Bekkers' Bulletin - April 2007

WET WET WET

Jonty stood at the gate: hose pipe tucked under one arm; beady eyes watching out for passers-by. Emily had her water pistol “locked and loaded” – ready for action. A young couple on a motorbike zooted past – Jonty let rip with a spray of water. Emily drank the water from her pistol. A very old man wobbled past on a bicycle – showing no mercy, Jonty drenched him with a spray. Emily drank some more water from her pistol. So it went on all afternoon. And the reaction from these wet people? Smiles, grins, laughter, some even came closer to allow Jonty to truly drench them (his technique needs work!).

April is “silly season” in Thailand - everything in the country comes to a grinding halt whilst the entire population has a major 4-day water-fight to celebrate Songkran, the Thai New Year. While its all a lot of fun, and does provide cool relief from the 40 degree temperatures, we were reminded of the immense spiritual battle going on. As in all Thai customs and festivals, there is more than meets the eye and Songkran represents a lot more than just a waterfight….

On the eve of Songkran everyone spring-cleans their homes. They also take down from the spirit shelves in their homes, all their statues, images and “holy” items for cleaning. Then, on the first day of Songkran, all go off to the local village or district wat (temple) in order to bring alms to the monks in the hope of gaining merit for their next lives. In the afternoon of the same day there is a bathing ceremony of the temple’s Buddha images. The bathing of images is done as a ritualistic ceremony – it is a New Year's purification. Younger people will also pay their respect to and ask blessings from their elders and respected persons by pouring scented water into the palms of the elders’ hands. Another duty to bedone during the Songkran Festival is a religious service performed in sacred memory to the dead. In some parts of the country the guardian spirits of the village and town also receive their annual offerings on Songkran Days.

So when we throw water, and get water thrown on us, we remember to praise God that we don’t need to go through elaborate, man-made rituals, again and again, in order to be cleansed and purified – Jesus has cleansed us once and for all.

RAIN ON OUR PARADE

It was a Monday – our day off. We’d just had lunch, got the children into bed for their nap and were getting ready for a nice lazy afternoon nap ourselves when Phii Yaa phoned. She was just around the corner and wanted to drop in to visit us. She said she was missing us as she had not seen us for ages, besides, she had just bought a new car which she wanted to show us - she knew that we’d be home as she knew Monday was our day off. There was no getting out of it – a few moments later Phii Yaa arrived with armfuls of Thai delicacies, fruits, and an array of snacks. For the next three hours we entertained our friend, all the while wishing for a bit of “time out”.

The visit was not a momentous one… she did not give her life to the Lord, she didn’t even want to talk about the things of the Lord. Heck, she’s not even close to coming to faith! But our prayer is that our friendship with her is bringing her closer to the kingdom of God. We know the importance of showing God’s love and being hospitable, unfortunately, we cannot always do it on our terms and its not always convenient!