The Citizen, 2003-08-20, Page 7THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2003. PAGE 7.
Text for message from Exodus
On Sunday, Aug. 17 the theme of
the morning service at
Londesborough United Church was
I Am the Lord Your God.
The Old Testament scripture
passage was Exodus 20: 1-17 in
which Moses reveals to the Israelites
God’s 10 commandments. Sections
of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount,
Matthew 5: 17-20 and 43-48, were
the morning’s New Testament
lesson. In these verses Christ
reminds the multitudes of His time
that God loves everyone.
The text for Rev. Nelson’s
message was the first phrase of
Exodus 20: 2, “I am the Lord your
God.” Taken on their own, the
words, “I am the Lord,” could
suggest a stern, unyielding God.
However, the two words that follow,
“your God”, make all the difference,
he said. They reveal a God
interested in every man and his well
being, a personal God.
Rev. Nelson noted that all need
this personal God; all restless hearts
need to rest in God. When life is
hard, people need a God to cling to
while they find hope and freedom;
to help them make sense of our
lives. God, he said, will give
meaningful answers. To fulfill life’s
promise, one needs God.
God brings balance to the ledger
of life. God, as master of people’s
lives, is master of the hard times.
Such communion with God makes
one wholly human. The first and
most important commandment is to
put God first in one’s life, Rev.
Nelson said.
Congregants in need of prayers
currently for a variety of
health concerns are Beth Knox,
Mary Vandermoelen and Betty
Fisher.
By BRENDA
RADFORD
Call
523-4296
PEOPLE AROUND
LONDESBORO
Like the natives
Shannon, left, Laura and Ken Scott stand outside the hut where they spend the night with a
The Londesborough Mites, a co
ed ball team of area youth aged nine
and 10, emerged as the A champions
at their year-end tournament on
Aug. 9. There were seven teams
involved in the season’s roster and
tournament. Well done, team!
hilltribe during their recent tour of Thailand. Shannon has a teaching position at an
international, college there. (Photo submitted)
Locals live like the natives
and
the
are
During the month of April, Ken
and Laura Scott visited with their
daughter, Shannon, who teaches at
Dulwich International College in
Thailand. They learned from the
children at the school how to “wai”.
A “wai” is the placing of the hands
with palms together accompanied by
a slight bow and greeting. This
greeting, upon introduction, shows
respect.
Not far from Bangkok, the Scotts
visited the site of the original Bridge
on the River Kwai. At Kanchanaburi
the Thai have maintained a beautiful
memorial for all the soldiers
prisoners of that died while
bridge was being built.
The cemetery grounds
immaculate.
The bridge has been reconstructed
and the train is still running.
Wanting to experience Thailand as
the natives do Ken and Laura
travelled by train from Bangkok
north to Chiang Mai. They chose the
train without air conditioning. The
windows were wide open for air and
for viewing with absolutely no
screens or safety bars.
Although quite old, the train was
quite comfortable. By day, their
nighttime berths became their seats.
However they passed on eating in
the dining car with the chickens.
During their stay at the Galore
Guest House in Chiang Mai, the
Scotts trekked into the hills to visit a
tribe of people known as the long
neck tribe. At the age of five or six,
young girls start wearing rings
around their neck which eventually
lengthen the necks. The rings are a
sign of beauty and are never
removed. Each year more rings are
added. Consequently the women
can’t bend their necks.
A model village was set up by this
tribe for tourists. A guide explained
that tourism is this tribe’s main
source of income today.
In order to stay the night with a
hill-tribe family the Scott’s took an
elephant ride through the mountains.
Ken and Laura shared the wooden
seat on the elephant’s back while the
drive sat on the animal’s neck. A
slow and bumpy ride, the trek took
an hour and a half and took them
through small streams, up and down
rock paths and along the edge of the
mountain.
At the Lahu village, the travellers
stayed in a very clean wood-and-
bamboo house. The building had one
sleeping room with mats on the
floor, a room for cooking and a
verandah for eating.
Reed floor mats were also used for
sitting.
The guide, Laura says, prepared
their meals on a fire pit inside the
house - rice, stir fries and fruit. No
knives are used for eating and it is
considered rude to put a fork in the
.mouth. So Thais shove the food onto
a spoon with a fork and eat from the
spoon.
Built on the side of a mountain, the
village had no electricity and no
running water except in the village
bathroom/shower. Pigs, chickens,
cats and dogs run loose but a few
cattle were corralled.
The village school located at the
top of the hill had no window panes
or actual doors.
A two-and-a-half hour walk
through the mountains brought the
travellers to the waiting tour van.
The Scotts delighted in a culture
that is so different from their own.
They report that they experienced a
country of welcoming hospitality
and breathtaking scenery. Ken and
Laura call'their trip a truly wonderful
experience.
Doug Gough,
R.I.B. (ONT.)
CAIB, Manager
It Starts
with You!
www.pitch-in.ca
PITCH-IN CANADA!
IVES INSURANCE BROKERS LTD.
- BLYTH OFFICE
184 Dinsley St. W. Box 428
Blyth, ON NOMI HO
lei: (519) 523-9655
Fax: (519) 523-9793
All Classes of Insurance
WWW.IVESINSURANCE.COM