I mentioned about a couple of months ago that Robin and I were thinking of doing a wall mural for the hood. Well it turns out that it is actually happening!  The landlord has given the approval and has been very helpful in providing the materials needed to get this project up and running.

So this is what the wall used to look like.

This is one of four paintings done by a Thai artist 30 yrs ago. The artist was commissioned to read certain texts from the bible and paint what he saw. The artist was Buddhist and had no exposure to western art. The picture above is not the one that I will be painting but its done by the same artist, I threw it up there to give you an example of the style that it will be painted in. The one that the Hope 4 Bangkok team decided to go with is the 2nd Coming of Jesus! At first glance it looks like something you would see in a Buddhist temple but to a Thai when they actually stop to look at it they immediately notice that there is something different. This difference causes mixed reactions to both the Thai and the Farangs ( Foreigners).  To some people its a good thing, to some its bad, and some just don't know what to think. This is a good thing, I want people to ask questions. Through questions they learn about our amazing saviour Jesus Christ!  Many know about Jesus over here but they identify Jesus as the God of the West. The last thing they needed up on this wall was a picture that a foreigner did of his God, they just wouldn't understand. I hope that in doing it in this style I will be speaking their language visually. Thai art is full of intricate details and subtlety that I as a foreigner don't fully understand. The way they portray people holding hands, body gestures, colors... all communicate something. Jesus is not the God of the West, He is not the God of Christians, He is the God of every nation, tribe, people and language. (Rev 7:9)

This is about a week into the project now. Took a lot of time to prep the wall before I could lay any paint on it. This is the base layer and it looks like I need to do a 2nd coat in some areas. With a painting like this you have to work in layers, usually starting with the things that are the furthest away. I'll try and keep you guys updated as the painting progresses. I plan to finish this in 1 month. Please pray for me, the weather here is my worst enemy right now, we are starting to enter into rainy season.