First Impressions of Thailand

• So I am no longer in the Middle East but now in Asia! After 3 or 4 flights and 12 hours on a train I made it to Chiang Mai, Thailand. And now I have been here a couple weeks and there has been several things I’ve noticed about Thailand.

1. My first impression of Thailand was the heat and humidity. I was on a train from about 8pm to 8 or 9am and it could be the dead of the night with all the widows open and it would still be in the high 90s Fahrenheit. So needless to say it’s taken some getting used to. But I slowly am getting used to it and used to taking multiple showers a day.
2. Chiang Mai is a place that is full of American or European tourists. Since for the last 10 months I’ve traveled with 26 Americans and we are almost always the only ones around, I think I know every American/European that walks past me on the street.
3. There is a strong fear of spirits here.
4. Chiang Mai although a bright and shiny city has a lot of dark corners. Places that some one who knows Jesus can’t help to say a prayer every time they walk by.
5. The jungles surrounding the city I can’t help but fall in love with.
6. The people never hesitate to smile at you when you pass by. Everyone I’ve encountered is so kind and wants the best for you, a stranger they don’t know. I’ve found I’ve said something similar about almost every country I’ve been in but it’s still surprising every time. I think it’s surprising because back home it’s rare, not impossible but definitely rare, to have so many strangers so welcoming.

Those are the things I have noticed my first couple of weeks here. Today is the day I start official ministry and I am excited to see what else Chiang Mai has for me!