Ben Tshin

Finally a bit more relaxed “me” time. It isn’t sane to be so relaxed right now. Two final exams tomorrow and I still have time to “ponder”. How?

On Monday, my regular bible study with NUS Navigators was replace with “rest time”. I think I am definitely in need of that spiritual rest, not sleep or the end of exams, I need soul rest. I’m still burdened with all the plans of the future, but Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28) So I gave that up to Jesus to take care of. I’m looking Jesus’ yoke, which is easy and the burden light. That might imply that God’s direction for my life is easier and lighter because it’s what God designed me for.

This morning is a testament of the life God wants for me. I don’t think I was prepared for my exam. But instead I let God take that anxiety. Woah. Peace like a river, right there, right then. I might not have done so well on the exam but I know that exam marks aren’t all that important in the big picture of things. Spiritual connectedness, fruits of the spirit, and all the eternal and internal things are what matter. My plans, my “structures”, my worldly cares — they don’t compare with the presence of God.

Plans that are swirling my head:
• summer job / co-op work term
• grad school
• missions work (especially Asia)
• Borneo trip!

Singapore. Been here only two full days but I’ve already found some buried treasures. Lim Seng Lee Teochew Duck @ South Buona Vista Road & Pasir Panjang! It’s barely 10 minutes from NUS but it has an idyllic calm to this little enclave. The people in Singapore are just great. They have that just-right blend of East and West.

Bangkok: Recap! Arrived at 6:00am and called Dan’s friend Ryan. Ryan is doing work with Compassion International in one of the slums of Bangkok. My brother was in Indonesia spending Christmas with relatives and he arranged for Ryan to pick me up and show me around. And show me around he did. After dumping my luggage, we had breakfast on the street for 30 Baht (that’s about CAD$1) and eating real food was another step up from Thai Airways food, which is already leagues above Air Canada and pseudo-Parisian caf� food.

Then the whirlwind tour of Bangkok: 9am until 12:30am midnight. Ryan took us (four British missionary girls on New Year’s leave and I) around the Mekong River, around “his” slums, to the Royal Palace, Kao Sang Road (backpacker central), to a great restaurant in Silom and down to “red-light district” Pat Pong before we finally ended up outside a small bar in a small alley tucked somewhere in the maze of Bangkok.

I had NO jetlag the next day, just a bit tired. But that’s the secret of travelling: not sleep because of jetlag, sleep ONLY because of drop-dead fatigue.

Bangkok was more traffic jam that anything else. Too many people in a too small place. it was good to see Dan again after such a long time. He’s been in Bangkok for already 4 months. Walking the slums really gave me a feel for the poverty there. Sad? Yes. But their spiritual poverty is even deeper. Patpong, Ratchada, the sex trade, etc. are only symptoms. I wish Ryan God’s provisions as he’s there right in the midst of it all.

On a cheerier note, New Year’s Eve was fun, but very, very chaotic. It was way too hot to have so many people celebrating in one place. It’s alright in the Canadian winter because the weather cools everyone, but when the temperature is already 30C at night, the crowd of people near the World Trade Center (BKK not NYC) got stinky quick! It was too hard an effort to find Dan’s friends. Halfway to finding them, the New Year came and Bangkok went crazy. I’m not surprised since a 3L mini-keg of Carlsberg was only 420B (~CAD$16).

Anyway, with such a low currency, hopefully Canadian dollars go a long way here. Lots of cheap stuff here: DVDs, summer clothes, food (and beer).

More BKK later. I’ll be back.