Second Month in Northern Thailand

  

Sawadee

 
 Time is flying by much too fast and now less than a month remains before we head home. Yet, the Lord has provided us with some unfinished business that we are looking forward to accomplishing with the energy and strength He promises to provide in spite of the extreme heat and increasingly high levels of air pollution.

    Yes, the temperatures are a bit overwhelming for Minnesotans and range from mid-90's to over 100 every day. Although the nights do drop into the 60's we find it uncomfortable to leave the windows open because of the smoke in the air coming from the rice and corn fields being burned in preparation for next season's planting and forest fires set ablaze to allow next year's mushrooms to flourish. The Air Quality Index is currently at 156 and climbing with a score of 100 being unhealthy. In contrast, Minneapolis today had an AQI reading of 50, so cold is not always so bad.

View from our apartment in January

View from our apartment in February (starting to see some pollution)

View from our apartment in March (air quality getting worse and worse)

    Highlights this past month have included completing our one month Thai language class, which we are hopeful to build upon even after returning home in preparation for our next season in Thailand. Another highlight has been developing new friends and acquaintances around our apartment complex that include some condo residents and staff. We have also developed some relationships among several restaurant owners and workers, various families at the different churches we've attended, other missionaries with exciting ministries, and street vendors (especially those selling fresh fruit).

Thai language class with our two teachers and another student from India

Moriah's favorite eating place for lunch on days we had Thai class

Menu in Thai, but no problem after starting to learn the language (Yeah, right!)

Here's what we got, their specialty (blue from the anchan wild herbal flower)

Picking pork off the bone with chop sticks is an art form

Enjoying Moriah's favorite dish- it is really tasty and only about $1.30 per serving

Thai style barbecue chicken another favorite along with their papaya salad

Lyndell and Moriah attended a Valentine's Day party sponsored by Campus Outreach missionaries to help foster new relationships with the university students. A program was presented relating to the love of God demonstrated in sending His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins.

Valentine's Day party for university students

We also made the short 9 mile trip (by Songthaew) up the nearby mountain to tour the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a sacred site for many Thai people. Hundreds of first year students make a pilgrimage up to the top of this mountain at the start of each new school year at Chiang Mai University as sort of an initiation to their college career.

Ready to climb the 309 steps to view the temple at 5,500 feet elevation

Large stupa at the top of the climb

Guardian of the temple

Another guardian dragon

Statue of Hindu god Ganesh with that of the Buddha

Reminds us of what our entrance way looks like at our home during family holiday gatherings

 Young hill tribe girl wearing traditional clothing

Emerald Buddha

Wouldn't that be a great way to travel?

New meaning to "white elephant"- actually a legend behind this one (ask me sometime)

    Gary had the opportunity to travel with the president of the Operation Mobilization Fellowship (OMF) Hmong churches to a province west of Chiang Mai near the Burma border. The trip took over 6 hours by car traveling along a narrow and very windy road to reach the mountain villages they visited. Upon arriving he was asked to speak to over 70 students at a Christian hostel, ages 7-18, regarding the importance of education and doing their best as unto the Lord. The following day he preached at a small home church with about 20 adults in attendance, encouraging them to remain steadfast and immovable in their work for the Lord. Upon hearing that Gary was traveling to their village, one of the ladies of the church had offered to slaughter her pig to serve as a special dinner treat after the worship service. They had been expecting Lyndell and Moriah as well, however, they had to stay behind because Moriah had developed a high fever and diarrhea.

Meeting with some key Christian Hmong leaders working with hill tribes

Famous herbal Christian doctor from Karen people group among the hill tribes

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Hostel children singing special hymn in English for Gary- "Bless the Lord O My Soul"

Current boy dorm at hostel in Hmong hill tribe area

New dorm under construction for use this coming fall

Hmong hill tribe village house

Interior of Hmong hill tribe home

Established Hmong hill tribe village church about 12 years old

New home church members and some of the children

Proposed site for new church building that we prayed over for the Lord's blessing

Special pork dinner after church service

Hard working women who not only cook, but clean up afterwards in the heat of the day

Efficient method to air dry the dinner dishes

Dr. Joe from Texas and Director of Barefoot Doctors Program

Teaching session for Barefoot Doctors from Burma

These fish do a great job on the calluses 

Moriah really did want to do this

Frequent trip to market for delicious fresh fruit

Results of a successful trip to the fruit market-Yummm!

