Senior Missionary Specialized Training 2015

24 Full time Missionaries, 2 District Missionaries and President and Sister Senior

Once per year - Our mission President gets all of the Senior Missionaries serving in the Thailand Bangkok Mission together. We have Senior missionaries in Bangkok, multiple cities in Northeast Thailand, in Lao and Myanmar so we enjoy this yearly opportunity to be together. This year President and Sister Senior selected a location outside of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.

The Resort was called Panviman Resort.  The resort is literally located on a hillside about 45 kilometers outside of Bangkok.  Picturesque! and also good for exercise.  It was a hike between the main building - restaurant, reception and conference room to our actual hotel room up about 200 feet in elevation. It was quite a logistical feat to get all of the couples from their respective locations to arrive near the same time.  I arranged all of the airline tickets and the transportation to meet them at the airport and take them to the resort.  I also brought the cash to pay for the group hotel and the activity costs.  We as senior couples were responsible for our room costs.



Picturesque setting in the hills northeast of Chiang Mai - yes we swam in that pool behind us

We were at the resort for 3 days (2 nights).  On the first day we had training session and then had dinner together at the hotel restaurant.  The second day had a morning session and an afternoon activity time.  Most of the couples selected to go to a nearby elephant camp along a local river.  We fed the elephants watched them bathe in the river and then they put on a little show. That evening we had a Thai dinner a local restaurant a short walk from the hotel.  After dinner we had a FHE activity together in the hotel conference room.  Fun fun. We played a form of gospel oriented Pictionary . We had four teams,  Some of these senior couple are amazingly quick.  We had a closing session on the Third day where we had the opportunity to share our testimonies.  Then most went immediately to the airport.  12 of us traveled to the city of Chiang Mai and stayed the night.  We had fun with them and did some more souvenir buying (shopping). 



The LARGE deck outside our room



Sister Meeker chilling on the deck



View of Main building




Pool and waterfall area shot taken from main building

 

Chilling after swimming

Artificial Cave area below the pool



Watch your head walking in there

 

 

 

Entrance to Elephant camp

Mahuts bathing their elephants

Yes that is an elephant painting



Some of the finished product - All painted by different Elephants



Quite stunning in their ability to paint

The elephants put on a show - played soccer, twirled hula hoops and moved logs



The group that attended the elephant camp with us

 

 

Big strong hug



Placing the hat



Capping off the elephant experience

Papaya tree with fruit - notice the lack of branches



Feet up - King Size Chair

Rock Paper Scissors - deciding who gets to translate1st  for the Native Thai Senior Missionaries - I won

Local resident often made loud cackling comments outside conference room during the training

Getting to know you game prior to dinner - note the scenery thru the windows

Nice hotel with beautiful company in Chiang Mai



Shopping for Wood carvings - left this one - but two others are currently sailing home - surface mail