| January 4, 2007
Dear Friends in the United States and the entire world,
Ah, how the days fly by. This is the sweetest time of year to
be in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The nights are cool (some would say
cold); the days are warm and dry. Flowers of many kinds are blooming;
the trees are green, and so is the grass, though it turns brown
if there are no sprinklers around. My university had two weeks
off for Christmas. Most schools in Thailand do not recognize Christmas
as either a holiday or a holy day, but there were many events
throughout December and many tourists in town, so it felt like
a festive time. I decided to stay put this year and simply enjoy
my house and my dog and the great weather.
Now it is time for classes to begin again. When I signed out
on Friday, December 15, I asked the secretary if we would be resuming
classes on January 2 or 3. She wasn’t sure, and we couldn’t
reach anyone on main campus who could tell us either. Payap’s
calendar said that classes would start on the 2nd, but the government
often declares an extra day off if a national holiday falls on
a weekend. No such declaration had hit the news yet, and we were
all unsure what mood the new government (formed after the October
coup) would bring to the New Year celebrations. Many Westerners
would be bothered by not knowing exactly when their holiday should
end, but the Thai people have such a different attitude toward
time and planning ahead that they are very flexible in matters
like this. As it turned out, the big news coming over the holidays
was not the number of vacation days but the number of bombs that
exploded on New Year’s Eve in public gathering places in
Bangkok. We are all grieving to see the year begin on a note of
chaos and violence. There had been many tragic bombings throughout
2006 in the southern-most part of this country, but now central
Thailand has been hit also. Persons of all religious persuasions
are praying for peace, and we appreciate your prayers also.
Educational endeavors
Last semester I had to flunk two of our graduate students as
a result of their non-attendance for my intensive English course.
The staff had insisted that my class should be scheduled in the
mornings (twice a week) because the brain supposedly processes
language better in the early part of the day. However, perhaps
English is best processed when the English speakers on the other
side of the world are awake and using their difficult language.
For my students, it was very challenging to get up and face English
classes at 9:00 a.m. I tried to show mercy and make it as easy
as possible for them, but I also needed to prepare them for the
course I am teaching in English this semester, “Western
Music Literature.” I am learning a lot as I teach this music
history course, a new topic for me. The saving grace for the students
is that they need to do as much listening to recordings as listening
to lectures. European music history is highly intertwined with
Christian church history, so sometimes in my lectures I can interject
a bit about the religion of the region or the composers.
Musical endeavors
January will be a month of concerts, as many of our seniors will
be presenting their senior recitals. I am hoping that my oboe
student will pass the auditions for playing in the honor recital.
Also, the students are planning an outdoor pop concert—guaranteed
to be loud and lively and a crowd pleaser. In February, I will
play in a concert organized by one of our piano professors, Dr.
Bennett Lerner. He has invited a harpist, another flutist, and
me to perform a trio by Hector Berlioz. I will also play in a
second piece, a new composition by Dr. Chaipreuk Mekara, one of
our own professors, for clarinet, flute, and harp.
Evangelist endeavors
I am so pleased that the department’s weekly cell group
meetings have been popular and well-attended so far this school
year. The new crop of freshmen that started in June has been eager
to come to my house to sing and worship together. This particular
group laughs and joins in songs, games, and fellowship easily.
They seem especially attracted to my piano—playing duets
and trios on it before, during, and after the meetings. That puzzles
me, because there are many pianos available for practicing over
in the music department, but it seems to be more fun at my house.
Prayer requests
In the coming months, please pray for:
- Cessation of bombings in the kingdom of Thailand.
- Attraction of more and more students to the love of Jesus
Christ.
- Reduction of oppression in Thailand’s neighboring countries.
- Wisdom, justice, and protection of religious freedoms as Thai
leaders put together a new constitution.
Thanks!
Annette George
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
119 |
