Sat 21 Apr 2007
MinistryNet Bangkok
My body has returned from Asia. My mind should be following shortly.
I spent a week at MinistryNet Bangkok, a Campus Crusade for Christ conference about using the Internet to communicate the gospel. Having helped plan the first MinistryNet conference in Budapest two years ago, it was gratifying to see a second instance of this type of gathering in a different area of the world. I did a seminar and helped emcee one of the days.
There were about 100 CCC staff members from all over the world, but mostly from Asia. It was humbling to spend time with my colleagues from that part of world, many of whom face significant danger in their work. I had lunch with a man who spent time in jail because of his work telling others about Jesus. It was also a pleasure to spend time with Beni and Andrey, the two guys who lead our Romanian and Russian language EveryStudent.com sites.
Along the way it was an interesting experience. We saw the tallest man in the world as we transferred flights in Tokyo. My traveling partners recognized his face, although it wasn’t his face that was most noticeable! At the hotel where we stayed, the coffee was good enough to write home to mom about. And the street vendors in Bangkok were downright entertaining.
__ Jerry getting sold __
This is a photo of me buying an umbrella from a vendor on the street. She saw me and didn’t quit until I bought something. She let others pass, but once she saw me she followed me all the way down the sidewalk. I wish I knew what it was that marked me as an easy target. The umbrella cost $3, so it really wasn’t such a hard decision to buy anyway. Another vendor dispensed a book of postcards on me using this method, too.
Mangosteen and Rambutan
[25 sec. video of this market]
And in the category of eating new, unusual food, I had mangosteen and hairy strawberries (rambutan) for the first time. They were both really good.
While we were there they were celebrating Songkran, or Thai New Year. We arrived a day early and went to the Weekend Market where everyone had a squirt gun and white powder and ran around in an all day water fight and flour-paste smearing contest. It was fun being squirted by the kids and included, as a foreigner, in their celebration.
Water Fight
Thailand was a wonderful place. The Thai people were very friendly. They readily initiated eye contact and a smile, something that makes anyone feel welcome.
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Buddhist monks
