It is very strange to look at my watch and see Sunday, January 11, 2015. I feel like it has been at least a couple months since I left home, yet it has been less than two weeks. Most of the team arrived in Chiang Mai on January 3 and then on January 5 our internet privileges were taken away for the duration of Training Camp. As you can see the internet has been returned, and I can finally catch up on what’s been happening!
After many hours (approximately 20) of flying from San Francisco through Wuhan, China, we arrived in Bangkok, Thailand! At 1am we passed through customs, gathered our luggage, and then took turns freshening up in the bathroom. Spot baths in the sink are amazing! Downstairs we experienced our first money exchange and shopping trip in a foreign land. One American dollar equals just over thirty-one Thai baht. I pulled 1,000? out of the ATM and my receipt said my account had been charged $31. We then hit 7 Eleven for snacks for the road. Yep, the same 7 Eleven as back home and many of the products are the same packaging but with Thai print.
Up to this point our Squad Leaders had been sharing travel horror stories so we would be prepared for an old, small, uncomfortable bus ride to Chiang Mai. What arrived for us was a luxury tour bus!
This driver is my favorite driver ever. He stopped every two or three hours for potty breaks! At our first potty stop we were treated to our first Thai sunrise.
We also experienced our first squatty potty and the fact that toilet paper is not a common thing in Thailand. I will do my best to remember to photo a squatty potty.
Around noon (9 hours later) we arrived at Zion Cafe and Hostel. I was sitting in the front seat with See Eun (pronounced She In) one of our Squad Leaders so as we climbed the mountains into Chaing Mai we had a beautiful view. Zion Cafe was built by Emmi to minister to tourists and locals alike. She has a heart for her people and desires to see her culture redeemed for God. Zion Hostel houses missions teams year round. The hostel is the six floors above Zion Cafe. In addition she has a home about fifteen minutes away where she ministers to women who are coming out of the sex trade. I plan to write a blog about Emmi and her ministry.
We arrived when so many teams (YWAM and other organizations) were staying at Zion Hostel the girls in our squad all stayed together in a meeting room and the guys stayed the Lighthouse, her home up the street. The meeting room has windows for the wall facing the stairs and a glass door that does not lock, and we slept on our sleeping pads shoved close together. About 100 people where staying in Zion were there are 8 showers and 4 toilets and 1 washing machine. It worked out fine. We met new friends (some from Aurora, Colorado!) and really enjoyed being together.
While waiting for the last member of our squad to arrive we explored Chiang Mai. On a scavenger hunt we were directed to the Three Kings Monument. This commemorates the three kings who united northern Thailand.
The next day I finally got to experience a Fish Spa. You pay to have little fish nibble on the dead skin on your feet. It was pretty fun.
On January 6 we packed for four days, including our camping gear, piled into four song toaw and drove about 45 minutes outside of the city to the Eubank home. Dave and Karen Eubank are founders of the Free Burma Rangers. Their heart is for the Burmese people who are being slaughtered by the ruling, majority party. They have trained teams of Burmese to provide medical care and to video and photograph the war so as to shed light on the a forgotten part of the world. These teams also carry the Gospel and hope. Dave and Karen and their three young children live only about a month each year in their home as they spend the majority of their time illegally crossing into Burma to provide support to the people and the Rangers. We were fortunate to meet the family and hear Dave’s testimony and vision. They left the day we arrived and threw wide their doors to us. We were able to stay on their land and in their home for four days.
The first two nights we camped in a mango grove. Yes this is my life now. So incredible!! After that it poured rain so the second two nights we stayed at the house. Our squad leaders, however, did not miss an opportunity for us to prepare for Race conditions. The first night in the house we slept on the open upstairs porch in a space just big enough for our sleeping pads. The last night we pitched 12 of our tents in the carport and doubled up. Every morning but the last we woke to a 30 minute workout as well. The last one became a dance party, but we were moving so it totally counts.
During the days we had the best teaching. Seth Barnes, founder of AIM and the World Race, flew out to Thailand to lead our Training Camp personally. So incredible again!! We were stretched and challenged in a safe, supportive place. We were taught about listening prayer and empowered to practice on each other. There is something beautiful about 23 people who only meet a few days earlier, quietly seeking out God’s voice, and speaking His words over each other. Some had some experience and some were completely new, but all are looking forward to growing over the next 11 months and seeing awesome things happen in the name of Yahweh.
On January 10 we packed up, loaded back into the song toaw and returned to Zion. Our final day at the Eubank home we spent doing team building exercises designed to give the leadership information about us and who we will work best with on a team. My final team included a girl with whom I had not clicked. I was looking forward to meeting her in person after we met on Facebook, but our first day in Thailand we had a misunderstanding that I did not address. Sadly, it was there between us and neither was really thrilled to be teamed up. But that day when our team gathered just before leaving the Eubank home I got to see her heart. Our team came together for some healing, listening prayer and several tears. We are stronger for it, and she and I can truly say we are looking forward to doing life together. Don’t let the sun go down on you differences, you may be missing out on a friend.
Here they are, my team, the beautiful women I get to do life and ministry with. Left to right, Stephanie, me, Beth, Jenn, Victoria, and Debbie. We are strong, leader women, we have been called a team of healing, and we have been called overcomers. I am so excited to see what God does through us and in us.
