if I speak in the tongues of men

I expected that when I came here, I would learn at least a little bit of the Thai language through everyday experiences and "lessons" with my friends.  More than that, though, I have been given the opportunity to actually study the language in a structured setting.  Even though it is the middle of the semester and going to language school will take up a lot (most) of my time, it is still well worth the effort to commit my time and energy to this right now.  Yes, there are lots of students who speak English, but there are actually not very many who speak it well or confidently.  Already, there have been many times when I wish I could have spoken or understood Thai--and not just to order something with no onions, but to get to know someone better than the few questions they know how to answer: "where are you from?... what do you study?... want to play a card game?......"  Relationships can only grow so deep over Uno and Jenga.  Thai is a very difficult language-- a Sanskrit derivative, it is tonal, has its own alphabet, and uses many sounds and dipthongs that English does not.  I will by no means be fluent in a year, but for the length of time I am here, a daily part of my job and my ministry will be language learning.

Before even getting very far into language-learning, God has already given me an encouraging reminder of the power and importance that His love plays in the entire process. 
"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have prophetic powers, understand mysteries and all knowledge; if I have the faith to move mountains but have not love, I am nothing."   -1 Corinthians 13:1-2
Quite literally, for me, if I pour myself into learning Thai-- "the tongues of men"--but do not that much moreso pour myself into loving the students I am trying to converse with, it means nothing.  It does nothing.  I am reminded of my first blog post.  The way to share light and life with others is to love them.  Genuinely, unconditionally,and urgently love.  Love, for the day is near.  Love, because it is the greatest thing that any of us can do.  Love, because it has the power to transcend culture and language.

I went to a Globalscope conference just before I came to Thailand, and someone I met there said this: "Our job is to look for where God's love is already present in other people's lives, and name it for them."  Would you pray with me that not only would I be able to love the people around me with God's love, but that I would also see his love poured out on me through those same people.  And when that happens, that I would be able to name it for them.  In any language.

A really cool part of language school is that I have to travel there by myself.  Each morning, I take a song-tow (song means "two," tow means "row"--> so, its a truck with two rows of seats in the back) to another bus stop, then I get on a van to go into the city to be dropped off at Victory Monument.  From there, I walk to get on the BTS (a sky train, similar to a subway), get off at the Ratchetewi station, then walk the rest of the way to Union Language School.  It takes about an hour and a half.  Maybe a few minutes more or less depending on if I stop at 7-eleven for a snack.  There are as many 7-elevens in Bangkok as there are Jimmy John's and Starbucks in downtown Chicago.  Combined.  No joke.  Three days a week I will go to a second language lesson in the afternoons that I can walk to from Union.  Then repeat it all to go home.  The whole process is an adventure and I thoroughly enjoy the hustle and bustle to wake me up in the morning.  I am learning my way around one of the largest cities, busiest in the world.  :)

Taken from a walking bridge around 1 PM today at Victory Monument-- a transportation hub in Bangkok.  Traffic is usually much worse than this in the morning or the evening when people travel in and out of the city.  This is a very familiar scene for me.