philsquest

the adventure I find myself in / das Abenteuer in dem ich mich finde

Month: May 2008 (Page 1 of 2)

Compassion is not an easy thing

31 May, 2008 / / 1 Comment

This morning I went to the boarding home in Prao we help supporting. Every time I go there the poverty and needs are kind of overwhelming. I wish we could help more. There is a constant lack of food and other things. The sleeping quarters are appalling. It is difficult for me to go up there and bring money every month and know that it would need at least triple the amount of what we can give. Every time I end up giving a lot more then I planned to give having compassion for the children and Kampan and Nabu who run the home. The children were sleeping under ripped mosquito nets getting bitten by mosquito’s, so Lillian bought some Mosquito nets for them. There are now 87 children living on a very tight space. The refugee camps I have been too were better equipped. I know there are a lot of worse places in this world and children suffering a lot more. Still these are the ones God seems to have put on my heart.

On the way back I wondered why can’t I just live an "normal" egoistic life just thinking about myself and  how to advance myself? Why in the world do I spent my life, money and heart for the poor?

But then what do I follow? Success? Riches? Security? Self-actualization? Or do I follow Jesus who said: "if you want to follow me take up your cross and follow. If you want to keep your life you gonna loose it, but if you loose your life for my sake you going to gain life". Looking back all these years I don’t regret the path I have followed. Thinking and writing about it takes away the doubts. It is like in the Robert Frost poem "The road not taken" We make choices in our lives that will change the outlook of our live. I think the road I have taken so far made all the difference.

UN Irish Pub Chiang Mai “Irish music night”

28 May, 2008 / / 1 Comment

Yesterday we practiced for the Friday night gig at the UN Irish pub in Chiang Mai. Here is a link of an introduction to the pub I found on the Internet. It also shows a video where we play in the background.

I think we have been playing on and off together for the last two years. From just coming together to play in different pubs a more steady group has formed. Since about half a year we actually practice sometimes. I must say we don’t sound bad at all 🙂 and we have lot’s of fun together.

Anybody who wants to hear some traditional Irish and other folk music. We play this Friday the 30th. of May about pm 8.30-ish. After that it’s usually the last Friday of the month.

A long day

24 May, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Yesterday was a long day. I drove up to the Fang to meet with my team and to see the progress in the water project in Hui Ba Rai. I had a very good day with Enoch talking about what God is doing. Cati and Mida also said that they have up to 30 children coming to the meetings and to learn the Lahu language. Since Cati is around there are a lot more boys coming as well. There is a big drug problem in the village that is very disturbing. I will not write any details here.
In the Hui Ba Rai water project the villagers finished the water collection area. Yesterday we took out the dirt from within the water collection. It was a very long but very rewarding day.

Trip to the mountains

23 May, 2008 / / 0 Comments

In a few hours I will get up for another trip to the mountains. I need to see if the Hui Ba Rai water project is finished. It rained so much lately that it was not an easy task for the villagers to do it. I will also visit Hui Kau Laam. So it will be a busy day.

Noise in the jungle

18 May, 2008 / / 0 Comments

Last time I was in the jungle bringing building material for a water project I encountered extreme noise. It came from this cricket (at least I think this is what it is) There must have been hundreds of them in the trees in one section of the forest making so much noise that my ears started hurting. Further down the path it stopped. So they were only in one part of the jungle.

Cricket

Hier is a link to a post about a Zikada I found in the jungle. These are probably the biggest and noisiest insects I know.

The world is crazy… and I am in it

18 May, 2008 / / 1 Comment

Sometimes life gets so busy and I don’t know why. All the things that happen around me as well in the wider circle of life. What I mean is family life, relationships, but also all the news I get from things I have absolutely no influence in. Like the Storm that happened in Burma and the ongoing suffering of those people and the earthquake in China with people dying under the rubble. Sometimes I want to shut all the news out and just have not to deal with any bad news from the world or close by. It starts hurting when it comes closer to home…

Yesterday my youngest son fell and cut his lips needing five stitches. He is so brave and I am proud of how he took the pain and the fixing up in hospital. I thought why can’t we have a brake from things like this. I realized under how much stress I am lately from the things going on in my life and around me ( not only my 40th. birthday 🙂 . How quickly can things without warning or preparation, how little control do we have in our lives.

