Khon Kaen Branch --Day 3

 About 40 people attended the Khon Kaen Branch on Sunday. It is a phase 1 building on a busy street. We took a Grab (Uber) across town to the church house. No one Dennis knew 54 years ago is still in the branch, but they gave us a warm welcome anyway. Dennis gave the photos he printed last night to the branch president for their history.

They invited Dennis to be the first speaker and bare his testimony. It was touching. Then Sister Deep, who I had met in the temple two weeks ago, spoke. Another sister, Sister Nok, takes a flight to the temple once a month to serve as an ordinance worker in Bangkok. What sacrifices these members make!

I sang in English while everyone else sang in Thai. 

There is one American that is a permanent resident.

Members drying dishes after the potluck

True to Thai custom, a potluck was served afterward. Prepared, we brought croissants. 

Then we sat in on a missionary discussion with the elders and a young man investigator. Khon Kaen has two elders and two sister missionaries.

Another custom is to have a group photo on special occasions. Several members had already gone home, so the group isn't complete. We have the place of honor in the center front row. Most of the children are outside playing.

Wasana is the Maa (said like a sheep bleat) of the branch. I heard one of the young men call her by the title, and when I asked her about it she told me with pride she was the oldest. When I told her my age (which is five years older than her), all the sisters around us gasped, then started giggling, calling me, "Maa!" 

Later that evening, Sister Nok (which means bird) took us out of town to Wat Thung Setthi. The name means the Millionaires Field. 

It is a newer wat that emphasizes good and evil. Only a short walk down a path is a display of what happens to you after you die if you do evil. Portrayed by grotesque figures with elongated hands and tongues for stealing and lying, some wearing animal heads for killing animals, some climbing prickly trees for sexual behavior. I will not post pictures because all figures are naked and grossly emphasized. Okay, after seeing that....

Enter through this cave to see the displays. The devil is waiting.

Every wat has a Buddha, or many Buddhas. This one is brass painted black, with gold accents.

Inside the wat, look closely at the shutter panes. You will see Darth Vader in this one. Each pane represents a vice or a virtue. Popular movie characters are mixed in with Thai stories to show anger, greed, kindness, and goodness.

And of course, my favorite, the water lily or lotus. They grow in all colors.

Again, the dragons. There are two on each side. The back one has the tail of the front in its mouth. Lions bite the 2nd dragon, and nymphs bite the lion's tail. Is there a story here, or is it just fun?

Dennis visited the seven-headed dragon/serpant in "hell." It was a creepy place!

Sister Nok secretly took this photo of us. Barefoot at the wat. I like it!

Child mermaids surround the wat.

Sister Nok was so generous to show us around.

One last photo before we leave. Wat Thung Setthi surely is an anomaly when it comes to wats.

We went to the Thai BBQ restaurant down the street from the hotel. We had no idea what it was when we walked in. They brought us little cuts of pork, crab, and shrimp still in the shell with feet, and we cooked it on this little hot plate or dome, and cooked the veggies in the moat around it. Surprisingly, it was delicious!

We're glad we went to Khon Kaen for the weekend. We learned a lot and enjoyed being with the members there. No matter where we visit, the Church is the same and welcoming all over the world!

Khon Kaen - Day 2

Phra Manhathat Kaen Nakhon is one of the many lovely Buddhist wats in Khon Kaen. Ornately carved entry double-doors greet you on all four sides of the temple. That makes 32 of these lovely teak doors.

A sweet little lady sells honeycomb outside the wat.

This "Maa" (the a pronounced like in bad) gave me permission to photograph her wearing a traditional Thai skirt and blouse. She was delighted to pose. Then we spoke with some of her family who were with her. Thais are friendly and helpful.

Maa is a name of honor given to older women.

Dennis stands beside the wat's gong. Of course, the mallet is not there. They probably keep it out of tourists' reach because they would be gonging it all the time.

