Karen Outreach — Blog Updates 2009 | 2010 2010
Home from the hospital - 8/21/2010 How nice to be home again! Memewah is doing really well, we are very pleased with her improvement, and a lot of the credit should go to Jason although we know that it is God who answered our prayers on her behalf. Jason has taken her under his wings, he found a substitute teacher for the 7 English classes he teaches each day. The new teacher is Micah Haberkam. For two weeks Jason is going to be Memewah's primary caretaker and I am so grateful. Jojo, Ningeh, Moawah and Sawqueleh are keeping us busy. Arriving home we found a very sick boy on our floor. 13 year old Pawchomeh had been sick for three days, staying down in the boys dorm all alone, while the rest of the children were celebrating the Karen and Thai mother's day. I felt very sad for him as he has no parents, his father is dead and his mother left for Bangkok when he was 3 years old - he's never heard from her again. He ended up in the hospital for three days. Oh, the sorrows and heartaches these children carry - praise God for Jesus, He is the children's best friend.
Diversity - 8/11/2010 Mae Sot hospital - it was with trembling I first entered this place, being a foreigner you can guarantee to be stared at and commented about; you are a focal point, a fascination. Only the doctors speak English and communication can be a challenging nightmare. Foreigner reputations are not the best, they are thought of as tourists or NGO's, who spend a lot of their time drinking, smoking and partying, the men seeking after Thai women, so they look at us with curiosity wondering why we are modest and what we are doing in the hospital all the time with their people. Now, staying in the ward with a patient day and night is another matter; as you enter this place the stench and heat makes you nauseated -- you attempt to breathe through your nose. The stares and comments are intimidating, the nurses are moving around with expressionless faces resorting to their air-conditioned station frequently - are we like them? Serving from duty, no warmth and finding refuge within our walled castles of protection? As we have been blessed to spend a week and a half in this place I have come to enjoy the diversity, and I am fascinated by the multitudes, how privileged we are to get to be inside of another culture or might I say cultures - this is the reason for the title, diversity. We are in the children's ward and it is overcrowded. There are even beds going out in the hallways and in the entrance outside. The patients are attended by relatives or friends and often whole families stay with the sick one; sleeping under the bed, beside the bed or in the bed with the patient. The caregiver is supposed to do the work of a nurse's aide and that means everything except giving of medicines and hooking up life support, etc. Everything is grimy and dirty, someone comes around with a broom and sweeps the middle of the floor and then mopping with a large dirty towel - I have never seen or smelled disinfectant or cleaning fluid, this is done in the same way as the sweeping. Blood and body fluids are treated with a casual non-chalance that is absolutely amazing. But the wonderful privilege is to get to be a part of so many cultures in one small area; there are Burmese/Indian Muslims in their long white tunics and prayer caps, one old man in particular is coming to mind. He has this long white beard and hair and is dressed in white except the pants underneath, and ornating his head is the prayer cap - in Mae Sot the Mosque is calling for worship many times a day and the men fill up the streets with their white flowing robes and white caps. There are Burmese men dressed in their loungees (skirts) and the women in tasteful tailored skirts and blouses. There are Karen men and women in their traditional fringed outfits, the men often in the loungee. There are the Mong, who wear satin black clothing with amazing embroidery in shining silver and colors. Then there are the Thai's fashionable and trendy trying to be sexy. And at last there is our family… How blessed we are to get to experience this diversity and the unity that sickness and death brings to people who otherwise would not associate together, and who now are brothers and sisters in suffering. We wish that there was a way to share Jesus with these people, and be united at the feet of Jesus. Please pray for God to send forth laborers and that if there is something we can do, for Him to make the way clear. The rental we are praying about for an office comes to mind shall we think bigger? There is a 9 room centrally located place for rent, but that would be too distracting from the work we are doing at Sunshine Orchard, unless God would send more workers.
News about Memewah and God’s blessings - 8/10/2010 Memewah is doing so much better, even though we almost lost her several times, but praise be to God who is answering our prayers, she is improving again. You can get more details on the Sharon’s BlogSpot. Lisa, Jason’s mother, is doing a really good job posting updates about the situation. Jason arrived at the hospital the other day, to replace me for the night. He had just finished a week of teaching English and then drove two hours south on his motorbike and the torrential rains soaked him to the skin and that in spite of a good rain poncho. As he entered the hospital room Memewah greeted him with a Thai hand greeting -- hands together! This was truly amazing; she grabbed his hand and seemed very content. When Jason had to leave the room to put his motorbike in a safe location, Memewah pointed to the door and made hand motions as if riding a motorbike, then she attempted to pull out all her tubes, I think she wanted to go home with Jason… when he returned she stretched out both arms to him as if to say, "Please pick me up and take me out of here…" I think Jason has a daughter! And I am an aunt and Lisa is a grandmother… We were staying at a hotel paying about $20 per night including breakfast, but it was just too expensive, so after three nights we checked out, and then went house searching. Paul had mentioned a month ago that we should look for a rental in Mae sot for an office and lodging for us and others when needed, for hospital stays and visa runs etc. One month’s rent for a house or apartment is the same as spending three nights in a basic, simple hotel. At the time that Paul mentioned this it seemed extravagant to have a rental in Mae sot, but with Memewahs sickness it is becoming obvious that this is a needed thing - we were thinking of a one room apartment, just for a place to sleep and cook and have an office. I went to a Christian internet place asking for advice, they are supporting two orphanages through this place, giving language lessons, internet café and cooking classes, they have a reading room and 2 guest rooms. They opened up one of the guest rooms for us although it was already rented with personal belongings in it, they are letting us stay for a short time for $3 a night. Praise the Lord! There is even a kitchen for cooking. While searching for a place to rent we called a local pastor and he invited us to visit his new house. Next door there is a storefront house for rent by a wealthy devout Muslim man, it just became available. So we are seriously praying about this. A little bit closer to town, on the same road, is the Safe Haven Orphanage office. We stopped by and visited, their orphanage is located 30 minutes north of us. While talking with them it was a confirmation that this might be a needed thing to do. They rented their office 15 years ago, when the need became evident of having a place to rest in between shifts at the hospital, when bringing their children there. They have “only” 50 children compared with our 250, not including the villagers we so often bring here with us. Thassani, founder and director for the Safe Haven Orphanage, has never regretted renting this office building, it is now serving as a display room for her orphanage and the products that are being made by the children and widows that she cares for, mostly hand-woven scarves, table cloths and Karen clothing. We would welcome any input from our readers and supporters. This would serve as an office, where book keeping and accounting would be kept (now it is done on the floor in the crowded children’s home/clinic/office at home). It would also serve as a display room for Sunshine Orchard with pictures and things like art work displays made by the children. We would also have hand-woven items and cottage industry items made by the students. A book rack with Christian literature, DVD’s. health materials and produce from our orchard, like loofah sponges and limes (all other fruit the children consume). The street is trafficked mostly by Muslims, Thais and foreigners; United Nations, Handicap International and Safe Haven are all located on this same street. Of course this would all be nonprofit and all proceeds would go toward the children. Safe Haven has a Karen woman caretaking the office in the day time, doing sewing. We are asking God for wisdom regarding this matter. It would also serve as a missionary stopping place for visa runs etc. The house is not large, just a one bedroom, with a large hallway with a bonus place for beds, with a large kitchen, and of course the large front room facing the street - like a store front. There is no yard to maintain, and the building is very modest. It would be an easy couple of minutes bike ride to the Mae sot general hospital. It is located about 1 km outside the city, but has plenty of traffic. Visit our Contact Page for any input.
