Montana A (A is for amazing) #2

Now that we are in Tak the next place to go is the Hmong village of Loh Koh where we will spend 2 days. We met the Hmong Pastor Suphan at our hotel and then headed towards the Klongwangchao National Park. On the way we stopped at a market where we got enough food to feed an army (us) and things like boots, hats and straw mats. Here is Dang and Pastor Suphan picking out the meat. Can you guess what kind of meat it is? On arrival at the park it was just a matter of waiting for enough trucks to get us up into the village. One truck was completely full with all our belongings, a cooler for the food, and a refrigerator and other things for some people in the village. The other 2 trucks carried our team, Suphan, 2 government officials, the village leader's daughters and some other villagers who had to come down to go to the doctors. The trip up into the village is not an easy one and is passable only by motorcycle or 4-wheel drive vehicle. The views however are amazing! In a way it brings a sense of wonder and amazement as well as suspense for what is waiting for you ahead. It is so remote that you wonder how people live there. As you leave the park the road slowly degrades until you are crossing bridges made out of fallen trees, climbing rock mountains, sliding through ruts and rivers of mud, bumping along through corn fields and up steep inclines followed by a rush down the other side all the while honking the horn for people on the other side who might not give way on the one-laned path. Then an hour or more later, we arrive! We parked at the daycare and unloaded a few things. The food went to the village leader's home and our belonging were trucked up the hill to a house that is empty for us to stay in. Suphan led us through the woods on foot so we would know the way between the house and school. The house has steps leading up to the porch where we form an assembly line of people unloading our bags and camping gear. Essentially that is what we are doing as there are no real windows or doors on the house to keep out bugs and other critters. We didn't stay long to make house though instead we headed back to the school to get started on painting.

Painting is a new concept to this community, so we got things started, by doing things like opening the cans, mixing the paint, thinning the paint and giving everyone a brush. During our absence at the house, it seemed like the news spread like wildfire that 3 trucks full of farang had arrived. When the first coats of paint went up, we had quite an audience. It didn't seem like 15 minutes before lunch was announced and we were pulled away from the work.

The village leader and his family are such wonderful people. They always open their home for us and are such gracious hosts. They of course had waaaay too much food for us to eat, we ate very well. This would continue to be the trend for the remainder of the trip. Our team soon discovered that they would need to get used to sitting on the floor Indian style. They also would get used to eating lots of rice which was served with every meal.

When we returned to the school the base coat was nearly finished on the outside! We were literally stunned. All the 20 some people standing around took our brushes and went to work while we were gone. They had only needed someone to show them how it worked and they were on it. They also chopped down some nearby bamboo sticks to put the rolling brushes on so they could reach the high spots. They had constructed a couple makeshift ladders before but only two people could use it.

Some of our team went to work on the fence around the daycare property while the rest took up their paint brushes and went back to work. Billye, Melissa, Carie and Sierra had quite a system going on the fence and got it up pretty quickly. The atmosphere was so energetic simply because of all the activity that was going on around. Children were running around everywhere, a group of men were cutting bamboo for the fence because they were going to run out of wood slats, another group was putting the wood slats on the posts, there were people painting on all sides and all levels of the school, and of course there were a whole bunch of other people just milling around talking, watching and playing. As the afternoon wore on it started to rain and then it started to pour which stopped all work. We tried to wait it out in the school building. By then everyone was tired from the long trip and the several hours of work. At dinner time the rain hadn't let up, so we called it a day. Pam and Frank went up to the house for everyone's rain gear and boots, but they didn't see mine so Suphan lent me his shoes which were too big for me but they kept me from slipping in my flip-flops. We ate dinner in the dark and then had to find our way back to the house on the hill in the dark and pouring rain. By far my least favorite part of the experience, only because I don't like going on steep, muddy inclines in daylight let alone pitch black darkness. I eventually carried the shoes after slipping and falling and walked barefoot. When we got to the house we were pleasantly surprised to find it filled with children and several oil lamps so we could see each other in the big room. It was quite a contrast from the dark, rainy night outside the building and filled the place with warmth and welcome. The children and several adults came for fellowship and a chance to learn from the bible and sing songs. Melissa taught the children how to sing "This Little Gospel Light of Mine" which was perfect in such a setting. It felt like we were among the early Christian church in a makeshift home gathered around dim lights and anxious to hear from God's Word and spend time in fellowship, encouraging one another. Towards the end, Suphan asked Pastor Schultz if the following day they could do a baptism. There was a family there that had been waiting for a long time for a Pastor to come, but they hadn't been visited in awhile and didn't know the next time someone would come! They of course didn't want to wait, so the following day we planned for their baptism! This was cause for much excitement of course to see a family so eager to receive that gift. The evening was closed in prayer and the Doxology which was led by Suphan in the Hmong language. As our guest made their leave, we prepared to go to bed. Billye, Dang and I slept in the area that was more like a bedroom. Jetta, Carie, Melissa and Sierra slept in the alcove next to that off the big room and Pastor, Pam and Suphan slept out in the big area. Suphan and I took one of the floor mats to cover the entrance way and keep out creatures and hopefully some of the cold. The bathroom was up the hill a ways so we went in groups and had to use our headlights. Fun fun! Once Dang, Billye and I settled in to listen to the noises around us we couldn't help but laugh listening to the people snoring after having made arrangements for Frank to sleep in the daycare by himself because he snored! It didn't make a difference anyway, the sounds of nature were so loud, it seemed deafening. Thankfully Kristin gave me earplugs which came in handy, even when the roosters started crowing at 3:30am!

