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goodlawdmaude · 4 years

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Southeast Asia 2018

I honestly thought I would give up on detailing my travel adventures by blog, but revisiting the indelible record of my old posts about previous adventures has inspired me to write a cursory summary of our more recent (... a relative term) trips.

SO, respecting chronology, let’s start with our Southeast Asia trip of 2020. Jarod and I left for Bangkok, Thailand on 2/7/2018 and returned to San Diego, CA on 2/28/2018. A lot of the notes below were taken throughout the trip and are arguably a bit too circuitous and detailed. Regardless, here it is:

DEPARTURE: 2/7

Our travel day was roughly 30 hours, involving layovers at SFO and Tokyo/Narita. It was pretty torturous, but we did technically eat ramen (airport ramen) in Japan (and admired the fun KitKat flavors). We arrived late on 2/8, exhausted from the travel. After landing, we took a taxi to the hostel, showered in the shared restroom, and went to sleep.

BANGKOK: 2/8 (late) - 2/10

2/9 (Day 1)

We woke up tired and had breakfast at the hostel with our dear friend Ben before setting out to explore old town. We grabbed some BOMB street food (40baht per plate), then wandered into a small wat (thinking it was the Grand Palace) and eventually into the Grand Palace -- brimming with the craziest swarm of tourists imaginable. From the palace, we walked to Khaosan--where we met our college friend, Alison, and her sister--for local food and beers. The street was lively and vibrant - full of henna stalls, carts pedaling fried scorpion, and vendors with brightly colored clothes and jewelry. After finding a taxi driver who would use a meter, we drove home and rallied for dinner at a local seafood spot (the menu was extensive and almost overwhelming). From there, we stopped at a cozy bar and drank grapefruit Sculpins before walking home and crashing.

CHIANG MAI: 2/10 - 2/13

2/10 (Day 2)

Jarod, Ben, and I flew in uneventfully and took taxi to our room - a little loft above a local bar. We grabbed lunch two doors down, then went for a run/work out at a nearby flower-filled park. When we returned to shower, we found it impossible due to low water pressure. We had to ask the staff to turn on the pump 3x to get through our showers. Clean, we headed to a nearby square for the Saturday night market. We purchased potstickers (40b), spring rolls and kebabs (50b), and soups (40b each), and feasted family style. From there, we took a tuk tuk to The North End jazz bar and coop, where we watched two jazz bands playing while the crowd overflowing into the street. We met Allison and her sister, Jess, back at the night market for 11pm crepes and divised a plan to hike Monk's trail the next day.

2/11 (Day 3)

After waking up around 7, we met Alison at her hotel and then drove off to the Monk’s trail. The trail was clear and hot and peaceful--clearly demarcated by orange ties of fabric. We arrived at a (pretty low key) temple buried in the hillside with a stream running through it. From there, the trail got quite steep and the hike became reasonably vigorous. We eventually arrived at our summit - another temple. It was grand and gold and gorgeous, but also pretty packed with visitors who had driven up. We bought some fresh orange juice and snacked in the shade, overlooking a valley/neighboring hillside. We spent some time exploring, then headed back. We got a delicious lunch at a restaurant near Alison’s, then returned to our Airbnb, went through another saga of showers, and took naps. We went to scope out the Sunday night market, which was huge and overwhelming - packed with people and hand-made goods. We met Alison at Dash! for dinner, shared a carafe of wine, and ate the best khao soi ever while enjoying live music. From Dash! Alison and I went back to the night market, where we saw a group of men playing exotic instruments. We headed home and called it a night.

2/12 (Day 4)

In celebration of Ben's birthday, we had a gluttonous breakfast at German bierhaus. Ben had to take some work calls, during which J and I met Alison and drove to Mae Sa waterfall. Swam in the 10th fall - deserted - hiked back, and lunched on the ground in a little hut. That evening, we were picked up at 4 for a cooking class. We toured an amazing local market, then to cooking school where we made 6 courses, but had to leave before dessert to avoid being late to a lady boy show. Took red truck to Warmup and got cocktails and a beer tower. Took a "taxi" to another club but it was closing so we went home.

