When we arrived the group was in the middle of a devotion lead by one of the staff members. There were about 25 women gathered around a table. After the devotion we joined in a time of worship. Everyone sat on cushions on the floor and three other staff led the worship. Worship included songs in Thai with hand motions and dancing! After worship all the women shared a short testimony about what this Christmas meant to them. Auntie Carol translated for me and it was very touching to hear the stories of these women. For many of them this was their first time celebrating Christmas and celebrating Christmas as a Christian. Many of them shared about the joy they had after receiving Christ and the difference it made in their lives. The staff, Auntie and I also shared short testimonies about God's provision and blessings. After the time of sharing each of the women received a present. They were so exciting to get their Christmas present- a bath towel, body wash, toothpaste and toothbrush and a small bonus. Auntie took me to go see the other places of the ministry like the nursery, sewing and card making shop. When we returned we joined the women for lunch. During lunch some of them performed traditional Thai dances! After lunch we said goodbye to the women, but would see many of them later that night because they were coming by the house to sing Christmas carols.
Went to go pick up Lani and Mark from the dentist and got dropped off at the mall to met up with Mark's girlfriend to go see the movie Avatar. Ended up seeing it in 3D and just like in Japan also got to choose our seats in the theater. As we were waiting for the movie all of a sudden an anthem starts playing and Mark's girlfriend tells me to stand up. I was a little confused at first, but then she told me it was the King's anthem and everyone in the theater stood up to show their respect. Mark's girlfriend said if you don't stand and show respect you could be arrested! The Thai highly respect the King and his picture is everywhere in Bangkok from people's homes, expressway overpasses, light posts and movie screen! Overall, the special visual effects were cool, but the storyline itself was not that great. After the movie we went to eat ramen and for dessert got a DQ blizzard! I have been craving a DQ blizzard ever since I left home and was soo happy to find one! Japan does have a 31 and many other types of icecream, but I love my DQ.
Headed back home to get ready for the carolers. Auntie was in the kitchen cooking up a storm because she was inviting the carolers in for 'snacks'. Well, snacks kinda turned into dinner, but figured it would be okay with 20 people coming. The women from The Well and some of the staff and their families came around 8:30pm. They were all dressed in red wearing santa hats and carrying candles. It was a very cool experience for me because I've never had carolers come to the house, but only caroled at Heiwa Terrace in Chicago. They sang two songs in Thai and ended with a scripture reading for a blessing. Turned out that the group had grown in size and there were 30 people, including lots of kids! They all came in and I jumped in to help play hostess, so Auntie and Uncle could talk with their guests. They stayed for about an hour and it was quite the whirlwind. They came, ate, talked, took pictures and left! Almost all the food was gone by the end and everyone had really enjoyed themselves. It felt really nice to be serving in this way for Christmas. So often at Christmas I get so caught up in the busyness of Christmas- Christmas shopping, helping to clean house for Christmas Eve, plans with friends that I don't take the time to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas- Christ's birth and sacrifice on the cross for me. Many times too I am very 'me' centered, so it was good to take a step back and think about the needs of others.
Day 4 at the floating market, riding a tuk tuk, marble palace to be continued...
On Wednesday Uncle Leith and Auntie Carol took me sightseeing. I woke up around 6am because we were going to a floating market. The market was about 2 hours outside of Bangkok and gets busy quickly. We parked the car and took a long boat down various canals to get to the market. This experience was even better than riding in gondolas in Venice! It was neat to see peoples' homes on the edge of the canal and that's how they really live. We had a Thai woman directing the front of the boat and her brother who controlled the motor in the back. We were going pretty fast along the narrow canals surrounded by houses and greenery. Even got a little wet along the way! The market itself was an incredible experience. We were surrounded by vendors selling everything from handmade hats, to lights carved out of coconuts to fresh fruit and soups. There were land and water vendors. The land vendors had shops on shore that you could buy things, but in certain areas of the market you could ride right up to the shop in your boat and buy things. The water vendors were also in longboats selling a variety of fresh fruit, soups and spring rolls. The market was very crowded with other tourists and at one point there was a huge boat jam! The boat drivers were very patient and helped each other manuver boats so they could pass. We bought some fresh pineapple and soup while drifting through the market.
Our boat driver took us to a coconut cane farm where we stopped for a little bit. It was next to a grove of coconut trees and I was able to sample some fresh cane sugar and coconut juice. We walked around the store where they sold lots of things made from coconuts. After visiting the grove we went to another area on the longboat to see some carp. Unfortunately, the water was too cloudy to see any fish so we headed back. The boat ride was so much fun and visiting the floating market was definitely a highlight of the trip!
Went to lunch afterwards and ate fried sea bass and other Thai salads. It was an open air restaurant and had to battle some pretty ferocious flies while we ate! They wanted some of the fish too! I'm getting use to all the spicy Thai food and even though can't pronounce any of the dishes its been delicious! Next stop was a handicraft shop Auntie Carol had asked about. It ended up being a pretty big woodcarving shop. Beautiful pieces of furniture and pictures all carved out of teak wood. We were more in rural Thailand and driving along the highway saw a lot of coconuts and food stands. Along one stretch of road we passed about 15 different stands all selling salt and 15 more selling all the same fruit. Some other sights included seeing a whole family riding on one motorcycle and a huge stack of sacks piled high on the back of a truck with nothing holding them in place! But, that's Thailand for you. Traffic is also really bad everywhere in Bangkok and it takes a long time to get places. That's why many people opt for the sky train, motorcycles or tuk tuks.
Made our way back to Bangkok to go see the Royal Palace. Unfortunately, got stuck in a lot of traffic coming back and got there right when it closed. So could only see the outside. Uncle Leith dropped Auntie and I off and we decided to take a tuk tuk to see the giant swing, marble palace and jewelry factory. A tuk tuk is similar to a motorcycle, but has a bigger seat in back to fit more people. Riding in the tuk tuk was quite the experience! I was a little nervous as we weaved in and out of traffic and was especially nervous sitting in the middle of a major intersection!
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