No Translation Necessary

Hopefully, you've all gotten the invitation to view our new album on Shutterfly by now. It was a hectic weekend, but so much fun to share our new home with a guest from home. John, a coworker of Sam's, arrived Saturday morning and we hit the ground running. Since this was his first visit to Thailand, we wanted to entertain him royally which we did by touring all the royal palaces and temples we could squeeze into 2 short days. Unfortunately for both John and Sam, there was no rest for the weary and it was back to work for them yesterday. Fortunately for me, I had the leisure of organizing and sharing the photos. Believe me, I'm not taking this abundance of time for granted. I have boxes and boxes of pictures at home in Texas waiting for me to have "free" time...if only I had packed them! Another activity on my calendar for yesterday was a community project's committee meeting at the American Woman's Club...this brings me to the title of my blog.

On my way to the clubhouse, which included a tuk-tuk ride, a short jaunt on the sky train, and a nice stroll though a busy neighborhood, I heard some sounds that needed no translation. The first was an ice-cream vendor. Without even telling you what sound I heard, you know. I'm guessing from this experience that all ice cream men, no matter where in the world they find themselves, use a happy sound to advertise and attract customers. To be honest, until yesterday, I'd never really thought much about it. It's kind of funny where my mind goes these days.

Another sound was that of children playing at recess. I'd walked past this particular school before, but the children had always been inside. Since the signs on the building were all in English, I'd assumed that this must be a preschool for expat children. What I saw and heard yesterday were Thai children racing after each other, laughing while digging holes in the sand, and swinging as high as their little legs could pump them. There was no translation necessary as the joy of friendship is understood universally.

The last sound I heard recently that also needed no translation was a bit different as it was the sound of silence. Do you remember seeing the picture of the bone thin boy in my "Royal Weekend" slide show? I took his picture to remind me of what I'd heard with my heart. He'd made no sound...just sat under the shade of a tree on the Ayutthaya temple grounds, but what I heard with my heart was God's voice reminding me that no matter where I find myself, the language of His love is understood.

"My children, our love should not be just word and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action." 1 John 3:18

In the past, much of my ministry took place at school. As any teacher knows, being an educator is so much more than reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. I've always felt that teaching was an opportunity for me to truly show God's love in action! Please join me in praying that I'll soon be led to an opportunity to serve God here inThailand as I'm feeling more and more ready for some action...Godly action that is!