Constellation of Se7en (PART TWO)

Wednesday, November 21, 2012 20:25 Posted by Chris Cross
Constellation of Se7en
When All the Stars Are On Their Rightful Place

8 days, 7 nights, 2 countries,1 mission trip, 1 team, 1 Lord over all

PART TWO
Click HERE to see Part One
Tuesday, Nov 6th, 2012
SING – BKK – CM

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Day 1: Setting out - The Lord goes before us


Read: Exodus 13:21 & Exodus 40:38-39



Meditation: During the long time the Israelites were wandering in the desert, the presence of God was visibly with them. God appeared in the daytime as a cloud, and at night as a flame or fire. They were always led by God, they were never alone, and God’s presence was always visible to them. During this long journey to the Chiang Mai, far from home and familiar things-- look for God’s presence. Look for that presence to guide today’s actual journey for safe travel, look for that presence to help you as [we organise medical clinics], look for that presence to encourage you in the uncertainty of the tasks ahead.

Prayer: Guide our journey today, God; help us arrive safely to do your work. Let us greet enthusiastically this wonderful opportunity to serve you by helping our neighbors. Open our eyes to see Your Presence at work in this place. Amen
ba


I finally get to meet them – the team – for the first time, 3 hours before our departures.

Dengan susah payah, me & Jo bring our luggages downstairs from her flat. 1 giant roller luggage, 2 medium roller luggages, 1 big tall duffel bag, 1 sports bag, & 1 full backpack. We wait for about 15 mins outside her flat to get a cab then heading down to the airport.

Changi is so beautiful at that time. The singing raindrops mengayun turun naik, diiiringi alunan musik, menarik perhatian para penumpang yg sibuk mengabadikannya dgn berbagai gadgets. Too bad I don’t have time to take pics, karena handful bgt dengan bagasi kami yang demikian banyak dan berat.

Di dekat mesin timbang barang, ada beberapa cewek berkumpul. My gut tells me it must be them. And it is them. Mx, the dietician. Ax,the peds ICU nurse. Wx & Cx, the peds residents. And Rx, the banker. Total 7 of us, an all-female-team. Ketika melihat barang2 mereka, wah...sampe geleng2. Barang2ku dr Indo gak banyak krn kupikir mereka akan overbaggage banyak, jd bisa pake jatah bagasiku. Tapi ini sih...buanyaaaaaaak bgt. Berkilo-kilo pakean bekas dan buku bekas dalam beragam tas & koper, disertai meds dan sumbangan pensil warna.


Akhirnya kami berhenti menimbang barang. Lha emang overbaggage kok. Yang penting, kami mengepak ulang meds ke dalam bbrp tas spy gak diconfiscated by the customs. Karena dulu tim yang lain pernah disuruh bayar ribuan baht untuk obat2 yang mereka bawa masuk ke Thai (yg setelah ditawar, turun menjadi beberapa ratus baht). Kemudian memisahkan tas2 dan koper2 berdasarkan prioritasnya. Yang tidak bisa dibawa terbang, nanti akan dibawa pulang lagi.

Several fam members, lover, & hubby also come to see us off. Rx hubby memimpin doa untuk keberangkatan kami. And off we go. 

Courtesy of "The Se7en" @Changi Airport 
Awalnya canggung juga berada bersama-sama a bunch of strangers hehe.... Soale dari mereka semua cuma Jo yg aku kenal. Mereka sudah pernah ngadain 2x pre-trip briefing untuk membicarakan apa saja yg harus dibawa dan dipersiapkan, termasuk mempersiapkan bhn health talk , craft time & English lesson for children.

So how did we all get together?
Well, at first Jo asked me if I want to come. Then in a month somehow the group grew bigger & bigger. The others knew this trip from RK. RK adl mahasiswa akuntansi tingkat akhir yg sudah bolak-balik ke CM selama 4 thn terakhir, tiap kali summer holiday. Ia membantu di Mekong Center (OMF Chiangmai) dan juga membantu Aunty F dlm pelayanan penjangkauan suku Shan. Selain itu Cx dan Wx juga berasal dr NUS, 1 thn diatas Jo. Jo dan Mx bekerja di 1 RS yg sama (TTS), demikian juga Ax dan Wx (KKH). The last person to join us is Rx yang juga diajak Jo. Rx adalah cell group leader di gereja Jo, her “big sister”, she knew her since she was 12 y.o. But basically mereka terheran-heran waktu tahu aku dari Indo. Lahir di Indo, besar di Indo, sekola di Indo dan kerja di Indo. Beberapa orang (incl.Aunty F) berpikir bhw aku kerja di Sing haha.... Mereka juga heran waktu dengar aku tahu ttg trip ini dr Jo (‘so how did u get to know Jo??’ – adalah pertanyaan berikutnya ;D hehe)


