Die 14de Februarie het ons hier aan gekom. Nat gesweet en moeg het ons begin om die huis na ons smaak in te rig. Dag no.2 hier in Ranong, kry ons 'n oproep van die ouens wat Jonathan-hulle se goed van Maleisië bring. Hulle sit vas op die grens aan die Thai kant. Hulle wil nie sy goed laat deur gaan sonder die amptelike uitnodiging van die kerk hier in Ranong nie. So is ons toe, nog moeg van die reis, hier weg om hulp te gaan soek by die kerk. Daar aan gekom, in 'n kombi wat die kerk vir ons leen, probeer ek toe die hele situasie aan die Ajaan Siaan (kerk leier) verduidelik. Natuurlik in Thai, want ek is die enigste een wat al 'n bietjie Thai kan praat. Gelukkig het hy my verstaan en al Jonathan-hulle se goeters het hier aangekom. Dit was nou vir jou uitdaging na so 'n lang rus van Thai praat.
Met alles so te sê op plek, besluit ons toe om vir die naweek eiland toe te gaan. Jammer om te sê, dat ek toe op die ou einde alleen gegaan het, want Cally was uit vir inkopies en het geval met die motorfiets. Sy was saam met een van ons Thai-vriendinne (Wasana) en hulle het geval. Sy het 'n groot brandwond opgedoen en ons het besluit dat dit beter sal wees as sy nie gaan nie. Die goeie nuus is dat haar wond vinnig besig is om te genees. So is ek toe alleen hier weg saam met twee Thai's (Wasana en Ouen), om die naweek op die eiland deur te bring.
Ek was baie moeg toe ek op die boot klim, want ek het min die vorige aand geslaap. Glo dit of nie, ek was so opgewonde soos 'n klein seuntjie en kon nie slaap nie. Dit was egter 'n wonderlike tyd saam met ons Here. By die eiland aangekom, vind ons toe dat ons boot na die Moken stat, nog nie daar is nie. Ek gaan sit toe by 'n groep mans wat vis vang, om net tot my ergernis, niks te verstaan wat hulle sê nie. Ek kon nie glo dat my Thai so verswak het nie. Alles in my was gefokus op dit wat hulle sê, maar niks - nie 'n woord nie! Ek skryf dit maar toe aan die min slaap, maar was baie teleurgesteld. Skielik hoor ek die maklikste verstaanbare taal reg agter my. Vir 'n oomblik het ek gedink dat dit is Afrikaans was, maar toe ek omkyk was dit Ouen wat daar staan. Sy sê toe dat die groep mans van Myanmar af kom. Ek was baie verlig om dit te hoor, maar ook baie teleurgesteld dat ek nie eers dit kon agter kom nie.
By die stat aangekom, erken die kinders my dadelik. Hulle vrae my om saam met hulle te gaan swem. Daarna moet hulle gewas word. Sommer so in hulle Adam en Eva gewaad staan die kinders om die put en word almal so in die ry af gewas. Dit is die meeste van hulle se enigste was vir die week en hulle geniet dit sommer baie. Die ouer kinders het toe ook besluit om te kom kyk wat aangaan en gou word ek deur hulle na hulle huise genooi.
Die Moken is baie vriendelike mense en voor ek mooi weet wat aangaan, is ek op 'n boot (meer soos 'n ou hout skuit, net kleiner en met meer gate waardeur die water stroom) op pad om see komkommers te gaan vang. So sit ek tussen 16 volwassenes, 1 baba en 2 kinders op die klein bootjie, almal besig om reg te maak vir die aand. Hulle toerusting waarmee hulle duik, hoe sal ek dit stel, wel dit is nie waarlik duik toerusting nie. Almal is plesierig en vol grappe. Dit is 'n belewenis om hulle so te sien. So nou en dan praat een met my Thai en dan is dit maar net weer klanke wat die lug vul. Die water breek sulke blink groen golwe onder die boot, met die sterre wat so naby is dat jy amper daaraan kan raak. Dit is 'n ongelooflike ervaring. Toe word die anker gegooi en almal behalwe ek, die kinders, 'n ma en die bootdrywer bly agter.
Die kinders moedig my toe aan om ook te gaan swem en so spring ek in die water. Soos ek my armes beweeg vorm daar helder groen wolke van fosfor om my. En as jy stil lê in die water hoor jy die plof geluidjie wat dit maak as dit in aanraking kom met die lug. Dit is iets wat ek nog nooit ervaar het nie. So alleen in die middel van die see saam met jou Here. Wat kan ek sê, iemand moet dit doen! ;-) So swem ek toe na die groep wat besig is om die komkommers te soek. Hoe nader ek egter kom hoe vinniger swem hulle weg. Ek kon hulle net nie vang nie. Terug op die boot hoor ek hulle lag en gesels oor iets en toe die vraag aan my: “Was jy ook in die water?” En na ek geantwoord het bulder die boot van die lag. “Ons het gedink jy is 'n spook en dit is waarom ons so vinnig weg geswem het” was hulle antwoord. So sit ek toe die res van die aand op die boot en koud kry. Gelukkig was daar die sterre en is hulle mooi op die see.
