Before we had to leave Sangklaburi, our team shared some amazing last moments with the Church. It was only about a month ago, but these days…months fly by quickly. I think my highlight of the month had to do with diving into His Word everyday, for hours, & then being able to teach a lesson or preach on Sunday morning. It is just mine-blowing to be reading the bible & see new aspects of God, & His great story, every single time I read it. God has woven His narrative & His Truth in ways I could never reject. & in that, I find it harder to understand why some people do…that is what I continue to learn & Thailand gave me more opportunity to have those experiences.
By the time you read this blog, I will probably be in Africa. I hope you enjoy these many pictures I have from Thailand–they are filled with special moments.
Above, is a young mother dedicating her child to the Lord. This was our last Sunday service.
After that, they put on a meal for the whole Church.
This is the yard we played in many times with the kids & where they baptized a new family on our first Sunday being there.
They showed us the new Church they were building right next to the current one. They needed to expand for a couple reasons mostly due to finances & the call for a larger space.
On Sunday nights they usually meet in someones’ house from the Church. Sharing snack food with them, they praise God, impart words of encouragement, prayer requests, talk…
They do not have much materially, but they love GOD WELL & love one another WELL =)
I had to include these last two pictures of the gold Buddhas.
There is also a huge reclining Buddha in this town. Thunder drove too fast, so I did not have time to get a picture of it.
We left for Bangkok & planned on being there for just a couple days (Thanksgiving, a day of packing, & then flying to Africa). However, due to the mob at the airport we were stuck for about eight days! While we were trapped, we made the most of all our free time. For instance, one night there just happend to be a fair down the street from the base we were staying at!
I saw this time of being stuck, as a gift from God. I had gotten close to our translator, Mon & was able to share more time with her in the city. She worked for YWAM & so she was able to spend time with me before her next team out-ing. I also got to meet her friend, Bethany who was leading a mission team in Thailand, just after Christmas. That is her below, eating a traditional snack food one would eat at a Fair in Thailand. Above, is a large pan where she would strain the liquid sugar & then roll it off to make a stick.
Bethany & I spent almost everyday together while I was there & we had so much fun! She & Mon were great encouragements to me & we just enjoyed the brief friendship God was bringing along!
The fair was a blast to walk thru. So many shops to buy any & everything!
This is what a typical packing day looks like for us. It looks like a crazy mess, but it is more organized than you think. We had to do it again a week later for our flighthead to England, rather than to South Africa.