Thai Airways (SIN – BKK – CM)
Thai Bluesky
From the proposed SONG TIAUW.......
.......to the definite VAN @CM Airport
Aunty F menjemput kami di airport bersama van yg sudah dibooking untuk mjd alat transportasi kami. Ini sempat menjadi perdebatan di awal persiapan trip. Rachel menawarkan apakah mau pake van or song tiauw (mobil yg dibelakangnya pada duduk berhadapan itu – semua barang akan disimpan diatas mobil). Setelah agak sengit (alasan keamanan, motion sickness, dll, dsb), akhirnya kami sepakat untuk pake van.
Begitu masuk kota CM, berasa deja vu. After pampered for a day in a “civilized” Sing (very orderly, very clean, very neat), I wake up in reality – CM is sooo much like Bandung haha! Traffic jam, motorcycles, pedagang kaki lima, orang nyebrang dimana-mana, mobil maen potong jalan...aaah...it feels like ‘home’ already wakakakakak....
Cuma bedanya kiri kanan jalan terpampang tulisan kriwil2 yang I have no idea at all what it means ^^””” Dan tampang orangnya juga beda, cuma sama warnanya aja. Terlihat foreigners (baca : bulai) berkeliaran dimana-mana, on foot. Dan panasss bo, gerah. Bawaannya pengen mandi terus.

Agenda kami untuk hari itu adalah ambil obat, simpan barang, dinner, klinik, dan belanja sarapan& bekal. Syukur tokonya masih buka dan kami sempat ambil obat2an yg dibeli Aunty F untuk mobile clinics di desa2 nanti. Lalu kami pulang ke rumah Aunty F. It’s quite new, mgkn baru sebulan ia menyewa disana. Selain sbg rumahnya, tmp itu juga dipakai untuk kebaktian Mgg dan mengajar anak2 bhs Inggris. A small house but with a wide terrace =)) dan ada bangku dibangun di tepi teras.
Aunty F terrace
Courtesy of "The Se7en" - 1st Thai dinner @CM
 Waktu briefing di airport, Rx menyuruh tiap orang bercerita ttg ekspektasi & motivasi masing2 dlm mengikuti trip ini. Selain itu dia juga bertanya, adakah alergi/preferensi pribadi ttt yg perlu diperhatikan oleh anggota tim lain. Mx said “Can’t do cold water.” Sementara aku...yaah, can’t do spicy food lah ^^”” That 1st dinner is good. Ada yang pedes banget, tapi ada juga yang gak pedes. So, many thanks gals for taking my preference into your consideration! =))
Tempat makannya persis kayak di Singkawang, makan tengah, bedanya minumnya pk gelas kaleng & masih ada botol limun jadoel, hehehe....

Courtesy of "The Se7en" - The food stall @CM

Botol limun jadoel
The 1st clinic @Aunty F’ house seperti rehearsal for tomorrow. Ada 24 pxs yang datang. Mostly memberi vitamin untuk anak2 dan ada beberapa anggota jemaat datang berobat. Ada juga 2 wanita Shan yang baru pertama kali datang ke rumah tersebut. Semoga nanti bisa di-follow up. Untuk malam itu, aku & Jo yg turun periksa pasien. Jo bisa ngomong Thai sedikit2. Kami dibantu Aunty F & seorang gadis Shan yg bs sdkt banyak ngomong Inggris =))

Courtesy of "The Se7en" - 1st "rehearsal" clinic @CM
Courtesy of "The Se7en" - her sweet smile 


Menjelang jam 21.00 kami cepat2 mengikuti Aunty F berjalan kaki menuju pusat grosir terbesar di area itu. Makro. Haha...finally I get to see u again, Makro ^^

