Mom and Dad Come to Thailand

Last month we had the privilege to host Dan's parents, Dave and Teresa Pennington here to visit us in Thailand!  It was mom's first time in Asia (since spending time as a child in Okinawa) and their first visit to Northern Thailand.  As well, it was an amazing privilege to introduce them to what we're being a part of doing here.

As well, it was significant time with the grandkids, and Dad's first chance to meet our little man Aidan! (They loved each other right off the spot, instant connection!)  This was the first visit mom said that she felt Eva really "recognised" her and attached to her right away- even running up and grabbing her leg in welcome at the airport.  This is the stuff life is truly made of!

We made a whirl-wind trip of their visit- starting off by meeting them in Chiang Mai where we spend the weekend, went to the zoo, petted tigers at the Tiger Kingdom, and enjoyed some good Mexican food and got their first taste of the Thai night markets.

We then made our way to our hometown of Chiang Rai where the action real got started.

We had a chance to introduce them to plenty of our workmates, thai staff and the production house were managing, meals at the Destiny cafe (training and employment centre) as well as a special dinner out at one of our lovely kids' homes in a nearby village.  They even got to tag along with us to a local wedding of one of our Thai staff- complete with an hour off-road trek up to the village in the back of a four-wheel drive!

As well, the weekend they we're in town happened to be Songkran Weekend, likely the biggest of the big Thai national holidays, particularly in northern Thailand.  Its a celebration of the Thai new year as well as the start of the plentiful rainy season all in one, and the whole of the nation pretty much shuts down for a long weekend of water throwing, dancing in the streets, plenty of music and...plenty of water!  The tradition of 'water throwing' started as a gesture of good luck that has progressively grown to drums of ice-cold water, water guns, and a whole lot of craziness!  Folks will even open up unlocked car doors to throw water on you while you sit in the unending traffic!

So that was an exciting and memorable addition to an already significant trip.

To top it all off, on one of the last days of their visit, they had the opportunity to meet the girl they have sponsored through Compassion most of the last decade.  It was a special privilege to meet her and her family in her home village as well.  Both mom and dad confessed it to being one of the most memorable moments of their lives.

It was a special privilege to host my parents, especially in our new context where we have a chance to 'be in the thick of it'.  I am so blessed and honoured by them and their legacy. Besides, its not everyday you get to have a water fight with your dad in Thailand.

(P.S- As a great book-end to this story, my parents were also able to help their Compassion sponsor child begin her first year of university studies, which started this month.  An amazing story of life redeemed; from poverty to having an opportunity that most of us take for granted.)