Homeward Bound!

The remaining Fab Five on on our way back home! This is Jen, and we are sitting in the Taipei airport half way through our 7 hour layover. We have had a dinner of...........bet ya can't guess.........noodles! If I never see another noodle or grain of rice, I don't think I'll be sad :) We begin our 13 hour trans-Pacific flight in a little over 3 hours. Vern found Cindy some night-time alergy medicine here at the airport, and we may ALL be taking one in order to get some quality sleep.

Thailand was very different from Cambodia in a lot of ways, and yet the same in others. We still removed our shoes at the door, we still placed our hands together and slighly bowed in greeting, but instead of the Khmai greeting of "Suor sdei", we said "Kop koon ka". The kids at Doi Saket #1 were not as affectionate as the kids in Battamang, but they did warm up to us on day 2 and began to give great hugs. It was hard leaving last night knowing that we would not be seeing them again. At least our attachments were not as in depth as in Battambang.

We stayed at the Wangtarn Resort in Chiang Mai, each pair in a "bunglaow" or "hut" for lack of a better term. I'm not sure the Haymakers would have fit in the tiny bungalow with all of their luggage. We did have critters sharing our bungalows................geckos, and creatures in the walls that made noises all night long. The bathroom drains were open holes, and I always checked to make sure nothing reared it's head out of that hole every time I went in there :)

Yesterday, Thursday, we headed up into the hills to the Widows' farm. We dedicated their new building, and tears were shed. Tutu, the Thailand director of Asia's Hope, cried and thanked us for our time, prayers, and gifts. She said that she had nothing to give us (although she fed us dinner every evening). We assured here that she had given us a lot. We watched a slaughtered pig be butchered and cut up, then 'Porky' was cooked for our lunch, along with Tutu's village recipes of potatoes and curry and other assorted delights.

On the way back down the mountain, we stopped in a hill tribe village where a smiling resident proudly showed us his shack on stilts, complete with bamboo floors and a TV! He recently accepted the Lord! Life in the hill tribe villages was very primitive compared to the rest of Chiang Mai.

On Tuesday, we drove up into the mountains and climbed 306 steps up to a Buddhist temple. It was very sad to see so many statues with people lighting candles and paying money to them, and monks blessing people. I am so elated that we serve a jealous God!

Saying goodbye at the aiprort today was sad. We were leaving our trip leaders, Sherrod and Rachel, Adam and Jess, and our sweet Renae, who turned 18 today! We also said goodbye to Tutu and Mike and Doug. Mike and his wife are missionaries living in Thailand and Doug is visiting from Toronto. Our team has shrunk, but we have remained together in our hearts. We can't wait to get home to be reunited, and to see you all. We have sooooooooooooo many stories to share with you all! God bless you all for your support and prayers!