It's been a hectic two days as our team has been adjusting to Thailand and specifically Bangkok. Our trip will take place in a trimester of locations: the first being Bangkok for four days, followed by a more remote village to the north west for three days and then the trip will conclude with two more days in Bangkok.
Since arriving, we've been playing tourists and getting a feel for Bangkok. Tomorrow we begin our more hardcore field work where we'll be going to The Well and having orientation about it. Then we'll be going into the brothels and bars to tell the girls about The Well and Christ.
BUT.... that's tomorrow.
Yesterday and today we've been adjusting to time zones, new places and new faces! I should begin with our hotel. Its beautiful! Its style is truly after the name, because it's a fusion of Thai and middle eastern. There are beautiful colors everywhere. One of my favorite features is this wall of notes in the lobby. Past guests have written comments in dozens of languages and they have posted them for current guests to see. Along with the comments are pictures and cards. It's really creative and an effective way of marketing.
On day one, we had a wonderful breakfast, supplied by our hotel, and then followed it with team devotional time where we looked at Matthew 10, a passage in which Christ sent his disciples out with tangible tips for traversing their fields. Tips such as giving freely, accepting hospitality and being "shrewd as snakes, but harmless as doves".
After team devotions and prayer, we went to Ancient Siam, a park in Bangkok that's shaped like Thailand and has all of the provinces represented with a replica of something significant and unique to that province. We each rented a bike and rode around the HUGE park to explore a taste of Thailand. It was really fun and much needed after 25+ hours of traveling in a plane the previous night. We had lunch out there in the replica of the Floating Market. My first lunch in Thailand was pad thai- a must have Thai dish! It was delicious and set the tone for meals to follow.
After Ancient Siam, we came back to the area near the hotel and most of us went out for massages, which was the next best thing for my body after a 25+ hour plane ride. An hour long tissue massage, including tip, was about $14. What??! Can I bring those prices home with me?? After the massage a smaller group of ladies and I took the metro a couple stops to a road recommended by our hotel concierge. All the locals go there and for good reason. The street is lined with food vendors and their carts. It's Anthony Bordain style! I had a soup dish of dry noodles (meaning: no broth and drained, but seasoned) with fish and shrimp balls. On the side was a fresh smoothie of pineapple, strawberries and banana. For dessert we visited a third cart (the smoothie was from the second cart) where we bought mango sticky rice, which is a very common dessert that's amazing!
After gorging, we returned back to our hotel and crashed.
Day Two: Our team devotional covered Luke 17:11-19, where Jesus heals the ten lepers. I'd heard the story a lot, but was given a new nugget today. The healing began when the lepers left Christ and started walking. Meaning, we don't have to be "ready" before going out into what we've been called to do. We just have to go! In our going, Christ prepares us and heals us.
After devotions, we went to Cori's house, who is a leader at The Well. Several of the women who work and are being helped by The Well were gracious hosts and prepared us a delicious feast for lunch! After lunch, we went to church, which kind of reminded me of NCC. The church meets in a hotel since they are small and growing. I'll have to write more about the message in a separate post because it deserves its own post. The message was awesome and the music brought me to tears. The music was sung in different languages for the different audience members there. Words were on an overhead in all the languages so people could follow along to the music and sing. It was spirit lifting to hear the different tongues and languages singing. All were different, yet all were praising God. I couldn't help but wonder what Jesus was thinking. He had to have been smiling.
After the service we fellowshipped with the parishioners and pastors, which was fun. Then, we boarded taxis and headed across town to dinner... an elaborate outdoor buffet, which was under a HUGE tent. On each table, the server placed a small fire. Patrons of the buffet had to pile up their plates with cooked and non-cooked foods they wanted. Non-cooked meats were added to the fires and cooked in front of their tenders. It was kind of like fondu, but way cooler. We were there for hours just eating and table hopping amongst our group to meet more people. The night was topped of with karaoke, where some of our group members sang. A couple folks even sang a duet in honor of Whitney Houston.
And that was the end of day two. Tomorrow begins early with our first trip to The Well. We'll do orientation and then go out from there. I'm pretty excited and also a bit nervous about what God's called our team to do. But I'm hopeful and praying for brokenness and a softening of spirit, both of which I hope begin with me...
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