Sunday: Church, Hall of Opium, & Cave Rescue Site

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 a better appreciation for this culture.

Then, we headed to the northernmost tip of Thailand on the border of Myanmar (Burma).

The apex of the day was a visit to the cave at Tham Luang - the site of the 2018 Thailand boy's soccer team that was trapped in the cave for two weeks. It's said that all but one of the boys are going to be monks to stave off the unlucky spirits from the experience. One of the boys in the cave was a 13 year old Christian and had an impact on many Christians in this area, inspiring them to continue spreading the name of Jesus in this heavily Buddhist country. It's a great witness to those who choose to follow Christ in this country that is 97% Buddhist.

Photos below show the entrance to the cave, which is now fenced off and closed for the rainy season. There's also a bronze statue of the Thai Navy Seal who lost his life in the rescue efforts and an entire building dedicated to the story.


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