Here are my most memorable memories of Thailand and pictures to go with each. It's been a crazy three weeks here and so much has happened but here's just the main things!
Elephant Riding and Bamboo Rafting
Day 4 of Thailand we were given the option on our off day to go to a waterfall, go elephant riding, and go bamboo rafting all in one day! One out of the three would have been pretty exciting, but we were blessed with a fun filled day with lots of adventure.
Songkran Water Festival
Again, we were blessed with the perfect timing of being in Thailand during the annual Songkran Water Festival. It is a 4-day festival where basically it is a free-for-all to throw buckets of water, water guns, hoses, or whatever else you can find on perfect strangers on the streets. Two of my teammates and I went to the festival one day with some of our new Thai friends and had an absolute blast getting to know them.
Running a 5K
Checked another thing off my bucket list by running in a race in a foreign country. I've only run one other 5K in my life, and had only a week to prepare for it, but it was so worth it. It was an even bigger accomplishment because only three weeks prior I had my giant cast still on my leg. God definitely gave me the strength and energy to finish the race!
Slum Ministry with Children
Twice a week we go to a nearby slum neighborhood to play and hang out with the children in the area. Usually only less than ten kids or so come by, but the few that have, have definitely stolen most of our hearts. There's a pretty big language barrier but that hasn't stopped us from playing soccer, coloring, or giving piggy-back rides all afternoon.
photo credit: KIrsten Hughes
photo credit: Kirsten Hughes
Releasing Lanterns
This past Thursday evening, we had a surprise get together for two of our squad leaders that both happened to have a birthday on the same day. We gave them words of affirmation and had some delicious cake, and then after the guys left, the girls released two huge Thai lanterns into the sky! We actually started with three lanterns but had some difficulty lighting the first one and only two made it successfully into the night sky.
Thailand has been a busy but rewarding month. Our schedules were pretty packed everyday and did ministry in the slums, a nearby university, in bars, and some of us worked in Zion Cafe with our contact. Can't believe month 4 is already coming to a close. Onto Malaysia in just a few short days!
P.S.- I'm still in need of almost $4000 by our June 30th deadline. If you feel led to donate and keep me going on this amazing experience click on the 'Support Me' tab on the left! So thankful for all my supporters, and I wouldn't be here without you all!