MAKRO @CM

Courtesy of "The Se7en" - MAKRO @CM

Courtesy of "The Se7en" - The trash bag mobster @MAKRO
Basically kami ada disana untuk belanja sarapan untuk di desa nanti. Tapi mereka pada beli beragam snack mulai dari seaweed, peanuts, plus tomyam sauce untuk oleh2 ;D Selain itu juga beli notes, alat tulis, dan pernak-pernik yang bisa dijadikan gift set untuk acara anak2 nanti. According to Aunty F, many Sporeans come to buy their yearly supply in Thai coz it cheaper. So they will buy in large quantity and take it home. Dan saking gedenya tu Makro, gak beres dikelilingin. Waktu kami bayar aja, Makronya uda mo tutup. Dudulnya, tu toko kaga sedia kantong kresek ato kotak. Jadi kami beli trash bag dan memasukkan semua barang belanjaan ke dalam trash bag ^^””” Duh.

Saat perjalanan pulang ke rumah, Jo humored me. “Never do shopping like this eh C?” Wkwkwk...ngangkut trash bag sambil jalan kaki pulang. Tp kan udah Serukam-trained, kata dia. Flexibility & adaptibility. Kami mengingat2 perjalanan bsm PKMD ke Sungkung yg VERY exciting ^^ I think that somehow her memory of Serukam is very strong & deeply affected her, even though she has done many mission trips to many places before.

Akhirnya jam tidur tiba. So very exhausted, but again can not sleep. Insomnia day #2 aarrggghhh.... But somehow, I can feel Him so near.
  
©
I still remember our evening reflection that day. 
 cd
Day 1: Evening Reflection


Scripture: Psalm 78: 13-16

Meditation: What a long day; what a long trip, what a long time to be in the vans with one another, what a long day to reflect on what God is calling us to do a     long way from home. What a long trip for the Israelites, what a long time they wandered, what a long time they knew God was with them.
Prayer: Thank you God for our safe arrival here. Thank you for guiding us, not only in our trip today, but in our decision to come on the Mission Trip to serve you. We look forward to your presence with us this week. Amen.
ba

Kami mengucap syukur untuk the presence of God. Just like what Jo said about the Israelites, “The presence of God was visibly with them. God appeared in the daytime as a cloud, and at night as a flame or fire. They were always led by God, they were never alone, and God’s presence was always visible to them. The pillar of cloud & the pillar of fire did not depart from the people of God.”

Demikianlah Tuhan berjalan di depan kami. 
Dia membuat kami mendapat kemurahan dari pihak airlines untuk membawa 30 kgs overbaggage (170 kgs from 140 kgs allocation for 7 people). Dia membuat kami mendapat favor dari pihak imigrasi Sing dan Thai sehingga semua donation : meds, clothes, books bisa lolos customs tanpa harus bayar sepeser pun.
Semua donation yg dikumpulkan dan diberikan ke Aunty F begitu kami nyampe di CM cukup untuk menambah biaya beli obat and only short of 10 SGD.
And how we come together as a team (Rx says “I already got the vibes for this team” haha) – the earth collides & the stars aligned, God is at work.

To say that these are only coincidences, is to insult God.

Wow God, wow. All glory goes to You.
Apa yang kudengar dan kubaca, boleh sekali lagi kualami.

All of our 170 kgs luggage


Wednesday, Nov 7th, 2012
CM – Na Wai – Lak Taeng 

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Day 2 : Our Offering



Scripture: Romans 12:1-2 


Meditation: The first day of work here (in Thailand). Everything is unfamiliar, including the climate. You are preparing for an exhausting tiring day, yet at the same time, you are looking forward to an exciting day, meeting new friends, learning new skills, serving God by helping others. In a real way you are offering your bodies to God, sacrificing comfort for aches and pains. You are offering your bodily physical work, hot sweaty work, hard-to-get-your-breath-in-this-really-really-humid-climate work, tiring     and perhaps even, at times, frustrating work, to God—pure and pleasing because you intentionally chose this way to serve. From the reports of many other mission trips, God will be changing the way you think as a result of your service. Your help to others, as you begin today, will be good and pleasing to God.
Thinkpoint: What is my offering to God today? What is something I can bring to our team today?