Registration — 08/04/2010 This was already done, but almost all was written in Karen, so we are doing it again. We need to know how many of the new children have no home or parents to care for them. 6 hours and 50 children, about 200 to go… this is going to take awhile, but I love getting to know the children better. We ask questions like name – no last names here, age – no birthdays, the majority of the children don't even know what time of year they were born – it is survival that matters, running from the enemy, finding food and keeping the family from dying from malaria and diarrhea. Some of the children don't even know how many years old they are - no idea… Grade level - 17 years old and never been to school is not unusual, the majority of the villagers have to sign their names with a thumb print. In Karen state there are very few schools and most of them only cover the first few grades. Parent's religion - almost all of our new students are from Buddhist animist (spirit worship) homes. Already some of them are saying that their parents are Buddhist, but that they worship the God of heaven! When they first arrived it was interesting at worship as they did not know the songs, and we don't have many hymnals, but it did not take long until they could sing with all their hearts and that from memory.
Maria did a health report on each child. They were measured, weighed and checked for anemia and other health concerns. She gave each child deworming medicine. She will do this health check each quarter. This was a joint effort with her medical students; they assisted her in doing the blood pressure, taking the temperature etc. Our goal is to have records of all the children and to keep track of their needs, so that we can help them to be healthy and happy.
Sunshine Orchard — 08/03/2010 It was suggested that we find a new name for the Children's Home and Learning Center. Visitors from the Lemon tree foundation in Singapore suggested the new name; we are indebted to them, and had a hard time coming up with a name that everyone liked, so we decided to use the name they suggested. The Lemon Tree Foundation have been very generous with us, we believe that God sent them for the continuing of this work at a time that barely any funds are coming in from donors in America. We have not received any donations from other sources for months on end, there is no way that we could have continued the work unless the Lemon Tree Foundation and Paul's parents had not come to the children's aid - and for this we are eternally thankful. We have had moments of extreme concern for the feeding of the children and to cover expenses, when we had to cast our faith on God, and through these two donors and a little boy in Washington state with a true missionary spirit who although only 11 years old, has done fundraising standing out in the cold weather in front of supermarkets advocating the case of these children, and so have sent us prayed-for funds - in time of extreme need. We are learning to walk by faith and looking back we realize that the donations that come in are in answer to persevering prayers; no specific persevering prayers - no support! This is a daily reality - PLEASE join us in praying that God will supply the need. At this time we are enjoying making the grounds and children happy, with plants and flowers, we are planting many flowers, and we take cuttings from beautiful plants from our neighbors and friends.
This is the progress on the Learning Center - the teachers find it hard to teach without room dividers, but everyone is happy having a building to learn in. We will not have solid walls between the class rooms, but instead curtains. This is so that the building can be used for other purposes too, we just had a parent and community meeting in the Learning Center, and it turned out really good. We hope to have evangelistic meetings there in October. The plan is to build or purchase (when we are able) benches and long narrow tables for desks, these can then be turned around and used for seating in meetings. There are not enough pictures on this site of the children, and we will try to remedy that in the near future. We will also add pictures and information of our teachers, medical students and patients as we are able.
Please pray for Memewah! — 08/03/2010 Memewah is a 7 year old little girl, who came to live with us about 4 months ago. Memewah's mother and father are dead, her mother died in the hospital after her birth. Memewah's aunt has cared for her as her own, but being single and homeless, she asked us to please take care of Memewah. Memewah is in the hospital unconscious and on life support - the doctors say that there is very little hope for her making it. We need your prayers at this time - for a miracle. I'm staying in the hospital, praying, waiting watching - we had asked her aunt to stay with her, thinking that it would make Meemee wah happy, but her aunt cannot endure it, she cared for her sister when she died and recently attended her sister-in-law when she passed away (the mother of JoJo, Sawqueleh and Moahwah, who we care for). She had also attended several others dying in the hospital. I am feeling really awful and sad! I wish that I could have done something to keep this from happening, praying for her recovery. We are concerned that this will affect the villagers trust in us, we are "gallowah's" which means foreigners or white people. The trust and acceptance with which they treat us is a gift from God, so let's pray that God will make all things work together for good. Memewah's family are new Baptist believers and belong to a charismatic hallelujah community, where they have found shelter and Jesus.
Here is a picture of Memewah when healthy, she is the big girl in red. We are not sure yet as to what caused her high fever. She has been ill for about two weeks running a fever, we have taken her to the hospital several times, but the doctors had no answers, tested negative to Malaria two times. Jason arrived back yesterday morning, she happens to be his favorite of all the children. She ate food happily that he had prepared and was up playing with the children, her temperature was low. But within a couple of hours she was laying in the hammock, seemingly sleeping, but I felt impressed to check on her - I have never felt anyone so hot! There was no time for taking her temperature, so I called for Jason to help me get her into the wash tub. As I was trying to administer Tylenol, we found her unresponsive and with her eyes rolled back. Paul had taken villagers home and was coming back with a second load, I got his attention and off we went to the hospital. Without Jason keeping her airways open, she would not have made it, she stopped breathing each time he let go - it was the fastest drive we ever went on! Thank you Lord for Jason and the timing of his return! Please pray!!
