Thailand

This idol was just funny! It's a sea dragon or something that looks crocodilish and is guarding the entrance to one of the temples.

For 5 days I stopped over in Thailand to visit missionary friends there. I had a lot of culture shock as they are much more developed than Tanzania. And yet they are so lost-spiritually that is. In Tanzania going to church is the thing to do. Here it is very rare. Everyone is Buddhist. There were spirit houses everywhere -- in front of businesses, on the side of the road, in people's yards, in t he airport flower garden, etc... They offer gifts to appease the spirits. (What I really want to know is who eats all the fruit off of it?)

We went to see a famous temple. It was a LONG hike up 306 steps, which my legs felt the next day. I lost count of how many different statues of Buddha and others there were there.

There were bells and gongs that one could ring to do something spiritual. There were people walking around the pagoda with incense and flowers to help them personally in a spiritual sense, there were others pouring oil over lamps -- again hoping to gain something spiritual.

ough it was beautiful, it was also a heavy weight on my heart to see so much 'idolatry'.

We also had a great time of Thanksgiving with a very International community - Thai, Filipino, American, German, Korean, (I think that's all).