Prayer: God, excite us as we prepare to serve you today. Jesus Christ, our Savior, help to witness to living out our faith as we prepare to serve you today. Holy Spirit, empower us to be your people as we prepare to serve you today. Amen.
ba

After breakfast, we’re heading to the north, to Na Wai. Around 2 hrs by van. Jalan antar kotanya lebar dan bagus (jd inget trip ke Guilin in 2010). Cuma berhenti 1x untuk isi bensin & peewee di pom bensin yg ada Seven-Eleven-nya ^^ 

Courtesy of "The Se7en" - Lunch @Na Wai (Aunty F was playing w/ the kiddo in background)
Courtesy of "The Se7en" - Lunch @Na Wai
A simple lunch in a simple food stall in Na Wai. After that we’re heading to Na Wai Shan Preaching Point, dimana mobile clinic akan diadakan dlm gereja tersebut.


@Na Wai Shan Preaching Point
Mobile clinic @Na Wai
For the first time, our team is on the run. Full run. Everybody takes up their part. 1 registrar, 2 people in BP (blood pressure) counter, 2 docs as docs, 2 docs as pharmacists. Not to mention 4 interpreters, 1 in registration, 2 for the docs & 1 for the pharmacy counter.

Many patients come to see us that day. Mostly geriatry with common geriatric problems such as pain (knee pain, foot pain, back pain, shoulder pain, tingling on both hands). Most of them are farmers & Aunty F said they worked very hard in the field everyday.
Then an old man come along, about 70 y.o. He has swelling in his right knee with tenderness but w/o redness or fever. Aunty F interpreted that he got that swelling after meditated in the temple for a certain period of time. In that instant, she prays for him in English (meanwhile I still examine him). Pray for healing for this man so that he can testify that by coming to the church he is cured after going to the temple & get sick. A very simple prayer I think, but with a great faith. My mind as a doctor struggles. But my heart knows that sometimes people can have their heart turned through this “simple” thing. God can work through anything.

Smile! @Na Wai mobile clinic

After 2 hours, half of the team go to the children center to do English craft class. Me, Jo, and Cx stays behind to finish up the clinic. It’s good that in the afternoon the pxs range change – many children come to the clinic after school. Cx is happy to see them, meanwhile Jo does registration & I do pharmacy. One of the preacher, Pii C, has been a great help for the pharmacy counter. We explain the meds & the dosage to him & he will write down the instruction in Thai & explain to the pxs. 75 pxs come to see us that day.

English center for children @Na Wai
English teachingnya sendiri sepertinya sangaaaat menyenangkan. Ada bikin kerajinan tangan (elephant & flower) dan English quiz, diakhiri dengan pembagian pensil warna, vitamin, dan baju bekas layak pakai. Semua anak pulang dengan gembira, dengan tangan penuh barang2 hehehe....
Courtesy of "The Se7en" - English quiz
Courtesy of "The Se7en" - FLOWER!! ^^

Courtesy of "The Se7en" - ELEPHANT!! ;D

Courtesy of "The Se7en" - pembagian baju bekas layak pakai



Sore hari kami packing dan berangkat ke Weng Hiang untuk dinner. Tapi jalan menuju kesitunya...OMG. A very very very winding road & a long one. 3x lebih parah dari Vandering di Bengkayang cuy. Sejak awal kami sudah diingatkan oleh Aunty F, jadi para pemabuk ataupun bekas pemabuk (itu saya!!) dose off ourselves with anti motion sickness pill. Syukurlah Pii Chan, driver kami, sabar banget menjalankan mobil. 40 km/hour dong, klo lebih cepet dari itu, 4 dr 7 bisa minta berhenti di pinggir jalan untuk muntah2 dulu (walopun kami kurang bahan untuk dimuntahin si, soale lg pada empty stomach gitu haha).
Sepanjang perjalanan ada 2 check point militer Thailand yang kami lewati, karena kami sudah mendekati area refugee camp. Syukurlah mobil tidak distop untuk diperiksa/dipersulit.

Jo sempet keliatan payah waktu turun dari mobil. Dia gak nyangka jalannya bakal se-winding itu. So pusing dan mual gitu. Langsung asks for anti motion sickness pill from Wx. Sambil nunggu makanan dateng, sempet2nya kami foto2 dulu. Apapun yang disajikan pokoke tandas! Lapar mati. Ada ikan goreng kering (konon itu Rachel’s fave – jadi inget ikan kerempeng goreng kering bumbu tomatnya Tini di 308, hiks), capcay yang fresh banget (terutama kaprinya yang crispy & sweet), dan sup (dimana-mana pasti ada Thai soup!)
Rx yang perhatian (intuisi ibu kali ya) berkata, “Actually we still have enough money – so if anybody wants to eat some more, we can.” G langsung order another plate of fresh capcay itu untuk kami!! *oops


Dinner time! Yaaayyy!! @Weng Hiang resto
Rachel's fave fried fish @Weng Hiang resto
Very happy “children” with their ice cream ;D @Weng Hiang resto
And finally, we get to Lak Taeng that night. To Pii Jay’s house (also used as a church & permanent clinic), which will be our basecamp for the next 3 nights. When we arrive, Pii Jay kindly boiled water for us to take shower. And God kindly shows us His shooting star in His dark clear nights FULL with stars.

