Home Thoughts From Abroad

When he was 17 my brother Wyn worked in the Columbia record warehouse out by what was then Malton airport. As a perk he got to buy albums incredibly cheap. As Columbia was top dog in those days, he came home with some sweet vinyl.

For my 16th birthday he gave me a copy of Moira Lympany playing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto #2. I had been a fan of Tchaikovski’s for many years, but this was my first introduction to his protege and successor. It became my instant favourite, and has remained so to this day.

Tomorrow the MPO is playing this, and two other pieces, one by Lizst, and one by Dvorak. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to this. The MPO play in Petronas Towers in an absolutely gorgeous concert hall with great acoustics. Pam will be back from her conference in Thailand tonight, and tomorrow we will head off with friends Gary and Kveta for what promises to be a very enjoyable afternoon. Xarošego Dnja!

Ultimately, there is no way of knowing for certain anything about creation using the methodologies we humans have constructed for exploring knowledge. Those methodologies have been wonderfully successful in enlarging our empirical understanding, and woefully inadequate in every other area. That is to be expected. Scientific methodologies were never constructed to deal with the issues of God, conscience, morality, or love. This is not remarkable or even notable; it is simply a given, well understood by every serious philosopher.

What is remarkable, what is most certainly notable in the last 200 years or so, has been the importation of scientific methodologies into areas for which it is not equipped to deal. Some things cannot be computed, no matter how advanced the program or the methodology. Such is our love (self-love?) for these devices of our own ingenuity, that some believe that all knowledge must be subsumed under its rubric, and that those areas of understanding that lie outside its purview are of no great significance. Yet even those areas that lie with the range of scientific exploration recede from us the closer we get to them; the uncertainly principle ensures that.

Those issues that lie outside computation are at the heart of our existence. Why then do we insist that those things that lie at the core of what it is to be human yield up their secrets to mere methodology? That will never happen. The only answer to issues which are unknowable by methodology is by revelation. Science will never go there. Yet is precisely there that we must go for answers that are otherwise unknowable, and there’s the rub. All religions claim revelation, so where do you go to find truth? You examine the claims, using rationality as your guide.

Buddha claimed to have taken nothing but two drops of water in four years while meditating to find enlightenment.  Anything else he said, no matter how fair sounding, has to be filtered through this absurdity. Mohammed claimed to be a paragon of moral virtue, yet among his many wives and concubines at 55 was the six year old daughter of his best friend. Anything else he said has to be filtered through this uncomfortable detail. Vishnu claims to be interested in the affairs of man, but eight of his last nine ‘incarnations’ were all about protecting  the kingdom of the gods from attack by evil forces. Where is the concern for mankind in that?

Christ claims to be “the way, the truth and the life” for all who put their faith in Him, and that “no one comes unto the Father, except by me.” To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, only the foulest wretch who ever lived, or a complete madman, along the lines of someone who thought he was a poached egg, could say such things if they weren’t true. And yet Christ’s life shows none of the excesses of a fevered brain, only the most settled and kindly spirit, given to compassion and the needs of others. A truly remarkable life, as anyone who has read it would attest.

And yet this ‘man’ healed terminal disease at a touch, calmed raging waters with a wave of his hand and brought the dead back to life at a word. Nor are these things to be lightly dismissed, although many of the brightest minds have tried. They have either come to grief at the effort or ended up soundly converted by the incontrovertible evidence of the truth of these events. Nor does the story end there, because millions have put this ‘man’s’ word to the test in their own lives, and the change has been dramatic.

For some reason beyond scientific explanation, Christ has made an enormous difference, not just to individual lives, but to the entire culture of the West. You see that here in the East, how there is something missing from their culture, something that doesn’t allow them to ever get ahead of their own greed, indifference and self-absorption and ‘fate’. Science will continue to advance, and I welcome it, since all knowledge leads to a knowledge of God, and only the weak-minded fear it. But science will never have the answers to what troubles and heals the human heart. Only Christ can meet that need. Only Christ can make the difference.

