Not Home Yet

On July 20th, 2010 my friend Devin Green died unexpectedly. Devin was a friend of mine that I had met on a mission trip in Rowlesburg, West Virginia in 2004. He was saved and baptized in a river in the town while I was there. I have so many good memories of how he made everyone around him smile and his contagious laughter that I will never forget. I had recently become Facebook friends with Devin, creating contact with him easier. I had been speaking with him about how he was doing but now I am hoping I said everything to him I needed to. I still am in shock that my friend is gone but I am comforted that he has only gone home before me. As I am realizing today that I have only one week left in Mahasarakham, it is easy for me to become discouraged that I have not seen anyone come to Christ and give in to the thought that my time here is unsubstantial, pointless even. I am reminded however, in Matthew 13:31-32 and Mark 4:30-32 that I am but a small part in God’s plan and to not become selfish in thinking I deserve to see something happen. I am but a part of God’s plan, His perfect timing. I am only reminded further more with how short our time is here, not on a mission trip, on our life mission. We are here to serve Him and I pray that I will no longer waste any of that precious time. I am not home yet.

Chiang Mai "Vacation"

If getting sent to Thailand to share the good news wasn’t cool enough, my team got to go on a 4 day excursion to Chiang Mai. Monday and Tuesday was the Buddhist holiday, Khao Phansa, so we did not have to teach and many students had midterms so they would not be able to spend time with us. The best part was, two amazing university students were able to go with us making the trip so much more fun. We left Friday night on a one hour bus ride to Khon Kaen and got on our 12 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai. I unfortunately had one of my most embarrassing but funniest experiences on this trip when I chased down the bus that I had gotten off of to use the restroom only to find out it was just hooking up to drain its septic tank around the corner… but of course not speaking Thai only caused this to be more frustrating and confusing at 3am. After making it to Chiang Mai after circling all of the scary cliffs we went to our (by choice for a cheaper price) non-air conditioned Chang Guesthouse rooms around 10am, we walked down the street and cut a deal with Jack from Green Echo tourist company (I highly recommend) to make sure we did everything we could while we there. We did the night safari that night and it seriously felt like something from Jurassic Park. It was so beautiful and exciting. On Sunday we rode elephants through the rainforest, villages, and the river, walked through a local village where I could not resist buying from two small girls with their arms covered in bracelets (they were good), played in a waterfall, had an awesome lunch with a couple from London, and then got to go rafting on bamboo rafts. It was an absolute terrific day with some awesome tour guides. Then we went to the Sunday night Bazaar which is larger than the rest of the night. Endless rows of markets were formed where Kristen and I searched for hours for all of you special people some really cool things. Unfortunately, we came to realize that we were used to Sarakham markets and lower prices or vendors more willing to haggle their prices down. It was not later until we were in our rooms looking over what we had purchased that we realized it was still incredibly less expensive and nicer than in America. Then came Monday, we got picked up with and brought to the orchid farm. I have never seen so many gorgeous flowers in my life; you could even buy preserved orchid jewelry… I did not though. Then we went whitewater rafting in a river through the rainforest, it was so much fun. We were with five other French people my age so I volunteered to ride on the raft with them and it was so much fun! After another amazing lunch, we started our adventure hike up the mountain to zip line across, or more fittingly, above the rainforest. Next time, I’m looking for a package where you ride an elephant to the top. The zip lining experience included 25 platforms and three Thai guides. It was our team of six Americans, our two Thai friends, and six people from Holland. I was glad our friends were there to translate… sometimes it can be scary when you see people speaking in another language as they are tying yourself to a cable and getting ready to push you off a plank of wood meters above the trees. We ended that night by eating Mexican food (a first in two months) and then spending a few hours in the night market. The whole day was so much fun. Our last day on Tuesday, we were supposed to checkout by 11am but because we had so many bags, our super sweet guesthouse owners let us keep one room to take showers in and a locked storage room for us all to keep our bags in until it was time go to the bus stop. Our day was spent by going to Wat Prathat Doi Suthep. It was actually cool that we went on this day because the holiday was still going on so we saw the rituals happening. After the Doi Suthep, we went to a few more specialty shops such as Baan Celadon (very nice and expensive ceramics) and then we were off to the bus station. After I had realized earlier in the day that my bank card had been stolen and I had to wake up Erica at 4am to help me (so sorry again sis), I was not expecting more things to go wrong. We were told by the bus station employee that we had missed our bus; our tickets were for Monday night and that we would have to buy more tickets and all of the bus were full. Oh Lord, help us, I thought. I was quickly reminded of smiling and keeping my patience even though this posed a serious dilemma seen how I had no money and my team had to be back to teach in 15 hours. Thanks to having our Thai friends with us, they were able to work out where three rode in the floor on one bus leaving in time to get back to teach and the other five of us wait on the 3:45am bus and try to get tickets. The not so great situation quickly became an adventure and knowing someone would be able to teach was comforting so the rest of us walked down the street and found a guesthouse that would rent us an air conditioned room for us all to chill out in until our bus. We got snacked and had a fun time talking and laughing together. We then got to experience the beautiful parts of the drive back to Sarakham in daylight. Thank God for the little things.

