Rain came down all day today. It started as we traveled to church this morning and continued on into the evening.
The church service was held in a tiny little mountain church where about 12 people attend. A dirt path led us down over a hill into dense green vegetation. We took our shoes off to enter the small wooden church. Less than 1% of the population of the village is Christian. I was encouraged and challenged by the dedication of the church-goers. They have decided to serve the Lord when it is definitely not an easy decision or popular lifestyle. After church we enjoyed lunch then drove into town for Internet. But, no Internet was to be found so we drove the hour back out to the house. Rain continued to come down, but the drive was beautiful.
Fields of rice, corn, soybean, and pumpkin dotted the valleys and hills. The heat and rain has caused all of us to feel a little sluggish. For beds we have rather hard two-inch thick mattresses. There is very little furniture, because most hill-tribe people sit on the ground. I have pulled out my air mattress because my back is not used to the lack of furniture and padding. Many of the older women walk bent over at the waist. They seem to have back problems from time spent in the fields and from sleeping and sitting on the hard ground.
Here is a shot of our bathroom. It seems to be a pretty typical set-up for the hill tribe region, but not typical of the cities.
