"Home is not a place, it is not the four walls that confine us. You hold it in each other. The Lord is creating a home in the space between you. He is placing a kitchen there, with a pantry full of spiced tea and long grain rice. He has a study with all your favorite authors. He has a family room with a woven rug and the warmth of the fire. Be empowered by this home that you and the Lord are creating."
The last three days we have been exploring the wide and vast ocean. We have not had any physical home or even hotel to call our own. We joined with a family from France and a couple from Holland. The seven of us all lead by an energetic and spunky 22-year old Thuy.
She reminded me of myself in many ways. She wants to please everyone she can, she always keeps a smile on her face and would turn each situation into something positive. However, that desire to make people happy would lead to her making false promises to avoid any disappointment. She had a wonderful heart and would burst out with what we were going to do and where we will go. Her family are farmers but she came to Hanoi and studied in hopes of becoming an English teacher.
We all entered on board and set out for Bai Tu Long Bay. It was absolutely stunning. You cannot see the open ocean because the horizon is so filled with gigantic rock cliffs that emerge from the water everywhere you look. After three hours we arrived at an island where arrived on a small island where we stayed in the home of one of the locals. At dinnertime all the women were recruited into the kitchen to help with the dinner. I was in charge of the calamari, which proved to be more difficult than I would like to admit. My weak hands could not pick up the slimy squid with the chopsticks and as I placed them into the boiling oil it sizzled and flew onto my hands leaving me yelling as it burned my skin. Thankfully the family was there to help, otherwise that one dish would have taken me over an hour and we had about 8 dishes to prepare.
The dinner was incredible- in fact all the food has been, and following it we walked under the moonlight to the beach where we spent the rest of the evening.
The next day we cycled across the island back to our boat, exploring the country along the way. We stopping in the afternoon for kayaking that felt more like a check off the list then an area that really had much exploring. I stayed on the boat but Tad made the best of it. He came across a fisherman with a big grin pointing at Tad's eyes; he wanted his sunglasses. However, Tad needed something to cover his eyes so the cut a deal. Tad handed over the sunglasses and in return the fisherman gave up his hat: a ratted-old conical hat with a hole on top. A fine deal we all agreed.
That night we changed boats and were shocked that we stepped into such luxury. We had a large bed and private bathroom and we awoke to a view of hundreds of islands right from our large bedroom windows.
The final exploration was kayaking through a fishing village that literally sat atop the water amidst the islands. It is strange to be in a community that relies so heavily on tourism to support themselves but that is the reality that has been accepted. We paddled around visiting the school, locals blasting music sitting on hammocks, mothers and children paddling around on boats, and fisherman trying to catch some fish.
These three days have been void of any stable ground or home and in fact the last two months have also been void of a consistent home. But the words about home have been sinking into my heart and I can feel our home come with us. Walking around a lake in Hanoi reminded us of Greenlake, and a coffee shop by the water like Boulevard. Our friends and family stay in our minds through prayers and memories and I feel so lucky to be so close to people I admire and love so much.
We have just arrive in Vientiane, Loas and even in the few hours we have been here love the peaceful and care-free atmosphere compared to the thousands of horns honking in Hanoi. We also put up a lot more photos so be sure to take a look: http://picasaweb.google.com/114718002461623465489
No comments:
Post a Comment