Oh, Thailand. Where do I even begin describing my month in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever encountered? I suppose I’ll start on the night we arrived. After our (slightly longer than expected) journey, the bus we were on dropped us off on the side of the road in Phang Nga, the town where we would be for the month. Never was there a more appropriate name for team Boxcar Children than at that moment. There we were, standing on the side of the road late at night (seemingly in the middle of nowhere) with all our belongings. Not much time passed before two vehicles pulled up beside us. My initial thought upon seeing the large van was something along the lines of “well here we are, seven white girls…but if anyone tries to kidnap us they’ll have to fight us all first.” Thankfully, the van was followed by a truck with the EaglesRest Foundation logo on the side, and we knew it was our ministry hosts who had come to our rescue! We loaded up and headed off to get dinner before going to the guest house where we would staying for the month.
And so began the adventure that was Thailand.
As far as ministry goes, it was probably the most diverse month I’ve had on the Race. We did everything from chair reupholstery and other home improvement chores to programs at a local school and church to painting a fence, sewing finger puppets, and building a sandpit at a preschool. At the end of each day, we would have a delicious dinner with our hosts, Janene and Rommel, and their two teenage kids at their home before joining the family in nightly sessions of singing hymns. After being away from home for seven months, it was nice to be part of their family while we were there and enjoy some good home-cooked meals!
If ever the phrase “work hard, play hard” applied, it was in Thailand. Our hosts kept us busy doing ministry but made sure we had an enjoyable experience by planning lots of fun activities for us as well. We rode elephants, went on an island tour, and got Thai massages, just to name a few things. I must say, though, even with all the amazing activities we did I think one of the biggest highlights of my month was a little place called Cafe Amazon, or as I like to call it, “The Amazon.” After our first visit to The Amazon, it quickly became a favorite among several members of our team. Rommel was kind enough to take us there nearly every day, either on our way to ministry in the mornings or on our way home in the afternoons. Regardless of the time of day, it was impossible to refuse a delicious, freshly-made iced espresso. Each time we walked into the Amazon, the girls who worked there greeted us with the biggest smiles on their faces. If there is one thing I’ve learned on the World Race it’s the power of a smile to transcend language barriers. You may not be able to communicate verbally with someone when you don’t speak the same language, but sometimes something as simple as a smile speaks volumes more than words ever could.
Each day in Thailand brought new and exciting experiences. The variety of ministry along with all the fun adventures in between meant that no two days were ever the same. Throughout the month there was one Bible verse that frequently came to my mind:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31
We were created in the image of God for the purpose of glorifying Him. So no matter what we did on any given day, whether it was working at the preschool or riding elephants, cleaning or getting coffee at Amazon, I always found myself coming back to these words from 1 Corinthians.
It was an incredible month, and I am very thankful for the time I was able to spend in such a beautiful country.
Here are just a few photos to give you an idea of what my month looked like:
The beloved van that transported us nearly everywhere we went
Team Boxcar Children with Janene, Rommel, Jeff, and Nikki. They’re a great family!
Painting the fence at Rainbow Preschool
Miss Peggy is the sweet lady who runs Rainbow Preschool. She made us feel SO welcome!
Casey and I learned how to mix cement as the base for a flagpole at the preschool.
This is Jingles, the friendly neighborhood dog who frequently visited us when we were working at the EaglesRest office. We quickly became friends!
Doing a little sightseeing at one of the many temples in Phang Nga
At the school where we put on a program for several hundred children
Courty and I on the elephant. So much fun!
We went swimming in a waterfall one afternoon. The water felt so good after working outside in the heat all day!
At James Bond Island wearing my *stylish* new hat
Island hopping. I can’t get over the beauty of this place.
Our final visit to The Amazon with Rommel!
We each got to light a lantern on our final night with our hosts. Such a cool experience!