“Trans World Radio (TWR) is the most far-reaching Christian radio network in the world. Programs in over 225 languages and dialects are aired from more than 2,000 outlets, including 14 international broadcasting locations, as well as local AM, shortwave, long wave and FM radio stations, direct-to-listener satellite broadcasts, cable audio systems and the Internet. Every day, TWR’s broadcasts reach millions in over 160 countries.”  see www.twr.org

It was fifty five years ago this month that Dr Paul Freed began broadcasting Christian radio from Morroco using an army surplus transmitter.  In 1960, TWR Monte Carlo began shortwave transmssions into Europe, the Middle East and Russia from a facility that was originally built by Hitler to broadcast Nazi propaganda.  Just four years later, from the island of Bonaire the message went out ot South America, Central America and the Caribbean.  By 1974, the Middle East and North Africa was being reached from sites in Central Asia and Swaziland. 

With the beginning of shortwave transmissions, in 1977, from the island of Guam which could reach China, Southeast Asia and the eastern Soviet Union, TWR had the potential to reach half of the world’s population. Growth continued with new transmissions reaching  approximately 11 million people in South America and via  shortwave programs from Siberia in 13 languages spoken in North India, Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet.  In 1996 broadcasts began from Central Asia to 60 of the world’s least evangelized groups in Central Asiaand the Middle East.  The goal  of 200 languages and dialects into 160 countries was reached in 2005 but growth continues with the latest being broadcasts form Benin into West Africa.

We have prayerfully followed and supported the ministry of TWR since our Pastor, mentor and friend Dr Carl Seyffert, became the Canadian Director of TWR and invited us to join him as lay representatives in 1983.  It is a real joy and privilege to be here in Asia and to have even a small part in this work.

During my trips to various countries I am seeking to learn the reality for women so that broadcasts can be written in a manner that is relevant to their spiritual, cultural and social reality, and be presented in a way that they can understand and apply to their lives.

One of the real joys, for me is to meet people who have a burden for the women and are willing to pay the price to help them. About a year ago, I was in Thailand and met a lady who has become a friend that I greatly admire.

Five years ago, Sandy “retired” from her position as a Nurse Practitioner/Midwife in Australia and was commissioned by her home church to work in Cambodia. The Lord led her to a group of people who live in a garbage dump on the edge of the city and make a living by picking through the garbage. This is now a village community, with a very strong church and she has a three room, clinic building. As we did on this recent trip, I try to arrange my time  in Cambodia, so that I am able to work in her clinic and I love it.

 When we arrived at the clinic people were already waiting and the morning moved very quickly. There are three full time Khmer workers and a Pastor who teach health care or spiritual lessons while individuals wait to be seen. They are also available throughout the week to provide in home follow-up and training. We took a quick look to see if there is anyone who needed to be seen urgently and then handed out numbers to the rest, in an effort to maintain some sort of order.

We had only one interpreter, but with Sandy’s “medical” Khmer, we could keep two clients active at a time. We saw around 48 patients in rapid succession and then sat back to regroup. Suddenly it dawned on me that what we had just seen was pretty much what you would see in a walk-in clinic in Ontario. Sniffles, joint pains, complaints of upset tummies and tiredness, mom’s with newborns, young women needing birth control injections, urinary tract and yeast infections, older folks with high blood pressure and some ongoing follow-up on injuries sustained accidently.

Through the vision of one women, backed by her home church, these people are healthy, clean, and know the joy that only God can give. Everyone there has a water filter and understands the need to use it, they know how to care for their children and their  families and are learning to advocate for their own rights. I did a dressing change on a man’s foot that had been run over by a truck and was kind of dreading what I might find when the bandage can off. It was certainly still open, right down to the muscle, but was totally clean with no sign of infection. 

