Detour- Moments that cannot be bought !!!

Sometimes the most memorable incidences in our life comes when we least expected them. Something that never went missing in our Univ. organised trips is to get lost in the expressway at least once before reaching our destination. This time instead of getting lost the driver brought the wrong identification card for the vehicle after being on the road for about 2 hours. Phone calls were made and arrangements were made to deliver the necessary documents. For those who are mere passengers we had to wait without complaining :). We decided to venture into the interior of the village and it was an interesting sight to see. There are some people building a house, some selling vegetables in their tricycle, some doing cement works, etc. One activity that interests us most was a lady washing clothes on the side of the road. She was washing clothes in a tub and just next to her was a washing machine connected with a long cable from the house which was at least 5 meters away. We tried to figure out the exact connection between the washing machine and the washing by the hand. We had a good time chatting with the people trying to figure it out but our language was not enough to help us understand exactly how they wash clothes. We also had an interesting time chatting away with the villagers who happen to pass by at that time too. Even though my look was not so unfamiliar to them, my Caucasian friends were definitely interesting for them.

This picture interests me because it looks like a "Thlam" and its truly beautiful.

Working with Cement Mixer

Interesting concept: Washing with hand near a Washing Machine

People working on the roof.

Security Issues....

Gone are the days when people use just a bamboo stick or a log of wood to lock their house.

This is a security camera just outside my balcony.

Was it Luck, Chance or Accident?

I saw him for the first time at our department as I waited for the commuter bus to take us back to the main campus. He was waiting for the same bus and we introduced ourselves. We sat together on the bus and immediately struck a conversation. He told me about himself as one of the Post Graduate Students at Translation Department. He took a break from his work in his hometown for further studies under the sponsorship of his department. We talked a bit about him but before we could talk further into other topics he asked me if I was a believer. I was shocked and a bit intimidated by his outright questions, considering who he was and his political stands. I take it as a very sensitive issue to talk about faith and believe in public places considering where we were at that moment. I was apprehensive to talk about it when I know that people were just a few inches away from us. So I waited a while before I could give him the answer. After I told him about my faith, without any care and concern as to where we were, he started telling me of his search for peace in his heart.

I took this opportunity with a careful approach to extract more information about his search for peace and asked him why. He was disappointed and lost faith with the systems operating around him with its false promises and illusion. He was the victim of corruption, lies and deception. For a long long time he waited for the right opportunity to strike gold. But all his dreams and expectations were drained with the realization of the reality of his surroundings. Thats when it occurred to him that he needed to search for what he thought could solve his problems and the unquenchable thirst and hunger that never seemed to stop bothering him.

He started looking for alternatives to solve his problems and inquired about the different faiths of different people around him. He told me that he was worried about following his friends faith because of the penance that he had to go through, especially giving up meat, that would be hard for him as he loves to eat meat. He shared with me all about his search for the right path that will lead him to the truth, then before long we reached our destination. We decided to meet up at another time as he wanted to get more information from me.

We met for lunch to follow up on our discussion on the bus. He was too hungry for the truth that questions after questions were shot at me regardless of where we were. There were times that i felt uneasy with his candid approach. We kept keeping in touch and met up on a number of occasions that he decided to learn more about it. It's not very appropriate for me to help in terms of our gender differences and so I introduced him to my leader. Every Friday morning he would visit my leader with a few other friends with their queries and they would have a meaningful conversation. They met up for a year and a half.

At the later part of his regular meeting with my leader he made the choice to give his life to the Almighty One. It was so good to see him finally at peace with himself and at peace with the Maker.

He shared with me that he met a two other people like me before, one American and one lady from his country. I was the third person. He made observations with us three people that we were quite different from many people that he met. He notice something very unique in us. He felt that we are peaceful and very different in our approach towards life which intrigue him and provoked him to learn more about what makes us different. He was given the Book by the American guy. He read the Book and use it to get wisdom from the Book even before he gave his life to Him. I didn't get get meet him before he left for his hometown but even thought i may never see him again I trust that Father is taking good care of him and continue to work in his life. My heart longs to get in touch with him just to know how he fares with his life but I have no means to get in touch with him now. I wonder why Father allowed this thing to happen. But I'm
happy with the thought that our paths met and it was meaningful. Now I can only wait and see him when we reach our final destination, our true HOME.

Many people believe in "Luck". For people who are in HIM the word "luck" is not to be found in our dictionary because we are not here by accident or luck. We are here for a reason, with a definite purpose. I do not believe that it was because of luck or accident or by chance that I met this guy but a meeting planned with a definite purpose. A meeting arranged by God Himself.

(This is a short story of how I met Lee)

The Indwelling of God Within Me

I imagine God to be a lamp
Placed within me at a corner
In cannot be blown out
It is a perpetual flickering light
The light brightens up when you reflect his image
God is the simple presence of that glow
Body cells may increase, decrease or die
But that calm glow of God is constant

When the glow overwhelms the body shell at times
The delightful glow of godliness shines forth from you
You become restless and want to spread smiles around
God's spirit is always in potency for creativity, self giving and regeneration

An Uncontainable Thought from a friend

Thought of You

A magnificent star
A blooming rose
A perfection of human grace
A deeply divine form
An angel walking in human body
A sprite soul that touches people
The ministering spirit that heals with her very presence
The friendly star that guide, protect, and share life's concerns
You are a beautiful soul

(Memory of a dear friend)