Last border run

Today was the very last time in my whole lifetime to do a visa run into Burma.  So I'd like to think, anyway.  A simple oversight was made on my last trip to the USA over my yearly visa- thus I've had to take these 3 trips into Burma every 15 days this past month or so. Hopefully it won't happen again.

But Mike was my faithful companion- or should I say chauffeur and we decided to make the most of the trip today.  I am thankful for a husband who is adventuresome with me- and together we can make most any trip into a fun and new experience by exploring new places together. Here's the lowdown on this trip.

After spending a few hours crossing into Burma and getting the visa stamp- we decided to check out a new market area on the Thai side of the border that we had never been to with amazing low prices. So worth our time!

Then just a bit further down the road we went  to the northern most part of Thailand.  That is Burma on the other side across the river.

On our trip back home today, we stopped to visit Paison at the new Bible Training Center being built.

It is really coming along and we are so excited about all the potential of this new facility in Chiang Rai.

The meeting Mike was having concerning the construction of the building and budget, got a bit long for me.  Good thing that I enjoy my camera so much, because it is always a source of entertainment for me.  This is the view out the back of the property - resembling  a typical rural Thai scene.

Even taking pictures of flowers can entertain me for awhile.

...or Mr. Rooster?

We had lunch together with Paison, his family, and some of the students he has been mentoring who are now moving out to a new area to plant some new churches. We were so encouraged to hear all that God is doing through their team there in Chiang Rai. We ate at one of the restaurants where they give you 1 1/2 hour to eat as much as you want and then you have to leave.  The plates move around on the conveyor belt and you take what you want and drop it into the cooking pot at your table.  We think the kids at the table behind us must have gone through 100 plates... seriously-- but they put small amounts on each plate. You can tell that they enjoyed it.

I kept my camera handy to take photos of more interesting sights along the way home, back to Chiang Mai.

weirdo????

The road we travelled goes through farmland and the farm background of Mike and I usually comes out as we like to stop and buy their local produce.  Sometimes it it sweetcorn or avocados, but with rainy season this time we found mushrooms. 

These were a red variety which I was not so sure of, so we bought them for Thai friends who we found out love them.

I forgot to mention that we had a former Thai staff friend who went with us on our trip too.  Pope helped us spot  another stand with other kinds of mushrooms. 

Thanks, Pope for helping us find these white mushrooms for me.

And if anyone does not like their vehicle or form of transportation, just think about  this photo and be thankful for what you have.  I'm sure they could squeeze you on here... what is one more?

Making of a sticky rice basket

The food staple of the northeastern part of Thailand is the sticky rice that they eat with their fingers at most every meal.  They have a specific basket  with a lid that they serve the rice in.  I've seen this basket at meals umpteen times. Last week, while we were visiting the construction workers at the new training center who are from the northeast, I got to observe Pawn making one start to finish. It was very exciting for me, thus the following umpteen pictures.

We had been walking around the facility looking at the progress, when I noticed her go in her house and start making the bottom for this basket that she had just finsihed.  I started talking to her about if she really made the whole thing all by herself.  It seemed no big deal to her.  When a basket gets worn out, she acted like you just get some grass and make a new one. 

I think because I was so amazed at her ability, she decided to show me that it was easy and went to get some more bamboo stalks to start on a new basket.

It was also fun for me to see from the beginning raw product, because these bamboo sticks is what we had brought back for some of the decor at my daughters weddings this fall.  You can see the small bunch of them at the bottom of the above photo. Now I was seeing them being transformed into beautiful baskets before my eyes.

She just started with a few stalks weaving over and under and adding more and more as she went along.

Her hands had done this so much, that they were sort of like a machine weaving in and out automatically.  You know how a good secretary can type at a lightening speed as she looks around the room.  That's how Pawn did her weaving, just looking around at the construction workers as her hands did their own thing.

I was so impressed with her skill and wanted to show her off to other Americans who not believe how cool this was, and yet it was so ordinary to her.

Within less than a half hour as I sat there with her, the basket was coming into shape and almost done.

Initially the weaving part looked quite easy and reminded me of the over and under design from making hot pad holders as a kid.  The longer she went and started adding other designs, I decided I would not even attempt to have her teach me this time.

We had to go before the second one was completed and she really wanted to give it to me, in typically Thai kindness.  You can tell by her smile that she appreciated my enthusiasm of being so impressed with her skill.

Her son was proud to show me the other one she had just made.  You can be sure that the next time I buy a Khaw-Nee-Yao basket, I will not take for granted the beautiful designed weave.  I will realize the skill that went into each basket, all hand-made and know that it was none of this mass factory production stuff. Amazing!

Chiang Rai & Burma Trip

I have not really been in the blogging mood this week with the greatest day in history approaching and thinking about the significance of Resurrection Sunday. My blogging activities seem mundane.  I would love to be a part of an Easter Sunrise Service like this one. I've been doing a lot of reading this week and also trying to prepare my heart for Easter.  Taken from my quiet time this morning....

"God's atonement is hard for me to understand completely, but I do believe undoubtedly that Christ's death and resurrection perfectly reconciled God and men.  It opened the Kingdom of heaven to all who believe in it.  My concern now is not to explain how it happened- but to proclaim it.  I don't think that God can make me understand all that happened at the cross, as even the angles don't know as they desired to look into an explanation, too. ( I Peter 1:10-12) I just know that I love  singing  'Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o'er His foes' on Easter morning with other believers!  He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!"

Concerning my visa situation, we decided it was cheapest to made a Burma Border run every two weeks for the next six weeks.  This week, we combined the border run with a needed trip to visit the new training center in Chiang Rai and see how the construction was coming.

After the four hour drive up there, the first stop was the brand spankin new Central mall.  We were so impressed that little Chiang Rai now has a very nice shopping mall that is much nicer than our two malls in Chiang Mai.  Thailand is certainly developing.

The Bible Training Center for workers (from closed surrounding countries) is coming along and almost finished.  We are so excited about all the potential of this center.

The main training room is huge and going to be beautiful.

Mike had to help with some communication between the contractor and builders coordinating what materials are still needed to finish and get it ready to be opened soon.

Each dorm room will house 4 students/pastors during each training.

Plans are it to be finished in just a few more months.

Pyson, one of our TCCC staff members in Chiang Rai is overseeing this project.

The contractor's son followed me around the whole time we were there and wanted me to take his picture.

In Thailand, the construction workers most always live right on the sight of the building.  This is their home during the year of building and then they move on to the next sight.

That evening we enjoyed having dinner with Pyson, Sompit and Pom.

The next day we crossed over the border into Burma, did our "over the border Burma shopping" and returned with me as a legal resident for 15 more days.

I still find the half hour time change between countries most amusing.

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!