LUANG PRABANG: 2/13 - 2/16

2/13 (Day 5)

We took a tuk tuk to the airport, got through security without an issue, and were on the ground in LP around 4 in the afternoon. We got a ride from the airport (courtesy of our guest house), checked in, then hit the town for a run. We joined a public Zumba class (led by a random person in the park), then ran back and showered. We dined at the restaurant on our block - including amazing chocolate fondue for dessert. Luang Prabang was breathtakingly beautiful; I was already obsessed.

2/14 (Day 6)

We woke up early to see the monks’ almsgiving and to exercise. After a large group passed through, we did a circuit in the open yard of our guest house, then showered and got breakfast. From breakfast, Ben went to do some work, and Jarod and I went to find our way to Kuang si falls. We took a bus from the lobby of our guest house. The aquamarine falls were gorgeous, but busy. After a short but steep climb, we arrived at the top. We opted to extend our trek (2km) to "spring water cave.” We jogged there, sweating profusely, and found an oasis of quiet as well as the cave. After exploring a bit, we headed back and descended the way we'd come, stopping half way down for a quiet dip in the freezing water. We dried off and hurried down, grabbing a mango shake and egg crepe before hustling into the van in the nick of time. When we returned, we showered, rested briefly, then headed out to grab a sunset drink with a view of the Mekong before hitting the night market for dinner. We grabbed mini potstickers, spring rolls, pork bun, and delicious wholesome soups, then crowded around a crooked table to eat. After dinner, we got dessert at a neighboring pastry stand, then went for drinks - a free shot and 20k 2 for 1 cocktails. "Drink like a fish for the price of water," they said.

2/15 (Day 7)

We woke up around 730, got breakfast at our place, then got ready to hike Chompet! We took a boat across the river (loaded with locals, motorbikes, and a couple cars). There was a small strip of town by the port point on the other side, but it was much different than the side from which we'd come. There were chickens everywhere, locals on dirt bikes and front porches, and very few tourists. The hike took us down a remote dirt road with gorgeous views of the Lao country side. The people we walked past stared (and often smiled) at us. At one point, we encountered a herd of water buffalo roaming the trail. They also stared at us. We forked off the road onto a footpath, continuing to weave through the jungle. We passed several temples, paying entry to see one of them (Chompet), and admiring others from a distance. The Buddha there was flanked by a sign for donations for "water, electricity, and education. We went back to grab lunch and to recoup before heading out for evening massages. Afterward, we wandered into a family-owned restaurant - run straight out of their house and had delicious "bo bun" and spring roll lettuce wrap style appetizer with greens and noodles. From there, we went to the night market for some shopping, where I had my first taste of Lao coconut pancakes (OMG!!)

HANOI-->CATBA-->SAPA: 2/16 - 2/23

2/16 (Day 8) Lao --> Hanoi

We woke up around 6 and tried to get ready quietly. We made it to Hanoi uneventfully, dropped our bags at the hotel, and went to walk around. There were lots of families out and about for Tet, wandering around the lake, dressed nicely, taking photos, and getting very annoyed if you walked through their photo. There were balloons and street vendors everywhere as well as people praying and burning incense at temples. We stopped for lunch on our way back, splitting a bahn mi and a tofu rice in tomato sauce as well as crepes. For dinner, we went to a place recommended by our hotel. We sat in children's plastic seats on the sidewalk, waiting for service. There was no menu; the waitstaff brought their one dish to us immediately. We went to bed around 10pm and got the best sleep ever. The room was cozy and clean and we (thought we) were all set with our 11am ride to CatBa the next morning.

