The handicraft tour and the day with the driver

The next day (Thursday) we had a tour set up to go see handicrafts. we honestly didn't know what we were going to see, but the Ashburns highly recommended that we do it. it ended up being really cool. a driver met us at the hotel and we had no idea he'd end up being our driver for the rest of the day. we got to know him really well and it was a very positive thing. we asked at the beginning if he was buddhist and he said yes.

he took us to ceramic, silver, jewels/gems, laquer, umbrella, woodcarving, cotton, and silk factories. all of them were set up the same way... they would teach you about how they make everything from scratch, i mean from the worms with silk and the bark for making the paper that makes the umbrellas! then they would bring us into a large showroom where they would sell their items. yes, it was a very touristy thing to do, i'm sure with touristy prices. however, we did get a little inspired and did a little shopping, of course with others' gifts in mind. i can't tell you what i bought. :) i did get inspired for something functional too, though. i was able to get some things that will work for decorating my new room wherever that home ends up being in Houston.

at one place, the driver asked us if we wanted coffee in one of the little cafes attached to the stores. we opted for getting iced coffee since we were hitting that afternoon drag plus we had only hit the ground running once we got to chiang mai and still weren't stopping in our short time there. we had to live it up, so yes that meant more caffeine. that ended up being the biggest blessing to sit and talk with him. the Lord opened up doors and we all shared our beliefs. he told me that being buddhist is one of the most freeing religions there is b/c you don't have rigid rules or laws as other religions impose. he said you are free to make up your mind and believe whatever. i was thankful that the conversation had started and gently replied that "i understand where you are coming from and why you say that, but i have to tell you about a different kind of freedom that i have." i told him my definition of freedom was different and that i'm free to not worry about "karma" or whatever bad i do will come back to get me. i'm not worried about dying and the after life of still paying the debt for what i've done wrong. i'm not worried about things in life like where am i going to live. i'm so free b/c Jesus paid that wrong for me. we explained how, yes, a wrong does need a payment, but it can't be by us. it has to be by Jesus and His death. i told him how much i love talking with the Lord and know He's watching over me in everyway and that He cares that much about us. it's like He's taken the load from me, so that is freedom!
i got an email from amy who i did missions with in spain and she shared with me a powerful way to share with buddhists, so i shared that analogy, too. in thailand, they really respect their king, i mean even the most remote villages i saw in the mountains would still have pictures of the king inside their homes. he does a lot for the common people. so, i explained an analogy of Jesus being our King as if their thai king decided to die so everything the people had ever done was bad could be paid for in order to set them free. i said that's like Jesus and what He did for us too. anyway, our driver was really interested in talking and even said he has a christian friend who has shared with him, too. so, i'm just thankful that we were able to have purpose in that day and at least water the seed. we will definitely keep praying for his "freedom."