Mama, I made it to Thailand! It took four days, four flights (one which was 15 hours), a 24 hour layover in LA, and a time zone change that made Wednesday non-existent but we finally made it! We have only been here a week but I already love it, and I have a very good feeling about the next season in Asia.
The next three months look very different than our three months in Central America. My squad and I will be in Thailand for this upcoming month, then we will be going to Myanmar for a month, and then we will return to Thailand for a second month before traveling to Swaziland to spent our last 3 months on the race. This month though, our 7 teams will be split up instead of living together in one place. For me and my team, we will be living alongside 2 other all girl teams in Chiang Mai. There are so many markets within walking distance, places on the street to buy the best $1 pad Thai, cool coffee shops to explore and many other things to experience while we are here. It’s going to be an adventurous month, although very different than the adventures in Guatemala.
On our second day in Thailand, to help immerse us into the culture and to see more of the city, we visited a Buddhist temple called Wat Chedi Luang. As Christians, especially being in Thailand for the soul purpose of sharing the Gospel, going to the temple could be hard for our hearts to experience so we went about it prayerfully, relying very much on Holy Spirit. Alongside that, we didn’t go to the temple with the intentions of directly telling them about Jesus. If the opportunity came up to share what we believe then great but that wasn’t the point. We are strangers here–foreigners in Thailand. We went to the temple to learn about the common beliefs of the country we are currently calling home, so we can respect, understand, and love the people we meet better. Because thats what following Jesus is truly about, loving people.
Honestly, the temple was beautiful. The intricate and lavish designs caught my eye and were completely captivating. But also being honest, my heart was heavy knowing these temples were filled with idols. At this specific temple, there is also a school for monks and novices, providing education and a good way of life for them. For part of their classes, they talk to tourists to improve their English so we got to spend a good majority of our time simply talking with monks.
I met many different monks, learning their names and ages. I learned a lot about Buddhism and why they like living this lifestyle. They shared their favorite activities, which for many are things like drawing. They also like pop culture and watching movies like Pirates of the Caribbean— it helps them learn English!
I didn’t realize how little I knew about monks and their lifestyle. But after meeting monks and forming real relationships, as funny as it sounds, suddenly this way of life sits a lot closer to home and I realize these are real people who love Katy Perry and dream of traveling the world. They are some of the funniest people I have ever met! I can’t wait to go back and spend more time with them.
Guatemala was a hard season of rebuilding my life-long foundation ( check the last blog ). It was full of adventure and new things. It was full of independence and becoming my own person. It will always hold a special place in my heart and even though it was heartbreaking to leave, I know that Asia is a new season full of more. More growth, more joy, more adventures, more relationships, more lessons, more LIFE. God brings us from glory to glory. Central America was incredible, but I know Asia will be incredible too.
– haven
