A day at the Monastery

Good Wednesday to you!


Today we were invited with another American couple to share a drive out to a famous monastery about 2 1/2 hours away. This monastery was carved out of a caulk mountain with caves and tunnels leading all through it. It was a neat experience and a nice break from the city.

This is a picture from the top of the mountain, looking back down into the valley. You can see the river and the bridge that crosses it in the lower left side of the photo. At the foot of the bridge is where this monastery begins.


From there, you must walk through the grounds and buildings to enter the secret tunnels. These caulk tunnels and caves were dug out of the mountain and have existed for hundreds of years.

It is believed that this monastery was started by monks in 700 a.d. Whether the tunnels have been around since then, I'm not sure. But we had a wonderful tour through them where we eventually popped out of the mountaint in this top "church" where the picture was taken. We know enough caulk has been hauled out of this mountain to keep school teachers happy for centuries! It was quite a sight! The small beeswax candles we used for lighting illuminated the white caulk walls brightly enough to see well, even in the heart of the mountainside.



Interestingly enough, all the monks we saw were busy standing around, while normal, every day people were working on the grounds and the construction/reconstruction that was evident everywhere. I must have had a misperception that monks spent their time in solitude, working the grounds and doing chores. One man who was working on some of the masonry we stopped to ask directions to the tunnel. He said he wasn't quite sure, he's a practicing buddhist and had never been in them - how interesting........



Tomorrow marks a big day for John, Vala and myself. Tomorrow is finally our much awaited Court Appointment. We have sent a couple of good days with Vala and we are all sure this is what we want. We are so thankful God has given us this beautiful young lady to be our daughter and add her forever to our family. We can't believe tomorrow is almost here! It seems like forever ago from when we first started down this journey.

Thank you again and again and again to all of you who are praying for us and Vala! It has not been the easiest time for the three of us, but God's will prevails if we are just willing to follow Him. We are excited beyond words for our future together. Kids, we'll be home soon. We miss you and love you so much. We are proud of you beyond words! To our friends, we can't wait to see you and rejoice with you as well!

We'll update you tomorrow. Many blessings to you all.
Jenn