These dragons greet you at the entries. There are at least sixteen guarding the way. Dragons are believed to embody both natural power and supernatural powers. They also represent maturity and longevity.

A Thai mermaid called Suvannamaccha. She is popular in Thai folklore and is represented on small cloth streamers or framed pictures that are hung as luck-bringing charms in shops and houses throughout Thailand. She was a mermaid princess who tried to spoil plans to build a bridge to Lanka but falls in love with the bridge builder instead. Sound familiar?

We went to the Central mall to have photos printed of Dennis' time here in 1970 that he will donate to the branch for their history. This mall is huge, at least five levels and about a football field long. Guess where we chose to eat: Sizzler, and Swenson's ice cream afterwards. 😀 

I see a pattern here.

Khon Kaen -Day 1

 The temple is closed for two weeks for cleaning and we have gone to Khon Kaen to visit. Dennis served his last four months here and in all our trips to Thailand, he has never returned. So here we are!

Don Muaeng airport had this beautiful shrine with the king's portrait. It was also a Thai religious holiday, so a lot of people were traveling.

While waiting for our flight, we watched on YouTube our grandson, Dillon Stapley, walk in his high school graduation. Thank you technology. It was touching and brought tears to my eyes that he has come this far in life and that we could still witness his graduation. He is getting ready to submit mission papers shortly. 

Our trip by air was only an hour. My dozing head bobbed all the way.

We are staying at the hotel Mantra Varee, which is quite nice. The rooms are spacious, the bathroom is ginormous with a separate soaking bathtub. This seven headed serpent is in front of our hotel. We asked about its significance, and a worker said it is a Buddhist symbol. We've seen it around a few places. Notice the altar beside Dennis, and the offering of  flowers and food to the serpent.

After we had fried rice, pork, and watermelon at Halongbay restaurant, we went to the local night market and watched this fellow make crapes. He fills them with chocolate and whatever you order. Then he puts them in a cute cone holder. The market had all types of food, clothing, and goods for sell. We opted for a chocolate covered waffle on a stick.

Yep. They're bugs.

I've talked about fried bugs being a favorite of the people in Thailand. Here is a wide variety to choose from! The woman selling them would not speak or look at me, but didn't object to my taking pictures. 

We took a tuk-tuk home again. They have become our good friend.

One Month in Thailand

Today marks our one month living in Thailand, and we have served in the temple for three weeks.

Since the temple is closed for its six month cleaning, we're taking it easy, just like this lizard below, who is enjoying the sun.

 

The temple gardens are well taken care of. This lizard has taken up residency on the grounds, a sanctuary in the big city.

Cakes are decorated beautifully here, but by American standards they are about half as sweet. It's always surprising to bite into a cake, expecting one taste but getting another.

We took a three hour bus tour of Bangkok, riding through historical areas, narrated in English. Here's one of the more strange things we saw.

Our tour took us through China Town--many interesting sights. This is Jumama, Bird Nest & Dessert Restaurant.

Bird's nest for dinner?

This sign is seen often in Thailand of the king. Some places still have photos of the last king, his father, but all have a picture to show their loyalty.

The previous king, who was dearly loved, passed away in 2016.

One of the many beautiful Buddhist temples on our route.

A typical street scene. Most neighborhood stores have a roll-up garage door front, with living quarters on the upper floors. I'd regret to see regulations put on these sellers, as we have in the USA. Again, the free enterprise.

These people are waiting for the mall to open, particularly for a certain bakery that sells durian cheesecake. They come hours early to get a place in line. I was tempted to get in line so I could find out why they thought it was delicious enough to go to all this trouble!

Durian is a very stinky fruit. There are signs in the subway saying there are fines if you bring it into the terminal. Thais either love it or hate the fruit.

We've had a lot of rain lately. It's nothing like an Arizona drizzle, it is a downpour! When it starts raining, ponchos and umbrellas magically appear out of nowhere.

