From Bangkok to the Hill Tribes... A World of Class

Title:
From Bangkok to the Hill Tribes... A World of Class

Description:
There was one touch of "world class" luxury on our medical mission trip. With the help of our travel agent, our team of twenty was given a good deal on the Novotel right there at the airport in Bangkok. It is by far the best "hotel" I've ever stepped foot in. We arrived very late at night and left early the next morning, so other than the video footage at the beginning of this clip, I did not have time to soak it in, but it did provide a stark contrast to something I witnessed not far from our first medical clinic. This footage was shot in a Lahu village (most of our clinics were held in Akah villages). The Akah build their huts of wood up on stilts (with livestock and storage kept just below their floorboards). Lahu also use stilts when they cannot find a flat plot of land, but whether on stilts or the ground,this is the way the Lahu "weave" their huts. This event was part of a post at http://patternsofink.blogspot.com/2008/01/day-one-report-day-late.html "We had to pass a military check point because this particular village is within 3 miles of the Burma (Myanmar) border, which is a major part of the world's opium supply. Opium is still, in fact, a lingering part of some tribal cultures, including this one we were in today. After about two hours of video shooting at the clinic, I went down some of the paths to capture local color and culture. I came upon about ten men and five women building a bamboo and thatch hut about the size of a two-car garage. They allowed me to film them—first from a distance and then very up close. As I was shooting some "how to build a hut" footage, I noticed in the far corner of the unfinished hut were an older man and woman smoking opium from a large handmade pipe of bamboo (about the size of two Pringles cans end-to-end). They were a bit sheepish when they saw this white man with a video camera but could soon see that I meant only to learn about building a hut and not to expose what they do in there huts (an activity which would be no surprise to the local authorities who pretty much leave them alone as long as they are not transporting their opium to the city. I do not mean to sound libertarian on this subject. I'm just explaining the attitude I chose to portray with a camera in hand as I nodded at those around me with hatchets and machetes in theirs... enough said. =) One younger man who had arrived on a moped knew what a video camera was and asked if he could see the footage in the viewfinder. I showed him and soon all work stopped and everyone wanted to see the portion they were in. They were amazed and laughed and teased each other. The two who smoking opium did not come to the camera, but the others enjoyed it. Though electricity and small televisions have recently come to these some villages, it's likely that they had never seen themselves on video. Enjoy! In closing , I'd like to add the same thought that I have included in each of these explanations about our team's medical mission work in the Chiang Rai Province of Northern Thailand: This is an on-going ministry that focuses on the people and not on the team. We do not arrive at a village as "well-meaning Americans" who show up, take over, and disappear never to be seen again. Our approach in dealing with the hill tribes is more quiet and respectful as we recognize the beauty of their culture. We are not there to "westernize" them, we are their to meet practical needs and to show the love of Christ in the sense described in Matthew 25:40 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=47&chapter=25&verse=40&version=9&context=verse and to share the good news as He encouraged us to do. When we leave, there are local tribal leaders who continue the "follow up" work with each village, and we make return visits as needed (and as medical manpower and funding allows). The focus of this video project, as you may have noticed, is not so much on "the team"--as rich as their experience is each year. Christ did not "brow beat" or expect some sort of immediate return on his ministry. (Remember the time He healed several blind people but only one stopped to say thank you?). Likewise, our team humbly serves each village with the assumption that the love we show that day (as well as the truth we share in word and example) will continue to play out over time. Through the years, this relational approach to serving these beautiful people has been very effective, and we hope it comes through as you watch the videos presented here at Patterns of Ink.

Author:
patternsofink

Tags:
weaving, Lahu, Tribe, Chiang, Rai, Thailand, Bangkok, Lamborghini, hut,