Thailand – Through A Student’s Eyes
As our last country in Asia, Thailand was filled with a certain nostalgia. Driving in the back of bakkies past rice fields, with mountains in the distance, and sunset walks that took our breath away! A beautiful country, filled with the kindest people you could ever meet. Loving on us, spoiling us, feeding us more than we thought we could fit.
Our time in Thailand was slightly unusual, as the country was split into two blocks, three weeks on the front end, before heading to Laos, and two weeks on the back end, after returning from Laos. Thus, we were blessed to spend time with several different hosts in northern Thailand, each of which earned a place in our hearts, and who we already miss!
Our first days in Thailand were spent on a Travel Challenge, spanning about 800 km, and heading from Bangkok up to the north of Thailand, a district called Chiang Rai. Arriving via train and bus from Malaysia, we stepped off the train with all the expectation, yet nervousness, that first time Travel Challengers experience. Our goal was to get to Chiang Rai via hitchhiking, about a 14 hour journey. We had no idea how we would do this, but trusted the Lord to see us through. Beginning at the train station, we prayed together, and decided to draw signs for where we wanted to go. Since English is by no means a nationally known language in Thailand, it was necessary to draw them in Thai, which our two team artists did with enthusiasm! Knowing we had a long journey ahead of us, we suited up, joking that “Avengers, assemble!” should be our new catchphrase.
The picture of five travellers, weighed down by bags carrying our life for a year, walking in the hot sun of a Thai morning, can either be comedic, or despairing. Looking like weighed down turtles, we walked to the outside of the train station, and immediately realised we had gravely miscalculated. Bangkok is a gigantic city, with roads going in every direction. The chances of us getting a ride out of the city were not looking good. As we walked out, we were approached by a taxi driver. Knowing he was likely far above our budget, we told him “Thank you, but no.” On further reflection, however, we decided to approach him and ask if he would be willing to take us just to the outskirts of the city. His price beginning at 2000 baht (R1000), two of our members were able to bargain him down to 800 baht (about R400). This being a miracle in itself, we loaded into his van, and, far from just dropping us at the edge of the city, he took us to a gas station several km farther than we had agreed, and dropped us off. We took our bags, and decided to stand with our signs at the exit of the station. Standing in the sweltering heat, with our legible Thai signs in front of us, our challenge began.
As we stood at the edge of the parking lot, a great black van parked near us, and the driver rolled down his window. A few of us went up and began to talk to him, while the others stayed with the signs. Within a few minutes, (time spent translating and trying to explain the wild adventure we were on) the man got out of the van, opened the back, and told us to put our bags in the back. As he opened it, we saw that his entire family was with him: his wife, two daughters, and mother in law. All kindly smiling and waving to us, without being able to communicate in English, they nonetheless gave us a nothing less than a royal welcome! Before we drove off, they even went into a nearby store, and bought us food and water for our trip. They explained that they could drive us about 17 km down the road, to a slightly better hitchhiking spot. We, grateful for anything, were thrilled to hear that we might find a better place from which to hitch a ride!
As they asked us questions, we explained that we were on our way to Chiang Rai, the reason we were travelling so far, and why we had to hitchhike for this leg. After a few minutes, they started telling us that they would take us to the train station instead. Vaguely concerned (as all these conversations were going on through Google Translate) we tried to explain that we did not in fact have the funds for train tickets. They waved off our concerns however, and eventually we decided to simply receive, and deal with each thing as it came. As we drove up to the train station, the man’s wife got out, and told us she would go buy the train tickets. She explained that they wanted to buy them for us. Trying not to tear up, climbed out of the van, shocked and grateful that in less than 30 minutes into our challenge, God had provided not only food and water, but a ride spanning 700 of our 800 km journey. Absolutely shocked and humbled by this, we walked into the train station, and were handed our tickets.
A few hours later, fed by the Lord’s provision, energised by His goodness, and ready for the next leg of our journey, we boarded the 12 hour train to Chiang Mai. As we slept through the night, and awoke to the breathtaking beauty of rural northern Thailand, the sun rising on fields, forests, homes and temples, we simply took in the goodness of God. He provides! No matter what.