Our lunch--

cheesy dumplings --more like a soi jow filled with chicken and smothered in cheese. It was delicious.

An example of strange English grammar so common on t-shirts. Dennis thinks perhaps this is quoting lyrics to a song. It says, "It's 'happened to be' a closet." We ate the other day at a restaurant titled "Eat Am Are." That one still plays with my brain.

Having a great time on the tour.

We miss serving in the temple. These two weeks off will give us time to relax. We will go to Khang Kan for the weekend where Dennis served the last few months of his youth mission.

We have greatly enjoyed being here and serving in the temple. 

Temple Cleaning Closure

 The temple is closed for the next two weeks for cleaning. It has been six months since its dedication--a milestone to celebrate! We're not sure what we will do with ourselves, but we plan to go to Khon Kan for a few days.

Fifteen Vietnamese youth came to do proxy baptism yesterday. (Photo in previous post)  “These are all recent converts,” their leader said. I gazed over the group, knowing they were all future leaders of the Church in Viet Nam! What a blessing that they have a temple that is affordable to come to.

Dennis' glasses fog up every time we leave the apartment, due to the humidity.

 

Today, Sunday, Dennis taught the Gospel Doctrine class in our English speaking ward. It went well. His powerpoint couldn't connect up at first, but with several people's help, it finally worked. He gave a great lesson to a crowded chapel.

We prepared for Potluck Sunday before church. Dennis made his famous fruit crunch—this time with canned blueberries instead of canned (hard-to-find) cherries. To our surprise, the bishop got up and announced the potluck would be held next week. Oops! Wrong Sunday. Too bad we'll be in Khon Khan next Sunday. So, we quickly divided up the cobbler and gave it to our neighbors who generously bring food to us daily. I suspect it's too sweet for Thai taste.

This is Chandra's last Sunday before he goes back to New Delhi. He arrived the same time as we did, and was set apart as a temple worker on the same day. We have enjoyed knowing him. He plans to come back in July.

Dennis poses with the temple president, President Wisit Khanakham. Dennis taught him his first missionary discussion in 1970.

It's a small world after all! Sister Brown and her husband attended the temple last evening, and then showed up at church today. It turns out that she is the sister of a member of our Arizona ward, Chad Larson, and a distant cousin of my stepmom, Dorothy Larson Brown Lisonbee.

The Eldridges (center) pose with the Olson family. The Olsons are leaving Bangkok for a year or two to tour Asian and further their business opportunities. They are stalwarts in the ward and in temple service, and will be missed.

Thailand, Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Singapore, and India--An International Temple

 We are an "International Temple" as temple President Khanakham has stated many times. We serve Thailand, Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Singapore, and India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and all who travel here.

We have had a very busy week! I'm finally getting (somewhat) used to doing initiatory for two hours. I've been spoiled by those half-hour sifts in Mesa. It's all a mindset, expectations.

I was assigned to sealings Wednesday afternoon and feared that listening to someone go on endlessly in Thai would make me yawn. I knew the day would drag. But no. There was never a dull moment. A couple from India, and the husband's sister, came with a stack of ancestors' names. That was fun. We did about four couple sealings before we realized that none of the ancestors had received baptism! So off they went to the baptistry. They were such nice people, so warm and loving. 

Every sealing situation after that brought its own story. 

That evening, the India couple came back to be sealed together themselves! The husband's sister attended in a gorgeous traditional Indian gown--browns, creams, and sparklies--a beautiful sight. It was a very sacred setting. I very much enjoyed helping them while they were here, and I regret not being able to say goodbye to them personally before they left.

Other members helped the the India family complete the work for their ancestors and barely got the work finished before the family had to catch a taxi to the airport.

This week, we received groups from Cambodia and Laos. One of the men from Laos had been a missionary in Ayutthaya when we served there. He was full of spunk back then. I guess 10 years and marrying a lovely wife mellows a man. It was good to see him. One sister from Laos did not read Laotian, or speak Thai or English. Communication in situations like that are a huge challenge.

