This Pilgrim's Journeys

Yes, elephants are definitely amazing. They are beautiful and strong creatures created by God and it was fantastic to see, feed, and touch elephants while in Thailand - however, there's more to most elephant camps than meet the eye. First, I will tell you about what I did like. I enjoyed feeding the elephants, because that made them happy. I enjoyed watching their bath time, because they were happy. Where we fed the elephants Elephant bath time! I did not sign up to ride the elephants. I did not like the elephant show, especially when they were painting. Why, you ask? Well, because elephants are strong, yes, but they were not made to carry heavy things (like a cart to hold people) on their backs, they were made to pull things behind them. Also, painting with their trunks? It is completely unnatural for an elephant to do that, and they go through major trauma when they're forced to learn to do it. The elephant painting closest to where we were sittin

Orchids everywhere,  of all colors and varieties. Jewelry made with flowers and gold. Delicious food options on a buffet.  That was what we found when our group went to the Orchid Restaurant in Thailand. When we entered, a little red orchid was pinned to our shirts. From there we got to check out the jewelry made from orchids and butterfly wings. Miranda bought a pair of blue orchid petal earrings. We walked around the many beautiful orchids as well as through the butterfly garden.  Lovely scenery on the way to the Orchid Restaurant More scenery! So many gorgeous orchids - there were many rows like this! The butterfly garden Emma, Kristin and Jenna The orchids and I PC: Miranda Moore After all of that wondering around, we got to eat at the buffet there. I did mention it in my food post, but I got a watermelon shake (amazing!!) and had some yummy food.  The tables at the Orchid Restaurant One evening we went to the Night

There is nothing like a good market: the constant hustle and bustle of people, weaving around each other as you try to shop, finding new and exciting things, and learning culture. While in Thailand, we got to experience two markets. Yes, those are live toads at Day Market Night Bazaar As night fell, the lights shone brightly. Crossing the street was done by saying "ok, we're going now! Go go go!" Shopping was dodging around other tourists and locals, peering into vendors' stands to see what's for sale and haggling to bring down the price at least 20 Baht. Miranda, Jenna and I were shopping buddies, but first, food! Shh, don't tell - we ended up eating Subway the first night. However, we weren't the only ones eating American food...and at least we didn't eat McDonald's! The first thing we went to buy were "elephant pants." They are the comfiest pants you will ever wear, so we all got quite a few pairs! And we just shopped and sho

The village outreach was one of my favorite things that our team did in Thailand. About our fifth day there, we left on a Sunday morning for that particular Karen (pronounced ka-rin) village, which was about 2.5 hours away. Of the 100 or so houses in the village, only 4 were Christian. Besides our team, the ZMS students went with us, as did several of the missionaries. Along the way, we stopped at one of the ever-prevalent 7-Elevens. When we arrived, I was a bit surprised that it was not as "village-y" as I had expected, and some of the others felt the same. While there we stayed in a school - one classroom for the guys to sleep in and one for the girls. Another room we used as our meeting room and eating room. Our team, the students, and the ZMS students PC: I'm not sure! The room where we discussed, planned, and ate That afternoon we split into groups for home visits in the village: I went with Tammy, Jackie, and three ZMS students. Many of the first homes w