Our train arrived around 9:00 in the morning. Disembarking from the train, we began our walk, trying to find the highway that would have us on the road to our final destination (only 80 km away). Walking through a city we did not recognise, approached by people we could not understand, and trying to figure out where to go, was quite a disorienting experience. However, due to the kindness of a few strangers, and in no small part due to Google Maps, we eventually found a suitable highway to hitchhike from. After waiting by the side of the road for two hours, we eventually decided to use some of our budget to get a taxi, again to the edge of the city. Driving a few kilometres down the road, our taxi dropped us off, and drove away. Praying, and standing in shifts by the side of the road, with our signs, 20 minutes later we were loaded into the back of a bakkie, with all of our possessions, well on the way to reaching our destination by dark. After a few moments however, the driver pulled into a mall complex by the side of the highway. Thinking that he must need supplies, we waited patiently. As he got out of the car however, he looked at us and seemed to count. Coming back after a few minutes, he had 6 beautiful, cold Thai drinks for us. Nearly crying with gratitude (we’ve mentioned Thailand is hot) we thanked him as best we could, and drank.
After a few more hours, and a couple of more rides, we reached the last leg of our journey. Hitchhiking again, we got a ride from a man who went a half hour out of his way to help us reach our destination! Walking into the house, we were greeted by the entire Eastbound team! They had been staying with or hosts for the past two weeks, and, with a 4 day journey overlap, we were reunited for the first time in months! With shouts of joy, a fair bit of exited jumping, and more hugs than could be counted, we walked into the house, exhausted, yet buoyed with the knowledge that the Lord had us in His hands, the entire time. All we had to do was trust.
We spent 4 days with Eastbound, days spent recounting memories and testimonies, the amazing stories we’ve gathered through this year. Joining in with the ministry they had been working with, we had the privilege to visit a local village a few kilometres from our base…
We were taken to a church, small, rural, and beautiful. The church gave us a meal, and then we shared a service together. Worshiping and sharing a message, we came to the end of the service, thinking we would be on our way soon. But our host asked the congregation if anyone wanted prayer. One woman stood up, among everyone. She walked to the front, with a bravery that to this day cannot but be admired. She told us that she had suffered against depression for years. We prayed with her, moved by her heart and her trust that she could be healed. Coming together against this pain, we prayed that Jesus would come. After a few minutes, she looked up, eyes shining, and, with her very limited English, simply said “I feel joy!” We all celebrated with her, and she went back to her seat, walking on a cloud. As if she had released a flood, more and more people began to come up, each with a story of sickness, pain, trauma. One man had been scared by a witch doctor years before, and was now suffering pain because of it. After praying with him, we felt God ask him to forgive the person who had hurt him. As he forgave, his pain began to disappear, pain in his knees and wrists simply evaporating. It was incredible! We left joyful, filled with the knowledge that God had worked miracles this night.
Two days later, it was time for us to move to our next location, as we had gone a little bit out of our way to meet Eastbound, and now had hosts waiting for us elsewhere. Saying our goodbyes, we left, knowing we would see them again soon, as we had intercepting dates in Laos as well.
As we did not have the funds to reach our next location, we used what we had to get us part of the way, and then hitchhiked again to reach our hosts. Again blessed beyond belief, we got one ride, who took us the entire way! Dropped directly outside our hosts home, we walked in to the most wonderful surprise we had yet encountered: a genuine South African meal! Curry, rice, custard and jello, we feasted! Our hosts were a couple from South Africa, who had been missionaries for years in different parts of Africa, and then moved to Thailand because they felt God lead them. They treated us like family, and took care of us as such.
The weeks we spent in Wian Kaen were full of joy, provision, and friendship. We worked with the local church, helping in children’s ministry, English teaching, and Youth Groups. As we went about our work, we got the opportunity to pray for some families in the communities we were teaching English in. Each time, healing came. Pains and aches gave way to doubtful and then joyful assurances that yes, it was gone! The surprised look in peoples eyes was encouraging. Even through the barriers of language, culture, and religion, they got to see Jesus work. Through no effort of ours, but through the testimony of His power, each man and woman saw Jesus work. We may never know the effects of that revelation, but we left knowing that no matter what, Jesus would work with them.
