“Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.”
-Prov. 16:18
Just a Day in the Park…or was it?
Did a barking deer just cross my path? Was that a bunch of monkeys that just walked by? Up in the mountains where the air is thinner; in the jungle where the moist air abounds; in a large park where people walk for miles to get somewhere; with one road where you hitch a ride for free; six girls and the nature-God’s creation. Where do I begin. We set off on a journey to be adventurous on our day off. We headed for Khaoyai National Park which is known for being the most beautiful park in Thailand to visit. Wild animals, jungle, waterfalls, camping, and hiking all available. Sounds like a place for six adventurous women. Little did we know how adventurous this would end up to be; but God knew.
We took a train from Buriram to Pak Chong a few hours away. The ride there was a wonderful time for God and I to talk and listen to each other. Arriving at the train station in the morning, we got a ride another few kilometers away (yes we talk in kilometers now!), where we realized the entrance cost was twice as much as planned and budgeted which was tested our attitudes. It was so easy to complain about it, but we knew that could squeltch all our joy and ruin the whole trip so we kept on, anticipating seeing great things.
After looking at a map and seeing how large the park was, we paid for a rided to the visitor center half way up the mountain and started walking from there. Hours later we found a camping area and set up camp for the night. There were so many barking deer and they came so close to us. There was a kind older Thai man who helped us out with where was safe to place our tent. As we were setting up camp, we couldn’t believe how many monkeys surrounded us. Families of monkeys, friends, playful fighting, migrating towards their home for the night. It was so enjoyable to watch these amazing creatures just live, play, and communicate. There were also bathroom faciliites, which we shared with the monkeys, birds, and whatever other animals lived around there.
The next morning we got up early and started hiking for the waterfalls. A truck was driving by and decided to slow down for us and let us hop on for free! It was such an answer to prayer because as we drove, we saw that it would have taken us all day to hike just to the top. We got to the top and took a 20 minute hike down Orchard path where I learned what leeches look like! They were just little baby ones, but I can’t say I’m too fond of them. We constantly had to pick them off our shoes. When was the last time you did something for the first time? When was the last time you learned something new? Next was a short walk to the Haew Suwat Waterfall which was beautiful. I just stood in awe of the beauty of this nature God had created. We hiked down to see the bottom of the falls and felt the cool mist around us as we stood in the hot Thai sun. I got to praise God for what He has made. We climbed over some rocks to get closer and feel more of the splash and mist.
After much time standing in front of this awesome view, after talking to a couple other western tourists, we headed off on our hike through the jungle towards the visitor center half way down. We were on a mission and no one was stopping us. At the beginning the path was clear and we saw our first arrow at the 1 kilometer marker reaffirming we were going the right direction. We kept trecking alone and quickly realized that many paths split and every few minutes we would need to decide which one to take, but neither one were clear. Eventually, when there was no clear path at all, we knew we had to stop and decide whether to keep guessing our way through acres and acres of jungle or to turn back. We turned back, but nothing looked familiar and we weren’t sure where we had come from (except for a very general idea). When we heard thunder, we got nervous. Six girls, in the vast acres of jungle, lost, and about to get soaked, with a 1/2 loaf of bread and very little jelly left. We knew this could turn out really bad and started to get nervous. Headlines went through my head: “Six girls die in Thai Jungle.” We all stopped where we were and just prayed, we prayed silently for God to make His direction clear to us. We just took ten minutes and listened, no one talking, no one getting distracted, just focused on listening to God speak. And guess what? He did! I shouldn’t be so surprised, but God showed up and had mercy on us. We all had a sense of which direction God was telling us to go and all our ideas agreed. We didn’t speak for awhile, we just spent time listening to God direct our steps each step of the way.
God taught us SO much that day. He taught us alot about involving Him in our decisions. We never even took time to ask Him about our plans for the day. He also taught me alot about my pride. When there is an adventure and unknown standing in front of me, I take every opportunity to jump on it. But as I took off, I knew that this could potentionally be an unsafe idea, and didn’t feel peace about it, but I kept my mouth shut and let pride get in the way. Oh, “I’m tough, I can do this.” Sometimes we think we’re so tough and have strength on our own and think we don’t need God or just seem to forget about Him until we are in need. God taught me alot about listening prayer and starting my day and every decision off by listening to His plans instead of mine. God humbled me alot that day. I wouldn’t typically say I’m a prideful person, but God revealed my true heart and who I really am. He loves me enough to not keep me there. He is constantly teaching me more and more. He could have chosen to leave us hanging and wandering in the jungle, but He had compassion on us and rescued us. Just like He rescued us from our sin – we were lost and without hope, but He scooped us up into His arms and saved us from evil. He saved us from the depths of hell, that we deserve.
As if it wasn’t enough that He got us out of the jungle alive, He gave us a ride in nice air-conditioned vans by the nicest people ever on a work conference. God didn’t stop there, He kept pouring out blessing after blessing on us. The same people who offered their vans arranged a ride for us all the way from the visitor center to the train station. I truly think He was reminding us that no matter what we do and how far we stray, He loves us SO much. He kept showing His love over and over.
On the four hour train ride home, I met some more awesome Thais who were so anxious to talk English and get to know me better. I exchanged e-mail addresses and got pictures. Kung was so sweet and pretty. She helped me out when I was trying to speak to a few people who didn’t know much English. She had eyes that sparkled and a smile that just lit up her whole face. I thank God for all the people He puts in my life.
God is an amazing rescuer, Savior, powerful, loving, kind, mighty, compassionate, persistent, forgiving, patient, understanding…
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths;
you are there…”
-Psalm 138:7-8
