On to Ubon...

Been a while since our last update, due to a lack of time in front of an internet connection. However, we made it safely to Ubon via the train overnight last night. The following is an entry I typed up last night as we rode out of Bangkok on the train:

Well, phase 1 of our long journey is complete. As I type this, I and the rest of the team are aboard the overnight train, speeding away from Bangkok and heading to the northeast and Ubon, where we will meet more of our friends - Lynn and Amy, Randy and Jodi, and Micah. This, of course, also means saying goodbye to Jon and Becky. However, they will be joining us in Ubon on Friday and sharing the rest of our time in Thailand with us.

Today was a full and eventful day. After breakfast, we met our guides for the day, Thai friends Watt and Jam, who had the responsibility of guiding us around Bangkok and showing us a few of the key sights. Though I have been to Thailand before, our first taxi ride represented my first real opportunity for an extended conversation with a Thai believer, and it was quite a blessing to be able to connect with Watt, as he was in my taxi.

Our first stop was the Grand Palace and the Buddhist temple that shares the same area. This was my second time here, and so perhaps I will try and get someone else to blog their first impressions. However, as we entered the temple where the Emerald Buddha resides, and I was once again exposed to the worship, the offerings and sacrifices, I was just struck again by the futility and sadness of it all, a life spent trying to gain enough merit to outweigh our bad acts, in contrast to the freedom that comes in Christ, and the understand that we can never be good enough, but that Christ's sacrifice is enough for all of us.

After we finished at the palace area, we took a boat tour around the river. There were a number of touristy highlights of this trip: feeding the fish at the fish farm, the orchid farm, the home of the royal barges, and a couple crocidile sightings. However, one thing that happened that I did not necessarily expect was that the tour took us behind a number of houses along the river, and I was able to see many, many examples of the "spirit houses" I've been told so much about, but had rarely seen. Spirit houses are essentially shrines to the spirit of the property, so most Thai properties have them. Like Buddhist temples, these shrines are exceedingly ornate and very beautiful, and I found it quite tragic that things of such beauty and care could be such a defining symbol of the kind of bondage so many Thai people find themselves in. The Thai rainy season decided to interrupt this time of observation, however, as we spent the last 20-30 minutes of the trip in a nasty little downpour. The boat had a covering, but it was not enough to provide complete protection, and we all got very, very wet, at least on the side of us that was nearest our side of the boat. After our boat tour ended, we took shelter for a while, and then took a look at a couple of other temples before saying goodbye to our Thai guides and heading back to meet with Jon and Becky for one last meal in Bangkok. Then it was back to the guest house to freshen up and pack before heading off to the train.

As the person "in charge", I must say that being on the train to Ubon has allowed me to fully relax. I try not to be a worrier, but catching the train to Ubon was the one logistical item that had the potential to really screw up the trip if it went badly. However, Lynn had our arrangements well taken care of, including a driver who was willing to stay with us and make sure we got on the right train. My edginess about getting the train was also coupled with my excitement about getting up to Ubon, so I was a little amped up this evening. Though I have very much enjoyed my stay in Bangkok on both trips I've been on so far, I can't help but feeling primarily like a tourist while we're in the big city. Being able to connect with Jon and Becky at least once every day this time did do something to lessen that feeling. However, Ubon is where my heart lies in Thailand, and so I'm sure I'm always going to be itching to get there anytime I'm in country.

Thank you for your continued prayers for us as we make this transition, both in location and in focus. Pray for our continued physical strength as we adapt to the climate, the time change (yes, that's still an issue), and all the walking. We were all pretty beat at the end of the day today, and I'm sure our time in Ubon will yield more of the same in terms of sun, heat, and walking. Pray also for great connections with our friends in Ubon, some of which most of our team will be meeting for the first time.