We spent evenings with the youth of the church, teenagers who were already taking positions of leadership among their peers, leading worship and lessons. They were so kind to us, and even made us some traditional Thai papaya salad. Coming from a now expert, unless you are used to regularly eating burning coals, do not ingest this concoction. Delicious, but spicy beyond belief. We provided quite the comedic relief with our sniffles, red faces, and pathetic efforts to withstand the fire.
As our time in Wian Kaen came to a close, we simply enjoyed the friends we had made. Spending time with them, and saying our eventual goodbyes felt like a bit of a dream. There are places that you go that feel so real, like it happened yesterday. Then there are others that feel like a waking dream. So full of light, and joy, and a simple humanness, you can’t help but feel that they are not quite real memories. This was Wian Kaen. We were sad to say goodbye, but prepared for the next step in our journey: Laos.
We spent three weeks in Laos, and afterwards, returned to Thailand, as our final leg in South East Asia. We spent time with a church, sharing messages, and teaching English during the week at the different schools in the villages. With a different school each week, it was quite a stretching time, 5 people planning lessons for 30-80 children in a day. As the adage goes “Fake it ’till you make it”, and we desperately tried to make it look like we knew what we were doing, until we actually did. Through these weeks however, despite our admitted inexperience, we saw Jesus move in such special ways. Healings are incredible, miracles wondrous, but the simple joy in a child’s eyes can be the greatest evidence of God on earth. Through the weeks we spent teaching, we were humbled, overwhelmed, and full of joy all at the same time. Children, with so little to their names, would bring hair pieces, drawings, simply to say thank you. And, when we said goodbye, a rush of hugs so powerful it was all we could do to stay standing. This is the picture of those weeks: smiling children, chaotic hours, hugs and games and in the moment plans.
We were given a grace period for our studies, having more time than usual in the week to work on finishing the first phase. We knew that once we landed in Georgia, we would have very little time to study, and so, in the inimitable Travel Varsity style, we crammed as much work in as possible. Through the months of travel, we have slowly learned the tips and tricks of the trade, learning how to balance ministry with studies, how to focus yet not bury ourselves, and even, at times, how to apply what we learn at university to what we are doing each day. It has been the lesson of a lifetime, but for five people who will soon step into the world to put into practice what we have learned, this year has been a wonderful lesson in experiencing the things we are studying. From teaching, to project planning, leadership to team dynamics, there are lessons that each of us can learn. The trick is to keep our eyes open.
We had the wonderful opportunity, in our final week, to meet up with GLA’s Travel School. Having been in Thailand a few weeks, they eventually made it up to the north, where we were. Having a chance to share our experiences, and see them on their journey, was such a privilege, and we enjoyed meeting them so much. A group of young men and women, doing something so unusual, so daring, yet so bravely, was wonderful! We were invited on our final day in Thailand to come and do ministry with them, and so, in a last goodbye, we returned to one of the schools we had worked with, and got to see Travel School work their magic! Seeing them play with the children we had spent time with only 2 weeks before, felt a bit like passing the baton. With 48 hours left in Thailand, it was bittersweet, knowing we had so many adventures ahead of us, but still needing to grieve the goodbyes we had to say. Seeing the children who were so special to us, find new teachers, new people to love, hug, and learn from, we felt like we were entrusting something precious. And seeing Travel School do GLA proud, playing with the children, loving on them, dancing and teaching, as though they’d done it all their lives, we knew that they would take good care of our students.
And with that, we spent our final evening with the church that had hosted us, enjoying a wonderful meal and a time of fellowship and prayer with them, before saying goodbye. Somehow, it was the perfect goodbye. The sadness disappeared, and it felt that with this sendoff, we were ready for the next phase of our journey. Leaving a place that had taught us so much, brought us so far, and loved us so well, we flew out on July 3rd. Leaving so many precious memories behind us, with a spin of propellers, and a last look behind us at the gorgeous sky, we lifted off.
