We are back safe and sound after a wonderful week on our 'VASE' mission trip to Thailand. We had a great team who gelled well together and who we were so pleased to watch as they evolved into an amazing bunch of teen missionaries!
The first part of our trip was spent in the Nakhor Pathom area where we stayed in a church and then did some flood relief work at a small rural church nearby. The church had been amazingly supportive to their community - they housed about 200 or so people feeding them 3 meals a day during the flooding. The water took 2 months to subside, and in fact is still there in some parts as it is so flat.
After our day working in this area, we were taken to 'Phetchaburi' where we ran an 'English Camp' which had a Bible theme. We had 29 Thai students come and join us for 2 1/2 days, and our kids lead activities and helped them to improve their English language skills. It was great to see the GSIS students become close friends with the Thai students so quickly, and the camp was a great success. The kids didn't want it to end, and there were many tearful goodbyes!
The language barriers came down pretty quickly, and the Thai kids had a chance to practice their English with English-speaking bi- or sometimes tri-lingual peers. A recipe for success! The venue was a Catholic retreat camp which looks well used, and has great facilities. The bedrooms were fairly rudimentary with just mats to sleep on, but they were air-conditioned, which allowed all of us to sleep well. The temperatures were in the 30's most days, with mild humidity, so it was hot at times, but pleasantly so. The mosquitoes were annoying, and managed to find me no matter how much bug spray I had on!
The final day was spent tidying up, having farewells, then visiting a cultural centre called 'The Rose Garden' where we bought a few souvenirs and saw a show, then a visit to a shopping mall to eat and buy gifts etc before heading to the airport. It was enough to satisfy those of us who like to shop, and those who just enjoyed being back in the city before having to go home again.
The highlight of the Friday excursion would have to be the elephant ride at the 'Rose Garden' - one to tick off the bucket list!!!
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