2/17 (Day 9) Hanoi --> Cat Ba Island

We slept great and got up around 7am. We ate breakfast at the hotel, then went up to the room to get packed and ready for our bus pickup at 1030. Our bus never came. Around 1115 Jarod whatsapped them to ask if someone was coming. They replied that there was an issue with the bus and asked if we could take the 2pm. Our concierge called them for us, ultimately only to confirm that we would take the 2pm bus. With that, we left our bags and walked to west lake. Most places were still closed for Tet, so the city felt a bit unwelcoming. On the way, we got a 25k dong banh mi to share for lunch. We got back to the hotel around 130, to be informed that a bus had come for us at 1.... but would be back at 2. We sat patiently. At 3, there was still no bus. Jarod whatsapped once again, and was told the bus WAS on its way. Around 315, a sweaty, stressed out guide burst in and ushered us to the bus. The bus was crowded, and we had to sit in he back with our knees smushed into the seats in front of us, but the ride was beautiful - flanked by rice patties (with ornate graves in them) and fields of green and lakes. When we finally got dropped off at our hotel, we were met with a surprise. "Did you book through booking.com?" A ~12 year old girl asked on behalf of her family. Yes, yes we did. She said the electricity was out but that they would put us somewhere else for $10/day. They then walked us across the street to a hotel with a Vietnamese name and non English speaking staff. We went out for dinner at one of the few open restaurants, then watched a little tv and went to bed, sandwiched between two fuzzy red blankets.

2/18 (Day 10) Cat Ba Island

We woke up around 7, went down for breakfast, then hurried over to Asia Outdoors to book a kayak tour on the bay. We were loaded onto a big boat with a dining area and an upstairs deck. We sat on the deck, admiring the incredible views of the bays... floating villages with dogs running around... green water... giant limestone cliffs... We continued for about an hour before we stopped and were loaded into our kayaks. We rode around to seahorse lagoon where we sat quietly in hopes of seeing a langur. We continued paddling around and talked to our guide some about his background, learning that he makes $6/day kayak guiding. We headed back to the big boat, jumped quickly into the ABSOLUTELY FREEZING BUT AMAZING water and had a delicious lunch of tofu, chicken, fried fish, rice, steamed cabbage, potatoes... etc.. After lunch we got on a separate small boat back. Jarod tipped the guy 200k dong (<$10) and he exclaimed "bloody hell!!!" In excitement. He also warned us that our taxi back "might be a bit inconspicuous.... but I'll phone them"... luckily, it ended up being pretty conspicuous. We made it back to our hotel and showered in our weird (but amazingly warm) bath/shower combo. From there we went to an "early dinner." We failed to be served at two different restaurants (did manage beers at the second one), went to a third restaurant, starving now and a bit drunk on our empty stomachs. This restaurant was also a mess, but we managed to get dinner here. We went back to our room, dropped off laundry for $2/kg at our hotel, (told it would be done in 5h), and went to bed.

2/19 (Day 11) Catba-->Hanoi-->Sapa

We woke up around 7 to pack, eat, and be ready for the bus at 9. When I went to get the laundry, the woman tried to give me someone else's laundry and had a hard time understanding that it wasn't mine. She finally showed me to the laundry line, where our clothes were hanging- still quite damp. I collected them and blow dried what I could, but it was a mess. The bus came for us around 915 and was much less crowded. In Hanoi, We walked to Lilly's travel agency, dropped our bags, double checked the details for our trek, got cash&paid. We then got a 3 course lunch (~$20) and met up with Ben. For dinner, we went to a restaurant down the street where I had my best meal of Vietnam ("dry noodles" with lots of peanuts and mint). Lilly’s called us a taxi, which took us on a short drive to the train station, where we had to meet someone to get our tickets. The ticket holder was sitting inconspicuously in a corner texting, but we found her. We had to wait a bit, then boarded the train which had really awesome 4 person compartments. We pretty quickly went to bed, leaving the light on the bunk above Jarod on, for our 4th member. He came in shortly thereafter, got into bed, left his light on, and started snoring. He left it on all night. The beds were hard and the train was noisy, but it was definitely a great travel option.

