Loris’ First Impressions from the 2009 Thailand Mission Team
Friday January 23, 2009 Busy, busy day! I have many things to do to get ready. Things to remember…did I also remember the purpose of the trip? Hard to leave Shann’s ‘new’ sister ready to meet us and share our lives. Leaving the boys-will they be o-k? Of course, I am so silly!
Saturday January 24, 2009 Short visit with Micah. He promises to pray for us and we for him. Joel, Dani, Shann & I have dinner…rice with veggies and pack! Late to bed. It will be our last night in it for awhile. J
Sunday January 25, 2009 We went to church this morning and were sent off with good wishes. Tony Ingram has given up smoking and sent his ‘smoke’ money with us to use. Nancy Ankney gave me cloths to clean my glasses and a sweet note…Lisa Demean sent a nice note too. Along with Bryce & Mindy, Terry Kerby & the Butlers. I dropped off my cell phone (a first). Dani made a great chicken salad for lunch and Frank picked us up. Snow and slick roads to Pullman then they were fine. Check in at the Super 8…a stinky smoky room. Then off to a wonderful meal at the Olive Garden & back to rest. I called my Uncle Bob & three boys. Tomorrow we’re off!
Monday January 26, 2009 We’re off! Shann woke up ‘cold’ at 4:00am –rest over! Up at 6:00 am to pack have a quick breakfast and a shuttle to the airport. A nice young man form Texas-‘yes sir’ was the first clue drove us. Bags checked to Bangkok-opps-redo to Chiang Rai. A very nice lady-no line behind us-thank God!! We coffee up and we are off to Seattle. Frank’s belt buckle broke so we go shopping! We ate in the Seattle airport Jenna called so we get one more visit with little Micah and off we go to Tokyo-a long way from home!
Monday or Tuesday. What a strange feeling not to know what day or time it is! After three cheesy movies I will try to read. A new Guidepost magazine is a blessing! Movies have helped pass the time more quickly and I’m grateful. Someone has smoked in the bathroom so the cabin smells like smoke. I’m thankful not to be addicted to nicotine…we all pray for Tony and his sweet gift to us. We enjoy Kristy Anderson’s sweet dried apples. We are South of Siberia and North of Hawaii. Clouds over the ocean. The map on my monitor says it’s -59F and we’re at 38500 ft. Shann talks to a guy standing and stretching in the aisle near us. He’s on his way to Korea with his wife for a family reunion. He’s from Whitebird. We all say ‘it’s a small world’.
Bangkok 1:30 am their time-Idaho time-no idea! Nice landings all the way. I slept on and off which made the time seem to pass more quickly. Our ‘Queens Garden Resort’ is very clean-Shann tripped up the short steps twice. Our room has A/C but the TP was not in the bathroom-it was next to the tea on the dresser. Optional?
When we woke up (or when Shann woke up I should say) we heard activity so we got up and ready..then looked outside to see it was still really dark outside L! Off to the airport early. We had a nice noodle soup with duck (Frank & Loris) and BBQ pork (Shann) and a fruit plate. We ate looking over a beautiful garden protected (?) by dragons on poles. We haven’t seen a clock at the airport! We are enjoying the parade of international people and dress as we wait for our last flight to Chaing Rai.
Wednesday evening we arrived at Chaing Rai Terry met us and we had blizzards at Dairy Queen. I wrote three post cards so we could mail them at the airport. It’s warm here! Dinner at a road side restaurant-spicy pad Thai! Great! We went to Terry & Linda’s then to Kitchi & Lucy’s home where we will stay. We are tired but happy. There is so much to se! At home it’s morning but I can’t wait to go to bed!
Thursday morning We has a good nights rest. I went to sleep with the kids of the village playing and laughing in the dark outside the window. The village church is next door. The church bell rang at 4:45 am to wake the men to come to pray. They meet each morning for one hour. Terry told me the Christians first came to Thailand 170 years ago but only 1% are Christian. Lucy made an orange bread and we had ate it with sweet coffee on their beautiful patio watching the kids leave for school then a breakfast of rice noodles with vegetables and chicken and a rice porridge (chicken soup with rice) and papaya, banana and another fruit I’ve never seen. Terry is here to pick us up to go to another village to watch dancing.
Late afternoon/early evening My mind is overwhelmed! Where to start? Terry came to get us-I rode with him on the back of his bigger motorcycle and Shann & Pastor Frank each rode a motorcycle. Everything here is really steep. We stopped at Andrew & Ruth’s home. They pastor in a village. They served us coconut cookies and candy and a sweet red soda pop. Then we rode up and down dirt roads with concrete strips where deep ruts were before—we went through villages both Lahu and Ahka. We went to a huge dance celebration of the New Year. They had huge bamboo poles with flags and ribbons with pine tree branches in the center. A tarp made shade and they danced in a circle with drums and a gourd/bamboo flute that reminded me of bagpipes. The dancing was similar to the ‘circle dance’ I’ve seen at Nez Perce pow wows. I loved watching the little kids! Things are so different but so similar! Kids ate hot dogs on sticks and one little girl wore a Mickey Mouse shirt. We saw people on cell phones everywhere!
Then we were on to Arbowdee and a visit with David & Shallee (and baby Hanna). Shallee’s father was there too. She made three dishes for our lunch. Wow! One was a meatball in a thin broth, another a really spicy tomato red curry chicken dish and another with bamboo shoots all served with rice. Wonderful or “May-ja” (delicious)!
We came home from Arbowdee another way and stopped at a Lahu village where they were also dancing. We were received like we were important guests! We shook hands with lots of people and were offered front row seats. They brought us soda pop and a bowl of candy and nuts while we watched the dancers. We were invited to join them but we declined. Shann bought me a very colorful hat for 200 Baht, about $7.00. Terry says nobody wears hats like this…maybe I’ll start a trend J!
Terry is really amazing! He speaks Thai and switches to Lahu—everyone seems to know him. We stopped to get a steamed rice ball stuffed like an egg roll and a cookie in a larger town founded long ago by the Chinese. It had a huge Buddha on a hill you could see for miles. I am so impressed with the use of land here. They terrace hill sides so they can plant corn, tea and coffee. Toward the bottom they raise rice. We saw water buffalo. What a day! Poor Terry…I asked him a million questions! Once when he was answering he swallowed a bug! I’m sure he was happy when Shann offered to have me ride with him.
This evening we went to Lucy’s brother’s home just down the hill. Sittichi. Several students came and we ate again! We met a German missionary who lives and works in the bigger town nearby. His name is Godfrey and he is amazing! He speaks several languages including English. His Lahu was impressive. It is nice to smile at these warm people but how I wish I could understand them! We ate more wonderful Lahu food with fruit and then tea. Tomorrow and the following night we will sleep in a village.
I have been so blessed today! What a beautiful would our God has created! We are created in His image and we a so different and so much the same!