I found it oddly reassuring that the chief concern of  several young moms was why  their babies sweat when they sleep.  I used to wonder about that myself and my son had recently done a blog commenting on how Ben sweats when he sleeps.

Somehow, in the worst of circumstances they were so happy and proud of the changes in their lives. Moms everywhere  want to do the best for their babies.

I love teaching. There is absolutely nothing in the world I would rather do. I love to learn and dig up new and interesting facts I can use to enrich my lessons. I love to learn new technologies and incorporate them into my lessons. I love the interchange of ideas among my colleagues from different disciplines. I love the interaction with the kids I teach and joy I get from seeing them grasp new concepts that will help them in their futures. I even love the rhythm of my job, the pressure of exams, the pleasure of the holidays. I love everything about my job. Except the marking.

I hate marking. It is boring and repetitive. I find it really hard to keep my mind on task, and I need the constant stimulus of caffeine and music to keep my mind awake. I think, “I have already taught this concept a dozen times, and they still don’t get it.” I think of all the other things I would rather be doing. I think of all the jobs that don’t require marking, or wasting entire weekends on essentially unpaid labour. There isn’t a single thing about marking that I like. Except that it is an essential part of teaching (see paragraph one).

What really galls, however, is the inequality between my marking load, and that of other disciplines. I was chatting to a business teacher who showed me a test generating program for business. He clicks a few categories – chapters and concepts covered, number of questions desired – and hits a button. The multiple choice test instantly appears on his screen. He hits print, and his test is written. He will photocopy it and give it to his students along with a form that the students use to select their choice of answer. He will turn in those forms to an exam office that will scan the form and give him a print out of student marks. His time on task? About two minutes.

I on the other hand will take two hours to write a test that is tailored to what I taught in English, and then spend about twenty to thirty hours marking it. (Oh, did I mention that he gets a four thousand dollar bonus for teaching an “essential” subject?) However, I still love teaching. I just hate marking. In fact I am writing this post just to avoid getting back to it. Guess my time is up.

Christmas was tough. Miles from home, family and friends, Christmas Day can be a lonely time. But that is the exception, rather than the rule. More and more we think of our little apartment in Subang Jaya as home, and we are happy here.

For Pam it is the first time in her life that she has been able to do what she has long wanted to do: to serve the Lord in a missionary capacity. Much of her life has been spent in working to support our family and make a living. It great to see her joy in living this new kind of life.

For me, I get to do what I have long wanted to do: teach high school English. It was what I set out to do at the start of my career, and again got sidetracked. To be doing this in Asia is just the icing on the cake.

Neither of us have ever shirked our duty to provide for our children with enough left over the meet the needs of the less fortunate, and this is a sweet reward for our patience and perseverence. It is a very satisfying place to be in our lives and in our relationship, and we are hoping that it may last for a few more years. We still have something that we want to do for Him, and we want it to count.

Please forgive me if you are already tired of this subject. But I just received a comment from a friend of mine from an old post that does not deserve to be buried in the comment archives of last November. Gary is a well read and articulate thinker and his response deserves a post on this site. I do not agree with every thing he says, but as Voltaire famously said: “I will defend to the death his right to say it.” I consider myself fortunate to work in such an intellectually stimulating environment, I learn something new everyday. Here is Gary’s (unedited) comment:

I have just been made aware of this site and as I am a colleague of Steve’s on the other side of the debate I would like to enter in.

Personally, I find evolution and quantum mechanics (especially) far more elegant than a set-piece creation. If God made it all in a particular way, and knows all, how boring that must be and pointless, since all the outcomes would already be known. On the other hand, in QM, uncertainty rules, the outcome of any interaction is fundamentally unpredicable, based on current knowledge, let alone all of them. How much more interesting it would be for God to look with curiousity and amazement at the handiwork as it developed.

Situated just 30 kms off the coast of northwest Malaysia, between the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca, Langkawi consists of 104 islands most of which are uninhabited. The main island is peaceful and relaxed and nowhere near as crowded as similar places in Thailand.

