Thailand Update - Private Oasis

Happy Father's Day!!

Hello everyone! We've had another fantastic day in Thopsuk that included church with fellow believers this morning, a trip to the market in Mae Hong Son, and some time swimming at a nearby waterhole. Church here looks quite a bit different than most churches back home (women and men sit on opposite sides of the church and everyone sits on the floor). Yet we have been continually reminded that even though we have many differences from the people of the Red Karen village, we are united because we serve the same God. We may not look, act, or think the same but we are brothers and sisters in Christ. What a blessing and privilege to be able to worship and grow closer to the Lord with fellow believers from half a world away!

Today was our first day in quite a while to have a lot of free time as well as no English lessons in the village or at the schools. We thoroughly enjoyed the day off by playing with several children from Thopsuk at the waterhole that's less than a mile up the mountain. The setting for swimming couldn't be any more beautiful, it is like having your own private oasis. Some of our team members mentioned that they felt like they were in a scene from a movie. Everyone had a great time cooling off from the heat as well as jumping in from tall boulders surrounding water. We were all impressed by the Red Karen boys who were naturals at quickly climbing up and across the rocks before jumping from some pretty significant heights. Some teammates also played volleyball and soccer with the children from the village.

We are feeling very rejuvenated from the rest & relaxation we got today. We're sad our time at Thopsuk is almost over, but we are looking forward to our last day of teaching English tomorrow. Thank you for your continual prayers while we are here!


Leslie Girk