It was quite the journey to get there. I flew from Tirana to Milan, an overnight to New Delhi, afternoon flight to Bangkok, and evening to Chiang Mai. I thankfully had a friend-of-a-friend pick me up which was so helpful since the SIM card station was closed at the airport; I was quite exhausted, and it was my first time to Thailand.
What was I doing in Thailand, you may ask? So, I had 10 days between the conference in Albania and another conference in SE Asia and couldn't go back to Switzerland (no Visa). Since SAMS has workers in SE Asia, I had planned to visit them and have a low-key and legal work/rest place between conferences.
I had wanted to stay in one location and planned to visit a short-term worker in the Bangkok area. When the accommodations weren't working out, I wondered where I would stay. As I was falling asleep one night, I heard "worker (m) retreat in Thailand" and the thought to google that; so I did and found the Juniper Tree. Its whole purpose is for rest and retreat! It sounded perfect, so Chiang Mai it would be, at least for a few days.
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| Sunrise in the Prayer Garden at Juniper Tree |
I have to admit that it was hard to stay put as I wanted to explore, and I'd seen a day trip that would let me do almost everything I wanted in just one day, including riding elephants and visiting both the Shan and Karen--two people groups I've taken interest in over the past year. (A church I frequent in Switzerland has actually adopted the Shan people group and pray for them regularly). But I sensed my purpose in Chiang Mai was to rest. So I limited my outings to meet with one person each day for coffee or a meal, and Sunday I visited two church services and went to the night market.
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| Thai Church |
I actually had two invites to a local Thai church and wished that I could have been in two places at once! But I'd already accepted an invitation to one and decided to keep that. I was so encouraged by this church who reaches out to those in the slums. The beautiful worship leader was one of the first believers from the slums. And while I was there, they were preparing to have to leave because the government is going to shut it down. The pastor did such an excellent job teaching from the book of Ecclesiastes and the New Testament, speaking to them in their circumstances with a message that is relevant to us all: that life brings changes. Both good and bad changes bring stress, but the key is that God is with us and even gives us opportunities to prepare ourselves for the changes. We can bemoan them or welcome them and trust Him with what He is doing and how He wants to lead us and help us during each season of life. It was more than that, but so good!
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| Flower Display at First Thai Church campus |
I didn't intend to go to the international church as well, but since I got home early and also wanted to visit the night market, I went in with a girl I'd met the day before who happened to know the expat I'd had lunch with the previous day. They meet at First Thai Church which was all decorated to celebrate its 150th anniversary! Some conversations left me wanting to know more about Daniel McGilvary, a missionary to Chiang Mai from North Carolina.
After dinner with a few, my new friend and I were at least was able to see much of Chiang Mai by car as my other new friend's husband shuttled us to/from the night market. I wish I could've taken more pictures of the city, but there's always Google. 😉
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| Side alley off of the Night Market |
I cannot thank the Lord enough for my time in Chiang Mai and especially at the Juniper Tree. I met such interesting people, and it was the perfect setting to relax. I'm also thankful for those I could spend time with who live there--a couple of expats, a couple of locals. Thank you, Lord, for my time in Chiang Mai.
