Anji Barker

After being back from Sabbatical for 2 months it pains me to say that I am suffering from culture shock. We have been in Thailand for 7 ½ years and I assumed that culture shock should now be a thing of the past. Well recent experience shows me that just like the passage in Romans 12 that talks about the Christian walk as a daily renewing , and transformation of our minds, cross cultural living is also an ongoing transformation of us and our world view as we struggle to live inside of someone else’s.

One of the discernment goals for our family was to look at what the next 10 years of ministry may hold and what changes we can make to facilitate and sustain that. Well moving house to another part of the slum was something we felt God calling us to do. After much prayer and discussion with the kids and our team we decided we would quietly start looking for a place with the thought that we may find something by Christmas and move in the new  year. But the first thing I had forgotten about the slum was - nothing is done quietly! We told our small house church in a hope they would feel part of the process, and within 24 hours Kru Meow had found us a perfect place right across from her.

The house needs a bit of work and it looks like Ash and I may even get our own room for the first time in 13 years! As the Builder is looking over the house we get talking about the stair. There is clearly a step missing and a friend from NZ  who was helping me with a design was trying to convince him that an extra step should be added.  Eventually it became clear that we will not be getting that extra step. The reason being there can only be an odd number of stairs, otherwise bad luck will be brought on both the builder and the household. If we added 2 extra we would get 13 steps and that is the only unlucky uneven number, we would then need 15 steps and that would have covered the bathroom door. Eventually the builder decides that he could make us an extra step - but not join it to the staircase. That way there would be no bad luck, as technically we would have two separate things! (I later found out that the same issue occurred when we tried to get him to make a door on an angle, this traps bad spirits!)

Well that about sums up many of the difficulties between how I think and how my friends and neighbors think. So many of the relationships that I find myself in the middle of have these kind of strange and yet obvious cross cultural misunderstandings. Last week particularly that was exhausting. Yet in the midst of the hard work at just trying to understand what is really going on at a heart level there is at times this almost mystical experience where our hearts touch and God does His amazing healing work - someone has a dream or a prayer answered and the power of the spirit is tangible and undeniable. I truly believe that as I continue to learn what it means to walk in Christ’s footsteps I am doing that not alone, but with a small yet growing group of my neighbors here in the slum. What a privilege and a struggle one that is almost indescribable in both joy and pain. But one that I wouldn’t trade for the world!

The move to a new neighborhood is both exciting and sad for our family as we leave the street that has been home for almost 8 years to start again at transforming a new neighborhood. God in His mercy has ensured that we already know a large number of our new neighbors and for our kids and their safety that has been crucial in the decision. Having another UNOH worker (Rod) close by is also a plus as we can support and compliment each other’s neighborhood ministries more directly.  The forming of the Helping Hands Project has meant the old neighborhood is left with 5 small businesses and a team of neighbors who meet together with myself to help come up with ways to foster and support small businesses for others in the area. We are having our second meeting tonight at which they will decide on three local families to help with set up costs for new business ideas. Many of the soi 2 and 3 neighbors make up the house church and we will still see them regularly- we are moving around 200 meters away but in slum terms that can be a whole world.

The new neighborhood has many of the kids from our preschool, soccer teams and youth group and we hope to continue to build on the relationships with them and their families. The new house has a big space downstairs where we will hold a kids club on Saturday mornings and whatever else God brings our way.

Ash and I both get quite energized and excited about new phases and we look forward to seeing what the next 10 years has in store.