©

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Day 2: Evening

Read: Romans 12: 3-8 Christ Brings New Life

Meditation: Well, today was it! The work began. And like the scripture says, a body is made up of many parts. You are the body of Christ—many parts working together. There are [teachers, triage-rs, pill-counters, doctors, medication-dispensers, translators, BP-measurers, table carry-ers, go-fetchers, encouragers, drivers, health-talkers] and lots of other important parts of Christ’s body. You have worked together to serve Christ. You have each used your different gifts, in your active faith to serve. Your actual body parts may be sore after a long day, but the body of Christ was strengthened today by your work.

Prayer: Grant us a refreshing night’s rest God. Thank you for your presence with us here today giving us the strength to do your work. Calm our tired bodies. Jesus, thank you that you have shown us how to be part of your body—the church in action. Amen.

ba

What a long & tiring day. Throughout the day I’m suffering a mood imbalance, on & off. Almost can’t help it. Very difficult to smile. Especially when we still have to pack meds when all power has run out. I think it’s a combination between PMS & 3 days lack of sleep since in Bandung. I forgot to smile, just soo very tired. I’m very moody in the morning (karena masih ngantuk) & then very moody in the evening (waktu batere uda habis, cape bgt dan msh disuru ini-itu hhhh....)

Tapi anehnya, malam itu sebelum tidur, setelah merenungkan evening devotional, I feel at calm. God is felt so near, again. Yes I’m very tired. But very grateful to take part in this ministry. Hari ini pertama kalinya “body of Christ” kami diuji coba, and it turns out to be good. Semua orang bekerja pada pos mereka masing2 dan bs saling menggantikan saat dibutuhkan.

Na Wai preaching post sebenarnya adalah a very difficult preaching ground. Sdh 6 thn berdiri dan dari 400 kepala keluarga disana baru ada 10 orang percaya. Tapi Tuhan tetap memberikan penyertaan & penghiburan. Misalnya saja, English teaching center untuk anak2. Sewanya murah & letaknya tepat di seberang kantor polisi. How safe it is! =) Semoga apa yang telah dikerjakan dapat memberikan kontribusi biarpun sedikit dlm pengerjaan ladang kerajaan Allah disana.

Dan pada hari2 ke depan we’re looking forward to experience more of “the body of Christ in action”.
To be continued....

  • Full photo album : check out my FB wall for "CM Mission Trip", "CM Medical Missions", "All Things Are Beautiful In Your Name" albums. All rights reserved.
  • Accompanying photo album : check out my FB albums "8 Days 7 Nights" Part ONE, TWO, THREE, & FOUR. All rights reserved
Video Courtesy of Serve Shan Ministry
Labels: , , 2 comments
2 Responses
  1. Unknown Says:
    1 December 2012 at 21:19

    Amazing story!
    I can never cease to be amazed at all the places God has sent you to.
    You are truly blessed to have had such adventurous experiences!
    You got to see different cultures and touch a lot of people through your work!

    G ngerti banget deh yg elo ceritain tentang mood imbalance. Personally I think everyone goes through that, no matter what their job is. There's only so much that our bodies can do. Lack of sleep, traveling, new environment, it's not hard to imagine how tired and battered your body is. But at the end of the day, like you said, when you ponder over the evening devotional, strangely you feel calm. God is amazing isn't He? We know that no matter what happens during the day, we can always turn to Him at night, pour our hearts and worries to Him, and our equilibrium is restored again! :):)

  2. Chris Cross Says:
    4 December 2012 at 18:50

    Again & again, when we hope to do s'thing for them, it is us who have been blessed greatly through them.
    And everytime, we are amazed by God. By His wonder of creation, by His love for these people, by His providence for them & also for us.
    He's truly all we need in life.
    He is INDEED amazing! ^^

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