Iceberg

We watched "Titanic" as a family last weekend. I wasn't prepared for how uncannily similar it would feel to what we are living right now and what I see being played out in vulnerable communities in Thailand, India and around the world. It inspired me to write this poem/prayer for increased awareness in these crazy times. 

This is not to belittle the challenges of self-isolation or the terrible sickness and loss in each one's own land. Or to make any of us feel guilty for having a stocked fridge and comfortable home as we sit out the social isolation. Rather, it is to help us gain perspective and grow in compassion and action as we see how this terrible iceberg impacts our brothers and sisters in our global community. 

Iceberg:

Here we sit in our lifeboats

A haven of safety on arctic seas

The iceberg hit and our plans were dashed

Fear overwhelms us for the future

Who knows for how long we will float?

Who knows for how long we will wait for rescue?

We huddle

We pray

We wait

We check our provisions

We encourage each other in the waiting

We sing to keep our spirits up

How long O Lord?

But have we seen those bobbing in the icy seas?

Their cries vanish in the vastness of the ocean

Our system was inadequate

There were not enough boats

Who knows how many will survive?

Who knows if rescue will come in time?

They cry out

They thrash

They cling to scraps of wood

They lose hope

Their strength is fading

Some have already gone under

How long O Lord?

O send our lifeboats back, O Lord

Extend your hand through us before it’s too late

Help us to see them

Through the mist of our own fear and anxiety

And forgive us O Lord

For building a cruise ship with not enough lifeboats

For the arrogance of thinking that our ship would not sink

For disregarding the plight of those in lower decks

Forgive us and make us whole again

Have mercy, O Lord.

It is not too late to turn around
Unlike the Titanic, our lifeboat will not tip if we go back in
We hear the cry and will not stay silent
We see the suffering and will not sit back
Use us O Lord
To reach out in love and compassion
To pull them from the icy seas
To cover them with our blankets
And to build from the wreckage a new ship
Where justice and compassion reign
And where there are enough boats for all.
May your Kingdom come, O Lord.

Christmas newsletter 2019

So it's been 5 months since my last post! I normally prefer to write meaningful stories on here but since I appear to have succumbed to the writer's disease of starting off strong and then dropping off, I think I will unashamedly make this post a Christmas newsletter for 2019.

There have been quite a lot of changes since I last wrote. The biggest was probably taking Sam out of school in August to homeschool him this year and also getting a rescue dog, Theo. Both have been really positive changes for our family. 

Below is one of my favourite pictures from the beginning of this fall semester. We do lots of work honestly, but the slower schedule allows time for window gazing too. Organizing Sam's work has been a bit of an adjustment for me with my Thai Village work schedule but we are figuring out a rhythm that works for us. Sam also gets to participate in a homeschool co-op one week a month which has been a great fit for him. We are so grateful for the flexibility to be able to adjust to what works best for our kids.

Tyler, Rhiana and Liam continue at school and benefit from the diverse community there, the new renovated campus this year and all the many wonderful activities, friends and colleagues.

In the summer, we got to make our first trip to the US in four years. The hardest thing about a life overseas is time away from family and dear friends but it makes it all the more precious when you get to be together. The kids had a blast with cousins and grandparents in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Cape May, New Jersey and I also got to reconnect with dear friends during short trips to Chico, California and Nashville, Tennessee. We ate as many fresh berries as we could, overdosed on burgers and crammed in classic American experiences including amusement parks, 4th July fireworks, a day at the ball game, fishing and camping, Maryland crabs and even a quick trip to New York.

Boys' first baseball game at Camden Yards

Fishing with cousins in the creek just outside Sykesville, MD

All the goofy cousins with Grandad

If you're interested in a crazy travel story, ask me some time about how our flight from Chiangmai to Baltimore took us 72 hours via Guangzhou, China. It was our most epic travel delay yet and we hope not to repeat it any time soon.

It has been a good year for family connections as we've also had visits from almost all my family in the UK. My Mum was here in February and then my sister Debbie and family in October, followed by my sister, Janet here in December. So amazing . . . . and we never take these visits for granted. 

With Janet at Wat Umong

With Debbie's family in our driveway

Grandma celebrating with Rhiana in Singapore after she was invited to the regional competitions there for National History Day

After all these visits, there was only one sister Ele who I hadn't seen, and thankfully I got to remedy that during my annual Thai Village trip to the UK in November. Well, I say annual as I hope it will be, but this has only been my second year so far. Many stories to tell from this trip and a post will be coming about that soon. Thank you to all those who hosted me and helped us provide a growing market for Thai Village products, building longterm sustainability for struggling families here. Job creation is such a powerful tool in the fight against poverty and I continue to feel passionate about serving in this field.

Some of our Thai Village artisans on a home visit with one of our woodworkers

On the family and kids front, we are grateful for health and life and opportunities to pursue our passions which I will refrain from listing here! We have seen God's hand of provision in big ways this year and in many daily answers to prayer. We are trusting Him for the pieces yet to be fulfilled and grateful for all the ways that we see Him in the daily grind and in the world and people around us.

