Hints of Thailand on a Winter Evening

Outside it was cold and snowy... inside, there were unmistakable smells of Thai cooking. 

Well, someone's version of Thai cooking. 

The occasion was a fundraiser for our private school, and these brave folks bought tickets to a Thai supper. 

My respect for them knows no bounds. They even used the fish sauce.

Couldn't resist taking them for a little ride.

I believe I heard a few exclamations of horror and some rapid paper flipping. 

I have, of all things, promised one gentleman that I will indeed bring him a few fried cockroaches and grubs when I return next year. He said it would be the best thing he got all year. He, my friends, ate the fish sauce straight up. I'm guessing he would thrive in Thailand.

Cashew Chicken

 Egg Rolls and Stir Fried Vegetables

Limeade {well, almost}

Creme Brulee

I Timothy 5: 18: "For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." They did not tread on the Thai food, but they did serve it. And they even dressed the part. Aren't they handsome? :)

Too many egg rolls, Jon? Kudos to mom for her hard work in getting all of this together!

And kudos to the lovely Dani, who, although she is almost 9 months pregnant, stuck with me the entire day, washing mountains of dishes and following all my orders and even ordering me around some. :) It wouldn't have been half as fun or even a success without her.

This is my favorite shot, though. This picture tells a thousand words. There was laughter and tears (the peppers were hot!). There were stories and fascinating topics to discuss. It was a wonderful group of people to serve, and I am sure again, that no matter how far I travel, and no matter how life will invariably bring distance and separation, these are some of my favorite people. And I am honored to call them friends.

Nappa Heads

See? She looks like a rose. A little bit.

Ginger, on the other hand, has little to recommend her to anybody. She is warty and gnarly with a wrinkled skin. There is not much physical beauty to speak of, but oh, the good she will do for an upset stomach! She saved the day at more than one Bible camp.

No, I haven't gone daft, photographing random vegetables. I'm cooking Thai food tomorrow and did most of the prep work today. These are all part of the cast of characters. Even the green beans. All of God's creatures have a place in the fire... excuse me, "choir".

Check back in a day or so to see pictures of the ordeal event. 

I think I've been having too much fun.

artichokes

I'm a little bit in love with them. 

I love their name. 

I love their architecturally sound design.

I love that the more you peel away the tough outer leaves the softer they become. 

I love that they have a heart. 

I'm not sure yet if I love the taste of them... I've had them, and I simply can't remember. But for now I am content to look at artichokes, and to think that if God makes vegetables as beautiful as flowers, then maybe I've once again underestimated Him, and maybe if I take time to stare at carrots and celery and potatoes, who knows what I might find?! So if you come to our kitchen in the next couple of days and see someone with their nose right up next to some carrots, don't judge them... they just might be seeing things with new eyes. :)

Why, just the other day, I cut the end off of a head of Nappa Cabbage and was quite sure the piece I was about to discard resembled a rose. Quite. 

running from comfort

"People often ask if I think my life is dangerous, if I am afraid. I am much more afraid of remaining comfortable. Matthew 10:28 tells us not to fear things that can destroy the body but things that can destroy the soul. I am surrounded by things that can destroy the body. I interact almost daily with people who have deadly diseases, and many times I am the only person who can help them. I live in a country with one of the world's longest-running wars taking place just a few hours away. Uncertainty is everywhere. But I am living in the midst of the uncertainty and risk, amid things that can and do bring physical destruction, because I am running from things that can destroy my soul: complacency, comfort, and ignorance. I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self-serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy."

-Katie Davis, Kisses from Katie

Sunday's Holy Ground

I sit in a slightly crowded room, surrounded by beauty. Aching, breath-taking, holy beauty.

Maybe it's being away that has given me the luxury of a more focused lens, but I see it clearly now.

They are the women who have helped shape me. For years I have watched them pour out their lives so that others may live. It's a room full of mothers of all ages, shapes and sizes, and as they dare to open their hearts, one here, one there, I am suddenly overwhelmed by a gift that I never deserved, hardly realized was even there.

We talk about how we are quick to judge each other, and how wrong this is. Desire is laid bare, and we connect over it. Sin is acknowledged, and we nod and bow our hearts. Simple and profound truth is spoken. We drink it in.

Maybe it's just another Sunday School class to them. For me, it's holy ground.

Three years have taken me far away from home and into other countries and cultures. I have loved the adventure. I am deeply grateful to God for allowing me to have it. And I'm not done venturing and adventuring. But there is something in this room that I don't feel in many other places. It is the tightly woven fabric of women who have lived much of their lives in community, who have mothered each other's children, who held out their hands to each other, who have fought disagreed borne with each other's follies, and have learned a mutual respect and love that too many women will never know. I want to lay my head down on this tightly woven fabric and rest awhile. And I shall. They may never even know I'm there. :)

Thank-you to the ladies of Antrim who dare to live fully alive, right where they are.