Church is closer than you think!

On Sunday we left our hostel early to make it to the branch in Chiang Mai by 9 am. We left with an hour to find it and barely made it 5 minutes before the meeting started. Let’s just say the church’s website was not updated, the taxi driver had no idea what my English address meant, and the phone number we had for the church was not valid. He dropped us off at a random street corner, where we proceeded to wander until we called someone from our group who had stayed somewhere else for the night who called the missionaries who ensured us we were close and just needed to walk a bit further. That’s always a relief! The church’s logo is just as comforting in another language when you’ve been searching all morning for it, even if you can’t read what it says! Unlike the branch in Chiang Rai, this branch met in what you’d expect as far as a church building, complete with steeple and chapel. Other foreigners made up about half of the congregation, and we were happy to join in with other faithful saints from so many places. The missionaries didn’t have enough  headphones for all of us to get the translation of the meeting, so we listened to the whole thing in Thai. It made it hard to concentrate since we were a little sleep deprived (did I mention our room in the hostel didn’t have AC and only one of the two fans worked? Yeah it was a weird night..), but it was a good reminder that any church meeting can be a success when covenants and the Spirit are there, and we were grateful we’d been blessed to take part in both there.

Rather than spend more time exploring the city, we caught the next bus back home. We were worried about being late so we got to the bus station quickly and indulged in some Thai instant noodles we bought right at the station where they provide hot water for mixing. The little fork comes bend and you snap it open—a perfectly portable meal!

We had a windy but beautiful four-hour ride back home—home sweet home in Thaton where we were looking forward to our hard bed, two fans, and little lizard that has decided to room with us. We packed SO MUCH into a day and a half, but we’re looking forward to a more relaxing weekend right here in our little town. We still have a lot to do in Chiang Mai so we’ll be back at least one more time, but we’ve been going nonstop since we got here and we’re ready for a little rest and relaxation!

Beautiful mountains on the way home. Northern Thailand has amazing scenery!