2/20 (Day 12)

We woke up to a knock on our cabin door. We got ourselves together and got off the train, expecting to find someone with a "Jarod backens" sign who would drive us from lo kai to sapa (~1h). We had to wait awhile, but finally some young punky looking guy showed up. He walked us around a variety of vans before gesturing for us to climb in one. Once inside, a woman solicited "money?" For the ride. We had paid for our agency, so we refused. The ride up was beautiful but very windy and I felt quite car sick. When we got to sapa, the driver said "three people" and pointed out to a hotel/restaurant. We uncertainly got out and headed in and sat down. Luckily, our guides found us. There was a table of 4 other women who were a part of our group. We got breakfast (eggs, pancake to share, and tea), paid for the extra pancake and drinks, then embarked on our trek with a group of 5 women (French mother and daughter, 23yo Swiss best friends, and a Canadian girl with heavy black makeup) led by a group of wiley guides, dressed in black home made cloaks, long shorts, and fabric wrapped around their legs between their ankles and knees. Some wore simple sandals for the trek; all of them were tan, wrinkled, spunky, and dirty. The climb up was steep, and the views were incredible. On the way up, we climbed above the clouds, finding baby puppies, piglets, horses, etc. We stopped several times to breathe and once for lunch, where we were served heaping piles of fried rice or fried noodles. From there we hiked a while longer, our entire trek taking approximately 6h. When we arrived at the home stay--which was a newly built building with quite nice amenities--we sat outside and were served tea. We showered and got dressed and dinner was served around 7pm. The whole day, the tribeswomen had been talking a lot about "happy water" (rice whiskey) and how much we would drink. They weren't lying, but they DIDNT mention how much we would EAT! They served us (a table of 8-joined by a bohemian 37yo woman from Oakland) pork, chicken/duck on the bone, pork with lemon and mint, mushrooms, green beans, spring rolls, and white rice. They had a large family gathering of 15 or so at the table behind us. Different women kept coming to our table and urging us to eat more, often times plopping rice into our bowls. Later in the evening, the happy water came out in a jug with an angry birds logo on it. Mama Sho insisted we all drink, so we did. Jarod, the bohemian, Erin from Canada, Ben, and I sat around drinking a good long while. At one point, concerned I may be sick if I went on, I proclaimed THIS IS THE LAST ONE, took a shot, then went to the bathroom. When I returned, another one had been poured for me, but Jarod took it for me. We were spilling everywhere and it was a festive amazing mess.

2/21 (Day 13)

We woke up to Ben's knock around 850am, letting us know breakfast was happening. I felt horribly nauseous and hungover, but went down and managed to eat one pancake before going back upstairs and collapsing in bed. Eventually, I managed to get dressed and out the door for our hike. It was a warm and sunny day. We hiked to a waterfall where I put my feet in. We hiked to lunch--at which point I was feeling significantly better but not great--then hiked home. We laid on the ground for a bit and decided to have a push up contest instead. While we were doing our silly contest and rolling on the dirt, a new, large group of guests came in. We felt like idiots but continued our work out. After, we sat outside with some tea and met the 3 new guests - very nice German policemen. We talked about politics and gun control, then excused ourselves to shower. Dinner was served a little later that evening. Many of the same dishes were served, but our group was much larger, the family did not eat with us, and the pressure to eat and drink was greatly diminished. (Everyone admitted at one point or another that we drank too much the night before.) After dinner, we went to sit outside with the German boys and were joined by the Swiss girls. We went to bed around 930. I thought a lot about how close I was to the animals on the farm that were composing our dinners

2/22 (Day 14)

We woke up around 8, after sleeping quite hard for quite a long time. We went and sat outside and drank some tea/coffee with the German boys. Ben came and joined us - he had been up a while walking and playing with the friendly dog that was tied up. One tribeswoman came to peddle her goods, finding willing buyers in the Germans. We had a big breakfast of eggs and pancakes with honey, then got dressed, said farewell to the Germans, and embarked as a group of 5 on our last hike. It was a bit challenging-we had to walk on some narrow edges and I was worried about falling into mud pits. We walked to lunch and got soups, agreeing as a group to walk the 9k back to town rather than be shuttled there. It was a steep climb - our most physically difficult day by far. We made it back to the coffee shop we had started at. Mai showed up and gave us bracelets and hurried away -"Um Mao, so what about the bus??" Ben asked as she tried to get back in her car. She told us it would come at 5. We said goodbye to MamaSho and went inside to get something warm to drink. We wiped down with baby wipes and changed, then waited. Our shuttle came, and we quickly learned our driver was an absolute maniac, driving super aggressively and honking an insane amount as we picked up other travelers. We finally started driving down - during which he was much more careful. On the way down, we inexplicably stopped at a vegetable market and some people bought goods. We continued the slow descent and got in around 7pm. "Oh, you can get your tickets in that restaurant," the driver mentioned as an afterthought. We went to the restaurant, got the tickets, and ate dinner. We boarded the train and (once again with an awkward 4th-man interloper) went to bed.