The shores of the islands are fringed by wide beaches of white, fine grained sand and are perfect for strolling, swimming or lapping up the sun.  Although this is the high season for tourism, the island was very quiet and the beaches almost deserted.

Although we had just a three day weekend, it was beautiful and wonderfully refreshing.  We would however, caution you that if you every get to Langkawi, you do not want to stay at the Langkasuka Beach Resort.  It is definitely not as advertised on the internet! A lovely resort at one time, it has badly suffered from the all too common malaise: a lack of maintenance. But we rented a car and scoped out some great looking places for a return visit to this beautiful island.

L 

Last night I had a neat opportunity to attend the Mehendi and Sangeet Party for my friend Evangeline’s son and his fiancee, Dr Niruben and Dr Monica.  The Indian people love family, colour, music, dance and food so it was a warm, happy event with wonderful food.  Apparently it is usually only for women but this included the men as well and was held at the home of the bride’s parents.

According to wikipedia: “A Sangeet or Ladies Sangeet is an event in a Hindu or Sikh wedding. This event takes place 2 or 3 days before a wedding in a Banquet Hall or if a small affair, then at home. Ladies are the only people to take part in the event. Some men are there if they are close to the bride or groom. During this event ladies will sing traditional Indian songs, and joke around with guests. This event is also like a dinner and dance, because there is a lot of dancing and lots of food!

Courtesy of the Internet… “Mehndi is the art of applying Henna on the body. It is a beautiful form of temporary body decoration. Mehndi is a traditional form of decoration for both men and women in countries such as India, Morocco, and Pakistan. It is generally used for special occasions, particularly weddings.”

The ladies wore beautiful, brightly coloured outfits and everybody loves to dance.  Even the little tiny girls already knew the moves.

Two of our three ‘children’ are in Calgary, and the picture out there is not pretty. The Economist reports:

Extracting oil from the sands took off in the late 1990s, boosted by technological advances that greatly reduced costs. Sitting on the equivalent of 173 billion barrels of crude, the provincial government dreamed of making Alberta a new Saudi Arabia (with moose instead of camels). Although some, such as Peter Lougheed, a former premier, called for “orderly” development, a wild rush ensued, causing provincewide labour shortages. Even servers at fast-food restaurants had to be lured with an iPod or other inducements. Now, though, employment is slumping: Steve Vetter, a manager at a firm that services the gas industry, says it recently had 50 applicants for one job; two years ago it would have been lucky to get any.

Extracting oil from tar sands causes more carbon emissions than traditional drilling. At some projects, leaks of toxic material have polluted waterways. So even if the credit crunch eases and the oil price steadies, Canada’s tar sands may face tougher scrutiny from their main customer. The United States has hitherto been an enthusiastic buyer but the incoming Obama administration, packed with environmentalist hawks, may prove much less so, especially as the Democrats also control Congress. Henry Waxman, a Californian green crusader, has become chairman of the House energy committee. He wrote part of an energy bill passed in 2007 that seemed to ban American government agencies from buying oil produced from the tar sands.

It will be a further damper on investment in Alberta if the Obama administration enforces the ban. Canada’s prime minister, Stephen Harper, who will meet Mr Obama soon after his inauguration, said this week that the tar sands would be one of the stickier subjects on their agenda.

On top of the oil bust, Canada’s other commodity exports, such as lumber, are also suffering collapsing demand. After years of good growth, the economy will shrink this year. Mr Harper says it will take up to five years of “big, comprehensive” government stimulus to dig it out of the deep, black hole it is in.

We recognize that all things are in the Lord’s hands. But the Lord doesn’t promise that we will escape unscathed from the problems that beset our world. Our prayer is that Dave and Liz will be able to hold on the jobs that they have – as difficult a task as that might be – through the hard times that we all see coming.

For the complete article on Calgary’s bust see:

http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12932252