Thailand TDY

So I got to go back to Thailand for work, but this time it was to Pattaya. I have to say that I'm glad we went to Chiang Mai and Phuket for our vacation instead of here.

It is beautiful, but not really family friendly. That didn't stop tons of Russian families from taking their little kids there, though.

We saw this snake crossing the taxi way

The markets had some interesting food offerings

 

 

Scorpions, cockroaches and beetles...oh my?

This kind of Thai food is much more to my taste

We took in some of the sights, and the coolest thing we saw was the Sanctuary of Truth. 

This temple is made entirely out of wood, and it was built to provide moral employment. Since it is constantly wearing down and getting termites, it will never be complete and will always need to be worked on. It was beautiful and the pictures do not do it justice.

 The atmosphere was like being at the temple in Tomb raider

The intricate detail and colors of the wood were so awe inspiring.

This wood has been weathered and is older.

It was really impressive.

Equally so, were the workshops

 It is a family affair where generations teach the next.

 

 This column shows the drawings before they start carving it.

Thailand is a beautiful place, and I really enjoy getting to travel while we are over here. As far as business trips go, this was a great one.

Girls Camp

This year I got to go to Girls Camp or "Mormon Camp" as it is affectionately called by our friends who are not Mormon. We camped at a privately owned Baptist Camp with an amazing private beach.

This is our amazing District Young Women and a few friends. Our District theme was

 "Anchored in Faith".

 These are the girls I got to spend my time at camp with. I had a great time with our little Sasedena (Sasebo + Kadena) family and look forward to when we can all be together again.

 I couldn't help but include a few pictures of the beach. We had it all to ourselves and only wish we had more time in the water.

The wild flowers that grew around camp were astoundingly beautiful.

 

Next I have to mention our fearless leaders.

 Our Branch President bravely came for a visit where he was immediately adorned with the traditional Sasedena war paint of lipstick and eyeliner on the cheeks.

 After enduring the war paint our Branch President allowed himself to be clothed in a hula outfit made of toilet paper. What a good sport.

Out District leaders, better known as Las Angles De La Muerte.They proved themselves a force to be reckoned with when it came to pranks.

Our District leaders also proved themselves to be quite fabulous in their acting abilities as they performed their skit.

I at one point found myself in a hostage situation over a confiscated cell phone.

Our amazing girls having a little pre-hike lunch.

The nightly campfire

                                                           First Aide Certification

                                                                Our Princesses

 Yes our Young Women are so amazing that they kept up on their homework and music practice during their free time at camp.

The palm trees at camp were all decorated when got there.

 Teamwork got our cabin decorated.

 Our post skit family photo.

 I walked into my girls' cabin one night to find them fighting off a rival cabin with mops and brooms. I'm still not sure what the mighty battle was about.

 

Our theme for Sasedena was "Come unto the lighthouse of the Lord". Our room was decorated accordingly.

Our girls hung a banner with their theme and their testimonies on it. It was really very cool. I was quite proud to claim these young women and call them our Sasedena family.

The flame of our light house lamp was the YW torch. I'm thankful for the YW I get to serve and that I get to see each one of them shine. What a blessing camp was for all of us.