Refreshing Lampang!

Our last week in Asia was scheduled to be spent with the Kramers, who are missionaries from our very own home church in MN. We were extremely excited about this time because they were some of the first people we really broached our travel idea with well before we had officially decided ourselves. They were on furlough the year before visiting our church campus back home when we approached them about coming to visit.  We were also excited because they had just relocated to Lampang, which gave us another city to visit but, more interestingly, would allow us to see the ground breaking work that missionaries do, which often is not appreciated. It is easy to see the fruits from 15 or 20 years of work, like we had experienced with other missionaries through visiting their schools, orphanages, and medical clinics, but Lampang is ground zero with the Kramers having just arrived a few months ago after having worked in Chiang Mai for several years.

We arrived on Saturday night which is the evening that their walking market takes place, so we wandered around that for awhile and enjoyed some delicious popcorn.

Popcorn treat - unusually yummy!

We were staying at a sweet little guest house that was on a waterway.  It was a beautiful set up and the kids had a room to themselves and so did mom and dad which was a treat!  As the week progressed and we drove to and from our accommodations, we would notice men carrying what looked to be rifles.  This seemed odd to us.  Then one afternoon when mom and dad were sitting on the deck they kept hearing a strange noise.  Wondering if it was an animal under the deck, they got up to look and were surprised to see a man in the water with a scuba suit on, goggles, and a harpoon.  He was hunting for fish in the water and had tied empty milk jugs to his feet so that when boats drove by they would see and avoid him.

View from guesthouse deck

Fisherman harpooning in water way behind our guesthouse

Sunday we started the morning with a group devotion and then the guys accomplished installing a couple of sinks in the Kramer’s home and the girls grocery shopped in preparation for the week ahead.  Meanwhile the boys challenged themselves to learn how to unicycle while in Lampang, as Paul had several bikes for them to practice on.  During the afternoon we met Lauren, who works with Robyn and Paul, and who we’d also be spending a lot of time with this week.  In the evening we did park ministry.  The boys played soccer with a group of older kids and young men, Paul played a bocce-like game with some men, the girls walked the track and then took SJ to the park where she made some new friends.  In the evening many of the local people come to the park to get exercise.  Being new to the community and wanting to make connections, Robyn and Paul come here often and have made some friends and are always looking for new opportunities.  It was fun to see that this evening Paul was invited to help with an English camp that one of the guys was running the following week, and that the ladies’ visit with SJ’s friend’s mom at the playground provided insight into some cultural thoughts as well as a new connection for Robyn.  In this way, even though our family dynamics are unique as to what we can do to serve, we are grateful God allowed us to see how He can use us in simple ways to advance His kingdom work.

Sweet retired teacher that we walked the track with.

Monday was the SuperBowl and Dad woke us up early and the Kramer’s graciously opened their home to us so we could watch the game.  The girls updated some picture frames and Robyn and SJ made some chocolate chip cookies – such a treat!  Our oldest made egg sandwiches for everyone for breakfast and the boys practiced their unicycling.  It was strange to have a breakfast SuperBowl party, but we made the best of it!  Afterwards we went to the local university and split up into guys and girls and each took a portion of the campus to walk around and pray.  Again, so simple, but necessary to be in touch with what God’s doing in this city and it was very encouraging to sense that there is going to be some great things happening here.  Lauren joined us for lunch and then we all went our ways to get some rest and school done before re-connecting that evening.

Working up to a unicycle performance!

Sugar & spice & all things nice - that's what girls are made of!

Monday nights are their large group gatherings or church time.  It is at Robyn and Paul’s home and in addition to Lauren we had a lady named Ching join us.  Our oldest led us in worship, playing his guitar and then Lauren told the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 in a simple way that kept us focused on the exact details given in the Bible, we then relayed the story in our own words while being faithful to Scripture, and the kids were all very engaged.  We had communion together and afterwards all gathered for a meal and played some games.  It was a sweet time of fellowship.

Worship time

Thanks to our friends the Pahls - the Kramer's like to play Dutch too!

Learning Monopoly Deal - the boys' new obsession

Tuesday morning we had small groups and the guys went to a coffee shop while the girls and Lauren met at another coffee shop.  We read the Bible, encouraged one another, prayed for one another and shared what God’s doing and teaching us in our lives.  It was a breath of fresh air, especially for mom who has missed this type of fellowship with her girlfriends back home.  Afterwards we went for lunch before separating for a couple of hours in the afternoon for rest and school.  That afternoon we all did our own thing as Robyn and Paul had language lessons and the kids needed to get some school work done.  That evening they blessed us with a date night while they took all 4 of the kids to do park ministry and have pizza.  A great time was had by all and everyone in our family enjoyed the change in dynamics. 

Kids pizza night with Aunt Robyn & Uncle Paul

Wednesday we met up with Lauren who took us to the Indra Ceramic factory.  Lampang is known to be the home of the famous rooster bowl.  We went and toured the museum of the history of this bowl and then saw people creating these ceramics.  We went for a lunch of Khao Soi soup and then returned to our guesthouse for rest and school.  We all met back up with Lauren and Ching at the Kramer’s house that night to celebrate Robyn’s birthday and the Visas that Robyn and Paul had obtained that morning.  We enjoyed more good food, birthday cake and games.

The famous Lampang rooster bowl!

Aunt Robyn's birthday celebration!

Thursday the guys and Samara fixed the Kramer’s roof, went to the park, and ran some errands while Mom had the treat of getting to celebrate Robyn and making her birthday special.  The ladies had massages and pedicures, went for lunch, and did some shopping enjoying a leisurely day of fun and inspiring conversation.  This last evening in Lampang, we ordered pizza for the kids and set them up with a movie at Paul and Robyn’s house and us adults went out to dinner – such a treat!  We came home and SJ got to give Robyn a Kinder Joy candy bar for a birthday dessert (these are yummy bars that mom and our oldest discovered in Ethiopia last year on a mission trip, but we’ve since discovered they are available around the world and even come in a delicious ‘egg’ form – these are a special treat for us as we travel).

DATE NIGHT!!

Our time in Lampang was health-giving on many levels.  It was a simpler, quieter, and slower pace and yet God was very evidently present and our time here was refreshing.  Observing Robyn and Paul, we learned so much about setting up good routines and seeking God’s will along with waiting patiently for His timing to play out, all of this building a strong foundation.  It was educational for us to observe all that goes into establishing a presence in a new community as it broadened our understanding of mission work since the places we have served up until this point have been with well-established programs.  It was also insightful for us as a family who foresees a transition back to American living this coming summer, to begin contemplating what we can do to simplify and begin being intentional about all that we’ve experienced and learned together and how that will make our life in the US different.  Meanwhile, the boys are leaving Lampang with unicycling skills, a love for Monopoly Deal, and some new card tricks!  While we hope that our time in Lampang was beneficial for Robyn, Paul and Lauren, we are humbled and grateful for the way they included us into their daily life, included us in their fellowship, and spoke life to us.  Robyn and Paul encouraged us with unique insight from the perspective of being “newer” overseas missionaries who could relate to some of our struggles with being overseas for 6 months, and being marriage mentors, they blessed us with life-giving thoughts about staying healthy.  We are excited to see how God works in Lampang and continues to use these amazing people, and we are leaving Lampang refreshed, having made new friends that are like family to us.