Jonathan sit hier langs my en dink net aan al die mooi fotos wat hy kon geneem het. Jammer om te sê, ek het nie eers een foto van die naweek nie, net die wonderlike ervaring in my hart.
Dankie vir al julle liefde en al julle ondersteuning en ek hoop julle ervaar ons Here ook elke dag op so 'n besonderse manier.
In Hom,
Philip อํานาจ
Boot na Ko Phayam eiland / boat to Ko Phayam island
Ranong Hawe / Harbour
Yes, believe it or not, two months of the year have already passed and it is my privilege to bring it to your attention once again. Finally we are in Ranong and things are nearly all in place. I have been to Ko Phayam island and what can I say, it was a true adventure!
We arrived here on the 14th February. Soaked in perspiration and quite tired from the travelling, we had to start arranging the house according to our needs. On day 2 here in Ranong, we received a call from the people who were bringing the Kwok family’s belongings from Malaysia. They were stuck at the border on the Thailand side because the officials didn’t want to release their goods without a formal invitation from the church in Ranong. Exhausted from the journey, we had to go and look for help at the church. We arrived in a combi the church lent us, and I tried to explain the whole situation to the Ajaan Siaan (church leader), in Thai of course. After such a long break not speaking Thai, I eventually made myself understood and so the Kwok family’s belongings arrived here safely.
As we settled in and things found their place, we decided to go to the island for the weekend. In the end I had to go alone as Cally and one of our Thai friends Wasana, fell from their motorbike when they went shopping. As a result of the fall, Cally suffered bad abrasions and we decided it best for her to remain at home. The good news is that her wounds are healing really fast. And so, myself and two Thai friends, Wasana and Quen, left to spend the weekend on the island.
I was very tired when we got on the boat that was ferrying us across to the island. I was so excited, just like a small boy that couldn’t sleep the night before. However, I had a wonderful time with the Lord. When we arrived on the island we heard that the boat that was to take us over to the Moken kraal, had not yet arrived. And so I went to sit with a few men who were catching fish, just to discover to my annoyance that I couldn’t understand a word they were saying. I was shocked to discover that my Thai regressed to such an extent. Every fibre of my being was focussed on what they were saying but I couldn’t even grasp one thing, not even one word! I thought that it had to do with the little sleep and the fatigue from the night before. But suddenly I heard the clearest of recognisable words right behind me. For a moment I thought it was Afrikaans but when I turned around it was Quen standing there. She was telling me in Thai, that the men were from Myanmar. I was so relieved to hear that, but also disappointed at the same time that I wasn’t able to distinguish it.
As I arrived at the kraal, the children recognised me immediately. They asked me to go and swim with them. After that they had to be washed. They were lined up in a long queue next to the well, stark naked like Adam and Eve, waiting their turn. For most of them it is their weekly wash and they enjoy it a lot. The older children were attracted by the commotion and not long after that I was invited to their homes.
The Moken are very friendly people and before I knew what was happening, I was on a boat (or rather more like a small wooden vessel with many holes, through which the water streamed) and on my way to go catch sea cucumbers. So I sat between 16 adults, 1 baby and 2 children on this tiny boat, everyone preparing for the approaching night. The equipment with which they dive, how shall I put it, is not exactly diving gear per se. Everyone is jovial and full of jokes. It was a real life adventure to be among them. Every now and again one of them would speak Thai to me but thereafter it’s just a lot of sounds that fill the air. The green sea water shimmered as it broke against the vessel and the stars were so close in the clear night sky, that I could nearly touch them. It was an unbelievable experience. Then the anchor was thrown overboard and everybody bailed out, except for the 2 children, the mother, the boatman and me.
The children were encouraging me to also get into the water and so I jumped in. As I moved my arms in the water, a bright cloud of green phosphor followed. At one time I was just drifting in the water and could hear little explosions as the phosphor made contact with the oxygen in the air. I have never ever experienced anything like it - in the middle of the ocean, alone with God. What can I say, someone’s got to do it J! I then swam towards the group that were looking for sea cucumbers but the strangest thing happened. As soon as I gained ground, they would then quickly swim away from me. I just couldn’t catch up with them. Back on the boat I heard them laugh and talk excitedly about something and then the question came: “were you also in the water?” After I answered, the boat bellowed with laughter - they thought I was a ghost in the water and that’s why they swam for their lives to get away from me! And so I sat on the boat for the remainder of the night being cold, but lucky for me the stars on the ocean were so beautiful.
Jonathan is sitting here next to me and is thinking of all the nice photo’s he could have taken. Sorry to say, but I don’t even have one picture to offer of this unforgettable weekend, just the most wonderful experience in my heart.
Thank you for all your love and all your support. I hope you also experience our Lord everyday in very special ways.
In Him,
Philip อํานาจ
