The power of a word

When I'm hanging out with friends, I'm used to being around people who tease and joke with pretty sarcastic humor, all in good fun, but sometimes it cuts a little too close and actually stings a little. Sometimes, I too, get in the habit of saying things that are borderline mean when I'm trying to joke, and I'm used to receiving this kind of 'love' in return.

So it really surprised me the other day, when I was borrowing a friend's motorbike and getting ready to drive away, and he said, "You be careful!" And I said, "You mean, take care of your precious bike"? And he said surprisedly, "No! I mean, take care of your precious Life!"

I was kind of dumbstruck. I, swallowed hard, put on my helmet (which I don't always bother to wear, but felt the strange pull to wear it today), and slowly drove away. It may have been a simple thing for him to say, and he may not have given it a second thought afterwards. But it stuck with me and left me with something to think about the rest of the ride. His words, in contrast to the biting answer I was expecting, kinda blew me away.

I don't think anyone has ever said that to me before...

Yes, sure, I've heard that all our lives are precious to God, and even told it to other people. But maybe I didn't really understand that it applied to me, until someone spoke those words to me.

I thought about this fact,
someone thinks my life is precious...
and that I should take care of it....

It hit me deeply. As I drove down the highway, tears rained down my face. I know I have a bit of a broken self image, which is taking a lifetime to heal, but if someone else believes my life is precious enough to take care of... maybe I should believe it too.

Community

Have you seen the T.V. series "Community"? Since I spent a couple years at Pasadena City College back in the day, I find it hilarious. It's a funny show that singles out all the different kinds of people that go to Community College; the nerdy guy who talks a lot, the odd old guy, the divorced mother who's going back to school, the pretty girl, the guy who was popular in high school, but is now feeling like a loser, etc. And what makes it funny is that you've probably known or been similar to one of the characters.

So this odd group of people ends up in a Spanish study group together, and they couldn't BE more different! But, what makes me love this show is that despite how different they are, and how unlikely it is that they would be friends, they end up growing to be each others best friends and creating their own "Community". They come to accept, and even stand up and defend each other and become their own kind of family. In the first episode the nerdy guy who talks a lot, spills a lot of information to the main character, about a girl the other one has a crush on, and he looks at him and says "I see your value now." And even though he's using the nerdy guy to some extent, it's a touching moment. And he replies, "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

But it just made me think, who have I known who has seen my true value? I can think of a handful of friends and relatives, and realized, these are the people who have left the biggest impacts on my life. They were Jesus to me. They saw something inside me which I was unable to see. They listened to me and didn't push me aside or ignore me. They saw my worth, as a child of God, and pointed it out to me and made me see it too. That was one of the best gifts anyone could ever give me.

Who has seen your true value? Who makes you see it too? Do you look for the gift in others? Try and see someone's true value today, look a little deeper, and then let them know! Think of what an incredible difference you could make in someone's life, simply by noticing, and pointing it out.

Swine Flu masks=deep thoughts

People wear some pretty strange masks. Especially now that swine flu has been going around. I’ve seen masks painted up with hearts and flowers, vampire teeth, kissy lips, buckteeth, the works. Anything to be different and still be a shield of protection.

Yesterday I saw a guy on a motorbike wearing a black mask with white skeletal teeth and jaw painted on it. It made him look like something out of a horror film. It shocked me at first when he saw me staring and he waved at me. I jumped, and then realized all I could see were his eyes, he might actually be a friendly guy and smiling underneath for all I knew. It reminded me that no matter how scary or different he looked or acted, he was just human underneath.

It made me start thinking about masks. We all seem to wear a few. Which ones do I wear? What do they protect me from? How many people do I let see the real me, raw and real? How many people do I meet every day that look perfectly normal on the outside, yet are hiding great pain, anger, rejection, or feelings of shame and worthlessness?

How can we develop an atmosphere of trust, where people feel free to let down their guard in our presence and feel welcomed and loved, just as they are? I think it begins by allowing God to really see us, just as we are, not hiding behind anything and receiving what he says about who we are. And then maybe we can gingerly begin to lift our own mask.

Purple homesick Christmas Trees

The holidays are here! In Thailand it’s a bit weird to see Christmas decorations and advertising for Toffee nut latte’s outside of starbucks when it’s 90 degrees outside and there’s sweat rolling down my back. But thankfully the weather took a turn this weekend and dropped to so cold that I was freezing while riding my motorbike even though I was wearing a sweatshirt and two layers underneath! I happily hummed jingle bells as I rode away and the cold weather inspired me to go buy a miniature Christmas tree for my apartment. I decorated it with purple tinsel and a couple ornaments. It now sits in the corner and glows warmly at night and reminds me of seasons past with my family, and comforts me and makes me homesick at the same time.

Last week when my boss invited me to Thanksgiving dinner with his family, it made me SO happy. Because, although I LOVE being here in Thailand, and have many close friends, and people I love, it’s still a little hard around the holidays to be away from family.

Are there people in your community, or on the fringe of your community who may be alone over the holidays? Maybe a student who couldn’t go home? Or an older person who lives alone? Or an international friend who’s never celebrated Thanksgiving or Christmas? This is a great chance to BE a community and invite people into your home, or if you yourself are lacking a place to be, gather those around you who may be in the same situation, and be community and family for each other. Have a great Thanksgiving and share it with someone.

