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Adventures of Kanchanaburi Farm:
 

Once we arrived at the farm and put our belongings in the tree house where we would sleep I curled my body into the blue hammock that hung between two mango trees.  I laid there looking out at the banana trees and the cornfields as the tall white feathery stalks swayed to the tune of the wind.  The majestic mountains in the distance were sprinkled with orange hints of fall.  I was enamored to get this glimpse of autumn as it catapulted me home to the smells of cinnamon and sitting around a fire in the crisp cool air roasting marshmallows. 
The next day started off bright and early, as you would expect working on a farm.  The four of us headed out ready for battle with our huge bamboo machetes ready to take on the giant vegetation that was in our path.  We slayed some giants today making the old electric fence visible for the cows.  We felt accomplished as we looked behind us at our new walkway that now opened up a world of beauty as the mountains stood standing in the background.  It was such a gorgeous view as sweat dripped off of our brow and we continued to press forward through the overgrown terrain.  I think I most enjoyed it for the metaphor it spoke to me.  We as believers are called to clear the way and we were preparing and charting a course so that others could trek easily.  I am a forerunner like John the Baptist called to lead the way, I thought, as we walked back to the house. 
By the time we sat down to eat lunch we had put in a hard days work and our bodies thanked us for resting a bit.  After lunch we got a shower by dumping buckets of cold water over ourselves.  Then we headed to the school to teach English and Shanda and I worked with the 6th grade class and Marissa and Ashely worked with the 5th grade class.  After enjoying time with the students we played volleyball and then headed home.  Ashley and I went on a nice long walk and then came home in time for Pad Thai, one of our favorite Thai dishes.  After dinner we prayed for Shanda, speaking life and truth over her and went to sleep to the sounds of howling wind and rain. 
The next day we were all a little relieved that the rain continued and the whole Bang family joined us under the tree house as we worshipped together.  The rain brought a wonderful time of refreshment, God’s presence and lots of laughter.  In the afternoon we went to the school again to teach more grammar and English.  The evening was filled with more laughter as we played Dutch Blitz and Sequence into all hours of the night. 


We woke up with a buzz of excitement in the air as the sun was just rising over the horizon.  We were going to the goat farm to give the goats their medicine, which they administer every 2 months for worms and leprosy.  So we all got to hold baby goats and catch goats in the pen.  Boy do they really sound like kids when they cry, no wonder that baby goats are called kids.  Then after the first two farms we headed to Bang’s farm, where we swept the goat poop into piles for them to burn.  This is where I met Oscar.  Oscar is my favorite baby goat and he still had his umbilical cord.  After another day of hard work we went back to get changed and headed to the school.  When we arrived our classroom was excited to see us and Shanda continued to use her exceptional teaching skills to impart English to the children.  After teaching we played some games and two of the students taught us a dance.  It was hilarious. 
 
By 3:30 we were back at the farm and Shanda and I went on a long walk on this dirt road that weaved through the countryside filled with cotton fields, tapioca trees and moss-covered trees.  The sun rays shouted over the tops of the mountains in the distance.  It was gorgeous all around us and as we walked we let our imaginations run wild asking each other creative questions and sharing our deep dreams.  At one point Shanda asked me a question that led me to a new revelation.  She asked me, “If you could do anything you wanted over the next four years what would they look like?”  I can honestly say that probably for the first time in my entire life I don’t have an answer to this question.  I am a dreamer, but I realized something.  I am no longer holding on to my plans.  I have let go of my dreams and all I have ahead is a life of uncertainty and I am perfectly content and happy with that.  It was a great realization and as we continued to walk I felt a little freer and lighter in my shoes. 

Once we arrived back at the farm we ate dinner and then spent some time praying over Marissa and just enjoyed one another’s company.  The four of us really bonded over the last couple of days and we all had this ease and comfort ability with one another.  The tiredness of the day began to sink in and we finally crawled under our mosquito nets and went to sleep. 
Friday was another early morning at the goat farm.  We gave the goats more medicine as I held baby Oscar and then swept the goat poop again.  Then they took about 6 of the goats including baby Oscar and Nibbler, Shanda’s favorite baby goat, to give to the poor in the community.  The goat farm is a ministry and used as a community development project to help sustain life in the village.  The goats are a lot of work, but they provide a source of income for life.  We bid Oscar and Nibbler goodbye as we smiled knowing that they would be helping a family in need. 

Then, we took our machetes and cut the grass, or tall weeds in the field.  Yes, we cut grass with machetes; we were dangerous women of God!  Then we went to the school to teach English for the last time and said our goodbye’s to our class.  Then as we rode home we saw a field with balloons and a huge stage set up.  We asked Ma Bang and Tik, our translator, about it and they said it was a festival that was put on once a year for the children by Save the Wildlife foundation.  We asked if we could go and so we went to the festival for dinner.  We ate all kinds of delicious Thai food as the rock band played in the background and this hippy thai walked around handing out fruit.  Then, some of his friends asked us to dance and looking like out of place tourists and sticking out like a sore thumb we danced in front of the stage.  We were a spectacle I am sure.
The next day was our day off and we ate coconut jam that we made the night before on banana pancakes.  Then we went to the Hellfire Museum where the POWs built the railroad from Thailand to Burma.  It was exciting to see especially since Josh and I really love the movie, “To End All Wars.”  If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it.  And, you will see where I was yesterday.  After the museum we went and soaked in the natural hot springs.  I could not believe how hot it was.  Once we got back home I prepared my message for the church service and we had a time of fellowship and worship.  After church we all played games and once more spent the night laughing. 

Now, we are on our way back to Bangkok and we plan to have a girls night out, debriefing our wonderful adventures of Kanchanaburi Farm and spend some time praying over Ashley and I since we did not get to do that back at our tree house.  As we leave I can’t help but think of Grandma Bang and her laugh, as her teeth would slightly fall out of place as she chuckled and her arms would sway back and forth.  Mama Bang had so much joy as well and always cackled with this raspy undertone.  Arun, Bang’s husband, did not laugh loudly, but he always had a permanent smile and he and Bang were so adorable together.  Arun is a wise man that is living the dream and vision God gave him and still sees big things for this village on the horizon.  Papa Bang is quiet, but has his own wise and comforting presence.  And, who could forget Bang.  I mean everyone’s name is in relationship to Bang, except Arun.  She is a competitive woman with a beauty all her own.  Oh, I know we will greatly miss the Bang family and our tree house home in the Thai jungle.