Thailand Journal 16 – Sept. 7, 2019

I ended yesterday’s journal by saying that I was looking forward to today’s experience at the Bamboo School. We were not disappointed! Deanna said that it was one of her best Sabbaths. If there was any question as to whether this would be a regular part of the annual trip to Thailand, such questions were put to rest today! So impressed we were, as members of the team, with our experience that we collected among ourselves over 16,000 Baht (over $500.00) to give to the school. Momo Cat said that it will provide food for three weeks! (If you can, please take a few minutes to glance through the photos in my Flickr album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143715478@N06/albums/72157710509200516).

We had Sabbath worship and Sabbath School at another of their property at a nearby lake. Beautiful setting. I gave a brief sermon for the worship. We were right on the border with Myanmar/Burma. So some of us took the opportunity to put one foot through the barbed wire fence in the no-man’s land outside of Thailand. It was the closest we can to stepping on soil of that other Asian country. On the way back I stopped and to photos of the entrance to the former Tiger Temple. It is now renamed “World Buddhist Sanctuary Center.” Just for future reference, the trip from AIU to the Bamboo School is just a little over 4.5 hours (one hour beyond the restaurant). On the way back to the University, I received a couple notes from Momo Cat. In the first one she wrote: “Thank you for your encouraging visit. Little girls rushed to my side as you left: ‘why have they run away so soon?’" In the second she sent a photo of the note one of the girls wrote (which I’ve included in these

photos). She said that that girl “has been here 3 months. Abused by a stepfather, damaged by her alcoholic mother, still trying to find her place here. Today was a big step for her.” Wow! Tonight I had a wonderful Thai meal with my sponsoree (and “adopted” Thai daughter) from our 2005 Chiang Mai trip, Supaporn, and her family. She came from Bangkok just to see me. I’m so proud of her.