We hear that there is a heat wave in the UK – I hope the English summer isn’t over before we get back!! Here in Thailand it has been overcast and stormy, but is hot and humid, 35 degrees in the daytime and 25 at night, thank goodness we have air conditioning.
Thailand is very different to the other countries we have been to. Bangkok is a vast city, many high rise buildings, congested with cars and quite smoggy from pollution. The country is predominantly Buddhist and everywhere there are shrines, with people laying flowers and lighting candles at them. They have a king and a queen who seem to be highly revered and their pohotograph can be seen in many buildings and on big billboards. We have already tried fruits that I have never heard of or seen, and we understand that there are scorpions and snakes around, including, on the island we are going to on Wednesday, pythons and king cobra, and there are elephants, tigers and bears up in the mountains!!
There are 62 children at House of Grace orphanage, a mix of boys and girls, about half of whom are HIV+. The government though provide anti retroviral drugs free of charge. The children are very friendly and range from a few months to 18/19 years old, and there are some staff who live here – some of them have AIDS.
Tomorrow I am speaking at the service they have here – the younger children go out for Sunday School – this happens in their hall which the money St. Stephen’s gave from our building project tithe helped to build.
Food here is very different, spicy and often with nuts in. Actually, whilst writing this, Miriam has eaten a biscuit which seemed quite innocent but she is sure now it contained nuts and so has just had to give herself an adrenalin injection – please pray that she stays well and is able to avoid any further accidents. But in the light of this, I better stop and check that she is OK.
Mark