Awesome Hosts

So yeah, I just wanted to throw in here how amazing our host missionaries are. I could have been sent anywhere around the earth and God sent me here; Mahasarakham, Thailand where the Payne’s are keeping everyone’s spirits up. I could not tell you how many laughs we have had with this awesome couple. They and their three beautiful children, Oliver, Charlotte, and Elliot, are such an inspiration to me. I have been able to see our Lottie Moon funds in good use at work first hand in this very dark area. I have felt so comfortable and safe the whole time I was here with the advice and knowledge from Scott and Valerie. Our orientation was insightful and through. Our living quarters are very nice, and our days have been organized by prayer and experience. Valerie has cooked a great dinner and an awesome big breakfast for us too! I have greatly appreciated the love the couple shows to each other, their children, the Thai people, and to me. Scott and Valerie Payne… you rock.

Bangkok

As a group decision, Ginny, Josh, and I decided we would have a free weekend to visit Bangkok. Hannah went to Sisaket to visit a missionary family she knew and Kristen and Becca wanted to stay at the center for the weekend. Ginny’s special friend, Dan Vangsnes is serving as a missionary in Bangkok for the summer with his brother Ryan and his friend Gary. You may recognize the names from last year’s tragic car accident of Scott Minnear, Dan, Ryan, and Jeremy Vangsnes leaving three severely injured and Jeremy still to this day paralyzed. It has been a year since the car accident on July 21st. Family and friends raise support and encouragement with “Be Jeremy’s Legs” bracelets that I have the honor to wear and use as a reminder of my mission. LINK: http://www.fanhouse.com/videos/video/tagedge/be-jeremys-legs/696177495. Our trip to Bangkok was such an amazing experience. We were able to stay in a guestroom in the BSC (Baptist Student Center) and see the program they have continually growing. They teach English and share God’s word with anyone who will hear it. I was able to meet dozens of Thai Christians, many who had been saved through the spirit calling to them in this ministry. It was a good refreshment and reminder of my purpose this summer because it is very dark where I live and it can be very discouraging with such seeming apathy for God’s word when shared.

After surviving the 8 hour bus ride leaving us to take a taxi to the BSC at 6 am on Friday morning. We visited the JJ Market which is the largest market in the world. We only saw a small part but it was plenty of time for me to get some nice gifts for you guys! We also ate at SUBWAY (!!!!!!!!) for lunch in Siam Paragon which is a huge mall. Note the excitement of how amazing it was to eat a sandwich. The guys pointed out some of the areas that were burned during the political riots and showed us the mall that was heavily attacked. We then went on a long-tail boat tour down the Chao Phraya River that lasted about an hour with a stop to the dock of the snake farm. At the snake farm was several zoo-like exhibits where we bought bananas to feed the monkeys and such. The tiger they had gave us quite a good show but nothing compared to the snake show. Three snake charmers and one announcer spoke in broken English of the facts about the snakes as the show began. To our amazement we experienced a real cobra show with two cobras without any fangs or venom glands removed with one charmer. At one point the cobra shot off the stage right to my feet; very scary moment. Other snakes continued with the charmers do things I have never seen in the US, nor do I think would be legal 55. My favorite part of the trip was Saturday night. We met up with several students and visited one’s home and then went the huge park near the bridge. A couple of friends went and bought tons of food that we all shared under the moonlight in the park by the river. After dinner we went under the bridge where tons of people hang out and began to recklessly praising God. We were playing guitar, singing, and dancing and creating quite a show that many people stopped and watched. We were singing Thai praise songs and had song books and one man even came up and sang along. We also a “dance completion” with teams that including pairs of teams making up your own motions to Waves of Mercy that many near-by watchers voted for. It was so much fun to get to worship with such awesome people and make new friends. On Sunday, we got up and visited the BSC church. We were able to wear headphones and hear the English translation. Then we went to Duane and Jeanie’s house (Dan’s uncle and aunt who are missionaries in Bangkok). They prepared us a fantastic western style lunch of spaghetti, fruit and veggies, and chocolate cake. Thai students and friends came over after we ate and we had another fun day of worship and building relationships.