In lieu of Christmas cards this year, we want to wish all our family and friends a very Happy Christmas and exciting adventures in the new decade! We would love to hear from you too and welcome any Christmas news or emails at cherylstinchcomb@gmail.com or quick messages in response to this post.

Thank you for reading and Happy Christmas from the Stinchcombs!

Happy New Year 2020!

Three years in Thailand!

Three years ago tomorrow, we arrived in Thailand to begin a new chapter of our life in Chiangmai. It was a short plane ride from India but a whole new world! So many things have become normal now, it's hard to imagine those early days or how we ever lived without our regular tropical smoothies and high daily dose of vitamin D. 

What to pick today? - passion fruit, banana, mango, lemon, coconut, strawberry, coffee and Thai iced tea are some of our favorites.

A few weeks ago, a friend asked on a facebook group what were some fun, interesting facts about living in Thailand. It got me thinking and I enjoyed all the responses so I thought I would mark our 3-year anniversary by sharing some of my favourites with you. 

• My glasses steam up every time I get out of the car in rainy season
• We wash dishes without hot water
• Fried egg is no longer just a breakfast item but is served on the side of many main dinner dishes
• We see monks walking barefoot on the side of the road every day on the way to school.

A bit blurred but taken out of the car window in our morning traffic jam

• Geckos are a part of our home and sometimes turn up smushed behind door frames or dying in the sink. Gross!
• The table is set with a fork and spoon in Thai restaurants (knives are hard to come by)
• I can wear flip flops every day and for almost every occasion (work, church, school event). Weirdly, this is one of my favorite things about Thai life! 
• Shoes are left at the door everywhere (hence the popularity of flip flops - easy to take on and off)
• Corn in icecream is a thing, as well as durian, green tea and salted egg icecream flavours!
• We show respect to the King daily by playing the King's anthem at the beginning of every school day (everyone stops whatever they are doing and stands in silence for 2 minutes). It is also played at the cinema before every movie accompanied by a video of the King.
• Tropical fruits are not only delicious, they are also an art form and Thais like to decorate with them.

• Car parking attendants blow whistles to guide you into your spot (took me a while to figure out the meaning of the different whistles but I have it down now!)
• Riding a scooter is the best way to avoid traffic . . .and the biggest challenge of driving a car is avoiding the scooters.
• Thai food is cheaper to eat out than to cook at home.
• Rice is not eaten with chopsticks - they are only for noodles.
• Our preteen boys can order "kao pat muu crap" when we're out for dinner. It means "pork fried rice please". Never ceases to entertain! 

Thailand - thanks for a wonderful three years!

May musings

I thought I'd post a few snippets from our day-to-day life this month. It's May. The end of term is less than 3 weeks away and, as all teachers and parents know, it's a pretty mad and emotional time of year - tests, projects, awards (or not), graduations, farewells, parties. There's a lot for kids (and parents) to get frazzled about.. . . . . and a lot of reasons to turn to the Prince of Peace and rest in Him. Sometimes we do a better job of that than others but He is faithful.

Here's a few eclectic thoughts and pics from our activities this month.

The rains have come now, so the pollution is mostly gone (hallelujah!) and we are enjoying being outside again. Badminton in the garden in the evening, biking to school again and even a family bike ride this past weekend.

Just getting ready to turn into our driveway.

When we first came to Chiangmai on holiday from India, we hired bikes and rode around the old city, so somehow it feels reminiscent of being on holiday when we take the time to ride again. Always good to play tourist in your home town.

Biking amongst the pigeons and the tourists at Thapae Gate. 

We have also been making the most of time left with special friends. The end-of-year farewells when living overseas are hard, and this year particularly so for some of us. Our church does an annual farewell service at this time of year and our school puts on a sale for people to sell off their possessions before they pack up. Both of those were last weekend. The goodbyes are coming and we can't hold them back forever but we can make the most of good friends while they are here!

Game night with some dear friends this past weekend

At Thai Village, I got to visit a lovely elderly lady last week who gave me an interesting perspective on goodbyes. At 72, she had recently lost her husband of over 50 years but she told us she didn't want to be sad "because then his spirit won't be able to leave." Instead, you could see the joy in her as she reminisced about their shared experiences together.

Sharing stories over a fried ant snack! (Look carefully in their hands). Even my Thai colleagues were a little bit dubious about chewing it so I didn't feel so bad for only taking a token bite!

During this conversation under a tree we found out that in her culture (Northern Thai), if a young man touched a woman at all, it meant he had to marry her. She explained how she met her husband working in the fields and because he touched her foot when they were gathering the crop, that was it, their future together was sealed! I'm not sure if she was making it more dramatic than it was but how fascinating to learn about these different concepts of courtship and marriage. I was grateful for this window on a life so alien to my own and yet, despite huge language and cultural differences, we could still enjoy a shared moment together in the shade.

Well I told you it was an eclectic post this month! Thanks for reading and being interested in our lives here in Chiangmai! Next month - our first trip to the US in 4 years!