Vietnamese Youth

A youth group from Viet Nam will be here a few days to do proxy baptisms. Youth always bring such enthusiasm with them.

Our neighbors and the temple president's wife often bring us food. Tonight we had mango and sticky rice. Mmmm!

Yesterday, freshly pureed fruit juice. We've found mangos, oranges, smoothies, fried rice, crackers and chips hanging in bags on our door. 

Dennis' Mos Burger

We took another trip to the mall and bought lunch. We ate at Mos Burger. Dennis' burger had a huge tomato slice, and his patty was covered in a sloppy joe type of sauce. I had a tasty teriyaki burger. And of course, we had to have a chocolate dipped, soft serve cone from Dairy Queen before getting back on the subway to go home.

Here is an Asian Barbie Doll. It isn't the norm here, but I thought she was pretty.

Let your kids play while you shop. Two-and-a-half huge tubs of Legos!

Rest assured, Hello Kitty is still alive and well in Thailand, and always will be. Ten years ago it was big, but now I think it is bigger! Yaaykua! (at least at Robinson's)

Devotional and Birthday

 We talk of Christ, we rejoice of Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. 2 Nephi 26:25

This has been my favorite scripture for many years. I see it in action by the Thailand saints. It seems to be the theme here--rejoicing in Christ, talking of Him. Thailand is 95% Buddhist. The Thai converts came from Buddhism. It is so ingrained into their culture--their holidays, food, decor, and architecture. The Saints here still enjoy the culture but with a Christian frame of mind.

We had a temple workers devotional on Sunday afternoon. There were over 200 in attendance! They started with taking pictures of each shift. Here's one gathering for their photo. The gentleman in the wheelchair is a sealer and has been spoken of in General Conference and featured in Church publications. After the two hour testimony meeting, a potluck was served (true to Thai tradition) with lots of Thai dishes to choose from. I had mango and sticky rice, my first since we arrived. It was "aroy mahck!" very delicious.

Soup

Every Thai who qualifies to work in the temple may. Many serve twice or three times a week. They come from afar--car, plane, train--and those who have to travel will serve once or twice a month, but they come. Such wonderful examples of sacrifice! Above is a soup that was served at the potluck. I didn't get the name of it. And a little jelly molded into a flower (below). Everything has a "Thai" taste to it that always surprises me.

Monday was my birthday. Thank your for so many well wishes. Dennis and I spent a leisurely morning (being Monday the temple is closed), then we took the subway to Rama 9, to Lotus, and bought groceries. Again, we hired a tuk-tuk home. The driver was very skillful in the heavy traffic, and it being tricky to make the turn into the back driveway of the temple. It was an adventure. The driver gave us hugs before he left. He was happy to help us.

Bangkok traffic in the rain.

Later, we went back again on the subway to HomePro and bought my birthday presents--a cushioned mattress pad (I've mentioned that the beds are really hard) and a full length mirror since our apartment only has one mirror in the bathroom.

We went to dinner at Sizzler and ate ice cream afterwards at Swensen's. Yes, both restaurants are going strong in Thailand.

Having ice cream at Swensen's for Joan's birthday.

Dinner at Sizzler

We wanted a taxi to take home our oversize load, but none could take us, so again, a tuk-tuk came to our rescue. (It's becoming the pattern.) On the way home, the driver took a wrong turn. But to my delight, we found a huge night market not far from our home! We will return some evening when we aren't serving in the temple.

Entrance to the night market.

Two noks

This is a "nok". You have to open your mouth wide with a long "ah", and say its name real fast. It is a hairy little fruit that is easy to peel, and is so delicious.

Below is an octopus, poor fellow. I watched the vendor cut him up with scissors and fry bits of him on a stick. I don't know if he is delicious, but many people think so.