It was early Sunday morning when Sierra texted me. “Are you by chance going to morning market?” Going to “morning market” is a high point of the week for many of the student missionaries on the Tai-Kadai Project. Not only are temperatures cool in the early morning, but prices are both low and labeled. Yes, labeled! It’s one of the few times when one can actually find price signs on the fruits and vegetables. Having learned that prices seem to rise with the sun, SMs going to market have their bikes rolling out the door by 5:30 a.m. sharp. But today was different. Everyone was exhausted and decided to sleep in. However, Sierra had students coming over for lunch and needed something to feed them.

It was 7:30 a.m. when I stopped by the SM house to pick up Sierra. With my newly minted local driver’s license, this would be my first time driving the van in the chaos of morning market traffic. Carefully I eased out of the driveway into the sea of motorbikes, cars, SUVs, tuk-tuks, trucks of all sizes and the occasional bus. Caleb Lieben’s driving instructions were ever present in my thoughts: “Think of every two-lane road as five lanes. In addition to the two lanes you see, there is a far-left lane, a middle lane, and a far-right lane where motor bikes and cars may go either way.”

“Always drive as though there was a motor bike on each side of you.”

“Like angels?” I asked.

“Yes, like angels,” he replied. “Expect them to be there whether you see them or not.”

Although riding my bicycle for the previous four weeks had helped me learn my way around the city, that morning I discovered that everything looks different from the driver’s seat of a van. Suddenly nothing looked familiar. Where was I? Where was that mall parking lot close to the market that Zoë Lieben parked in when morning market parking lots were overflowing? Using the WhatsApp “Share Live Location” feature I had just learned about the day before, we shared our location with Zoë, and she was able to watch our progress on her phone. Periodically she would call and tell us the next turn to take. At that moment I was extremely grateful for the inroads modern technology has made into this culture, particularly smart phones with data plans!

It was nearly 8 a.m. when Sierra and I arrived in the hustle and bustle of the market. Men pushing long, two-wheeled carts intermingled with the shoppers. Some were hauling large purchases to delivery vehicles. Others were helping merchants who were already finished for the day to clear their things out. Although the streets are supposed to be cleared by 8:30 a.m. sharp, there were still plenty of vendors doing business. I never tire of the patchwork of colorful fruits and vegetables. Neatly piled red chili peppers, brown potatoes, white onions and garlic, purple eggplant and orange carrots are interspersed with the varying greens of broccoli, cucumbers, limes and green beans. (Since limes are a key ingredient in practically every dish of local cuisine, they are sold in the vegetable section.) The different leaf sizes and patterns of lettuce, cilantro, morning glory and a half-dozen leafy greens I don’t recognize add texture to the picture. In the fruit section, pineapple, apples, mangos, white and red dragon fruit, red and yellow watermelon, bananas and many more made me glad I would be eating breakfast when I got back to the house.

Finished with my shopping, I headed to our meeting point. My route took me past the seafood section where most of the merchandise is still alive. A lady headed home on her motorbike pulled out in front of me. I paused to let her maneuver into the flow of moving humanity. On her bike handle bars hung many plastic shopping bags, each containing food for her family back home. Suddenly a pink plastic bag began to flip-flop wildly. Out jumped a foot-long catfish. Carefully balancing her loaded bike, the lady watched helplessly as the fish landed on its belly and began briskly “walking” down the street, using its front fins to move with amazing speed. Within moments, a helpful young man chased down the runaway fish and returned it to the pink plastic bag hanging on the lady’s motorbike.

Happy that our fruit and vegetables would not be trying to escape, Sierra and I returned to the van with our morning purchases. Once our seatbelts were fastened, I headed out of the parking lot the way I had come in. Not seeing any other way out, and not being able to read any of the signs, I thought the long, straight lane seemed the obvious exit point. As I neared the street, the parking attendant came out of his booth waving his arms wildly. Embarrassed, I realized that this lane was only for incoming traffic. As I slowly backed up the quarter mile, I was grateful it was still early morning and no mall shoppers were entering. Back in the parking lot, we finally located the real exit. A small, out-of-the-way English “Exit” sign pointed toward an ominously steep slope leading into a large, deserted underground parking area. Hesitantly we made our way through the labyrinth of lanes. At each juncture we stopped and puzzled over the meaning of the different directional arrows and local script. Without the sun or any familiar landmarks, I quickly lost all sense of direction. A lone car passed us. Relieved to see someone who clearly knew where they were going, I followed. But, instead of leading us out, the car parked in a dark corner of the garage. As I backed up once again, Sierra spotted a small shaft of sunlight to our right. What a relief to hand the parking attendant my ticket and see the exit arm lift.

As we drove home, Sierra and I reflected on our experience. For those who don’t know God as their Creator and Friend, life is not unlike being lost in a massive, dark parking garage. Unable to read the instructions found in the Bible, they don’t see any way out. Without God’s guidance, they follow anyone who seems to know where they’re going. That’s how it is for the Tai-Kadai. While most are wandering in the maze of their traditional teachings, others are following hard after materialism, sure it is the way out of their darkness.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support as our team mingles with these precious people, lifting Jesus high so that the Sonlight of His love can show the way.

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