News - 7/30/2010 You might wonder why we seem to be off on family time each time new blogs or updates are made. Or you might think that we are having family time a lot. And that we spend donation money on these kinds of things… The answer is that unless we are away there is no time, nor energy to write and no dependable internet connection, so this is why it might seem as if we are doing something special each time new things are added to this site. We have never spent donation money on personal items or traveling expenses, our families hospital bills, food etc. these things are covered by a personal small income. Due to the unpredictable nature of our ministry, we are not able to make plans, we make plans but leave them in God's hands for Him to order our steps asking Him to make us willing to go on His errands and doing His will rather than pleasing ourselves. This is a daily dying to self and oh, how faulty we find ourselves to be. I am a very spontaneous person, Paul is known to be laidback, yet he is always ready for service. Last time we sent updates we were with the family for Emily's visa it was a needed time for rest, especially as most of us have been sick a lot, I was down with Dengue fever, I praise God for being well again! What a joy when I realized that I could again do such simple things like mopping the floor or picking up babies without feeling like I was going to faint. That time we left the children with a caretaker, a couple of days ago I asked Paul if we could leave for a couple of days as Maria was in need of some things, and could use some encouragement; "let's surprise her," "Let's take all the children" "I knew that Maria would be delighted to see all the children, especially little Ningeh, whom she nursed back to health and stayed with, in the hospital for 5 days - sharing his bed and meeting his every need. "Can Lassewah come along?" - So off we were with a truck full! In the back seat sat: Lassewah, Anna, Memewah, Sawque leh, Ningeh and Moawah. In front; Paul driving, Josiah sitting on the divider box, me and Jojo, 10 passengers in a vehicle made for 5! We drove for 8 hours; it was a little bit of a delightful nightmare…
Returning, Lassewah and Anna took the bus and song taw home, while the rest of us tried to manage- not wanting to travel in the daytime heat with all the children ( no air conditioner) we decided to spend the day of our return stocking up with things for the children's home and the learning center and drive in the cooler evening- we arrived home at 3 am, finding a house full of boys sprawled out everywhere on the floor - they were self appointed guards, this was done for our homes protection! They were sleeping guards - didn't even wake up at our noisy arrival! We woke up to the news that there were patients on the porch, and off we went to the hospital, Oh how I wish that I had pictures to show you the hospital…. And our patients, all day in a hot, dirty, smelly place. All for one little sick boy and a very tired mother, I was very impressed by the big sister, as the mother had to carry her sick 4 year old, the 2 year old was carried and cared for by the big sister - never a word of complaint or murmuring - Lord, help me to be like this child when the burden You place on my back is making me feel like crumbling.
Arriving home to a house full of children in need of care, getting ready for bed, Paul just finished his bath, ready for bed- he is VERY tired and worn. Voices are coming up the hill - tharamoo, here is a sick girl, one of the students. My first silent response was oh no! We need sleep, how can we care for her and the babies - we are so tired… without a nurse, we soon realized that this was a hospital case - Paul can you take her? Going again, He said; pray for me… that I will stay awake driving. Paul is so tired that I considered driving myself, but due to the road conditions and driving manners here, and the poor condition of our truck, I have never driven farther than the 2 miles to the village, so off went Paul. In trying to figure out the cause for our children's health and skin problems, we took the 5 younger children to have some tests, the results came back fine except that we learned that two of our precious children; Moahwah and Sawqueleh are hepatitis B positive. Pray for us as we try to teach them hygiene and also hoping to build their immune systems so they can fight this disease. Ever since we returned there have been a steady stream of patients needing to go to the hospital - Maria will be very welcomed back to resume the duty as a nurse… surgeon… doctor…. She could use some help... hint! The other night, Paul entered the kitchen where I was cooking and exclaimed "there is a woman on the porch and she is green!' as I was scurrying out to see her, I was trying to search my memory for some disease where you get green skin… she was a miserable sight! She was raw all over from itching and had covered herself with some plant concoction. When we arrived at the hospital I noticed that the nurses where looking at this woman with disgust, no one wanted to get close to her; I would have liked to have a picture for the website so you all could see the human suffering where there is no access to medicine, where poverty is abundant and basic health principles are unknown (they walked over the mountains and through the jungle from Burma to seek help on our porch). But due to respect and not wanting to embarrass her I opted not to take a picture, this is often the case - I just can't do it! She was already mortified and being her first time at the hospital with the nurses snickering and staring. This woman was in rags and so was her child- who also was infected with this condition, torn dirty rags and that green stuff did not make it look better. A male nurse arrived and what an example of Christian courtesy and tenderness he displayed (although probably a Buddhist), he kindly patiently cared for her, and even touched her! This was Christ in action. The doctor arrived and asked Paul to go purchase some soap so the woman could have a bath before they admitted her; the doctor said that this was indeed a serious case - what a blessing to be available! This week have been filled with hospital runs which leave us with very little time to be with the growing number of children and youth and also keep us from the many things needed to be done around here.
Pray for Emily! - 7/7/2010 We're in Chiang Mai right now having a lovely time as a family. God gave us 3 days together with Emily. Yesterday Paul and Emily left for Mae sot on the bus. The plan was to pick up our mission truck from the shop and for them to then drive the 2 hours to our place where Emily would get to say "hi" and "goodbye" again to all of her precious former students and also our little ones who have been staying at the school with a sweet Karen woman who agreed to care for them at the house, they would then leave again for the three hour drive to Mae sariang where Pastor BeeBee is waiting for Emily. Emily would then leave early the next morning for the journey back to the Kl. Well, as I said, that was the plan. We soon learned that the shop isn't finished with our truck yet … So instead, with the help of friends (whatever would we do without the friends God has given us here!) arranged for a truck to rent. PLEASE PRAY FOR EMILY! She will need your prayers for the next 3-5 days as she is hiking – they will be hiking somewhere around 18 hours each day over steep and rugged terrain. There are many dangerous parts to the trail and the rainy season makes it more challenging also. Emily confessed to us that, yes, she does have some fear, but that is not keeping her from returning. While at KAFA School she was blessed to be able to donate blood to a former school student who was walking on the same trail she will be on when he stepped on a land mine and lost his lower leg. He was in critical condition due to the loss of blood, but they did not have the medical supplies available to take care of him, not even the basics such as gauze….. He was in need of a blood transfusion, but no one had a matching blood type to him except Emily. She hadn't even known what her blood type was, but when they tested her they found that it matched. Praise the Lord! God had put Emily in the right place at the right time. The young man improved and was then carried 16 hours to where he could receive better medical attention. Please keep Emily in your prayers especially as she is not feeling her best right now and her feet are not in the best condition for hiking. God has blessed us here and around the world with young men and women with stubborn determination to do God's will no matter what! Here, namely, Ben, Andrew, Jason, and Travis Sharon; Bradley and Micah Haberkam; and our own children. Does it sound like I am boasting of the young people here? Well, I guess I am a little bit, but I don't feel this way about only "our" young people. We are also extremely proud of the Karen young people here – what an inspiration they are to us when we get weary! They truly make it worth it all. I just thought I'd share some pictures with you that we have and show a little of some of the obstacles these young people have faced. Emily, giving blood to the student with landmine injuries.
