On my return to Chiang Mai I was picked up at the airport by a couple from The River team and after shopping I was taken to my new abode. Hmmmmm one slight problem. The room I was given in the girl’s house opened onto the chook pen! Not only would the roosters keep me away all night but the smell and chook dust was definitely going to cause my allergies to flare up. I wouldn’t be able to stay here. I wandered off to find someone to try and arrange something else. I found all the girls at Jua’s home having dinner together. I explained my predicament and Jua who is one of the River leaders, suggested I move back to the room I had previously at the guesthouse/hotel. As it was now late, I took my basic luggage which I needed for the night, and left the rest for the following day. It was good to be back upstairs in a familiar place. I opened up all the windows for the cross breeze and unpacked.
Thursday morning was team meeting. Erik welcomed me back with a joke about my age being greater than his (which was only by a few months) and in response I called him nong Erik which is a term used for those younger than you, usually out of respect you call your peers or those older Pii or by their appropriate title such as teacher or pastor. Those much older you might call aunty/uncle, mother/father or grandmother/father etc.
When the meeting had finished I took a lift with Erik to the coffee shop and here had a chat to Jua and Deang asking them when they expected to start the parenting course and explained how much there was to cover in the short time I had before my visa expired. Eventually I suggested I email them the course introduction so they could see what we would cover suggesting we didn’t need to cover everything but that some topics they could go through when I’d left. I then asked them to get back to me with their thoughts about when to start.
Knowing my friend Fay was in town, I gave her a call. She suggested as I was waiting on a starting date, I might like to join her when she returned to Mae Saring on Monday.
Friday I was just about to go out for lunch having spent two d
ays alone praying and considering what to do next. I received an email from my good friends from the south. They had only just returned to Thailand after 6 month off in Aust due to health issues. They too were just about to go out for lunch so we met up at the Airport plaza which was fortunately on the yellow song tao’s route into town. We had a lovely time catching up, I also met friends of theirs, Gayle and Chayot who work here in CM. Gayle is a Kiwi and Chayot a southern Thai, they fellowship with my old friends Gumpon and Miriam, what a small world.
Saturday I tried to catch up with Calvin as he had offered to change some money for me as well as I needed to pay him for accommodation and my SIM card which he had kindly arranged for me. I was down to my last 100 baht ($10). Fortunately I still had the key to his home so let myself in. I had been waiting in the air conditioning for him over an hour at the BigC shopping centre which wasn’t far from his place then after walking back to the house I waited there another 3 ½ hrs but he still hadn’t shown up. I didn’t really mind as I had some good literature to read but would have liked to have kept the appointment. I had to leave close to 7pm as I needed to get back to the River before dark so that I could see where to get off the song tao. As I was walking towards the main road, a 20min walk, Calvin drove up. He suggested we meet again tomorrow after church. What a day!
On Sunday I decided to attend The City Gate Church where Gumpon pastors. It was in the same 
village as Calvin’s place so easier to meet up too. I enjoyed catching up with Gumpon and Miriam as well as Gayle and Chayot again. I stayed and fellowship after the service over lunch then joined the congregation at the new church building to pray and worship, while I was waiting for Calvin to pick me up. He had said he needed to wait at home as he was getting his wifi fixed but then he had to go out to look at a new home as he is hoping to move soon. So after our pray and praise at the new building I asked to be dropped at Calvin’s, which was just around the corner. Unfortunately he wasn’t home and not having the key this time I returned to the church and waited for him there.
During this time Gumpon told me how he came to meet Benny Hin. Benny came to Bangkok in 2012. Gumpon was thinking about going to the meeting but then decided against it. Later a friend payed for him to fly down and while having dinner at the hotel with other pastors one of Benny Hin’s committee organisers came to Gumpon and asked if he could talk with him privately. He told Gumpon that Benny Hin had said there was a man who was going to interpret for him at the meetings but he didn’t know who. The organiser then asked Gumpon to join him backstage and wait. He did and just before the meeting started one of Benny Hin’s bodyguards came and asked him to join Benny on the stage. Gumpon stood at the side of the stage as there was only one spare seat next to Benny Hin which belonged to the interpreter who was introducing Benny Hin to the audience. Benny signalled for Gumpon to join him and indicated that he should sit in the empty seat. To cut a long story short. Gumpon said when Benny Hin took the stage he took Gumpon by the hand and led him all over the stage. While he interpreted the anointing fell upon the crowds. Gumpon said it was an amazing experience. The anointing was so strong and heavy upon him during this time and even after the meeting that people came up to him to ask for prayer even when Benny Hin had left the stage. People were healed just from the anointing. Benny’s bodyguard returned to rescue him from the crowd and take him backstage where he sat till midnight talking to Benny Hin. When Gumpon went to leave there were still people waiting for him and a Presbyterian pastor and his wife requested prayer. Unbeknown to Gumpon the pastor’s wife had a broken arm. He said raise your hands to heaven and as they did the pastors wife fell over backwards. Later the pastor told Gumpon it was at that moment her arm was instantly healed.
