Flee For Your Life!

This title does sound a bit exaggerated I admit, but that is just how I felt as the boys and I hurriedly threw some clothes in a backpack and headed desperately out of BYT on our motorbikes as quickly as possible!Let me tell you all about it.  DJ, the caretaker and faithful worker in our church, told us that over 70 truckloads of soldiers were coming Sabbath to the little Thai government school next to us, to celebrate the King's birthday on Sunday.  Because the king's birthday is on Sunday, that night they would all sing the entire night!  We were less than enthused, and even contemplated escaping to LKY for the weekend.  But because we did not want to incur the expense of an unnecessary trip, and  because they would be all soldiers we thought it to be an organized event.  How wrong we were!  About 2 o'clock Sabbath afternoon, trucks started coming in.  I thought it strangely wonderful that a big bulldozer had come the week before, leveling off the west road to Medo Glow.  Suddenly we see our quiet little mountain village turn into a city parking lot, and much worse than that, filled not with soldiers, but with rich, partying Thai people with food, beer, and loud music.  At first throughout the Sabbath hours it was not too bad, praise the Lord, but that night DJ came by and told us to put all our food and utensils in the side room where we could shut the door because these people would be on drugs and would come in and take what they wanted.  I slept in that room and the boys out on the open wood.  We said our prayers and must have gone to sleep early,  because when we were awakened with the deafening boom boom of fireworks right in our front yard, we thought it must be midnight -  but was only 9 p.m.  I have never heard such earth shaking loudness in my 57 years of life.  Our house stood open, as we have the front and back walls of bamboo off while working on the floor.  We had a front seat view of the fireworks and saw many large plastic bags sent up with fires inside, called Buddhist prayers.  Finally this brain jarring experience subsided and we slept well until, at 6:30 a.m. when we were rudely awakened by extremely loud, miserable, utmost wicked music!  It was a stereo on someones rich truck parked right there in our front yard!  Well that did it.  We could not live, we could not think - we definitely could not stay!  Bradley went into our only walled room and nailed the door shut, then climbed over the wall in an effort to "secure" our stuff.  We understood they would stay another night and leave the next morning.  Hurriedly we threw essentials into backpacks and left on the motorbikes. The truck couldn't possibly be extricated from that congestion and was too expensive to drive anyway.  Oh, the minute we entered the jungle and felt its cool solitude, peace came and we felt we could breath.  Once more we could hear the sweet song of the tropical birds and catch the scent of the clean air.I was told that this is the first time these people came to BYT.  They go to a different location every year.  Hopefully they are not due again until Jesus comes.  Now you understand why we have no pictures to add today and I have brought you up to date on all the unexpected events of our lives.  I am so glad to trust in our Heavenly Father who orchestrates everyting according to His will.  When circumstances are beyond our control we can rest assured He has a purpose and holds full control.  We can trust Him, our only refuge and defence in this sin filled, chaotic world.