The Goodbyes Begin

MAE SOT-BANGKOK, THAILAND – Our thirteenth day of mission in Thailand has come to end, and we have begun a new and final stage of that mission, as we set our course for Chiang Mai, then Bangkok and, ultimately, home.

Sadly, it is also time to begin saying ‘goodbye’ to those who have become – and will remain – an important part of our mission, and our lives.

Today’s journey would fill the entire day, beginning with the first leg, departing Mae Sot – after saying our goodbyes to the Karen people there, and the staff of Partners Relief & Development – and Thailand’s mountainous Tak Province, for the city of Chiang Mai.

In Chiang Mai, we stopped for lunch, where we met once again with Mark and Christa Crawford of Garden of Hope, with whom we had worked so closely last week. Also joining us for lunch was Faa Sumitra Choemue, a Hill Tribe woman of Thailand and a member of the GOH staff. Many in the Tall City will remember Faa, her enthusiasm and her spirit, from a visit she made to Midland late last year. She is one of our favorite people but, sadly, we had to say goodbye to her, and to Mark and Christa as we departed Chiang Mai for Bangkok.

We also had to bid farewell to Hong Pirojh Chew, who had been our guide ever since our arrival in Chiang Mai, in the early days of our mission. Hong was a hard-working and caring individual, and showed incredible patience with the many, many questions and requests that were asked of him over the past week.

The farewells continued once we had arrived in Bangkok, where said goodbye to Nee Doh Chit, a 24-year-old Karen from Burma who is now a citizen of Thailand, and lives in Bangkok where he is a Karen Project Coordinator for Knowing Children. Andy has been a good companion and an invaluable source of information about the Karen people and their lives both in Burma and Thailand ….. and a good friend.

What little remained of the evening was devoted to preparations the final leg of our journey home. That will begin tomorrow evening, after a day devoted in part to a meeting at the U.S. Embassy with Ambassador Eric John and his staff. Due to problems with flights and connections on the first day of mission, most of our team was unable to meet with embassy staff at the original, appointed day and time (though some members of our team did). But Ambassador John and his staff have graciously agreed to make time in their schedules for another briefing, for our entire team.