Songkran

Happy New Year from Thailand! I know you all must think I'm a little late in wishing you all a happy new year but I'm not... well at least not here in Thailand! This week is Songkran which is the traditional Thai New Year's festival! Here in Northern Thailand we are celebrating it by a huge water festival... in other words... a city wide water fight! Well that's later in the week.


Today however I got to be a part of a beautiful tradition at Agape. Every year during Songkran, Agape has a blessing ceremony where the staff and kids bless our director and her husband, our volunteer coordinator, our office manager and our head nanny and her husband. The staff and children get on their knees and pour water over the hands of each person mentioned above as they say a word of blessing before being blessed in return.


I watched and waited as the staff and the children literally poured blessings over the hands of those seated. I waited until everyone else had gone through before I went up and got my cup of jasmine water and got on my knees in front of our head nanny. Water poured over her hands as she reached out and hugged me saying thank you. At that moment I could tell I wasn't going to make it out of this experience with dry eyes! I continued down the line until I got to our director.


Let me just tell you a little bit about Avis. Avis has a heart of gold! She pours herself out daily for our kids and when she speaks to you, she speaks deep truth into your life. As I poured water over her hands, she reached up and held my shoulders and looked me in the eyes and started speaking love and truth into my life. I didn't even have time to bless her before she started blessing me. Her words pierced my heart with a deep profound light. She said, "Be open! God is opening a new book, a new chapter and a new page while you are here. But you have to be willing and open to it! This is your year if you believe it!" She kissed my cheeks and hugged me tight and I can't even begin to describe how in that moment, the truth of her words touched every part of my soul and rejuvenated my spirit.


As I stood up and walked away drying my tears, I couldn't help but to start smiling from ear to ear because I could feel the ink on that new page because God started writing.

(Avis pouring blessings over me!)

 

(Hugging Mae Oye our office manager)