That was a quote Andy Prinsen told me once, and I lived up to that this weekend. On Friday after school, a group of us loaded onto two trucks with our bags packed for a weekend of trekking. At first, I was worried that my bag was too small, and I wouldnt be able to fit everything I needed to fit into it. But, once I figured out we would be carrying it on our backs all weekend -- I was very thankful for a small bag.
We arrived at our first hike right after the sunset that evening, and we hiked for about two hours up the mountain on a dirt road. I have never seen stars so clear, and I was amazed that on this side of the world, you see differnt starts. I just had to stop at some points and give thanks to God for how beautiful his creation was. We arrived at the village that night, and slept under mosquitoe nets on mats ontop of a bamboo floor.
It was rainy thenest morning but we were off for the longest hike of our journey. But, before we left one of our guides who was from the village asked us if we wanted to see a "ling" (monkey in thai). It was so crazy having this little monkey climb up you and perch himself on your head. I can see why they can swing from tree to tree so easily! The hike was pretty awesome, and one of the toughest things I have ever done physically in my life. The place was beautiful, but after hiking for 3 hours and then having to climb up a hill that is almost vertical was pretty testing. I was just praying, "Lord give me strength." Because I knew the hill wasnt going to get any shorter. I realized that I have came a long way from the little girl who threw her bike down at the bottom of our hill screaming because it was too hard. I am amazed at this woman the Lord is allowing me to become, all because I answered to his call.
We arrived at our first hike right after the sunset that evening, and we hiked for about two hours up the mountain on a dirt road. I have never seen stars so clear, and I was amazed that on this side of the world, you see differnt starts. I just had to stop at some points and give thanks to God for how beautiful his creation was. We arrived at the village that night, and slept under mosquitoe nets on mats ontop of a bamboo floor.
It was rainy thenest morning but we were off for the longest hike of our journey. But, before we left one of our guides who was from the village asked us if we wanted to see a "ling" (monkey in thai). It was so crazy having this little monkey climb up you and perch himself on your head. I can see why they can swing from tree to tree so easily! The hike was pretty awesome, and one of the toughest things I have ever done physically in my life. The place was beautiful, but after hiking for 3 hours and then having to climb up a hill that is almost vertical was pretty testing. I was just praying, "Lord give me strength." Because I knew the hill wasnt going to get any shorter. I realized that I have came a long way from the little girl who threw her bike down at the bottom of our hill screaming because it was too hard. I am amazed at this woman the Lord is allowing me to become, all because I answered to his call.
After four and a half hours of hiking, which towards the end I was convinced we were lost in the middle of the jungle -- we approached the elephant camp. I was amazed that we could walk right up to them, and could not believe that I really live this life. Katie and I rode together, with our guide who called himself butterfly. He kept on asking if we had boyfriends, and something about if we were 40 if we would move to his village and teach him english if we wernt married. He then told me my arms were hairy like a man's. But, the best part was when he asked me if I wanted to sit on the elephant and "drive." He had been sitting on the elephants head the entire time. I jumped on the opporunity and soon found myself sitting on an elephant's neck, with my legs behind his ears walking down the Mae Tang River. We even got so deep sometimes my feet were in the water! We rode the "chang" (elephant in thai) to our next village to stop for the evening.
At the village I am proud to say that I took my first cold-bucket shower. Where you stand in the middle of this bamboo hut, and pour water over you that is just sitting in a black trash can. You scrub, then repeat the process. After a long day of hiking and sweating -- any shower was great. The guides made us the best mixed vegetables and homemade spring rolls for dinner. And we finished the evening with a birthday pancake for one of the guides, cards and dancing around the fire.
We woke up to a fabulous morning on Sunday -- the sun was shining and the sky was the most brilliant blue. We had thick, greasy pancakes for breakfast and coffee that was too strong. We lathered up with sunscreen, put on our suits and headed down for the bamboo rafts. Our guides, who are locals but friends with Kate, made our rafts and gave us a special tour since we wernt tourists. Riding down the river with no helmets or life jackets added a level of danger, and made it that much more fun. We perched ourselves on the raft and just laughed in disbelief that we were really doing what we were doing. I just wanted to soak up the beauty and etch it in my mind because it was something that pictures cant capture. I thought, "I never dreamed that the Lord would have something like this in store for me, I am so glad that I trusted him." This bonus life is turning out to be pretty amazing. After playing "king of the raft" where we all swaped rafts and threw one another into the water, we went through a few more rapids and then made an end to our journey at a resort down the river.
The ride down the mountain itself was just about as eventful as the rest of the trip. The road was crazy, but the sights were unbelieveable. A rushing river, cornfields that went straight up the hill, banana plants covering the peaks. The Lord is one creative God, and I am so blessed to have seen just a small portion of it.
My legs are sore, and my body tired -- but I love this road the Lord has taken me on.
At the village I am proud to say that I took my first cold-bucket shower. Where you stand in the middle of this bamboo hut, and pour water over you that is just sitting in a black trash can. You scrub, then repeat the process. After a long day of hiking and sweating -- any shower was great. The guides made us the best mixed vegetables and homemade spring rolls for dinner. And we finished the evening with a birthday pancake for one of the guides, cards and dancing around the fire.
We woke up to a fabulous morning on Sunday -- the sun was shining and the sky was the most brilliant blue. We had thick, greasy pancakes for breakfast and coffee that was too strong. We lathered up with sunscreen, put on our suits and headed down for the bamboo rafts. Our guides, who are locals but friends with Kate, made our rafts and gave us a special tour since we wernt tourists. Riding down the river with no helmets or life jackets added a level of danger, and made it that much more fun. We perched ourselves on the raft and just laughed in disbelief that we were really doing what we were doing. I just wanted to soak up the beauty and etch it in my mind because it was something that pictures cant capture. I thought, "I never dreamed that the Lord would have something like this in store for me, I am so glad that I trusted him." This bonus life is turning out to be pretty amazing. After playing "king of the raft" where we all swaped rafts and threw one another into the water, we went through a few more rapids and then made an end to our journey at a resort down the river.
The ride down the mountain itself was just about as eventful as the rest of the trip. The road was crazy, but the sights were unbelieveable. A rushing river, cornfields that went straight up the hill, banana plants covering the peaks. The Lord is one creative God, and I am so blessed to have seen just a small portion of it.
My legs are sore, and my body tired -- but I love this road the Lord has taken me on.
No comments:
Post a Comment