The Sowards in Thailand
Friday, May 3, 2024
Setting Up House
Hitch a ride on the back of a motorcycle taxi. |
Food vendors in the mall |
Young couple from India sealed this week. |
Dennis has led several sessions. I worked in initiatories--specifically washing--for an hour and a half straight. Imagine me speaking English, the next sister confirming in Thai, something never allowed in Mesa, but we do what is necessary here. I started making mistakes around an hour. We were busy the whole time, so no sitting.
I mostly worked the recommend desk yesterday. It is the best place to meet members from all over. The come with happy anticipation and leave glowing with Christ's love. I love it.
Street vendor makes omelets to your liking. |
There are things I'm still trying to get used to. Light switches in our apartment flip down for on, not flushing toilet paper down the toilet--oops! Not crossing my legs (it's exhausting not to.) I usually wait for a Thai to cross their legs before I do--but few do. It is impolite. Making sure not to drink tap water, to turn on the filtered faucet instead. Not doing anything with my feet but walk (like scooting objects especially.)
Chicken with corn kernel coating, and fried seaweed--maybe. |
Fried fish heads. |
I haven't seen boiled chicken feet yet, but that's a favorite too--of the Thais. Not mine. I can't get myself to try it. Or fried beetles. Let it be.
To each his own.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
We've Moved
We were set apart on Tuesday evening and went right to work serving. I sat at the recommend desk mostly, kept my eye on the children in the non-patron waiting room, did one veil in English, and studied the Thai language cards.
This morning, Dennis and I moved into our apartment. We unpacked every bit we had packed from home, including a box of Press and Seal, a Costco bag of chocolate chips, and my "Mother's Favorite Kitchen Tool", which is actually a paint scraper I can't live without. Three essentials in life. The apartment is very spacious. I feel so blessed to be here and take it as one more sign that Heavenly Father loves me.
Tuk-tuk leaving Tesco, groceries loaded, we sitting in the back seat. |
Our welcome to our housing. |
We went up and down and all around the city. But what a relief to finally see familiar surroundings, and especially calming when he turned into the temple driveway. Whew! Why he took the long way home, I don't know!
The Russians came again to the temple today, so did the Indian group, a Myanmar group, and members from Malaysia. I was able to do initiatories in English, which felt good--like coming home again. I was orientated in clothing rental and baptismal clothing issue.
Thai is coming easier to read and learn. I figure if I keep at it, I'll be able to read and speak by the time we return home to Arizona. Ha, ha!
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Being a Tourist
We are all joyful to be together. No matter our political foundations, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Day Five in Bangkok
Ayutthaya branch president and wife |
I am reminded daily of the creativity of the Thai people. These are a watermelon and a cantaloupe caved into flowers. They were on display for a class in RS to learn to do the art. (The ladies in Ayutthaya are especially skilled in flower arranging.)
Our Airbnb for the first week and a half in May was cancelled. The owner came to our hotel to apologize and give us the news that the complex had clamped down on short term rentals. Airbnb is part of her livelihood. I felt bad for her more than for us. We invited her to church. Maybe she will consider coming.
Friday, April 26, 2024
First Encounters
The annex and temple was filled with the energy of 40 returned missionaries from all over SE Asia at a special 3-day conference held for them here in Bangkok. Some received their endowments during their visit, meaning they had served their missions without being endowed. What a blessing for these young people to get together and share their testimonies of Jesus Christ, and attend the temple together.
Conference attendees gather for a photo in front of the Christus in the garden court between annex and the Temple. They are from India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Myanmar, and other countries of SE Asia.and the lighter at 6:30 AM. All day long, the traffic is at a standstill. The light at Asoke turns green and it almost clears out, but then in seconds, it packs up again.
I love the free enterprise in Thailand. If you have something to sell, set up a table and sell it. This is a typical scene, mostly food along this alley to the canal where you can catch a water-bus. We stopped here to get iced chocolate and iced Ovaltine. Yum!
Motor scooters everywhere! Once the traffic stops, it is fair game for cyclers to drive between the cars to the front of the line. They drive in gutters, sidewalks, and anywhere they can squeeze through. This photo is mild to reality.
Today we did an endowment session. I asked for headphones because thought the presentation would be in Thai, but there were more non-Thai people attending so it was in English. Four people were from the Philippines, two from Malaysia receiving their own endowments, two from Russia, two were Thai, and Dennis and me. The presentation had Thai subtitles but went by so fast I'd read the first few words, and then the next line appeared. The Thai workers try their best to handle the diversity. Some live up country and can only come to serve once a month. They often forget some of their training and have to relearn it. The session was perfect enough, and still beautiful. The Spirit was there and bore witness of the importance of the work.
We haven’t found a permanent place to live yet but have several possibilities. We are hoping to know next week. We will move out of the hotel on Monday into an Airbnb a block away. Back to walking Bangkok streets!
One of the senior full time missionary couples is assigned to work with the members in Myanmar. When we were here ten years ago, the mission sent the first four elders into Myanmar. Now there are two branches at least. The political unrest has made it hard for members.
Looking up at the temple at night. |
We've met other senior couples. One couple is here for a few weeks from Russia, to help members coming for their own endowments. They have so few places they can go due to the Ukrainian war. They can come to Thailand.
We have met couples running the mission office. In July, there will be two missions in Thailand, and they both are headquartered in the annex at the Temple. We also met the Family History couple. That is a huge task since Thailand kept few records before 1940, and most people are cremated, so there aren't headstones for which to search.
We have enjoyed our time here very much, and look forward to serving in the next five months.
We are back in Thailand! April 2014
We are back in Thailand! We hope to stay for 5 1/2 months and serve in the Bangkok temple. Only crazy people do adventures like this--leave home not really knowing how their plans will turn out, no mission call, only on a whim and a hope, and a few encouraging words. We will stay at this hotel for about five nights, an Airbnb for ten, and after that, who-knows-where.
Our layover in Taipei, Taiwan, included this unique forest gate entrance. |
After a very long trip, about 24 hours, we arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. We left Phoenix on Monday and lost Tuesday when we crossed the international dateline. After a big mixup with our Grab driver (equal to Uber in the states) that took an hour to resolve, it took us another hour to get to the hotel because--well, because Bangkok is one big traffic jam. I'm sure our driver was sorry he took our call. He spent so much of his afternoon taking us to the hotel.
We are staying at the FX hotel right by the temple, literally next door. We don't have the temple right out our window and 20 feet away, as we did for the open house, because we are on the east side of the building. The rooms on the east have a great view of the Asoke/Petchaburi intersection and high-rises, and are a foot or two feet larger than the ones on the north, which I appreciate. Right below us, our room's view is a junk heap, so we try not to look down. The room has no place to put anything, so we'll live out of our suitcases for five days.
Besides the temple, the Church built an "annex" next door. It has two stake centers, two mission offices, the Church administration offices, patron housing, MTC,
and a welcome center. It's an amazing building.
When we got to our rooms, I crashed for about two hours. Then we went downstairs for dinner. I had Tom Kaa with shrimp (coconut soup), and Dennis had Thai fried rice. I slept again until 7 AM. Today I've had no jet lag, but Anan claims it will catch up with us.
Here are the Temple front doors at night, a welcoming sight.Below is a typical sight in this part of the crowded city. A beautiful tree's overgrown roots have destroyed the sidewalk, and
motorcycle taxi drivers in orange vests, waiting for customers. A makeshift porch cover is made from discarded banners.