MOST Thailand 2019

The morning started with a traditional Thai breakfast of rice and chicken or noodles and pork or duck. We then headed back to Baan Doi Saloon for the Sunday church service where members of the church prepared songs and dressed in traditional garb for us to see. The building was packed and we were welcomed back with open arms. It was great to worship with the community we served the day before, hear them sing songs in the Aka language, and see how they worship the Lord. After service, the ladies of the community demonstrated some traditional dances and invited the ladies of our team to be a part. They then wanted us all to take photos with them, dressed in their traditional clothes. We were very blessed to have this experience! After church, we headed to the Hall of Opium museum, where we learned the 5,000 year history of opium, how it's grown and converted into drugs we use today, and the consequences of the opium market. We're getting to know their history to get

Today we visited a remote  village called Baan Doi Saloon. Only four years ago was the road paved - which is on a steep incline for a few miles to reach the community. Before the paved road, villagers would make a hike for supplies and visitors were scarce. Now, tourism is starting to seep into the community and the nearby casino in Laos is threatening their safety and way of life. But, the church has grown to over 40 families over the past 13 years. On the way to the village, we passed the famous Tham Luang cave where the soccer team was stranded in the cave. There were over 10,000 people involved in the rescue this time last year, which turned out to boon the town economy, but drain on the nation. We served 103 people and handed out 117 pairs of glasses, for distance and reading. We served a Buddhist monk as part of the crowd of patients. We were careful to not touch him, especially his head. The community welcomed us with a great meal of food grown in site. The rice was grown i

Today we experienced clinic at another village in Chiang Rai that had people speaking three different languages. We worked with new interpreters to translate English, Thai, Lahu, and Ako. We quickly learned key words from the new languages to help us with our stations. We saw 131 people today with 129 pairs of glasses given out.  Before we left, the community members gifted us all with handmade bags that let everyone know we were now part of their community. Men and women her wear side bags to signify they belong here. After clinic, we traveled by trucks to the community center where they take care of about 20 boys of all ages. This center works hard to give the boys an education and keep them out of trouble.

Today we visited the community of Ban Huay Ma Kaeng, with over 800 residents. The people here speak Thai and a local language called lahu. For many of the people, we needed a translator for our translator - speaking English to Thai to lahu and back. God brought 103 people to clinic, including children. Many of the women in Ban Huay hand-sewed purses they sold at market. Eyeglasses have a direct impact on their livelihood - being able to see up close clearly left most super excited to go back home and be able to sew easier. After clinic ended, the children took us around parts of the community to view some of their homes. Word of the day: Humility