And Now A Word From Our Sponsors

OK call us a soft touch, but a person can't come here and see how these children live and not do something. So, in applying the old saying, "two is better then one," then we should conclude that four is better then two.  And that's what we did, took four children to be our Thai babies and will now be sponsoring them so we can remain involved with their precious lives even if we are far away.  It will also motivate us to return.

Before we flew down to Bangkok, we met with Jill Ireland the lady who runs the Southeast Asia division of Sports International Ministries. She took us out to lunch with a couple of her Thai staff members. The young woman that we met told us about the difficult family life she had come from,and was able to escape that life because someone chose to sponsor her. But she said one of the most powerful and transforming moments of her life was when her sponsors came to Thailand and she was able to meet her "American parents."
Even though we won't be able to interact with them every day, we will be able to keep abreast of their activities through the home. We will send them birthday cards, and little notes of encouragement, and maybe even one day when they reach high school bring one over to attend school in America.
However, as stated above, there are still kids here who do not have anyone helping take care of their basic needs through sponsorship. You can have a powerful impact on a life that could one day help change the spiritual direction of a country that is only about ½ of one percent Christian.
An even bigger need, we found out after we committed to our four kids, is  for people to sponsor current and additional staff. The home is very understaffed, as there are only about six full time people there to care for 130 kids.  Because of that the high school girls have been delegated the responsibility of making sure kids are up and ready in the morning, and helping the younger ones with homework each night in addition to their full time school load and chores around the home. These girls have very little free time as they try to juggle their school work, with the added responsibilities of helping care for the younger kids. So if you can look past the beautiful faces of the children below who still need sponsorship, and want to be a bit more ambitious in helping this home that is doing so much with so little, you can sponsor a staff member.  Let us know and we will get you hooked up.

It Takes A Village............To Make us Realize What We Have

Today we made a two hour drive to a Mong Tribal Village located on the highest mountain in Thailand.  The journey up and back was both rough and scenic. We drove through beautiful jungle foliage, past running streams,and rice fields, and by two elephant compounds all the while traversing a narrow, winding, bumpy,and dusty road where we encountered several close calls with cows or vehicles coming the opposite direction.  But it wasn't the journey that impacted us, but the destination.  Living in America can dull us to the conditions that much of the third world lives in.

Let us digress for a moment. The reason we were brought up by Pastor Tongin was to visit family members of some of the kids at Abundant Life.  Most of the children at the home come from villages like this where either the family can't afford to raise the child or the child has no chance of getting an education because there are no schools around. Many of the kids had never seen a flushing toilet or shower before being enrolled at Abundant Love. Joining us for the trip were three of the high school kids who came from this village.

Below, the building on the left
is the village church which is
temporarily closed as it
looks for a pastor.
The other picture is of
the sanctuary. A little different
look then what we worship
in on Sundays.

When it was all said and done, we only visited the mother of one of the girls that came with us. The mom is a Buddhist while her daughter has converted to Christianity. So Pastor makes this journey and many others like it in the course of a month to talk to the Buddhist families about the faith he and their children now embrace. The mom was very warm and accommodating and she and her daughter fixed us one of the best meals we have had while in Thailand.

The house, if you can call it that had a couple of mattresses and a small coffee type table. The kitchen and eating area were actually outside the  in another very modest structure.

Outside, the only activity we observed was a chicken fight being fought inside a circle of about six or seven men.  Most of the citizens were out working in the fields that surround the village. 

Just a couple hours later we were heading back down the mountain. After all there weren't a lot of tourist attractions or shopping areas to check out.  We made a couple of stops en route to take in some scenery, and get something to drink.
Arriving back home (at the home I should say, though it feels a little bit like home now)  around 3pm, we were greeted by the kids, playing with the same string, marbles or ball that they were playing with when we left.
Watching and holding the kids, and reflecting back on our time up in the mountain, it isn't the first time we have seen people living with almost nothing, but it always amazes us that they don't seem to be lacking anything.

