Thailand Mission and Cultural Trip 2014 - Journal 16

I’ve been leading mission trips since 1998. In all my years of these endeavors, we have never had a send-off as the one experienced this morning! It is impossible to explain. If you have the time to look at the photos on my photo website (“097-100 school send-off”, http://people.wallawalla.edu/~pedrito.maynard-reid/gallery2/main.php/v/pedrito-travels/PedritosTravels2014/Pedritos+ThailandTravel2014/?g2_page=5), you

might be able to have an idea of what we experienced from the entire school. The out-pouring for appreciation, love, and affection from Kindergartners to staff was overwhelming. There were tears, laughter, and gifts, gifts, gifts! When I told them that we would be back with another team next year, they broke out in a grand spontaneous applause! The impact we made in two short weeks, was way beyond my expectation!

That send-off took almost one hour! So Rob and I were late in getting to the farm. But we pushed along in the blazing hot sun, and got a lot more of the pea-eggplant field done. Nang had a whole lot of Jack fruit ready for us to eat! We will go back and say our good-byes on Monday.

In the afternoon we took gifts of t-shirts to the sisters who own the massage place. Then we headed over to “Cabbages and Condoms” Resort and Restaurant for our traditional expedition and meal, as well as attempting to cross the lake on a

single rope bridge! Only Rob made it.

Those of you who have followed my blog over the last 4 years know what this restaurant is all about. It is part of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA). On their website (http://pda.or.th/) they mention that the organization’s goal is to reduce poverty and facilitate health and socio-economic development through family planning and agricultural development that is appropriate to the local community. The website mentions that their

efforts have contributed “significantly to the decrease in the annual population growth rate from 3.3% in the mid-1970s to 0.6% in 2005. During the same period, the number of children per family fell from 7 to under two.” Well, we had a fun time there, with good food and playing with the animals, etc.

I made it to Vespers with my tired self; and did my regular Friday evening dozing during the service. But my body was there, and it got a blessing!