Adventures in Thailand

Here are some pictures of some of our recent adventures in Thailand:

Hike Up Doi Suthep

When we didn't have Thai Language School one Friday morning, we took advantage of some free time and went hiking up Doi Suthep, a mountain in Chiang Mai. At the top of Doi Suthep is a Buddhist temple, a very popular spot for both Thai and foreign tourists. At the base of the temple is a staircase of 309 stairs. This was a difficult climb for us after hiking up the mountain. Along the stairs are two dragon statues whose bodies go along the stairs until the top. Within the temple are many pagodas, shrines, bells, and statues. There are also many ways for visitors to make merit. Lotus flowers and incense are sold for vistors who want to lay them on a shrine or in front of a Buddha idol. There are also areas where visitors can make merit by giving money in various ways throughout the temple.

Our friend, Leemer, came with us on the hike.

Outside of the temple.

The 309 stairs leading to the temple.

Some women offering incense in front of a Buddha idol.

A view of Chaing Mai on our hike down the mountain.

Night Safari

Our neighbor, Rak, invited us to go with her to visit the Night Safari. The Night Safari is a zoo best viewed at night. Visitors can walk around a lake viewing many animals as the sun sets. Then, trolley ride tours are given and visitors have the opportunity to see animals such as tigers, elephants, bears, deer, camels, and lions.

Loy Krathong Weekend

Loy Krthong is a very popular festival in Chiang Mai. It is held during the first full moon during the 12th month of the Thai Lunar Calendar. As with any festival, it cannot just last one day. All week people in Chiang Mai are releasing laterns, setting off fireworks, and floating Loy Krathongs down the river. A Loy Krathong is raft made from banana leaf and decorated with flowers. During Loy Krathong people float the krathongs along the river or waterways as a way of honoring the Goddess of Water. Many Thai people believe that floating a krathong will bring good luck as well take away grudges, anger, and sins. Laterns were first released as a way to rid the people of troubles and many people still release laterns today and feel it will bring good luck. Chiang Mai is known to be one of the best cities in Thailand for this celebration. The sky is filled with laterns glowing like stars and smoke residue from firecrakers and fireworks being fired into the night.

During the weekend of Loy Krathong we ate at a buffet with some of our students.

Raw meat is cooked in this pot. Fruit, vegetables, appetizers, and deserts are also part of the buffet. We ate for 2 1/2 hours!

After dinner we went for a walk along the Ping River and watched laterns and fireworks being released. We needed the walk after eating so much food.

Here fireworks and Loy Krathong rafts are being sold.




We bought a latern and released it with some of our friends from TLC.

This was the small parade the night before the big parade. They had many floats and groups performing traditional Thai dancing.

Trip to Myanmar

Last weekend we made a trip North to Myanmar to get an extra 14 days for our visa. We went with a missionary here in Thailand, Troy. We were very thankful to make our first trip to Myanmar with someone who had experienced it before. We had a 4 hour drive to and from Myanmar. On our way we stopped at a Buddhist temple called Wat Rong Khun or White Temple. We successfully made it to Myanmar and got our passports stamped to stay in Thailand for 14 days until we will need to go to Laos and apply for a new visa.

The Golden Toilet



Along the bridge to Myanmar where the Thailand flags stop and the Myanmar flags begin.

On the Thai & Myanmar border.

TLC English Classes

We just finished our third English class course at TLC. We had about 30 students during this session. We haven't needed to advertise a lot for the classes since many students return and bring their friends. Actually, we need more teachers! Our next course will start in one week after we make our trip to Laos to get new visas. Many students are returning and we have 9 more new students who want to study. Praise God for answering prayers and bringing so many students to TLC.

Here is a slideshow we made highlighting this English course. Enjoy!

Prayer Requests:

Please be in prayer for the following things...

• On our trip to Thoeng we had the opportunty to go with the missionary we are helping, Mark, and the pastor of the church in Thoeng on a visit to a family of one of our friends, Doi. Duirng the visit Doi's father, mother, and neice prayed to accept Jesus as their savior. During the visit we also prayed for Doi's father's wrist which was bruised and swollen. He is a farmer and needs the arm to work. Since then, the bruising and swelling has gone away in his wrist, but his arm still hurts. He went to the doctor and the doctor says he will need surgery. Doi's father told the doctor that he wouldn't need surgery because God is going to heal his arm. Please pray for Doi's father as he begins his journey towards growing closer to God. Please also pray that he will continue to have faith in God and that, according to God's will, God will heal his arm as a way to bring Doi's father closer to Him.
• As the seasons are changing, both of us have had a cold and not feeling 100%. Please pray that we will get well and stay well so that sickness won't keep us from teaching classes and building relationships with our students.
• We will continue to build relationships with our students and we will continue to be provided with opportunities to share the Gospel with our students. Also, that the students will continue to see TLC Church as a welcoming community.
• That our trip to Laos for new visas will go well next week.