Andrew who was forced to lay on the floor for a long time, due to an injury from a motorbike accident. I wish we had a picture of Maria who also had a mighty one. She crashed going around a dangerous corner and flew off the bike landing a little ways away. She was cut pretty badly and needed stitches, but thankfully nothing more serious. Praise the Lord! Emily also crashed on her first ride, going into a concrete post and landing on her stomach by the side of the road. She claims that she landed softly – we contribute that to the angels who must have cushioned it (before it could be used again though, the bike ended up in the shop needing some major repairs!) Here they like to say that there are two kinds of motorbike drivers: those who have wrecked and those who will.
Here's Travis and Jason down in the well laboring for us to have better water! Our students spent many days digging as well.
An anonymous person's… tired, swollen, and dirty foot after a motorbike ride back down steep and treacherous roads from the mountain where they'd been doing medical work. You should have seen Maria - what a mess! – when she would return from the mountain in the mornings only to find a porch full of patients already waiting for her… There'd be no time for a bath and she'd only be able to grab quick bites of food between patients.
Jason and Travis venturing out after dark to begin their 18 hour trip down to their parent's new mission outpost. You see all their belongings packed into the "moving van"! When we heard what they were doing we were like, "What!?! You're leaving now … at night? Are you crazy?" But it was the wise thing to do, due to the length of the journey and hazardous driving on these roads in the daytime. They did a marathon trip, taking turns driving and going straight through.
Jason called me at 10 pm last night. "I'm here!" "Where?" "At the school!" He's still recovering from his experience with Dengue fever, but made the trip up just to give some things to Pastor BeeBee before he would leave. Well I was greatly relieved as he agreed to go with Paul and Emily and to trade off driving with Paul if needed, which meant that Emily could hopefully get some much-needed sleep so she would be ready to start out with Pastor BeBe at 4am this morning, instead of trying to keep Paul awake. Thank you, Jason, for your adventurous, stubborn, servant's heart! (I mention Jason in particular as we have more stories of him as he's been with us personally more than some of the others.) I don't have a picture of this one, but a while ago soon after Jason came to Thailand he was staying at our place while still helping out one of our schools on the Burma side. He woke me at 3 a.m. one morning to tell me that he was leaving. "You're leaving now?" " Yes, I have to give them money to buy food and I have to cross the river before daylight." "Jason, can't you wait?" "No, they need food!" He arrived at the bank of the river planning to swim across, but realized that the current was too swift and so he left to find help. Ten minutes later the Burmese army attacked the school where he was headed from the Burma side, while the DKBA attacked from the Thai side where Jason had been just minutes before. One man was shot and several others taken by the Burmese. Thankfully the school had received a warning the night before and all the kids had been evacuated. He arrived back at our place shaken up, but otherwise fine. Praise God for allowing the river to be extra swift, and for giving Jason common sense even in His eagerness to serve, and for all the children being safe due to the warning! These are just a few examples. I could go on and on about some of the things these young people have experienced. You can go to Gayle's blog, http://gayle.jesus4asia.org to read about Bradley and Micah. Please faithfully pray for them all as they go through sicknesses, privation, and exhaustion; as they attempt to follow God's plan for their lives.
Emily - 7/2/2010 Time came and went - time for the long journey out for her visa run is here. Walking for several days, about 18 hours a day, steep terrain, landmines, so many dangers. We were so looking forward to meeting her. Paul had warned me that the car might not make it all the way to Mae sariang - our meeting place. I thought that he was just being pessimistic … Ben had told us that she would be there Tuesday afternoon - I wanted a picture of her fresh off the trail. As it was she arrived Monday evening, no one there to meet her. Our truck broke down on the way, we had to limp back, so Maria took the motorbike early the next morning for a hazardous 3 hour drive. The two of them are now in Laos together having a very special time. We are stuck in Maesot with the car sitting at the mechanic, with the engine out. When can we resume our journey to join our two precious daughters, getting to spend time as family? It has already been two days and still they don't know how long or how much it will cost. Is this God's mercy? Letting us be oblivious to the expense for a little longer? Ehkanyaw keeps calling, we have talked with him many times today sharing advice about students to be dismissed, students needing to be healed, medicines we are out of, building materials needed, problems to be solved, and information to be shared - when are you coming back, how long, money needed for this and that … we sigh inwardly, gulp and say do this, do that, good job, thank you, and make commitments for funds that are non-existent - only in the mind of God, which by faith we can see ever so faintly. P.S. - This is added after the fact, the truck is still in the shop, we will be without our missionary vehicle for awhile unless God intervenes - the engine needs too many things. Paul says that we will have a new engine by the time it is finished. By God's grace we will be off on a bus tomorrow, to meet the older girls in Chiang mai and get some well needed rest and family togetherness.
Dengue Fever - 7/1/2010 Sicknesses come and go; this one almost took Jason's life. While we were too weak to notice, Gayle was visiting with her boys and she noticed Jason's dilemma - too weak to take a bath and fevers up to 106.4 degrees. He ended up in the hospital and the rest of us are still recovering. If anyone reads Marias blog spot, this is the weight reduction advertisement she was talking about - dengue fever! Jason is back home with his family - Lisa is very happy to get to nurse him back to health. Maybe some of you are asking who is Jason? Jason belongs to the Sharon family - they are missionaries in a different province, many hours south of us. We have been privileged to have Jason volunteering here with us. He is going to teach English in our learning center this year after he attends Pastor Phamors medical missionary training this month. Jason just built himself a bamboo house, close to our house; it is a cozy little cabin - really well built and neat. Jason is a favorite with the small children, he never tires of playing with them. We find that we get to try out all kinds of diseases personally - kind of like tasting different exotic dishes of food - each one has a different flavor and taste ... Oh, so this was dengue fever!
