Chiang Mai Winter Fest 2008

I had a fascinating experience at Chiang Mai WinterFest 2008 with my Thai friends. It was, in many ways, very similar to the kinds of county fairs we have in the States. The picture below is a good example of life in Thailand. From an early age children are having fun preparing for life on a motorcycle (one of our main means of transportation).

We also listened to some of my Thai friend’s favorite rock bands playing that night. I wish I could remember the names of the groups, but their songs were pretty catchy (at least the musical aspect that I could enjoy). I’m not at the point where I can sing along, but it was still fun to participate in this activity with my new friends. We had a good time and I was even surprised to hear one song in English that I actually new. For some reason, The Cranberries’ classic hit song, “Zombie,” was played and covered quite well I might add. I hadn’t heard this song for ages; it brought me back to those junior high years when rock music was a high priority in life.

Baby Uah's Dedication & String Tying Ceremony

On December 12th I witnessed the Dedication of two beautiful Thai babies right in the living room of my home. Baby Uah was then 2 months old when she and another Thai woman's baby boy participated in String Tying Ceremony. It was a joy to witness such an event and recognize the significance of both the Dedication trough the act of String Tying. Never before have I seen such a ceremony, but I felt God's presence and joy as these two women expressed their desire to raise their babies with the fear of God through a Redeemed Buddhist tradition. I wish this picture was clearer but if you look carefully you can see a flower arrangement from which we take the strings that are attached to Bamboo Stems (unseen in this picture). The two babies are in the center...soon to have strings tied on their little wrists, as well as on their mother's wrists.