!!
April also marks the time of Songkran (the Thai new year). It's a very big social celebration that lasts for an entire week. During this week, the whole city turns into an enormous water fight!! The Thais (which are Buddhists), believe one should be cleansed of all misfortunes from the past year and thus enter the new year purified and unburdened. So it is tradition to throw anyone with water at any time and any place... We've spent the entire week running and hiding, but could not successfully avoid being drenched. Even the Buddha statues are being gently "cleansed" with fragrant water.
We celebrated Songkran at church by speaking blessings over theses 2 elderly women while pouring fragrant water over their hands as a token of love and respect.
Songkran street style......
Washing of the Buddha.
On a lighter note, and as I promised in last month's blog, here is some of the weird and wonderful local fruit.....
This interesting number is called a durian (although it's similar to a jack-fruit in external appearance, it has a completely different taste and texture). A fruit famous for it's..... potent stench!! This fruit is not allowed inside airports, public transport systems and most buildings. They call it the love or hate fruit, which is so true. I love it, and Johan hates it... haha!! Here is how this fruit is described by others:
This is the Asian guava. It has almost the same texture as an apple, hard but still moist. It tastes like an apple with a tinge of guava... One of our favourites!!
Apart from all the new things we are experiencing in Bangkok, it feels like the Lord is drawing us closer to Him than ever before. We often feel overwhelmed by His love for us and this increases our love and need for Him. Jesus promised us His presence when we "Go and make disciples" and we can testify of this. The sweetness of meeting often with Him carries us through all the difficult and lonely times we have.
Our hearts and prayers continues to be with you all and we thank God for your love and partnership in our lives.
We look forward to you visiting us, we are preparing a room just for you!!
Love
Johan & Yolandie
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