Volunteers Are Welcome - 7/1/2010 If you have a heart for missions, love children and youth, want to spend some time in a tropical jungle-like environment and partake in worships that are a small foretaste of heaven. Let us tell you a little about this place. This is a children's home, yet it looks more like a boarding school; about 50-70 of our 230 children are calling this place their home - they have no other place to call home. They come mostly from Buddhist Animist backgrounds. We have children from birth to 22 years old. The Karen children and youth are, in general, more polite and respectful than youth from America. They have great respect for their elders, they avoid conflict and are peaceable, yet they are independent with strong personalities. As a people they laugh a lot, are easy going and very affectionate, and there is a clear separation between boys and girls in public settings, yet they interact with each other in a friendly and natural way. When you first arrive you will most likely be appalled at the lack of hygiene - the spitting and casual treatment of body waste, but you will also find that a cleaner group of people is hard to find; bathing and scrubbing of both ones person and belongings are a daily ritual that might be enjoyed as many times as able. In our area the people are still dressing in their traditional hand-woven clothing, they are colorful and modest. You will find both women and men in skirts, the men would never appear in the woman's garment, there is a clear distinction between the dress of men and women that at first sight might not be noticed. Even our young male students are proud to wear the traditional men's skirt. The mothers nurse their little ones for a long time and this is done very openly and naturally so even though they are very modest compared to western women, the breasts are treated as a feeding station, this can be a source of discomfort for the western mind, but we have found that it is easy to adjust and think of it the way they do. The Thai pop culture is slowly sneaking in its ugly face, those students and adults having spent any time in the refugee camps show the signs of trying to fit into the movie-style fashions. We, as a children's home and learning center, have taken a firm stand against the current of fashion and pop culture creeping into the Karen culture with great speed. We don't allow movies, music with a drum beat, or clothing displaying movie stars and slogans. The girls are encouraged to wear modest skirts and blouses. Jewelry of all kinds is not allowed. The Karen tie what is called "devil strings" on their children which they wear as a protection against evil spirits throughout their lives, this is normally a very dirty piece of string tied around the wrists, ankles, waist, neck or in the ears - we cut these strings when they come to live here. Video games and drugs, alcohol, tobacco and betel nut etc. are not allowed on the property. We are also only serving vegetarian food on the premises. We expect our volunteers to be an example to the students and staff in their conduct and appearance, showing a Christian witness at all times. Volunteers are expected to abide by these guidelines. The property is still very much "under construction" meaning that the buildings and grounds are still being worked on. The Karen normally throw all their garbage in the river or creek. They let garbage accumulate and seldom have proper bathrooms in their homes. They remove the grass from around their buildings and sweep the dirt each day, keeping things neat, but this custom is not a happy arrangement in the long rainy season. We are trying to educate those living here to burn garbage, to recycle, to keep the grass around the buildings, and in general to keep things neat and orderly. Unfortunately, we find that it is hard to change everything at once. This little description gives you in a nutshell, what it is like here. We need people who would be willing to uphold the standards we have set for the children's home - Learning center, who would like to help in making a difference in these young peoples lives' for Christ. At this time we have need for people to teach English, builders, childcare, kindergarten, health, sewing, computer, gardening and groundskeepers. Someone is also needed to help with the medical to help teach medical skills, preferably also someone to teach natural treatments, massage and herbs. Many of our older students have a desire to go back to their villages in Burma and serve their people, sharing Jesus with them. Some want to become pastors, evangelists, Bible teachers, and others want to be medics, nurses and even doctors - serving their own. We want to help their dreams come true. This year Maria has a team of 8 students whom she has trained - it is a great success and they have been a real blessing as helpers in the "clinic" on the porch. It is our prayer that you will ask yourself: What can I do to give my best to the Master?
Guitar Workshop Graduation - 06/29/2010 We have not been able to start school yet, the learning center is still being built. But that does not mean that the children aren't learning - they are busy as little bees trying to finish all the projects and even fitting in some time to play . This picture is of some of our older students at the "graduation" of a week long guitar workshop, which they attended here on the property a month ago. Thai lessons have also been going on. Choir practice and singing is part of the daily program and sabbath school lessons and memory verses are practiced daily and on sabbath they recite in church. Everyone, teachers included, work in the gardens twice daily and different teams are in charge of either property cleanup, building, cooking, medical, making cement paths, etc... So as you can see, everyone is kept busy - yet there is leisure time where they can fit in things like doing laundry in the creek and taking baths, but also for simple play - like jumping rope, ball; and other fun - like playing the guitar and singing.
Do we need to step out in faith? - 5/23/2010 As I read over the recent blogs that we posted, it struck me that we sounded like we are asking for money in a hinting kind of way; I did not like how it sounded. It is our desire to not be one of those money asking ministries. We want to take our needs to God alone in prayer, yet what is the balance between being honest and not sharing at all, due to not wanting to sound as beggars? As it is we are only sharing a few of the needs and struggles that we face. So here we are sharing, please don’t take it as if we are just asking for funds, we are simply sharing what is going on here and what we are up to, and most of all, we ask you to pray for us as we attempt to serve Him. Is this a “desperate need?” I will let you judge if it is or not. We live in a house that is about 600 square feet. This house has one small bedroom, and a L shaped living area - the bottom part of the L is our clinic and school office combined bedroom and sick room - it is a small area. The upper part of the L is a nursery and dining room combined, with a students sewing corner, it is also the place where Paul, Josiah and I sleep together along with sick children – the whole area is about the size of two king size beds, that’s all. Maria and Anna sleep in the bedroom together with storage, supplies, toddlers and babies - very crowded. The villagers come in crowds to our porch which is the only place for the little ones to play, they bring their sick babies - no diapers, diarrhea, vomiting. The people chew the betel nut and spit. Boil, puss and blood, TB and who knows what… With the new children arriving in bunches, they are bringing sickness with them, some of them have walked for days getting here - sleeping under the stars, with no mosquito nets and the result is fevers - malaria and dengue. The only place to care for them is here at the house, the last few nights we have had many sick children in the house - vomiting, coughing, diarrhea, and fevers. Now our babies and toddlers are all catching the coughing … fevers and runny noses. With the humid and hot season come measles, chickenpox, bronchitis, pneumonia, ulcers and skin infections, etc. As we don’t have a place to care for those children with contagious illnesses that is separate, that causes a real problem - last year measles, chickenpox and mumps went from child to child. The villagers bring their sick little ones and they have no idea that these things are passed on by contact or by being in the same room. When we try to explain we get blank stares, it is the same about drinking water - oh no, that is not good for you! After a woman has delivered a baby, they are not supposed to touch nor drink water for several weeks …. How to keep this place clean and keep healthy, with all this going on is a constant struggle that for us is a downhill battle. This is where we need to step out in faith. We are praying about asking the builders to build a children’s home, with housing for the staff on the second story; this will be away from the clinic and the sick. The reason this is a step in faith is twofold; first we have NO money left for ANYTHING extra, second the rainy season is coming and building will be complicated, the builders and students already have their hands full with the building that is already going on. Is this a true need? Should we move forward? Please pray for us … The ultimate would be to also build a small treatment facility, just for sick children. If anyone is a builder and wants a mission experience - you are welcome! We are praying for help to manage this place; a principal, English teacher, help with the babies, agriculture teacher and grounds keeper … Maria needs help so she does not burn out with the medical outreach, sewing, mechanics, computers… you see, there is a place for almost anyone. Yet, we are praying for God’s will, for him to choose, who will come here to serve. If anyone is interested please contact us.
