From the hill tribe village we drove to Phitsanulok. Kritsana's hometown.
~Approximately a 5 hour drive~
It was an awful drive. It felt much longer then 5 hours.
You know when you long to sleep but can't quite reach that state of bliss,
It was 5 hours of that.
{I think Shay slept great with the help of Dramamine, the drowsy kind}
Our dear friends Duck & Judy drove us in their van.
We had a love/hate relationship with this van.
You may not know this...
In Thailand all of the automobiles have what Shay and I lovingly refer to as,
"A back up noise"
We heard all kinds of different back up noises.
Space shuttle, catchy little tunes, etc.
It was very late when we arrived to P-lok.
As I was brushing my teeth I saw a cockroach in the bathroom.
I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I quickly ran out of there.
My dear and very brave cousin Shay killed it.
I don't know how but she did.
With no fear of the cockroach jumping on me, I slept like a baby.
Day 6
We arrived at the church. It's amazing how even in a foreign country,
The church is the same. It's comforting.
There were more members then I had imagined.
Maybe 50 or so.
The Elders took turns translating for us.
They sat behind us, leaned forward and translated.
It was very kind.
In Relief Society we met a new friend
~Shrimp~
She wore a jumper that was a little too short and
Thick, thick, thick wool socks.
She was very excited to use her English.
She talked to us the entire lesson,
Except for the 5 minutes where she fell asleep.
We did take a picture of the three of us,
Unfortunately whoever took the picture didn't actually take the picture
It makes me nauseous thinking about it.
I saw the picture in my mind and it was exceptional.
She followed us everywhere.
Now was the moment for which the entire trip was planned:
Pete's Baptism
Pete, Kritsana's nephew, attended church with her the previous time she visited.
She encouraged him to continue going. He did.
Pete immediately had a strong testimony of the Word of Wisdom.
He also found truth in the other gospel principles.
He is a remarkable 17 year old.
Pete had to be baptized 3 times.
His knees kept emerging from the water.
When he finally came up from the water it was amazing to see him.
I don't think I will ever forget the smile on his face.
It was an incredible moment to be a part of.
Take 1  |
Take 2: A very impressive group of Young Men. |
Kritsana's brother opened a noodle shop about a year ago. This place is incredible.
Just look at this view...  |
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The best tour guides and their van. I think I slept with my feet elevated every night... Kritsana's aunt had about 100 lotus plants We asked her if she sold them. She said "no, I enjoy looking at them."
Something we never ever expected to find.... Skin Whitening products. Yes, you read that correctly. |
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