On our first Sunday in Thailand we attended a small church in Chang Mai. Immediately after the service we were served a delicious Thai meal with several of their favorite dishes. We were the guests of honor and were seated at a tables set up under the trees. We were treated like royalty.
As we thought of a way we could serve them, we decided to cook an American meal. So we bought all the ingredients needed for hamburgers, hotdogs and french-fries.
We fried fries in woks over gas burners in an outside kitchen. The men grilled the burgers in an old half metal barrel.
The people arrived and had a hard time obeying our requests to just sit and let us serve them. We demonstrated how to ‘build a burger’, as many had not eaten hamburgers. The latecomers had no idea what to do with all the ingredients and had to be shown over again. This led to much laughter.
We served coke, a treat for many, and demonstrated how to cool the coke by placing the bottles in a tin of ice. Even the dogs wondering in and out of the property enjoyed the cool water.
As we served, we were humbled. The members were so grateful and said no one had ever done this for them. They were touched that we even cleaned everything up and refused their help. Most the ladies present were maids and were not used to being served.
Our biggest reward came after the church service we led for them, when ‘Preecha’ Isaiah thanked us over and over again for setting an example for his people.