My right hand is gone! - 5/23/2010 Emily is gone! She left a week ago. She had been praying and making plans for her future. Last year she had a “vision” for her lifework for the Lord, she thought she knew the direction He was leading her in, but as time passed and it was not realized - she settled down to teaching at Lay Klo Yaw, during the year she was asked 3 times to teach at the place of “vision“ for the coming school year, she said yes. But after a very challenging school year - not only for her, but for the children as well, she thought that maybe teaching was not her thing after all - she wanted something more adventurous to do for the Lord, becoming a midwife was the solution …. But where to go for training? Then the call came again, “will you please come and teach?” her answer was no, her plans had changed. She said no, because she did not want to be a teacher, because she wanted to be sure of God’s will, and did not want to venture out ahead of Him and because she wanted to become more equipped to serve. She put her heart into finding a way to become a midwife, but at every turn the door would close loud and clear - Bang! Feeling lost as to God’s leading in her life - she recommitted her ways to the Lord. She decided to stay here and help me with the babies and little children - what a blessing she was! My right hand helper always there, ready to serve, ready to be faithful in the little things, sweet and cheerful. Never a word of complaint - just plain sacrificial unselfishness. We decided to pray that if it was God’s will for her to go to the place of “vision,” then God would have her asked again, this happened and she again said no! Well, again the call came, loud and clear enough for us all to know that this was from God, everyone that is except Emily - she thought, "How can I teach for another year? I am not good enough, maybe I will fail." We all told her that this was God’s leading and, after praying she said she had gained assurance that indeed it was God’s will. But that did not make it easier to go, leaving me with the children, how would mother manage? As we brought her to her first step on her journey, fear again overtook her and it was with trembling she went along, ready to run back with us – how would she manage, her language skills, were they enough? What about the dreaded teaching? What about failure? (She really was not worried about the possible dangerous situation she would be in should she accept this call). As the night came and prayers were said - sweet peace settled over her, and God had even made her excited about teaching! To get to the place God has called her, she had to go on foot. The journey was supposed to take 5 days, but they made good time, it only took 3 days - full days from 4am in the morning till late at night, with flashlights lighting the way. By satellite phone she called and told us that they had arrived safely, the hike was the most beautiful she had ever been on, and although tired, she enjoyed it very much. We praise God for the safe journey and are asking you to please hold her up in prayer. Here we are, without our Emily - I had told her to not worry about me, that I would manage, that God would supply my needs and help me get through. Maria is making an effort - trying to be omnipresent, Anna is rising to the occasion helping with the little ones. It would be easier if it was not so very hot and humid, and if there were someone else to help with the many things that need to get done around here. Maria and I have dried our tears often as we feel the void, the emptiness without Emily around, but each time assurance that she is in the center of God’s will, and where she belongs, brings comfort to our hearts.
“Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them …” - 5/23/2010 Last month JooJoo’s two older siblings were brought to our home also. How could we say no? They’re sweet children. They lived in a small Baptist “community” and already know how to sing and pray. We were told that the oldest, a five-year-old boy, just wept and wept when he learned that his mother had died. With the way life is here, the father usually has to part with their children if the mother dies. Life is hard here and survival for the family (often including extended family) depends on long hard hours of work. They have to find food, make charcoal, cut lumber (by hand), or else work somewhere else making a small minimum wage. This father has to work in the mountains far away. MooWuhWuh is a delightful little three-year-old girl who has a smile that lights up the world. The corners of her mouth are almost always turned up! She likes to pray and talk and sing about the Jesus she loves so much. SawQueLee is her five-year-old older brother. He’s a sweet little boy. You can tell that someone put forth an effort to train these children to be godly. Generally, the older dorm students help to take care of the younger students who stay in the dorm, but these children, at 3 and 5, are too young to stay in a dorm setting and they were given to us to care for in our home. We had forgotten how much work little ones are and how much they can tie you down. As of last week, we had 230 children and we have decided that we will have to say no to anymore that come. Last night in worship the chapel was crowded. Some of the old students who have homes and went home for break must have returned. And so the count goes up… Right now there are two women who are recent widows who each have four to five little children living here also.
Blessings and Answer to Prayers - 5/23/2010 Maria placed these scriptures on our front door to remind us of our heavenly Father’s care and for encouragement: “For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before you ask.” - Matthew 6:8 “According to your faith be it unto you.” - Matthew 9:29 “…Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat and the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? ... For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” - Matthew 6 “Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me.” - Luke 9:48 “ …No man, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” - Luke 9:62 “…The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into His harvest.” - Luke 10:2 The last few weeks have been challenging for us as we’ve watched our funds quickly disappear due to the increase in children to feed and higher building costs than was allowed for in the budget. Last week we realized that the situation was getting desperate. From experience I know that God is faithful, yet I have to confess that I found myself worrying. My former husband, who passed away from cancer, had great faith. During his sickness, often there were times of having nothing. There were empty cabinets and little children to feed. I would find myself worrying. “We have no food!” I would complain. “Don’t worry about it,” was Eddie’s standard answer, “God will take care of it.” “That’s easy for you to say, you don’t have to cook!” “Don’t worry about it, God will take care of us.” And He always did! And yet the next time we were without I would find myself fretting again. This happened many times and God never failed to provide for us in miraculous ways. I’ve written some of our experiences down in a book. Looking back at it has been a great encouragement for my faith, and, as a family, it’s been a great blessing to look back on the way God has worked in our lives. “We’ve nothing to fear for the future unless we forget how God has led us in the past.” Yet now I’ve found myself worrying again as to how God will provide for these 230 (give or take) children. Together with widows and staff there is probably over 250 mouths to feed. . Last week, when trying to figure out what to do, we decided to commit it all to the Lord. That same day we received word that we were receiving a donation. Praise the Lord! Yet we realized that it still was not going to cover all of the bills. Lumber, malaria medicine, and rice,… The next day we received an e-mail from Jesus for Asia saying that another donation had come in and they had wired the exact amount needed to pay the bills. We are so grateful to those who have sacrificed in order to help these children! We continue to pray for God to provide for the rest of the needs, but we’re rejoicing over His great faithfulness! He’s never early and He’s never late. Maybe God is allowing this for my character’s sake. I wish to have a calm sure faith no matter what. In the times ahead we will all need a faith that is not shaken by circumstances. Since this update was written, yet another answer to prayer has been granted! How were we to get mosquito nets and blankets for so many? This was part of our conversation as Paul and I made the long slow journey home with a load of cement and supplies, the phone rang announcing that we were having visitors from ADRA and the Thai Mission! By the time we got back, they had already met the children and walked the property, they shared some scripture promises with us and offered prayer. Without us asking or mentioning anything about our needs they said that they will give blankets and mosquito nets for all the children - PRAISE THE LORD!