Amazing Thai Children

These kids are amazing because: Even the youngest ( 5 or 6 years ) are self sufficient. They get up each morning, and with little or no supervision get themselves ready for school by making their beds, knowing the uniforms they need for that day (each day requires a different school uniform), getting dressed, and lining up for breakfast in orderly and timely fashion.

These kids are amazing because:  They are very disciplined. No one eats until everyone has been served and a blessing said. This means that the kids who were first in line may have to wait up to ten minutes with their meal in front of them before they can take their first bite. Each child performs daily chores which contribute to the overall good of the home. Some help with meal preparation,while others clean-up after meals. Many of the younger ones are responsible for caring for the garden after school, while older ones sweep, rake or burn trash.  At 7:00pm every night they all gather together to do homework, and do it without messing around. Again very little supervision is required.

These kids are amazing because:  120+ live together year round with very little private space, yet I have not witnessed any fighting and very mild disagreements which are worked out amongst the kids themselves. Sharing and taking turns is 2nd nature to them. They sleep, eat, go to school, work, and play together 24/7 in a steady melodic harmony.

These kids are amazing because:  They have so little, yet seem completely content. A piece of string, some water and dirt, a ball, or jump rope fuel their imaginations and bring them hours of entertainment and joy. They love the simple hand games like arm wrestling, patty cake, and others long forgotten by American youth.

These kids are amazing because: They smile and laugh so easily and don't seem to take themselves too seriously in spite of having no family or being separated from family.

These kids are amazing because: We came here to serve and bless them, but they have turned the tables on us and given us so much more then we have given them.

A simple but "Abundant Life"

We've just completed our 5th full day here at Abundant Life, and are now halfway through our stay.  It's remote, dirty, our living quarters are very basic, mostly cold water for showers, no kitchen sink, birds squawk and dogs howl all night, food is simple, the children have lots of needs and the home is understaffed, the language barrier is huge obstacle. And we love it!

The kid's (there are about 120 kids that live here) day starts at 5:30 a.m. By 6:00 they are expected to be dressed, with beds made, backpacks ready for school and seated on the floor of the auditorium where they have a 1/2 hour devotion and song service. At 6:30 they line up for breakfast, and no one can start eating until everyone has been served and a blessing said. At 7:15, they line up outside, and after a song and a prayer for their day they march out of the compound and about 1/2 mile down the road to school. I think if the kids in America started their day the same way, we'd see a lot less of the destructive behaviors that are plaguing our culture.

We walk them to school, coming back to the home to help the staff with dishes, pick up trash, wash windows, or whatever we can do to contribute.
The kids start trickling back around 4pm, and the following hour is a high energy one as most of the kids have free time (others have chores like taking care of the garden or helping get dinner ready). They play with the tennis rackets, frisbees or jump rope we brought, or sit with Teresa and draw or play games.

Dinner is served at 5:00. After dinner, there are chores and some play time for most, while we do an English lesson with one of the grades, (A different grade each night).  There are designated groups that go for showers at this time.

Then it's time for homework, and for those who finish early a few more minutes of play time. Do they run to the TV, grab a Gameboy or put in earphones to listen to the latest from Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga? Nope, they come hang out with us.  They love being swung around,  playing one-potato,two-potato or getting a horsey ride. So simple, yet it brings them great pleasure, and even more to us.

They come together as a group for the final time, for a devotion and good night prayer and then off to bed.  We stick around for a little while longer to connect with the staff, and then stroll back to our modest little abode where we have time to reflect on the simplicity, yet fulness of the day, and the contentment of serving these precious little souls and those that care for them. Meanwhile back in our culture, people are looking for that contentment not by chasing children around a dirty yard, but by going after things that even if they catch them will not bring the joy we have found here in the third world.

PS:This is Gwanteena, a seven year old girl who has latched on to our hearts and want to sponsor as well as a couple of others.  There are still 30+ beautiful kids here who need sponsors, and you can get in touch with us if you'd like to help.