A Day Off & A Day On (Elephants and Bamboo Rafts!)

Today was our first official "day off" since arriving in Thailand... and what a day it was! We had the rare opportunity to ride on the back of elephants in the morning and then make our way to a river where we rode on bamboo rafts. It is really hard to explain what these two experiences were like. The entire team was paired up and together, we tromped through the Thai jungle on elephant back. We had to frequently stop and pinch ourselves as we realized that we were riding elephant! We also had to frequently stop because the elephants demanded to be fed every few paces. For less than $1, you could buy a bag of sugar cane or a bag of bananas. About every 10 paces, the elephant would stop dead in its tracks, its trunk would swing above its head and it would wait until you placed a sugar can shoot or a couple of bananas in its trunk.

After riding the elephants, we journeyed a little further until we reached the edge of a river where we boarded bamboo rafts which meandered along the river steered by Thai tour guides. It was a refreshing and relaxing ride.

After riding the elephants and riding the rafts, we returned to Chiang Mai for a bite to eat and returned to the hotel for a few hours. Students finished off lessons for the next few days, swam in the pool or took a nap.

In the evening we visited the night bazar where all sorts of bargains were acquired.

The next five days will be quite busy. Tomorrow, we visit an orphanage where we have a day of ministry prepared. On Sunday we minister in a local church and then make our way to one of the Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand for children's ministry.

On Monday we depart early in the morning for three days of ministry in a rural village where we will be staying. We will not be camping outdoors as originally planned. The female students and teachers will stay in the home of a local pastor while the male students and teacher will stay inside the church.

Please pray for stamina for these next five days of ministry. Tired bodies can make for irritable spirits and irritable spirits can distract us from the ministry of sharing the gospel. Please pray against this and ask that God would grant to us strength, patience, and unity.