Answer to prayer as student found Gary's iPhone after leaving it on a songthaew

Oh no! Now where exactly did I park my motorcycle?

 

Great restaurant where you actually need a reservation since it is so popular

 

Sipping "real" coffee at a shop where we've treated ourselves a couple times

However, Moriah would prefer Thai ice milk tea

Finally, Gary concluded his time of teaching this week to a group of 12 developing "medics" from Shan state in Burma. This was done at a camp outside of Chiang Mai and sponsored by the Free Burma Rangers: http://www.freeburmarangers.org. Ample time was permitted to share the gospel over the course of the days spent with the students who were all Buddhist. The "star" student was presented an extraction kit to take back to his village in a remote area of Burma which has no easy access to medical or dental care.

Road through mango trees to teaching location

Students sleeping in hammocks among mango trees

Lecture on prevention of dental disease

Explanation of different instruments for tooth extraction

Student volunteer as patient to have painful infected lower molar removed

Making sure all is going well as student removes tooth

Another student volunteers to be a patient 

Shan students

My "star" student who received extraction kit understood English

Student hugging me had tooth removed; my translator in white shirt

Setting of Free Burma Ranger (FBR) ranch for teaching

     Yesterday we made the 10 hour roundtrip to the Burma border to renew our travel visas and now we are preparing for our upcoming short-term ministry trip to a village in the jungle of central Cambodia. Please pray that we will be able to endure the high heat and humidity in order to be able to carry out the ministry plans we hope to do there including dental care, gospel presentation and a Bible school program for the children.

Whew! Good thing for the owner of this red car we came by when we did!

Seriously, for the lives of those precious people who have yet to receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ it is vital that they hear the gospel. Please pray we are faithful to the small part we are privileged to be a part of while hear in Thailand.

First Three Weeks in Chiang Mai

Greetings from Chiang Mai    

Day off from visiting with people spent at the zoo

   Our return to Chiang Mai for a 3 month stay this time instead of last year's 2 week visit has given us a new lens through which we are observing our surroundings. Everything was new and exciting last year and much of the time we ventured about like the typical tourist interested in observing how people lived in a different culture, eating their cuisine and traveling around seeing many of the sites. Although we still exhibit quite a bit of that tourist-like excitement, we are also viewing things trying to understand and learn best how to do life in this culture for an extended period of time.
    We have certainly been confirmed in our thinking that learning to converse in the Thai language is necessary if we ever want to relate to most of the people we see on a day to day basis. Of course there are English speakers here, but we limit our abilities to really meet new people if we can not understand one another.












This is obvious, but there are many Westerners living here who have not taken the time to learn Thai and live more or less in an expat bubble. Our hope is to be better equipped to engage the Thai on a day to day basis.
                      

God's call to the people of Chiang Mai- Turn to my Son and live!

Orchids pretty much a dime a dozen and so beautiful

 Therefore, much of our time and energy for the remaining weeks we have left here until we return in mid-April will be to start learning the language.
    Struggling to learn a new language will not necessarily be exciting news to write home about, however, our long term goal of reaching many Thai with the gospel should keep us motivated to plug along with the aid of your prayers. Our hope is that through Jesus Christ we can do this for His glory in our life as we live among the Buddhists here who need to know the Lord.

