It was the Summer of 1957 when we moved to the old capitol of Thailand, Ayuthaya. It was the capitol from 1350 to 1767 and would have compared with London or Rome in its heyday.
With old temples and foundations of palaces, it is still a mecca for the Thai. The full name is “Pranakorn Sri Ayuthaya,” (Capitol City of Glorious Ayuthaya).
At the time we moved there the population was around 35,000 in the city and 500,000 in the province.
We had been in Thailand two years and still working on the language.
As the only Americans there, we were welcomed as Americans, but two of only a few Christians. We had two children, one born in New Orleans and one born in Bangkok, ages three and one. Christmas is not celebrated in Thailand, except commercially.
Forty miles or more from any other missionaries of Americans, this was not to be the most festive Christmas of our lives.
To digress, I need to refer to the way the Thai responded to the sunami disaster of 2004, the day after Christmas.
The government, the king, individuals, and communities responded immediately with donations and going personally to minister to the victims.
One person described the Thai as having “Nam Jai,” heart of thoughtfulness, sort of a national characteristic.
Back to Ayuthaya, and our Christmas there that first year.
We had just got the kids asleep and gone to bed ourselves when the sound of music and caroling came from our front yard.
Three people, who we had never met, had heard about the Christian custom of caroling. Knowing we were the only Americans in their city, they came to spread some Christmas cheer.
I didn’t know anyone in the city who could play the violin, but there it was, the sweet tones of Silent Night, that only a violin can produce, drifting into our upstairs window.
Of course we hurried downstairs and welcomed them in for refreshments in our 90 degree Christmas weather. Some thoughtful unknown people made our Christmas complete.
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It was the Summer of 1957 when we moved to the old capitol of Thailand, Ayuthaya. It was the capitol from 1350 to 1767 and would have compared with London or Rome in its heyday.
With old temples and foundations of palaces, it is still a mecca for the Thai. The full name is “Pranakorn Sri Ayuthaya,” (Capitol City of Glorious Ayuthaya).
At the time we moved there the population was around 35,000 in the city and 500,000 in the province.
We had been in Thailand two years and still working on the language.
As the only Americans there, we were welcomed as Americans, but two of only a few Christians. We had two children, one born in New Orleans and one born in Bangkok, ages three and one. Christmas is not celebrated in Thailand, except commercially.
Forty miles or more from any other missionaries of Americans, this was not to be the most festive Christmas of our lives.
To digress, I need to refer to the way the Thai responded to the sunami disaster of 2004, the day after Christmas.
The government, the king, individuals, and communities responded immediately with donations and going personally to minister to the victims.
One person described the Thai as having “Nam Jai,” heart of thoughtfulness, sort of a national characteristic.
Back to Ayuthaya, and our Christmas there that first year.
We had just got the kids asleep and gone to bed ourselves when the sound of music and caroling came from our front yard.
Three people, who we had never met, had heard about the Christian custom of caroling. Knowing we were the only Americans in their city, they came to spread some Christmas cheer.
I didn’t know anyone in the city who could play the violin, but there it was, the sweet tones of Silent Night, that only a violin can produce, drifting into our upstairs window.
Of course we hurried downstairs and welcomed them in for refreshments in our 90 degree Christmas weather. Some thoughtful unknown people made our Christmas complete.
