Rest and Explore
The past few days have been filled with cultural immersion and adventures, and we're excited to share our experiences with you!
Tuesday morning, we kicked off our day with a rooftop devotional in the Burma hotel. Two of the band members from the Christian band in Bangkok shared their testimonies. Both had amazing stories about lives of addiction lived for selfish gain totally transformed when they encountered Christ. It was a huge encouragement to our students, and it helped them see beyond the peaceful front of Buddhism into some of the more problematic aspects of the religion that keep its followers bound in fear.
After that, we left the hotel and crossed the border back into Thailand. We had a long drive home, about 5-6 hours, so we took a pit stop at a big tourist stop, the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is the exact point where Laos, Burma, and Thailand all meet up.
While there, we got to go on a spectacular boat ride that dropped us off on Laos for some brief shopping.
Then, we crossed back into Thailand and observed the Buddhist temple (wat) and giant Buddha statue (we didn't go in). Then we walked out to the actual point where the countries meet - we can now say we've been in 3 countries at once, and we have photo evidence to prove it!
After that fun stop, we continued on our long drive. Our original restaurant chosen for dinner wasn't available, so we had to be flexible as we were in a remote area. We ended up taking the students to the 7-11 for microwaveable meals, snacks and drinks. Even though it wasn't an appealing dinner, we didn't hear one complaint from the students! It was cool for the leaders to see our team grow so much in humility and grace that they could accept that without grumbling.
We spent the night back at the Grove where we started our trip. The next morning, we got up bright and early for a big day of touring and intercultural experiences.
Our first stop was Elephant Camp, a long-anticipated treat the students have been excited about for months. We started with a long bamboo raft ride on the river, floating through the jungle and past people riding elephants. Some of the elephant drivers had their elephants spray water from their trunks on our rafts as we passed!
We got back in time for an elephant show. Elephants are amazingly smart creatures who can be trained to do elaborate tricks! The elephant trainers had taught their animals choreographed dances, acrobatic poses, how to place hats on people's heads and hug and kiss them with their trunks, how to dunk basketballs and kick soccer balls, how to swing hula hoops around their trunks, and even how to paint trees and bushes and other elephants. Those elephants could paint better than some of us!
Finally, we rode in ox carts out to the place where we boarded elephants, two at a time, and rode them through the river and along paths for a few kilometers. It was a new experience for almost everyone. Back at the camp, we bought bunches of sugar cane and bananas and spent time feeding some of the smaller elephants!
Then it was onto our next activity. The vans took us up to the top of a hill overlooking Chiang Mai to the Buddhist wat there. Before arriving, we discussed spiritual warfare and had a time of prayer. We climbed the 300+ steps and entered. The architecture was truly breathtaking, and the city overlook was great (but pretty smoggy). We removed our shoes to go inside and spent time in solemn, prayerful observation. It was a powerful interfaith experience for the students, especially after studying so much about Buddhism. Kelsey and Caroline had a great conversation about Jesus Christ being the true source of peace and spent time in prayer for the city, that they might come to experience that peace that transcends understanding.
The next item on our agenda was a Tuk Tuk tour of Chiang Mai. Tuk Tuks are little 2 person taxis, and we rode them around the ancient city wall, taking in the sights and sounds. There was even a little friendly smack talk between the taxis as different groups passed each other!
Dinner was a fun cultural experience, too. We went to a hibachi-style place (where food is cooked in front of you), only it was self-service! You went up to the buffet bar and grabbed all your meat and vegetables, and then cooked it around a shared grill on the table. Nathan was voted the best student chef, as he cooked strip steak mad bacon to perfection.
We ended our fun day with a couple hours in the Night Bazaar, bartering, purchasing souvenirs and gifts for friends and family, and enjoying delicious fruit smoothies. Some of you back home have some awesome gifts coming your way! We got back to the Grove late and went almost immediately to bed to prepare for our last day of ministry in Thailand tomorrow.