Hear Our Prayer, O Lord! - 4/20/2010 Father in Heaven, You own the cattle on a thousand hills. You have said if we but ask, we will receive. And you’ve said that if we have food and clothing we should be content. We ask that you will please provide for the children’s needs. What a welcome! As we arrived back at the school, curious and new little faces observed us intently from all directions. They range in size from small to large. What happened? Where did they all come from? We were informed that, as of yesterday and today, 70 new (and a few old students) children have arrived. Tada! Here they are… and we’re not ready to provide for them. Most of these kids have come from poor mountain villages, from who knows where. Some have even walked several days to get here. Many of them have never so much as seen a white person before. They come with high hopes for a home and an education. A brighter future. We’re not ready for them yet, and quite honestly, are not sure how we ever will be; but what are we supposed to tell them? “We’re sorry. You can’t learn to read and write this year or learn about God. We don’t have space for you … or enough trust in God.”? There are no shoes, not enough food, no soap, no blankets, and no necessary mosquito nets. We may not feel ready, but we’ve got to trust that God’s ready. He’s never early and He’s never late. He never slumbers, never sleeps. And He has the resources, even when we don’t. Teachers are another of our desperate needs. We hate to say it, but right now it looks like a children’s village, with no adult supervision. The children are in the majority and the adults are few and far between. Counting our blessings though, we’re extremely grateful to have at least both the girl’s and boy’s dorms finished! The building process goes on and it’s amazing what a transformation has taken place in just a week! But even this is a lesson in faith. We’re asking God to please help us depend and trust on Him; not let our faith waiver and to keep us from despair and discouragement.
Urgent need! - 4/18/2010 This is the time for summer break, here in Thailand; school will start again in the beginning of June. We have a very short time to prepare for the new children, who are already starting to arrive; these are a mixture of children and youth, some are teenagers, who have never been able to learn to read and write. (About 80%-90% of the villagers don’t know how to write their own name.) We have over 200 students registered and they keep coming … if we aren’t ready we will have to screen them and only accept those that have no other place to call home. Laren and Donna Stafford with their children Miles, Lexi and Davis, want to come and help. They have the talent and experience that it will take to do this work, but they don’t have the funds for tickets to Thailand and to cover their mortgage back home, until they could sell their own home. God has blessed with a stipend for their expenses here.
Please join us in praying for this need, because we can’t do it all alone. We are already short on local staff. If anyone is impressed to help with this worthy cause, please contact Jesus4Asia or Contact Us. Thank you!
We’ve been busy building. - 4/17/2010 It’s been a huge project to get underway. Designing, drawing blueprints, finding builders, and shopping for and ordering materials. And of course the language barrier always adds a challenge to everything. At first this seemed like an insurmountable task, but finally we see light at the end of the tunnel… It’s coming!
The buildings we’re working on include: a cafeteria, kitchen, learning center (a building with ten rooms), nursery, and bathrooms (four buildings); as well as dorms for both girls and boys, and some more staff housing.
The students are working hard together with the contractors. We think this is wonderful as they are learning valuable skills at the same time that they help to cut the building costs. We’re so proud of them. The heat and humidity has been draining, but they persevere even as we wilt. :) It’s amazing how much you can build here with $20,000.00! Sometimes it’s still a challenge though, to make the funds that have been donated for this project stretch. We’re continually running into unexpected expenses that make this a faith experience.
We have been so blessed to have the Lemon Tree Foundation, from Singapore, volunteer to send us a monthly donation (which we’ll soon start to receive) which will cover some of the cost of the children’s home and learning center. It’s definitely an answer to prayer and a reason to rejoice! This will help tremendously, but will not cover all the expenses as it was based on us having one hundred children. Now we have over two hundred boarding students enrolled for the start of school in June! We are grateful for our Father in heaven who always provides for the children’s needs! We’re also thankful for jungle surroundings in which the kids are often able to find things to supplement their diet with, as well as in the garden. We wish we could grow more, but how do you grow a large enough garden to provide for so many hungry stomachs? We are happy that the children sometimes still have to use this knowledge and skill. The Karen have depended on this to get them through years of privation and persecution. We want our kids to grow up knowing how to survive, if they ever find themselves in such circumstances.