Calvin finally arrived and after dropping the real estate agent home we changed some money then went to the market before dropping me back at the River hotel.
Mae Fay, (mother Fay) as she is known, picked me up from the River Monday morning just after I had spoken with Jua. I had explained to Jua my plans and thoughts about putting the training program on hold till they had gone through the work. I then left some of my bags at the hotel before traveling. Fay and I had a lovely chatty trip up to Mae Sariang stopping along the way for lunch, Khao Soi. On my last visit I have forgotten to take a photo of the temple at the crossroads at the entrance of the town. The temple structures in Mae Hong Son province is quite unusual, built in the Burmese style which is very different to the Thai architecture.
That night Fay asked if I wanted to go to Mae Hong Son town. Some of the local pastors and the house father were leaving early the following morning, it was a great opportunity to see the capital of the province. At 4:45am I hear Fay calling out ‘Are you awake?’ I had set my alarm for 4:30pm not am! Praise the Lord Fay had woken me!
It was a four hour drive along a very windy road, snaking its way through the hills, with steep drops into the valley below. To make matters worse there were several slow vehicles and motorbikes which needed to be passed. Fortunately we had a very cautious and careful driver who took his time in choosing the right spot to overtake. When we arrived there was a bit of a confusion with where to drop me. Fay had suggested at the Arcade which I thought was the local shopping complex but was actually the bus station where I could take a vehicle to some of the local sightseeing attractions. We arrived at the Arcade which was almost deserted and saw 3 tourist buses but nowhere to purchase tickets. I suggested they drop me closer to the centre of town where I could wander around and find a travel agent to ask out when a tour bus was leaving. I did eventually find one but it was far too expensive for a 2hr trip as I was not in a group. I then wandered around the main street and the market till I found a quiet little coffee shop where I could use the wifi and relax before being picked up by the pastors.
I had a very lovely relax and read through some material I had brought with me, just in case! Then around 11am suddenly remembered Fay had asked if I could buy a memory card while I was there. So off I went to look for a computer shop. My Thai was sufficient to find one where they had the type I was looking for. I headed back to the coffee shop for my second cuppa, via the market hoping I could find something to snack on while waiting for my lift home. Before I could get my second cup I received a call to say they were at the market and could I meet them there. One of the pastors asked had I visited the Karen Long Neck village, I said no, it was over 1000baht so I had decided not to go.
As the pastors meeting h
ad finished early I was asked if I wanted to see the village before we headed home as it was only 7km from town. So out we went on a very narrow road with several river crossings, passing an elephant cow and her calf on route. Unfortunately we didn’t stop and they had gone by the time we returned. We entered the village and parked beside the market. This was where I has handed a paper explaining the entry fee of 250 baht was for the support of these refugees who were unable to work in Thailand. They had been refugees from Burma since 1992. I wasn’t surprised that the Thai’s weren’t asked to pay. We had a laugh about the farang (westerners) tax. I really didn’t mind supporting the village, it was a much cheaper price than I’d been asked to pay by the tour company. Mind you I was a bit disappointed that it was only a market place which we could walk down. I didn’t really want to buy anything but bought some postcards as a polite gesture after requesting permission to take a few photos.
The following day, Wednesday, Fay, the house mother and I went to the hospital in Mae Sariang to pray for a woman in a comer. After this I stopped to order 6 photo’s to be used for my visa which turned out quite well, lunch and then to the market to buy fresh fruit and veg.
I’m enjoying the slow pace here helping Fay and even spending time with the house mother planting seeds for their vegetable garden.
Pictures: 1. iew from road from Mae Hong Son 2. Temple at crossroads, Mae Sariang 3. Friends from the south 4. New church building 5. House father and Karen pastors 6. Long Neck Karen village market place 7. Mother and baby 8. Yours truly.
Prayer & Praise Points:
Please continue to pray that I will know the Lord’s leading and direction for the remainder of my time in Thailand.
Praise the Lord for an opportunity to spend more time with my friend Fay and the work she is involved with here in Mae Sariang.
Praise Him for all my friends and their generosity towards me, it has truly been as blessing.
Praise the Lord for ongoing good health and safety while I’m here in Thailand.
Please continue to pray for my mother as she had just been admitted to hospital with fluid on her lungs. This seems to be an ongoing health challenge, I’m praying this time the doctors will be able to get her medication right or better still the Lord will totally heal her.
Thank you all for standing with me in prayer as I continue on my adventure.