….but not crushed. 2 Corinthians 4:8

We were awaken at 5:30am to learn that our team leader Sam and team member Tracy were sick. They were taken to the hospital by our driver Joe. Our team immediately prayed. Steve and Tracy returned at around 7am. Later, Jeannie accompanied Sam back to Bangkok via airplane. Our team continued on to Foursquare Church Maesot for Sunday service.

I was blessed to give my testimony, along with Tracy and Janine. Pastor Dear served as our interpreter. I learned that jokes don’t always translate smoothly….

After service, the church fed everyone. The home cooked meal was great. We also listened to Pastor John’s amazing testimony. That was a definite highlight.

After lunch, we visited the Home of Hope Orphanage.

Again, it was very emotional to see. Our team donated money to fund an additional bunk bed.

Janine led an arts & crafts activity, and we passed out donated clothing. They sang a beautiful song for us. This pic says it all.

Later in the afternoon, Diana took us to a marketplace along the Myanmar border.

There was a variety of cultures, goods, and smells.

We had dinner at CasaMia. I had Burmese curry with potatoes, seafood pad thai, and a plate of rice. All this food cost about $3.25.

Team continued to pray for Sam as Lisa kept us up to date.

The team decided to continue the mission to serve the Hill Tribes. We met at the Foursquare Church early Monday morning. The drive was about 3 hours, most of it off-road.

We passed a few villages along the way.

Here is the new church where we did the clinic (and slept over.)

Not quite the Ritz-Carlton. This hong nam is quaint to say the least. The shower? What shower? We used baby wipes.

Our clinic serviced the entire village. Everyone walked over.

My job was to assist with the pharmacy.

Pastor John took us up to the top of the mountains for cell phone reception where we received the good news about Sam’s condition.

Pastor Sara and the students prepared all of the meals in the hills.

The sweet pork on sticky rice was wonderful.

I led devotions today. The word I received (prior to the trip) was “authority” from Matthew 28:18 (the verse before the famous Matthew 28:19.) “All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth.” We are not in enemy territory. If Jesus has all authority, then the enemy has none.

An injured villager came by with a gash on his head from a fallen post. Lisa and Steve were able to care for him. Without proper supplies, our prayers were answered in the form of a tube of DermaBond.

Pastor John’s students set up the lights and chairs for the evening’s evangelism service (variety show, testimonies, etc.) in no time flat. Love those fluorescent green chairs. At the end of the service, it began to rain hard. I crawled under a tarp along with some of the Hill Tribe kids. We shared a laugh together. It was quite a moment.

During break down, our friend Rahchon started collecting bugs. This one bites. We were looking for crickets (cicadas) and beetles. The crickets sound like a cross between a coqui frog and an airplane. They’re unbelievably loud. Kids catch them and play with them like toys.

Sleeping in a jungle is tough. With all of the bugs, monkeys, and commotion, it is nearly impossible. Imagine sleeping with your alarm clock going off all night. At least it was a little cooler in the mountains.

I was excited to eat crickets and beetles this morning. Now I feel like I’m in Thailand. Actually, the bugs were not bad at all. Of course they are not as good as shrimp or chicken. But if this is all you have, you make do.

Cappuccino and crickets. What a lovely pairing. Haha. Our team were good guests, and it was a lot of fun. Rahchon sat by me with the bowl, so I was able to put down about three crickets and 7 beetles. Noms.

We drove down the valley, then back up to the next Hill Tribe.

We set up shop in Nula School. My job was to again assist with the meds.

What an amazing experience. Surreal….

After the long journey back to church, then to our hotel, we were finally able to shower. Unfortunately, we had to stay at the T. Corner Inn. Crazy thing. I brought 6 rolls of toilet paper on my trip. I used none in the hills, but two rolls in hotels. How’s that?

For dinner, we joined Pastor Neil & Diana at the SP Kitchen. I had the seafood with gravy over crispy noodle.

We went shopping at Tesco and had ice cream there. Here I am with a pile of durian.

We had devotions tonight. Very sleepy after a sleepless night in the hills.

No, not on bike. We took the van 7 hours back to Bangkok. Here I am in the lobby of the T. Corner Inn at check out.

We picked up souvenirs and snacks along the way. The best part of the ride is that it gives the team time to bond. We’ve become close.

The best part of today was being reunited with Sam and Jeannie. The team is back together! Praise God. We had a nice devotional time.

We had dinner back at the Bang Kapi food court. I think I’m becoming too experimental. I forgot to mention that you buy coupons at these food courts. You can always get your money back for unused coupons.

I think this was some kind of ice cream. My favorite dessert in Thailand was mango w/ sticky rice & coconut milk.

Back at the Kantary House Hotel. Pastor Goi left bags of rambutan and mangosteen for the team to enjoy.

Feeling sad that my missions portion of the trip is coming to an end.

Today was our free day to play tourist. We were blessed to have Yo and Pastor Goi as our guides. We knew that we would be going to good places. We took a 2-hour drive to the Floating Market.

There were food boats, souvenir vendors, and lots of things to see. You could barter for better bargains.

The team had an absolute blast.

Another amazing memory will be the elephant rides. We rode in pairs and tried taking pics of one another. I was with Brother Jeremy.

Our elephant kept flapping its ears. I think it thinks it’s a bird of some kind….

Then we went to the Maeklong Railroad Market. This is what I had hoped to see. There were amazing foods and smells. Then the train came right through the market at noon.

There were fruits and animals that I had never seen before.

We had lunch at a restaurant called Samut Songkhram near the river.

That evening, we went to a super mall to eat and shop.

Getting back home was an adventure. We took the Sky Train, then a connecting train to bypass traffic. We then took two taxis back to the hotel. Unprecedented….

We packed supplies for Friday’s clinic. I packed for my trip home.

Click here for more photos of the missions trip.