Weekend Adventures

This last weekend the Steck family, Raquel, Hailey & I went on an adventure to see some new places in Thailand. I'll take you on a little photo journey through our weekend. 

 One of the many beautiful views during our car ride

 The old station wagon - almost ready to leave. 

We spent the night in a hotel in Mae Sariang (about 2.5 hrs from the school).  It was so nice to have warm showers and real beds to sleep on there. 

On Sabbath morning we enjoyed a special breakfast while we watched Ouachita Hills Friday night vespers live. Raquel's sister gave an encouraging message for her senior speech. It was so nice to see all of my family members come up on the screen during the program. We were so thankful to have a faster internet connection to be able to watch it.  

 Here's the five of us girls - Hannah, Sharon, Raquel, me, and Hailey - by a painting at the hotel. 

They're a fun bunch to hang out with. :)

After we packed up we headed up to the highest mountain in Thailand. The road was steep, curvy, and bumpy, but the views on the way up were beautiful. Once we arrived at the top, we weren't able to see very much because of the clouds, but we enjoyed our time nonetheless. 

Hannah Marie & Hannah Joy :)

We had to pull out our jackets because it was chilly due to the higher elevation. 

 We had many photographers on our trip. 

We ate our lunch at the top of the mountain. The school's cook had sent some special curries (fake meat curries with garlic, tomatoes and onions) along with us for our picnic.

Notice the sign (7 - Living Together). 

We thought it was an appropriate place to get our extended Steck family picture. 

We enjoyed a hike through the jungle after lunch. 

Here's another pic of our adopted family 

That was a big tree!

 Enjoying the view arm in arm

The front view - with a random Thai guy

A pagoda at the top of the mountain - made in honor of the King of Thailand. 

We enjoyed the view and tried to stay warm while Mr. Steck read to us from an inspiring book called "One Miracle After Another." We almost read the entire book during our weekend trip. I've read it before, but it's definitely worth re-reading. We serve a powerful God! 

(If you haven't read it, I encourage you to do so.)

We then drove over an hour to a campsite near the gorge. 

Our little campsite the next morning - I enjoyed sleeping in my hammock. :) 

We had our breakfast by the rushing river. 

The Sunday morning breakfast that chef Hannah (Hannah Steck that is) had prepared -
Spaghetti, homemade spaghetti sauce, papaya, pineapple, bread & more. 

We then walked to the nearby gorge and hiked a trail that had another nice view at the top. 

Walking across that bridge at the top of the gorge was exciting. :)  

 Next we drove back to Mae Sariang and down a long, pot-holed, bumpy road to the Salawin River. 

We took a boat ride just before dusk - the temperature was perfect. 

I looked a little dusty from our drive out there. 

 The other passengers on our boat ride. 

We had a wonderful time. I will always treasure these memories with friends. 

We made it safely back to the school at a late hour on Sunday night and thankfully we were all in one piece. Praise the Lord for His protection over the many miles we traveled!

Is God Your Pilot?

We're sitting here in the Los Angeles airport after flying from Dallas, TX this morning. It's a major hub for flights -- almost like a little city all by itself.

It's hard to believe this is actually happening. We are going to be flying across the great blue ocean from LA to Seoul, Korea in just a few hours. We'll eventually arrive in Bangkok on Wednesday evening (their time). 

It seems right though. I know God has called me to go to Thailand to work for Him. I'm excited to be traveling. I'm excited to be a missionary for God.

While on the flight here from Dallas, I was reminded of a story I had heard recently...

One day, a pastor was traveling on a plane.  During his flight, the pilot's voice came over the loudspeaker and told the passengers that they were going to be passing through some bad turbulence. Sure enough, the plane was soon being roughly jostled up and down and side to side. It was almost like an earthquake. There was an overwhelming sense of fear in the air. 

That's when the pastor noticed the small girl.  She was calmly sitting in her seat, contentedly reading a book, as if she was at home in her own living room. She was relaxed and at peace. This surprised the pastor and he determined that as soon as possible he must ask her why she wasn't frightened. How could this little girl be so calm when even the adults around her were quaking with fear?

To everyone's relief, the plane landed safely at their destination. Needless to say, the passengers were eager to exit the plane and step onto the firm, steady ground.

The pastor went over to the young girl right away and asked her, "Why were you not afraid on the plane? You didn't look worried at all..."

The girl smiled and responded simply, "Oh, my Daddy is the pilot, and he is taking me home."

That's the peace and the assurance that I want to experience while on this mission trip. I can have perfect confidence that my heavenly Father is the pilot in charge of my life and He is ultimately taking me home. So can you. :)

Waiting in LA

For more information about Sunshine Orchards,
view this website: http://www.karenoutreach.org/