I know as a follower of Jesus we suck it up and say He is in control. I believe this and experienced it many times in the past. Still there is no guarantee that we or loved one’s won’t suffer. This is sometimes hard to bear and not easily discarded with a slogan or a some bible verse. This is where faith gets tested, where we will hang on or let go, the place where we just might cry out to God and wait in desperation.

Hitting forty today… I mean Happy Birthdday to ME!

14 May, 2008 / / 5 Comments

I have waited for this the last 100 days or so. I kept a count down widget on my desktop. Today it displayed fireworks. I am officially over the 40 years barrier….. and …….. there is no difference to 39. So far.
I guess I went trough different faces the last few months

Indifference
From
Not barely being aware of my age and honestly not thinking about it.
to
Realizing in (specially) while doing sports, that a teenager can beat you

Denial
From
"Age is not important, it is how young I feel".
"I am not old, I am just getting more mature"
to
"Midlife-crisis is a myth
to
"Help!!! I am getting bold

Devastation
From
"my youth has faded, I am old" to "I’m going to die"!
to
"This is the last day of my life"

God give me grace to face the next forty years!

… and to all you out there hitting forty soon, it is actually not that bad after all.

 

Beauty to behold

12 May, 2008 / / 2 Comments

I was up in the mountains for two days. I had to bring the building materials for the Hui Ba Rai Water-project. As we were up in the jungle I saw this flower. It stood out in the sea of green. This was beauty to behold and for the blessing of digital photography to capture for the future and for the readers of this blog.

Ginger_flower

Off-road driving takes it’s toll

9 May, 2008 / / 4 Comments

Yesterday I brought my truck to the Toyota garage to get fixed. I have over 200,000 km. and the "tiger" is starting to show it. Specially the off-road driving on the front wheel base. I had to replace the cooler because it had a crack all the way across. Then I had to replace different part connecting with the front wheels. I really don’t know what those parts are called. But it sure cost me quite some money. When I was driving home immediately felt the difference in stability. Such a difference. I thought my truck is just old and the way it handled was just because of age. But actually it was that some of the part were bent and some ball bearings were totally warn out. I can take a corner without the feeling that the truck is kind of giving way like it would slide. Would you believe it there are no noises anymore when I go off-road.
The only thing I need now is new tires. As you can see on the picture I am driving them "Thai-style" till there is no tire tread left. But unfortunately on a dirt road it is like driving on ice with these.

P1010004

Wheel

P1010006

Cyclone over Burma aftermath

8 May, 2008 / / 2 Comments

The storm past over and left a shocking picture of destruction. It reminds me of the Tsunami when I see the pictures of dead bodies. But maybe even more it reminds me of what happened in New Orleans. Again the Government failed to do what they are supposed to do. There was no warning and no evacuation. People were totally unaware of what was to come. Whoever has been in Asia knows how flimsy the buildings are. There is no chance of staying secure in a house. There are no shelters.

The Burmese Government is notorious of doing the opposite of taking care of it’s people. I still cannot understand and it make me sad. Why do the innocent have to suffer so much. One organization said 40% of the more the 22,000 dead are children. I pause and I am speechless.

In a week or two no one will talk about the disaster anymore. The strange thing is that in the nine years I have been in Asia thousands of people got killed, maimed by mines, raped, and driven into the jungle by the Burmese Junta.

Please pray for the Burmese people!

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Quotes

Before I got into midlife crisis I was in pre-midlife crisis. Life an event I don't want to miss!
... am I moving into post midlife crisis now?
Ah! Life is wonderful!!!!

"Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative."

"Life doesn't end here after all :-)"

From now on it's midlife evaluation, not crisis

Just some thoughts

.... to many to bring to paper :-)

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