Not very difficult to find beautiful flower arrangements

    We have been in our two bedroom apartment now for almost 2 weeks and have been making acquaintances with the front desk people, several neighbors and restaurant workers who speak English. Living close to Chiang Mai University is like most college areas with a lot of activity, traffic and noise. There are several night clubs that play loud music every night until the wee hours, which are just a block away. The whirring sound from our ceiling fans sort of drowns out the music except for the beating of the percussion. We're beginning to adjust to it without wearing ear plugs like the last residents used when they lived here.
    Most of our days thus far have been visiting with other missionaries and learning about their ministries and then having the opportunity to pray with them. We have also had the opportunity to visit with a few non-Christians who, like so many of the Thai people, are some of the most pleasant and kind people we have ever met.

Korean BBQ dinner with Scott and Jenny at their home (Missionaries to Thailand, China and Burma)

Paul from Cadence International with whom Gary will travel with to Cambodia in March

    Traveling around the city without a car or motorcycle requires us to use the little red truck taxis called songthaews. Short distances cost 20 Baht per person with 32 Baht to the US dollar. Distance across the city can run up to 50-60 Baht per person, still very inexpensive as are many things here including food. Except for breakfast eaten in our apartment, we usually spend from about $1.00 to $4.00 per entree per person for the other meals. The food is unbelievably delicious just about where ever we go, however, we have already selected a few favorites within an easy walk from our place. Our apartment is clean, bright and cheerful with A/C, however since it cools down to the around 60 at night we haven't used it much yet. Our rent is $490/month plus utilities and a maintenance fee, so the total may be around $650/month total. Being close to the university drives up the price a bit, but we needed to be in the city without having a personal means of transportation.

    We've included some more pictures with captions to give you an idea of a few of the people and things we have seen so far. We again thank you for your continued prayers and trust that God will be using us for His glory even as we begin our Thai language classes.
 

Negotiating for fare to ride a songthaew and trying to explain where we want to go

Entrance to Chiang Mai University Suan Sak Campus- approx. 25,000 students

Need to get one of these next time for fast and cheap transportation 

Breakfast at a market restaurant after getting tired of oatmeal at home

Beauty and the Beast- Notice dragon heads on a flower float seen at annual Flower Festival 

Exceptional work by street market artist- so talented and gifted by a God he does not know

Sunday night street market about 1 mile long attracts tourists from all over the world

Enjoying a leisurely breakfast before moving into our apartment

Flowers for daily decorating the shrines, temples and private spirit houses

Toilets for just about everyone

Buying fresh fruit for home snacks-mangosteen a favorite for all of us

Ever seen or tasted such delicious watermelon? Nope! It's the greatest.

Rose bowl parade flower float imitation yet still impressive

Banyan tree with colorful cloth wrapping evidence of combining Hindu and Buddhist beliefs

Local laundromat- 20 to 40 Baht per load

Typical breakfast (fried rice with fresh coconut and omelet) while staying in our hotel for a week

Yes, more than Thai food is available here. How about some delicious Middle Eastern.

Bottles with beetles kept for good luck at currency exchange shop

A little artistic touch with our coffee latte and mocha at Ristr8to's

A favorite located nearby, Christian owned- a little over $1.00 per entree (why cook at home?)

Lunch inside the Blessed Food Restaurant- we feel blessed to be here in Chiang Mai

Renewed acquaintance with Toon who I had met last year at Monk Chat

Typical Thai lunch with a fried egg on rice, stir fried minced pork and soup broth

 Thai iced tea served in a bag of ice from street vendor

Sipping fresh lychee and passion fruit drinks at a favorite salad restaurant with Westerners

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Dinner with former residents of our apartment- total bill $6.00 (let's eat out more often)

Dr. Nik, a pediatric dentist with his wife and associate in his dental clinic

   

Sunday worship at "The Gathering" in one of the Lotus Hotel's ballrooms

View from our table at our favorite vegetarian restaurant in our neighborhood

 Purple anchan lemonade made from sweet pea flower (?)

Organic vegetarian yellow curry with tempeh and red chili stir fried rice
(extremely flavorful and extra ordinarily healthy)

Restaurant on the front right, another favorite on our soi (street)

May the beauty of Christ be known among the millions of people here in Thailand.