by Allyson B.
We were soaked before we even got started. I had predicted that arming DTS students with water guns and buckets was risky and I was proved right before I even entered the base. I turned to level the revenge only staff can on a student and found I was staring down the barrel of another staff member's water pistol. The epic shoot-out that followed was nothing less than expected during the Thai water celebration of the New Year.
New Year in Thailand is called Songkran. Following the traditional calendar of southeast Asia, New Year falls early in April. This ancient celebration, like everything in Thai life, begins with honoring family and inviting good luck for the upcoming year. The water represents a cleansing and the devout Thai Buddhists cleanse their household Buddhas with water and visit a temple to pour water as an offering. The throwing of water on one another originated as a blessing to share the proffered offering.
The modern festival has as much to do with blessing and offering as it ever did, but the gentle pouring of water on a loved one... well, that went right out the window. Songkran happens to fall right in the middle of the hottest weeks of the year. And Chiang Mai happens to be a city surrounded by a moat. And all the Thais and foreign tourists flocking to Chiang Mai for the holiday happen to like a good party. Put it all together and you have a three day city-wide water fight, the likes of which you will never find anywhere else in the world. And in this year of a lingering heat wave, we approached it with a bring-it-on attitude.
This year we were bringing something else, too. In 2011, Create International produced an evangelistic film in the Northern Thai language. The film, When The Storms Come, tells the story of a family dealing with some very prevalent Thai problems: alcohol abuse, violence and fear. A daughter, who has come to know the saving love of Jesus, travels home to her family, bringing a message of hope and help in time to prepare for a destructive storm that threatens their village.
At Create International, we work closely with cultural advisors when making a film to be sure that it is contextual and realistic for the people group. When The Storms Come has received excellent feedback. Once, I asked a Thai neighbor to watch it with me to see if it seemed authentically Thai. She shushed me through the whole thing. Every time I tried to ask if she liked it, or if this part or that was good, she wouldn't take her eyes off the screen and waved her hand at me to be quiet. In the end, she laughed at all the right spots, was transfixed in the serious moments and couldn't stop talking about Jesus.
For the holiday of Songkran, we took the idea of a water blessing and capitalized on it. We had over 1500 copies of our film made and put each one of them in a small waterproof bag along with a contextual Thai tract containing website links and contact information. We attached a small string, the type that Thais use to bless one another, and hung them around our necks. On the first day of Songkran, we grabbed 50 copies each and prayed over them, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us as we gave them away. We filled up our water guns and headed to find the action.
The nucleus of the celebration takes place at the moat that surrounds the old city. By 2:00 in the afternoon, it was barely contained chaos. Buckets of water were thrown on us while we were still on our motorbikes making our way downtown. People grabbed us as we walked, dumped buckets over our heads and pressed hoses onto our backs. The typical Thai reservation and politeness was nowhere to be seen. Perpetually respectful Thai children openly laughed at us as they aimed for the whites of our eyes. It was great.
The best part was when each skirmish was over. We wished them a Happy New Year and blessed them with a polite bow and the gift of a DVD. At one point I felt prompted to hang a copy around the neck of a little boy working a food stand with his mother. He looked as if I had given him a million baht and clutched the DVD like it was something precious. I can't stop thinking about him. Another staff member was led to give a copy to a monk on the steps of his temple.
Over the three days of the festival, we gave away all 1500 copies. Our fervent prayer is that the Lord will use these films to open the hearts of the Northern Thai people. Movies have a unique way of doing that, so we have great expectations. Join us in praying that the films make the rounds within family groups and friends.
And join us for Songkran next year. We'll need some extra hands if we want to unload the 3000 copies we're planning.
Calvin Conkey
International Director, Create International
Global Communication and Resources Centre (GCRC)
PO Box 46 Sam Yaek, Suanprung PO
Chiang Mai, Thailand 50201
International Mobile Phone: +66-801208030
Global website: http://www.createinternational.com/
20/20 Vision website: http://www.global2020vision.com/
Resource Distribution website: http://www.indigitech.tv/
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