Na Doon

I was invited to go to a province, called Na Doon, a little over an hour away from Mahasarakham with a student that had a car. Another student of mine was able to come with us as well. It was so incredible how excited they were to make sure I was having a good time in Thailand. These particular students did not know as much English so communication was more difficult but it was just as enjoyable as any other experience here. They brought me to a Buddhist pagoda that was built in this location in honor of ancient ruins found under the earth. It was very beautiful and had a museum area around it. The students paid to have me photographed around it and the pictures were printed off there. Next we went to dinner. We ate at a restaurant in Sarakham I had never seen before. When we got out of the car my laundry lady (apparently holding a night position at this restaurant) ran up to greet me. The students were so confused to why I would recognize someone. We ate in a raised hut and had a great shared meal. Thai people generally share food unlike in America where we order our own dish. We then went to the market and had my nails done. I let my friend pick out the design, orange and white with flowers it was 5555! 5 or five=Ha in Thai, so they write this instead of hahaha :). We ended the night with an ice funny that they ran ahead and ordered for me so I couldn’t pay. As we went back to my apartment, my friends continued to question if I had fun. I am overwhelmed with the generosity of my new friends!

Roi-Et

All six member of my team piled into one of our students car (eight in all) and headed to her hometown province, Roi-Et. Her home is in the town of Roi-Et and she brought us all to meet her family and take us sight-seeing. We got to visit the tallest Buddha in Asia. It stood 67.5 meters tall overall. As emotional as you could imagine this was for us, it was a good reminder of why we are here. That night, her mother took us all out to dinner for yet more foods we had never seen before. It was so generous and we appreciated her bringing us for the day more than she will ever know.

The next weekend (this past weekend), Hannah and I had the opportunity to go back to Ro-Et for three days and two nights with her and her family. We jumped on the invitation and were even more excited to hear about the places our friend would take us. She brought us to Wat Pha Nam Yoi which is very famous in Thailand. We parked and then had a small hike up to the top of a hill where we were in awe. It was a massive temple six huge stories high. The gardens and water fountains inside the quad were gorgeous along with the immaculate designs with such precise detail. The way back to our car was even more fun walking down a brick wall-like walkway overlooking the mountains and hundreds of rice fields. I took dozens of pictures and sadly half of them were of the peacock I saw on the way down. We got to eat in a hut near the temple and it was such an extraordinary experience. Every meal on this trip, the previous, was provided for me and Hannah and we were able to try even more Thai dishes that were new to us. The next day we got to go to Roi-Et’s aquarium and have an awesome, conversation-filled, ride home. Besides being completely spoiled with real air conditioning, amazing food, and a soft bed, the generosity and quality time we shared was priceless.

Learning to Cook Thai Food

The same student then came over to my apartment on two different occasions with yet more interesting ingredients and taught me to cook green curry, ki jeow, and Asian spring rolls. All of which I am sure my roommate is going to appreciate when I get back. The experience of hanging out with these awesome students and seeing how excited they are to hang out with me has been such encouragement that I thank God for everyday. Please continue to pray for opportunities for me to share and to show His love and His purpose.

Suki

One of my students had me and my team over to her condo to cook and eat suki together. It, like most of my favorite Thai foods, is just plain fun to eat. She taught us how you cook the suki in a skillet appliance and begin mixing together different meats, vegetables, and spices. The student purchased the huge quantities of ingredients herself and worked very hard on the preparation to ensure we had a night we would never forget (and I will not).

Aerobics in the Park

There have been several days when I have had the chance to go to the local park in the mornings and run and it has been so fun but always very few people there, if any. Last Thursday I had the opportunity to go with two students in the evening to do aerobics. I thought I had entered I new world. The park was packed with Thai people doing so many different physical activities. People were running, dancing, playing Thai games, other sports or working out on the available facilities. This was one of the coolest cultural differences I have yet to see. In America, it always seems like the parks that are crowed have lots of people sitting around but not here! It was more fun than any other work-out I have ever been to. Aerobics is held with a trainer everyday in the park at 6pm. I am not sure who pays for this because it is free but it definitely gives a good example of how healthy this country’s people are. As I began the warm-up I thought, “Okay, there is a sixty year old woman in front of me, I can do this.” The truth is, she kicked my butt in the aerobics rating scale. Given, all direction was in Thai but I still don’t think I would ever be able to do some of the moves they did. The hardest part was probably following the Thai direction when the Thai jams transitioned into the Cha Cha Slide remix. I have to admit me, Kristen, and Ginny did clap our hands though.

The hour work-out turned a bit to the dramatic side when, to my surprise, a large green snake fell from the over-head tree right beside me. I looked down and said, “a snake. A SNAKE!!!!!!” I large bird had tried to capture it in the tree and continued the failed attempts to catch it as it slithered past me. The long, green snake hurried to the gazebo next to me and entered a woman’s purse; fortunately, the group of break dancing boys inside worked together with their badminton rackets to remove the snake from its sanctuary and saved the day. Even through all this commotion, most of the Thais continued their routine without batting an eye hah. I think this gives proof to my extreme workouts here in Thailand.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Well, I had my first ice cream sandwich today… literally. We’re talking a roll type of bread with a first layering of clear gelatin balls (they put these on most desserts here), a glob of rice, strawberry and coconut ice cream topped with strawberry sauce and chocolate magic shell. Yum. Hannah and I could not resist sharing such an interesting creation. We are still not quite sure if the Thais fully understand bread yet, but they try. Hahaha!