Thursday 21, 2011
We took the train from Chiang Mai to Lampang on Monday morning. The kids were so excited to catch the “Dinosaur Train” – especially when we went through the “time tunnel” at Khun Tan. Samantha excitedly exclaimed that she ‘saw’ a Pterodactyl family. 😉
The journey from Lampang to Baan Kharm took another 2 hours. As we traveled past rice field and over mountains, the roads getting narrower and more windy, Mrs Pessimistic raised her ugly head and began to say,
“What were you thinking? You’re gonna take your kids into the middle of the jungle and live in a hut for 3 weeks? You don’t have what it takes! What if something goes wrong! Just turn around and go home!”
Waves of fear washed over me as I tried to push back the tide of emotion that threatened to overwhelm me.
Me: “You’ve done this before. It’s no big deal”
Mrs Pessimistic: “Yeah, but you didn’t have any kids back then!”
Add to that the kids fighting over space that did not exist – 4 kids under 4 in the back seat of a truck is not a good mix. So, I put my headphones on and listened to worship for a while.
When we finally arrived in Baan Kharm, I was in a much better frame of mind. The house we are staying in is very nice, and our hosts are wonderful. We’re staying with Jumnong and Tdai, while the girls are in the student boarding house and the guys are at the school. One of my biggest concerns was how Samantha would respond to the living situation. This pretty much sums it up: She needed to go potty. Upon seeing the ‘squatty potty’ she exclaimed, “This is so cool!” I think she often uses it just because it’s different. She also loves the chicks and duckling, which she chases with glee.
Baan Kharm has a population of 1,300. Jumnong and Tdai Sorsee are the only Christian family. They have been here for 4 years, pioneering a ministry called ‘Friend to Friends’ that works with 6 villages in the area. Baan Kharm is a very friendly village, where everyone knows each other and helps each other. This week we have been helping with building and gardening projects here and in another village, while preparing for our 7 day English Camp that will begin on Monday.
We are also doing some work in a Karen village about 30 minutes away. On Tuesday Morning Sean wasn’t feeling well, so I had the privilege of driving the team up the mountain to the village. That is, I had my first four wheel drive experience. But I didn’t know how to put the truck in 4WD, so we crept up the mountain very slowly in first gear. It was a great experience. I felt very fulfilled and alive to be at the wheel in a situation that I would normally leave up to Sean to be in control. The way was beautiful, as my shot gun passenger Sarah kindly pointed out, but I didn’t see any of it as I was so focussed.
Photos of the villages and our work in the next post!!!
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