Discovering Home Delivery

Before Covid-19 we only had home delivery for Pizza.  But we've discovered a whole new world ...

From gelato

Cinnamon Rolls

Chinese Dumplings

Pad Thai

and donuts ...

Just to name a few things.  We are fortunate to be able to avoid to buy these things but many other in our community are really struggling.

My wife and some of our kids have had a chance to help our missionary friends and local Christians in giving out food.

Zoom becomes the new verb

Zoom meeting with OMF Thailand Leaders

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Zoom" has become a verb.  It is no longer Skype or some other video conferencing but Zoom.  I can under why it has become to the "go to" video conference software.  It has been so much better than Skype.  We have had our North Thailand prayer meetings twice now on Zoom.  Even my monthly mentoring meetings we've switched to Zoom.

Thailand has been under an emergency decree for over a month now.  Social distancing and wearing of masks is mandatory as is the 10pm-4am curfew.  It was declared today that the emergency decree would be extended for another month as as the ban on inbound international flights.  Our children's school has been closed for the past month and won't reopen for face to face teaching until the second week of August!

Praise God that the number of new cases of COVID-19 has continued to decrease and as of last night it was below 10.  Like, most people we are looking forward to returning to some semblance of what will be the new "normal".

Opportunities in times of Crisis

Man on the plane wearing two masks?  Double protection?

Last week I took a flight down to Bangkok for a meeting and when I got to my seat someone was sitting in it.  I showed my boarding pass to the air steward and he politely directed the man to move from my aisle seat to his assigned seat by the window.  As he moved he smiled and said that he’d already cleaned my seat and with his gloved hands he proceeded to get out his alcohol wipes and wipe down his new seat, the tray table and the arm rest.  I thanked him very much for cleaning my seat for me and that was a conversation that we might have never started if it weren’t for the coronavirus.  

Just as it was for 9-11 and the Tsunami, a time of crisis brings opportunities for spiritual conversations that might not happen in normal times.  May we have the courage to use these opportunites.