"Chilie Eye"

Today was an awesome day spent with great friends in Modesto California. I'm staying with Mary, who just spent 6 months in Thailand working with Compasio in Mae Sot. I really missed her so I drove 5 hours up to see her and some of our friends. We hung out with Aaron (P.Mee), Chris, and Jimmy today, who make up YWAM modesto and have a really cool relational ministry with the poor. They have all been out to Thailand and worked with Compasio and met our kids, so it's really cool to be on the other side and see what they do here in the states.

It's really quite similar, and based out of simply loving and building relationships with those that are overlooked, ignored, or are "hard" to love. They are on a first name basis with the crazy guy on the corner holding up the signs ranting all day. They are serenaded by a lady with a beautiful voice who sings for change. They ask the homeless guy on the corner, how's you're back feeling? Have you talked to your mother lately? How's she doing? They hang out on fridays on the corner of 9th street, one of the hardest places in town, just at the edge of a trailer park and a crumbling hotel that is rented out on a daily or monthly basis. People with names and faces live in really hard conditions and may have come to the end of hope and are strung out on drugs, or selling their bodies to make a buck, but now they are becoming familiar with the faces of my friends who visit regularly and get to know their names and stories and call them "friend". And it's really a beautiful thing to see community being formed, and that they are really treated as our brothers and sisters, not just as "the homeless guy", "the druggie", "the prostitute".

After hanging out all morning with our vagrant friends we headed to the famed line up of Modesto Taco Trucks for an awesome lunch with cold cokes in glass bottles shipped up from Mexico and tacos and burritos. I was enjoying eating big ol' hot peppers with my carne asada burrito, and think unthinkingly rubbed my eye and it started burning! Arley, one of the homeless guys who's become a good friend to the ywam guys, started calling me Miss Chilie Eye, from that point on. It was really cool to be given a nickname by him and when we dropped him off at the lot where he's built a little innovative shack out of tarp and some scraps, he said "Real nice to meet ya Miss Chilie Eye." And I felt exactly the same way. :)

baby tears, haircuts and monkey love

Today I was at the baby house, and Chat (the house dad) was giving the little boys hair cuts. Min Min sat still and was so great. Noan Wai, also endured it pretty well. And then it was lil' 2 year old Nai Nai's turn. He sat in the chair and instantly started crying and reached out for me. This was the first time he's ever reached for me, and I guess his fear of the buzzing clippers was greater than his fear of farang (white people) (Remember he's lived in a prison his whole life, and hasn't ever seen the outside world). I sat and held him while he got his haircut and he clung to me and cried like his heart was breaking, his face pressed up against mine, with his tears running down my own cheek. By the end of the haircut we were both covered in hair and tears. I'm sad he cried, but loved holding him.

It reminded me of when I lived in the village and we had a pet monkey, Ling Ling, oh I miss her! She knew I was her friend and ally when others shooed her away. (I am not really a pet person, but when it came to this monkey, I was in love). So she would come up and cling to me, the only problem was, the dirt and fleas, so we decided to give Ling Ling a bath. She was terrified of water and clung to me tightly at the sight of it. So we decided the only way to give her a bath, was to give me one too. So we began pouring buckets of water over her, and all down me, and soaping her up with shampoo. I swear she was going to break my skin she was clutching me so tightly. But I think, that was the moment I bonded with her so tightly.

Let all that you do be done in Love

This week we were taking a couple of our kids to visit their mother in prison. While we were there one of the guards asked why we had custody of the children. We explained that we have a safe house for children in high risk situations where they are homeless, in danger of being trafficked, or abused. They said, Oh! Can you help us too? There are five babies living in the prison with their mothers and they need a safe home. Wow! How do you answer with anything but Yes! Of course we will! We don't have a house yet, or the staff, but we know that this is a need, we were asked to help, and we must respond! So we have agreed to take in 5 more babies by the end of the month! Please pray that we can find a house to rent and loving and safe caregivers to take care of these children, and sponsors for the babies, and SOON! God loves to answer our prayers. :) I can't wait to tell you how He answers.

Today after our Compasio meeting, in Mae Sot Thailand, we were talking about how ultimately we exist, as people and as a group, to have a heart of love and compassion. We are called to love God and we are called to love people. Those are our two highest aims in life, everything else is just icing on the cake. Working with the poor is definitely not just a job. None of us are in it for the benefits. But each of us are greatly blessed and feel a deep reward when we are able to walk alongside someone who is discarded and overlooked, and look into their eyes and see them as a friend and fellow human. We are not any better than them, we come to serve the dregs of society as Jesus did. It's kind of mind blowing and local people are confused. Like they might warn us, watch out there's a beggar kid following you, and we would turn around and say, yeah, they're with us. And hold their hand proudly as we walk through the market to buy them some lunch. People
stare. It's just not "normal". But are we called to be normal? Is that why we were created? I think God has called us to a radical life of sacrifice and love.


When faced with a hard situation. Let's risk on the side of love. And pray for our Prison Babies!
Love,
-Rachel Snodderly