They arrived just over a week after we arrived in Phayao. By then we had found a house and bought a sofa bed, tables, stools and a electric hob and halogen oven as a makeshift kitchen. When we moved in the house was filthy and we took two days painting areas white and cleaning .... Worst dirt I have ever seen, but now it's fine and actually feels like home. One down side is we don't have a toilet flush so you have to pour water down the loo from a bucket and also we have a cockerel who has a messed up body clock. It's quite common to hear him at 1 AM. Phayao isn't a tourist location and there aren't many westerners here so they don't have new apartment blocks or western style houses hence we have a basic style thai house.
We went for a lunch at the Korean couples house as they had two couples over who are from Korea but are pioneering in other parts of Thailand. Both of them had been in prison for refusing to serve compulsory military service stating that they didn't want to fight anyone and are neutral when it comes to politics. They served 5 and a half years in military and citizen prisons where they could not talk to family or friends and were often beaten. One of the brothers said it taught him to rely on jehovah and he is no longer afraid of bad men.
We also had a pioneer meeting which was taken in three different languages and some brothers travelled two hours from another congregation to come to it, unfortunately they were arsenal fans but we all brought food for afterwards and spent a few hours just chatting and even convinced me and Craig to try octopus ... Not good!
Ministry is getting better and better as we learn more of the language and gain confidence. Every few houses you stop and talk to people. The majority of people here haven't heard of Jehovah's witnesses at all and some of the territory still has not been worked. Once we have finished an area it won't be worked for another three years .... There is so much to be done here.
Recently the why study the bible video on jw.org has become available in the Thai language or passa thai as they say. This is good news because we meet so many people who cannot read and now we have downloaded videos on are tablets to show them.
Melissa and Keira were able to go on a study as a boarding school that are Korean friends take. The boarding school is nothing like England. Only one teacher stays there at night but both the girls didn't even see a teacher. The kids are responsible for themselves overnight after dinner. At four o'clock on Tuesday afternoons all the kids who are playing leave there things and go get there study books and sit down outside the school. None of them are made to but they all do it out of choice. They even start by singing songs. Me and Mel are able to go every week so will post a video or photos next time.
We have been doing lots of informal witnessing when we have been out on evenings in markets or travelling on public transport. One girl me and Mel spoke to (while buying churos) was back in phayao for new year but studies at university in Bangkok and was leaving the next day. She started of just asking if we were on holiday but we explained we were witnesses. She wasn't too sure who we were so we showed her the website. She was really happy and said she had studied Buddhism, and Islam but they didn't provide any answers. She said 'this is perfect because I am free of any religion and can study the bible'. We showed her how to find the bibles answers on the website and how to contact the brothers .... Who knows what will happen.
While visiting Chiang Mai we took a taxi which is like a pick up truck with some benches in the back. There not very big and was already quite full so the girls shuffled in and me and Craig stood on a ladder on the back of the truck. Sinead has some of the Would you like to know the truth tracts and spoke to one lady and then proceeded to offer them round, everyone on the bus took one .... Ten people!
We have also all managed to answer up at almost every meeting in the thai language, with some help of course. We also learnt a few songs in thai. One of the brothers made us sing in it front of the hall after the meeting, so so embarrassing.
We have done a few more touristy things to. We went to Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. Visited an amazing flower shows festival/food market (me and Craig bought are Chiang Rai United football shirts there), Chiang Mai zoo where we fed elephants, giraffes and jaguars and also tigef kingdom where we spent the day with ten different tigers from cubs to the biggest adults and as you will see from the pictures it was incredible.
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