OceanicThai

Our helper, Gee, has a 38 year-old brother-in-law who is dying of lung cancer in an open ward in the government hospital of Phuket. We paused homeschooling for a day last Wednesday to drive Gee the 2 hours to the hospital to relieve her older sister from her 24-hour watch of the patient (that's how they do it here.) We met her sister's 2 children, just Poppy & Jasper's age. Ken & I prayed for him at the foot of his bed, and when we were done both Gee and her sister were crying. She told me later after we prayed for him he started feeling better, ate a little and sat up, even tried to walk a bit. She asked me a bit later how to pray again. I gave her a tract to read that night as she slept by the bed of her brother-in-law. The ward was row after row of hospital beds with the ill, some dying. It was so depressing. Among all the Thais we saw an ex-pat western man, here without money, obviously, since he was with everyone else in the open hospital bed. It was s...

refrigerator coffin Originally uploaded by oceanicthai . Before the body is cremated, it is put in the house in a refrigerated coffin. (It is tropical and very hot here.) Lights are strung up, flower arrangements are placed around it, and in front there is a picture of the deceased. Near the coffin is a bowl for incense and candles. During the funeral, or wake you could say, the family makes meals and feeds the whole village for days until the cremation. It is not only emotionally devastating for the family of the deceased, but in addition they must feed and entertain the funeral guests. Guests give small money gifts to help cover the cost of everything. When you attend a funeral, you are supposed to wear black or white.

refrigerator coffin Originally uploaded by oceanicthai . Before the body is cremated, it is put in the house in a refrigerated coffin. (It is tropical and very hot here.) Lights are strung up, flower arrangements are placed around it, and in front there is a picture of the deceased. Near the coffin is a bowl for incense and candles. During the funeral, or wake you could say, the family makes meals and feeds the whole village for days until the cremation. It is not only emotionally devastating for the family of the deceased, but in addition they must feed and entertain the funeral guests. Guests give small money gifts to help cover the cost of everything. When you attend a funeral, you are supposed to wear black or white.

Temple Images Originally uploaded by oceanicthai . Buddha images from other countries are not allowed in Thailand, nor are Thai Buddha images allowed out of the country, except the very small amulet types worn around the neck. Thais offer fragrant incense and bow with the hands held together in front of the face in the "wai" position. Gold leaf is applied to the images, and often they have robes that are changed.

Ayuthaya temple ruins Originally uploaded by oceanicthai . More of the temple ruins

Ayuthaya temple ruins Originally uploaded by oceanicthai . Ayuthaya, the former royal capital of Thailand, was in its glory from 1350 until it was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. These are some of the ruins of one of the temples that escaped destruction from the Burmese invaders. This site is a Unesco World Heritage site, and it was amazing to see. Poppy & Jasper are on the top of this chedi.

It is the end of February, I know everyone in the U.S. is freezing, but it is heating up here, a bit more than a month away from the killer "hot season" everyone dreads. What does "heating up here" mean, anyway? Well, it is in the 90's with a blanketing kind of humidity that makes everyone sweaty. I am sunburnt from watering the lawn! Today I went to Nam Chem to teach the children Sunday School and the heat there made me feel kind of nauseous. Right now it is 7:30 ish and the temperature has dropped to the mere mid-80's, but the humidity is worse than earlier. I was complaining about the heat one time years ago and my friend said, "Well, look at it this way, at least we can go outside all year." So tonight, I'm not complaining, I'm just making an observation, sweat is rolling down my back but I know it is freezing there where you are in the US!