Saving Face

One of the most difficult things in adjusting to life in Thailand, isn't the food (the food is wonderful), or the weather (don't miss the cold). The hardest part is a concept called saving face. The concept is that a person always wants to look good and doesn't want to do anything to look bad, even if what they did was bad. So instead, a person will lie to cover the previous mistake in order to make themselves look better. Also it causes problems when people do things wrong because you can't be too direct. In North America, when people do things wrong, you can confront them and tell them what they did wrong. Here you must guard your words and almost correct in an indirect manner or risk losing face. Once a person loses face, they are extremely hurt and it is difficult to gain their confidence back. Please pray for us as we work with Thai people, instructing them on doing things right and how to deal with issues in our church and with people in Thailand in general without losing face.