Tuesday morning most of us were up with the sun and the roosters. By 7 we were at breakfast and not long after that we were at the school opening up fresh cans of bright PINK paint. I think our team was a little shocked at the color. After seeing the green from Bamboo Island, the pink wasn't as much a shock. The base would be brown, so it would look pretty good for a school. By early afternoon the entire outside of the school was finished, the fence was nearly done and the villagers were finishing it up, the inside of the school had painted the concrete on the bottom and the bathroom was also painted. With nothing left to do, because we were out of paint, we cleaned up the show and went to lunch. The rest of the afternoon was planned out for us so we hurried along. Our next event was taking the Hmong version of a tractor ride up to the King's project with a stop along the way to cool off in a river we crossed. I think everyone appreciated the swim and chance to semi-bathe. The lady driving the lead tractor even got in the river to catch some fish. On the way further up to the project it started to rain and one tractor had to be pushed by several people. They finally just decided to have everyone walk the short way up to the headquarters (more slippery mud). Thankfully I had my boots with me. At the top of the hill it stopped raining and the team was introduced to the plantation and how they are developing new crops besides corn and rice like coffee etc. After that we headed back to the village. A group of the girls planned to go see how Hmong food was cooked, so they took off pretty quickly with Dang and the 2 daughters of the village leader. Billye and I decided this was the perfect time to check out the shower house. Suphan was already there ahead of us, so we sat and visited then took turns showering. I am pretty sure I pulled a muscle in my neck trying not to scream when I poured the first bucket of rain water over my shoulder because MAN, it was freezing!!! Despite the cold, it felt so good to be clean from head to toe! We headed back to the house to lounge while waiting for dinner and Suphan prepared for the baptism service that evening. He was fully ready for any situation with all of his service books and bible. Meanwhile the rest of the group was scattered around the village. Some resting, some with kids at the school playing with bubbles, playing soccer, making crafts with stickers, or in the kitchen learning Hmong cooking style. Dinner was once again delicious and early enough that we made it back to the house before it got too dark.

This evening we had time to actually get ready for our guests, light the lamps and move our camping gear out of the way. Just like the night before, bibles had to be read with flashlights and there was just enough light from the lamps to see the intent faces of all those present. I think everyone was excited too to be there and see the baptism of this man, his wife and their 3 children. I laughed when I saw the little girl hitting her brother who was in her way, and thought to myself, "you have no idea how your life has just changed do you?" Pastor Schultz led a brief devotion on the cleansing of Naaman the leper. Then Pastor Suphan led the baptism in the Hmong language and asked Pastor to perform the baptism while he spoke the words. You could just tell from the smiles on their face that they were so excited and eager for this event. The team from Montana gave them each a gift including a cross to hang in their home. The following morning Suphan and Pastor Schultz would go to their home to remove their idols and bless their home. This evening ended with the doxology again in all 3 languages present: Hmong, Thai and English.

As everyone was leaving, the Lord blessed us with a very special treat. The night sky was perhaps one of the most beautiful sights many of us had ever seen. I mean it was just absolutely glittering! The milky way was a prominent sight, and I couldn't even distinguish most of the constellations because there were so many stars that the constellations couldn't stick out! It made me think of star gazing with my Dad on the back porch in Ohio. That night I slept much better and was awake t 3:30am when the roosters started crowing. They seem to have a snooze button too because they all stopped at once and half an hour later started up again.

Oh well, by 6am everyone was up and relatively packed. Pastor Suphan took us around to visit some of the church members who couldn't make it the evening before and then we went to eat breakfast for the last time at the village leader's house. The truck ride down to the national park was much more fan than every other ride I've had to or from the village. I rode with Pam, Pastor Schultz, Amnot, Melissa, Suphan and a husband and wife who were going to Chiang Mai for theology training with Suphan and other Hmong leaders from the US. It was fun for 2 reasons. 1) I got to talk with Fone, the 16 year old girl (yes, she is married) going to Chiang Mai and 2) because towards the end I got to stand up and have the wind blow in my hair! I felt like we were surfing on the truck as it zoomed around corners and under low tree branches! We had one glitch when the truck couldn't get in gear going up a steep hill and we were rolling back towards the stream but not on the tree-log bridge,

so the guys got out and took care of that "situation". And just like that, half of our trip was over! It was off to Mae Sot, near the Burma border where we would spend time recovering, showering, shopping at the border market and eating at the Imaginary Forest restaurant before heading to Pakham Mai the next day! For more pictures and descriptions of our adventures in Loh Koh click here!