KOH LANTA: 2/23 - 2/27

2/23 (Day 15)

We woke up on the train, walked briskly to Lillys with Ben, and said quick goodbyes before taking a taxi 40 minutes to the airport. At the airport, we got Burger King breakfasts for the perfect amount of dong we had left (the cashier actually asked for 2800... to which Jarod responded "I have 2700?" which was accepted.) We had a layover at DMK, and eventually made it to Krabi. With some trouble, we found our driver, got in a big ass luxurious van and hit traffic immediately. We arrived at our hotel on Koh Lanta around 8pm, showered, and then got dinner at the hotel restaurant. I got salmon, Jarod got pineapple fried rice, and we had chicken satay and a fabulous brownie with ice cream. We went to bed, planning to wake up early and exercise.

2/24 (Day 16)

We woke up around 7 and went down for breakfast. They had an assortment of delicious Thai food (leftovers?) as well as eggs bacon pancakes toast yogurt fruit etc. We ate our fill, then went on a little run. It was so hot I felt like dying, and our stomachs were a little upset. After, we spent some time by the beach/pool, then headed out to walk to lunch. We got lunch at Greenland - the owner turned on the fan when we arrived and was very nice to us. Really good massaman curry. For dinner, we walked to ShantiShanti down the road where we ate curries and crepes with cinnamon and toffee ice cream.

2/25 (Day 17)

We woke up around 7 and went down to breakfast before our work out. We did a circuit followed by a short run, then went straight to the beach. We hung and read for much of the afternoon, taking a break in the afternoon for a light lunch. After several hours in the sun, we walked to The Salty fish for sunset drinks. After sunset, we walked to Coconut grove for dinner. After finishing a carafe of wine and our meal, we went to our hotel bar to catch their happy hour. We got mai thais and sipped them on the day beds. We went to bed early.

2/26 (Day 18)

We woke up around 630 and went straight into our workout--starting with a jog after seeing there was someone in the gym. We did our most intense circuit while the other girl (still in the gym) did some VERY lame exercises with zero intensity... while pointing the only fan directly at herself. We finished our work out and went down for breakfast. We sipped coffee by the ocean and read for a while before going up to get serious about sunscreen and water. Around 1130, we walked into town to book our ride to the airport and get our nails done. I got the worst gel manicure ever and Jarod got his first pedicure. All in all, very fun and worth the small expense. We got lunch at a Rastafarian place on the beach, then walked our way on the beach back to our place. We sunscreened up and went to sit by the water. Around 6 we showered, changed for dinner, and drank some beers on the porch while checking in on 2018 goals. We walked across the street to get a taxi to klong khong beach (kwans), and accidentally haggled up the price of a crazy motor bike cart ride. There was live music at dinner and good khao soi. We walked home and went to bed.

2/27 (Day 19) --> Back to Bangkok

We woke up around 630, ran, stretched, got breakfast, and packed up. Our shared van to the airport came early (?!), arriving just as we were checking out. We went to pick up several more people, often making incorrect stops (to ask for directions?) and struggling to find the correct passengers. We arrived at the airport around 230, and though no monitors showed our flight, we found our correct terminal. We snacked on wafers, dried mango, and peanut M&Ms, then boarded with our bags ;). Upon arriving, we spent a low key evening in our hotel, getting mentally ready to end our glorious vacation.

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stephenaltrogge-blog · 4 years

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These are times of tragedy, sadness, fear, anxiety, wearing masks, sheltering in, social distancing, Zoom meetings, wanting to go back to work or school, boredom and just plain tiredness of it all like we have never seen before.

