Posted by Ric and Sharon on Tuesday, July 31st, 2012
One day a few months ago my dad noticed a car broken down in our neighbor’s driveway. Upon further inspection he realized they were a group of monks in traditional orange robes. None of them spoke English but there was a lady driving them around who had been in the US for a few years so she could speak some English. What my dad got, between the broken English and the frantic gestures, is that they were on their way to a temple just a few minutes away. Later, he forgot all about it.
Wat Dhammasala in Perry, MI
When Sharon and I arrived last month we were talking about monks and it jogged his memory… oh yeah! There’s a Buddhist temple just down the road. I checked it out several times without seeing a living soul in the vicinity but was blown away by how authentic it was. Today I went back for the fourth time and was able to meet the monks, speak Thai with them and get the calendar for the next few weeks.
If you live in the mid-Michigan area and would like to see the temple with me I’ll be glad to take you and show you a Buddhist ceremony this Saturday, August 4th at 10:00 AM. It’s the khao pansa ceremony that celebrates the traditional entering of the rain retreats in Thailand or “Buddhist Lent.”
Call me at 517-203-9511 and I’ll give you directions.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Monday, July 18th, 2011
This week is one of refreshment, encouragement and strategic planning with other members of our organization serving in this region. We’re thankful for this time, these friends and the clarity the first few days have given us so far. This marks the first week since our arrival that we’ve taken done virtually no language and culture study. Instead our days consist of hearing ministry reports from our various tribal teams, business meetings, praying for Thailand and encouraging our fellow workers. Pray this week will be profitable, encouraging, fun and safe. Thanks!
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
During the past two weeks we’ve knocked some big jobs off our “to do” lists by using every available minute to study the Thai language and culture. During the month of June we promised each other we’d do no traveling and that we’d focus exclusively on improving our language skills. A few examples of what we’ve been up to include:
Finished reading the 600 page tome “Four Reigns” which covers a critical turning point in Thai history through the eyes of a royal servant growing up in the King’s court. This was the the last of several books on a list we were asked to read in our first year or so here. Next year I’ll have to re-read the entire list in Thai. (more…)
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
Last month's Songkran parade
Nope. This thing is serious. Check out this video I took today of a passing parade and threw on our website. We’re not completely baffled by these things anymore but I will say that every single one is different. We’re still in the process of figuring out what certain aspects mean… like what’s the symbolism of the guy holding the statue and the long quill pen? No one’s riding a horse in this one but there’s a carved horse’s head on the tricycle cart they’re pushing the drum on. What do you notice? Help us out by watching this video and the previous one then noting your observations and questions in the comments. We will investigate the parades further and as always keep you informed right here.(more…)
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Saturday, April 16th, 2011
The results of our first three months of language study in Thailand were very positive and encouraging according to an email we received this week from our leadership. The email contained a few suggestions for fine-tuning our method and a general summary of what we’ve been doing since we arrived. This report represents the culmination of several meetings we’ve had with leadership and it’s an attempt to gauge our proficiency in the Thai language and culture – a tall order! So the results…. drum roll please… (more…)
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
John 3:16 in the Thai script
The national language of Thailand, Thai is spoken by about 60 million people in Thailand. Learning Thai is going to be Ric and my full time job for the first two years of our time in Thailand. There are many things in Thai that will make it very tricky for us English speakers to learn!
A facet of Thai that is very difficult is the fact that it is a tonal language. In tonal languages, the meaning of a word is determined by the pitch at which it is pronounced. An example is the word kao which means “news”, “rice”, and “white”. The distinction is in the tone. Kao means “news” when pronounced with a low tone, “white” with a rising tone and “rice” with a falling tone. Learning the right way to say the tone on words will take much time and practice!
Another major area that will be complicated is learning to read and write. Thai is written in its own unique alphabetic script which has developed from a script found in India. There are 44 consonants and 28 vowels. It is written across the page from left to right without spaces between the words. Certain vowels occur above the consonants and some occur below. Ric and I have been told that it would be most helpful to get familiar with the Thai writing system before starting official Thai study in Thailand. So we bought a book and have found some good websites. Everyday we are learning how to write some symbols and memorizing the sound that goes with them. At first, to me the Thai script looked like a bunch of squiggly lines and circles. Now, it is so encouraging because I can look at a paragraph and recognize the symbols that I have studied! The squigglys are slowly coming to life! Pray for us as we continue on this endeavor!
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Friday, March 12th, 2010
I discovered an app for my iPod that allows us to start learning some basic vocabulary, numbers, and letters in Thai. It’s mice to have a Thai lesson in my pocket all the time.
Here are some screen shots from the app:
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Sunday, November 8th, 2009
We have been in Virginia with my brother Sam and his wife Kari since Thursday. This morning we presented our ministry at South Norfolk Congregational Community Church, the church they attend here. Tuesday is Sam’s 23rd birthday, so we’re very excited to be here for that as well. While here we’re doing what we do on the road: talking to people about our ministry, handing out our prayer cards, spending time with family, and Sharon is stealing as much time as possible to work on her Cherokee write-up which is due TOMORROW!!! She will likely be pulling an all-nighter tonight and then be exhausted in the morning.
This coming Friday we head to central Virginia to visit some very good friends and then will drive on to Tennessee on Friday. Please pray for Sharon as she finishes up her paper and for safety as we travel. Thank-you.
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Sharon sitting down to sort through mounds of Cherokee data.
As Sharon sits behind me she alternately scratches her head, bounces her knees, and bangs some phonetic writing out on the keyboard. Today is her first full day of work after four full days of packing, cleaning, traveling, visiting, and unpacking. Outside the orange leaves on the trees are almost gone and rain is in the forecast for the next three days. In the kitchen is a pot of hot coffee and under Sharon’s feet a small space heater breathes warmly on her feet. Ideal conditions.
Now if only the computer would work right, the data would fit together perfectly, someone would spoon food into her mouth, and the kitchen would clean itself. Then it would be perfect, but that’s probably asking too much isn’t it?
Please pray that Sharon will be able to focus on her studies and finish her analysis of the Cherokee language before we hit the road in a few days!
Posted by Ric and Sharon on Saturday, August 29th, 2009
We made it to Tahlequah, Oklahoma safely and have been unpacking, organizing, and cleaning since. We are staying at in a summer camp, which was a mess when we got here. Cleaning it up has taken all day, but now it’s ready to live in for a few months. Sharon cleaned all the bathrooms and I helped in the kitchen.
Sharon will meet her “language helper” tomorrow, the person who she will be listening to intently for the next seven weeks. Sharon will be spending much of her time gathering language data on the Cherokee language, and almost an equal amount of time cooking, cleaning, and doing chores with other people on her team. Please pray for her as she manages a demanding schedule!
Here are some pictures of our room, part-way finished.
Ric and Sharon Bruce On a journey with you to Thailand 
