Picking up trash, Cooking, Paddle Boating, and Pizza! A full Sunday!

Sunday February 12

We went back to the slum to join them on their trash pick up day. The trash is overwhelming! It was impossible for us to even make a dent. But we wanted to simply show these people we care.

We gathered at the church, divided into groups, handed out supplies (gloves, large tongs, masks and trash bags) and headed out to pick up trash.

We were being watched. As we picked up trash around an apartment building at least 5 people were taking our pictures. One local man came out to help us. He picked up a whole bag of trash by himself.

It was hot and humid. And in less than two hours, all of us together picked up 23 bags of trash!

Then we went back to the church, had a great lunch and the slum kids were rewarded for their work.

After lunch, the girls had a cooking lesson from one of the slum girls. She has received a scholarship to attend Chiang Mai Adventist Academy. She loves to cook so she teaches the girls to make black sticky rice with a coconut sauce. It was good but hot. Small bowls of this treat were given to the kids that were still there.

Josh Bauder took some of us to the King's Park while others headed to the hotel to change and work. Chris and Luke joined us at the King's Park.

It is a large, beautiful park, with a maze made of brush, paddle boats, and a lot of ponds and beautiful trees. Josh had two little girls with him, which were immediately begging to ride the paddle boats! Josh and James ended up in the boat with the two girls, and Lilyann and Mary Ann ended up in another one. Sarah waited for Chris and Luke. They went out just after the others came back.

James flew the drone while we waited for Chris, Sarah, and Luke to have their paddle boat ride. While they were out, Chitty and Chompoo arrived. They had done the dishes and cleaned up at the church before coming to join us.

After riding the paddle boats, we went to a quiet spot next to a pond to shoot an interview with Josh and Chitty Bauder. James was missing Jon as second camera, so Sarah pitched in.

When we left the park, we took a songtaeow to the end of the road where we could get a taxi back to our hotel. Once there, we walked to a pizza place where the Bauders came and joined us. We were all ready for bed, though way too full of pizza!