It's hard to believe this trip is almost over. We'll see you all soon!
Tuesday morning, we kicked off our day with a rooftop devotional in the Burma hotel. Two of the band members from the Christian band in Bangkok shared their testimonies. Both had amazing stories about lives of addiction lived for selfish gain totally transformed when they encountered Christ. It was a huge encouragement to our students, and it helped them see beyond the peaceful front of Buddhism into some of the more problematic aspects of the religion that keep its followers bound in fear.
After that, we left the hotel and crossed the border back into Thailand. We had a long drive home, about 5-6 hours, so we took a pit stop at a big tourist stop, the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is the exact point where Laos, Burma, and Thailand all meet up.
While there, we got to go on a spectacular boat ride that dropped us off on Laos for some brief shopping.
Then, we crossed back into Thailand and observed the Buddhist temple (wat) and giant Buddha statue (we didn't go in). Then we walked out to the actual point where the countries meet - we can now say we've been in 3 countries at once, and we have photo evidence to prove it!
After that fun stop, we continued on our long drive. Our original restaurant chosen for dinner wasn't available, so we had to be flexible as we were in a remote area. We ended up taking the students to the 7-11 for microwaveable meals, snacks and drinks. Even though it wasn't an appealing dinner, we didn't hear one complaint from the students! It was cool for the leaders to see our team grow so much in humility and grace that they could accept that without grumbling.
We spent the night back at the Grove where we started our trip. The next morning, we got up bright and early for a big day of touring and intercultural experiences.
Our first stop was Elephant Camp, a long-anticipated treat the students have been excited about for months. We started with a long bamboo raft ride on the river, floating through the jungle and past people riding elephants. Some of the elephant drivers had their elephants spray water from their trunks on our rafts as we passed!
We got back in time for an elephant show. Elephants are amazingly smart creatures who can be trained to do elaborate tricks! The elephant trainers had taught their animals choreographed dances, acrobatic poses, how to place hats on people's heads and hug and kiss them with their trunks, how to dunk basketballs and kick soccer balls, how to swing hula hoops around their trunks, and even how to paint trees and bushes and other elephants. Those elephants could paint better than some of us!
Finally, we rode in ox carts out to the place where we boarded elephants, two at a time, and rode them through the river and along paths for a few kilometers. It was a new experience for almost everyone. Back at the camp, we bought bunches of sugar cane and bananas and spent time feeding some of the smaller elephants!
Then it was onto our next activity. The vans took us up to the top of a hill overlooking Chiang Mai to the Buddhist wat there. Before arriving, we discussed spiritual warfare and had a time of prayer. We climbed the 300+ steps and entered. The architecture was truly breathtaking, and the city overlook was great (but pretty smoggy). We removed our shoes to go inside and spent time in solemn, prayerful observation. It was a powerful interfaith experience for the students, especially after studying so much about Buddhism. Kelsey and Caroline had a great conversation about Jesus Christ being the true source of peace and spent time in prayer for the city, that they might come to experience that peace that transcends understanding.
The next item on our agenda was a Tuk Tuk tour of Chiang Mai. Tuk Tuks are little 2 person taxis, and we rode them around the ancient city wall, taking in the sights and sounds. There was even a little friendly smack talk between the taxis as different groups passed each other!
Dinner was a fun cultural experience, too. We went to a hibachi-style place (where food is cooked in front of you), only it was self-service! You went up to the buffet bar and grabbed all your meat and vegetables, and then cooked it around a shared grill on the table. Nathan was voted the best student chef, as he cooked strip steak mad bacon to perfection.
We ended our fun day with a couple hours in the Night Bazaar, bartering, purchasing souvenirs and gifts for friends and family, and enjoying delicious fruit smoothies. Some of you back home have some awesome gifts coming your way! We got back to the Grove late and went almost immediately to bed to prepare for our last day of ministry in Thailand tomorrow.
It's hard to believe this trip is almost over. We'll see you all soon!
Comments
Post a Comment