Justus loves to visit the neighbors and play with their kids. He is especially enthralled with the baby who lives across the street from us. It seems like every day Justus will run over to the sliding glass doors at the front of our house and point excitedly across the street. “Baby!? Baby!?” He pleads. When we do take him there, the baby’s mother is always happy to see us. The Thai word for mother is Mae, and the word for baby is Tarok. Mae can’t speak much English, and we are still learning Thai, but we have an instant connection because of our children.
The other day, Tonya was holding Justus up so he could see Tarok who was reclining in Mae’s arms. Justus was smiling and talking excitedly to Tarok. Then Justus lunged forward and took hold of Tarok’s hands, trying to put them together in the prayer position. “Krap, krap, krap,” he repeated.
Mae and Tonya both burst out laughing. They realized that Justus was trying to put Tarok’s hands together the way Thai people do when they greet each other. He was trying to teach Tarok how to wai. Justus can’t say the full Thai greeting, “Sawasdee krap.” He can only say, “Krap.”
As Justus continued to try to get Tarok to wai properly, Mae smiled and laughed and tried to tell Justus that Tarok was too young to understand. “Baby cannot krap,” was all she could say in her limited English, but Justus seemed to understand. The irony of the foreign child trying to teach the Thai child about his own culture was lost on no one.
We have also gotten to be friends with another family that lives down the street from us. The grandfather who owns the home lives with his wife, daughter and grandchildren. He also has another daughter and son-in-law who visit often along with their children. The Thai word for grandfather is Pu and the word for grandmother is Yai. Pu and Yai have fallen in love with Justus, and they are happy when we bring him over to see them. They always have a snack for him, usually soy milk and bread or a banana. Yai carries Justus around the little front yard, carefully feeding him.
Justus likes to run and play in Pu and Yai’s garden. He especially loves the painted ceramic sheep lined up against the fence. Pu and Yai have two little dogs, and Justus loves to pet them. Pu is always careful not to let the dogs bite Justus.
A few months ago, a house next to Pu and Yai’s house went up for sale. Yai was very excited to tell us it was available. “You can buy this house and move next to us. We can see you every day!”
It feels good to know that our neighbors are genuinely interested in spending time with us. Justus is helping us make friends here.
We know that the devil would like the people around us not to become our friends. He knows that Jesus is our Best Friend, and he doesn’t want anyone else to get know Jesus like we do. So it’s wonderful to see God is working through Justus to disarm people with his bright smile and enthusiasm. Thank you for your continued support and prayers for the work that Justus and we are doing to reach the unreached in Thailand.