But we who believe in Jesus know that He is always at work in all things, and causing all things to work together for good for those He redeemed. But what “good” could God be bringing about through this pandemic? As John Piper said: “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life and you may be aware of three of them.” We cannot possibly fathom all He is doing. But here are a few things I am sure he is doing…

First, God is showing us how much we need him.

We need God for every breath, and every heartbeat. We need God to protect us, to provide for us, to sustain us, to give us hope, to give us joy, to give us…EVERYTHING. We don’t sustain our own lives. Anything and everything we have is a gift from him. This time is a good reminder of how much we need God. Recently the news said we will probably have meat shortages. This has never happened in my life. What a reminder of our need for God. He is the one who must put food on our tables.

Another thing God is doing is humbling us and humbling our nation

The United States is not in control of its own destiny. This nation can’t make itself great again, and it never made itself great. The only reason our nation has so much is because God in his kindness and mercy has poured out thousands of blessings upon a people didn’t deserve a single blessing. The United States cannot control this virus. If we come up with a vaccine to prevent this disease or medicine to treat it, that is a gift from God. All medical knowledge is a gift from God.

For believers this is a good and humbling reminder. We know that we are not in control, that we are not great, but it is a good reminder for us, as Peter says:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

It is humbling to pray. Humbling to cast all our anxieties upon God. Humbling to admit that we can’t solve our own problems.

A third thing God is doing is building patience into us

Most of us hate to wait. We want this to be over now. We want to get back to work now. To get together with our families and friends now. But waiting is good. And God makes us wait throughout our lives. As it says in the Psalms…

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope…Psalm 130:5

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

God is building patience in us through this virus. And he will continue to build patience in us for the rest of our lives.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12.12

Next, God is using this pandemic to move us to pray

In this time, churches are having more prayer meetings than ever before. Yes, they are zoom or other virtual meetings, but many believers are crying out to God together now. More and more churches are gathering (albeit virtually) to fulfill Matthew 18:

Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:18-20

Another thing God is doing through this virus is building contentment in us

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-8

I bet most of us have never thanked God for toilet paper before. I don’t think I ever thanked Him for toilet paper. Many of us probably never or rarely thanked God that we could push our shopping carts through stores overflowing with whole aisles devoted to snacks and chips and aisles devoted to pet supplies and twenty kinds of coffee makers.

If we only have food and clothing, will we be content? I hope I would be. I know there are nations where they are so poor it is a struggle to get food. I pray the Lord would use this time to help me grow in contentment.

Also, God is using this time to teach us to trust him

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:3-4

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

We must trust God to provide for us, to protect us, to get us through this. We must trust God’s word that he is good and loving when we don’t understand how he could allow tragic and sad things to happen. We must trust that God is sovereign. We must trust that God is infinitely wise. God is using this time, and he uses every affliction and trial to build our trust in him.

Another thing God is doing now is using this time to move us to care for others

Just this morning a woman in our church contacted us and said she had been baking cinnamon rolls and asked us how many she and her husband could drop off at our house. I know others who have made meals for friends that are sick. Many are calling others to see how they are doing in this time. This is wonderful. Rather than being consumed with how tired or bored or miserable we are, let’s look to the interests of others.

The most important thing God is doing now is making believers more and more like Christ

This is the good work God began in us when he saved us. He didn’t simply save us from our sins and the punishment we deserved, but he adopted us as his own children. And he began a work of transformation, making us more and more into the image of his Son.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

God uses every situation to make us more and more like Jesus. Just as Jesus trusted his Father when he was in the desert for 40 days being tempted by Satan, so must we trust our Father now, and become more like Jesus. Just as Jesus trusted his Father when arrested, scourged, mocked and nailed to the cross, so must we trust our Father as we go through this time. Hopefully it will end soon, but if it doesn’t, we can trust that our heavenly Father is working in our lives, conforming us more and more to the likeness of Jesus.

God is doing more than we can imagine through this time. Someday in heaven, we’ll look back and see all he did in and for us as he took us through this valley. We will see how he was with us. We will see his wisdom and love and power. And we will see how he transformed us into the likeness of his Son.

Photo by Victor Freitas from Pexels

The post What In The World Could God Be Doing In This Time? appeared first on The Blazing Center.

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