Party w/ The Village People

Cayla and I are privileged to have real neighbors this year. There were people who lived in the same apartment complex w/ us last year, to be sure, but that’s not really the same thing. This year we live in the back corner of the princess’s palace w/ some of her gardeners, guards, maids, drivers, etc. The area actually reminds me of the hippy communes in Waco.

The best thing about the place is its atmosphere: with little kids dashing around playing games, women chatting on stoops or cooking something tasty-smelling, and the men who are off-duty telling jokes or playing sports in the square. The funny thing is, we live in one of the most affluent, impersonal parts of downtown Bangkok but it doesn’t feel that way at all. The village people, as we call them, really do live village life in the middle of metropolitan Bangkok.

The families all eat together every evening, they play together, and, most importantly, they party together on a regular basis. Last night one of the families I’ve spent the most time with had a birthday. Their eldest daughter turned 12, and Cayla and I were asked to lead in an honorary “Happy Birthday” chorus.

It was awesome.

So here are a few pictures from the night’s festivities:

We look forward to getting to know these great people more this year and, hopefully, to improve our Thai too. Pray also that we take opportunities to speak truth and show Kingdom love to these people.