Oh for the gift of writing! And the gift of tongues! - 4/17/2010 How to write is the constant question for me as I endeavor to keep this website up-to-date. But with Emily and Maria around it works quite well as they edit all my mistakes and make it all better. Prayer is the only way though, when I’m on my own. I was born and raised in Sweden, so English is not my expertise. (I wish so bad though, that I would be able to learn Karen as I once learned English.) Therefore, here is my apology for the grammar errors you may find on this website. Just an update on what we’re doing and are each up to right now: At the moment, we are having a family vacation. It was time to take some time apart and just be family (and also Paul’s 50th birthday is on Tuesday.) We left our two babies at home with one of the teachers and two of our older girl students to care for them. We are missing them, but realize that right now Anna and Josiah need some undivided attention. Three days together -- no patients on the porch at all hours; no house full of children throughout the day; no crying babies; no long hours of driving to the hospital with sick people in the heat minus air con; no sleeping on the floor…. Bliss? It’s been a blessing for us to have time apart! Well, it soon came time for us to go back. But with me still feeling sick from congestion and just plain weariness and also having many emails to answer, a website to update, roofing to shop for (that’s not made with asbestos), not to mention more family time, we just didn’t feel quite ready yet. So Friday morning we called home to ask if they would be alright for a few more days in our absence, but they said they needed us. The girls watching the babies are worn out, the food for the children gone, as well as diapers and baby milk. (Someone was left to care for these things, but it didn’t work out.) Emily, always ready to sacrifice, exclaimed, ”You are not going home. You’re too tired! I’m going. Now! Daddy, hurry. I need to get on the bus.” She left her back pack, bringing only the diapers and baby milk that I had felt impressed to buy. It all happened so fast it did not even occur to me that I ought to protest. After five hours of riding an old bus on a curvy mountain road, she arrived too late for the pickup truck bus which would generally take her the rest of the journey down to the border and our home. Ehknyaw, our manager, foresaw this and travelled the three hours by motorbike on the VERY curvy and steep road in order to pick her up – bless his heart! And so now, after what she called a delightful ride, she is back with a houseful of children. Thank you, God, for giving me such a thoughtful daughter. Maria is staying with us. She didn’t even know that Emily was going. By the time she finished her shower Emily was already out the door. Now Maria can help me with the writing. She also needs some more time. She is now the one caring for all the people coming to our porch. Several afternoons a week, she also ventures out on one of the most horrendous mountain roads to go back up to “her” village and her very own home. There she treats patients through the evening and visits with the villagers. Early the next morning she descends back down the mountain in order to be back on the porch and ready to tackle the responsibility of helping more patients for the morning. Then at other times she takes off on her motorbike to take care of the sick in another village some distance away. She works on the porch for me as she knows I feel helpless as I don’t have the proper training (nor time) to care for the endless stream of villagers who come. Again I say thank you God for a loving daughter who helps. Anna is my translator. I am very proud of her abilities to speak very much like the people. Oh, for the gift of tongues! She has become very much like the people we serve. She wants to do everything just like they do… Yes, that means eating, bathing, dressing, working, washing clothes, … We had to tear her away just to get to have this special time as a family. I am grateful for the way she fits in with the people. She visits in their huts, eats with her fingers, squats like a native, carries firewood on her head, cuts bamboo, does her laundry in the river, then balancing it on her head … I have to draw my little girl to us with tender love in order to still be family … Josiah is not always sure just how to fit in, still he too has a wonderful time playing with friends from the school. But most of all he likes to play with the babies. He and I have been sick on and off this whole year. We just can’t seem to be able to fight off this nasty cough. He also gets fevers and sometimes I think he is the first of us missionaries to get malaria, but then he recovers quickly. I am so grateful for him, always beside me. It is my weakness to tend to baby him a bit, as sometimes he seems more fragile than my other children. Paul - My dear husband who is always so patient and supportive! He’s my gentle giant. One of the store keepers calls him Mr. Big Body! And we just realized that our landlord is calling him what sounds like Fat Sir! (Now, Paul is really not fat, but the Karen are generally very thin and it is the Karen way to compliment people by informing them that they are either fat or getting fatter. This is all done very innocently, but to us it can still be devastating. Paul takes it all in stride. True to his nature, he shrugs his shoulders and smiles. When this same treatment is given to us girls we have a little harder time acting as if it does not faze us.) Paul is now the “ambulance” driver. This means spending a lot of time driving and helping the people in the hospital. Recently he has also designed the building projects, drawn the blue prints, prepared lists of building materials, and has been busy with getting price quotes and ordering materials. Aside from that, he keeps busy purchasing food for the school and buying & hauling drinking water for thirsty children to devour – it’s so hot here now! Paul oversees things that need to be done and takes care of all the dirty jobs. And last, but not least, he is our expert garbage burning man. I am very grateful to God for Paul’s servant heart, his fairness and kindness to those around him, his steady temper and the fact that he is always willing to go the extra mile for anyone in need. Day or night he never complains about having to do all these things and is always ready to go in a moment if the need arises.
Update - 4/17/2010 Instead of having one baby, we now have two! Ningheh, is healthy and happy, he has learned to sit by himself, but is not crawling nor turning over yet. Djo djo is a spoiled but adorable, 10 month old baby girl. Her mother died two weeks ago, she was one of our patients, only 23 years old. Are these babies here for good? We don’t know, we only know that God have entrusted them to us for now. This new addition to our home and family is taxing our time and my strength, but they are precious treasurers and we are grateful for them and see them as another token of the villager’s acceptance and trust.
We have a baby! - 03/04/2010 I had forgotten how time consuming it is to have a baby. This one came to us yesterday … The first time I saw this baby was a couple of months ago, when Maria and Emily were on the porch attending to the patients, the stench coming from mother and baby was hard to stomach. The mother seems slightly mentally handicapped, she has been coming to us for a long time with her baby for milk and other needs. That particular day when Maria was on duty on the porch, the baby was so dirty—Emily gave him a bath before Maria was to examine him, that experience was a turning point in Emily’s life to see a neglected crying baby turn into a cuddly, sweet smelling, happy baby is quite an experience. Emily is now pursuing becoming a direct entry midwife, serving the Karen, mothers and baby’s is now her vision and goal.
We recently learned that this particular mother was misusing the baby formula we were giving her, she was selling it for alcohol. We knew that she was drinking—there are several babies that we have been very concerned for wishing that we could have the babies to care for them—this was one of them ! Yesterday when she came, the baby had diarrhea and was vomiting, it is malnourished and was red and blue on it’s behind from spanking—how could someone spank such small sickly baby? Gayle was the nurse on duty and Anna, our eleven year old, was helping her with translating. Anna asked the mother if we could have the baby for a couple of days to help it get healthy, "Yes, I’m happy you are taking the baby,” was the reply. I was caring for the baby looking him over carefully for the first time, I realized how much care he needs, he is like a one month old in almost every respect, but we are told that he is about nine months old, born at the time of the evacuation of the school. Please pray that God will bless this baby and give him strength and health, and that we will have wisdom to care for him properly.
Amazing, Wonderful News! - 02/12/2010 We are praising God for His loving kindness. Last week ADRA came to the school, and they brought an elderly Japanese gentleman along with his wife. There were also people from Australia, Singapore, and the Netherlands. After asking us some simple questions about us, the Karen children, school and medical work, they inquired about how we finance all of this. We shared that it is a faith based ministry and that we don’t ask for money. They insisted that we share about our budget. We said that we don’t have one, but that we do the things needed and trust God to supply! As we were walking around the school grounds showing these dear humble people the school buildings and all, we found ourselves apologizing for how very primitive everything is. Their response was “it is amazing….” This was such an encouraging experience for us, as we had been discouraged-- feeling that we are not good enough to do this work…. We felt the Holy Spirit’s presence in a mighty way as we were meeting with these dear people, and our hearts were warmed and touched by their genuine interest for the children and the work. We felt as if we were on holy ground and that God was with us all, giving us all a gift of mutual respect, love, and care. Through this meeting, God has supplied us with much needed funds for the building projects, which will help immensely—some for the children, and some for the medical work! This is such good news as Gayle has felt the need of having a budget to work with for the medical ministry. God will still have to supply, as the expenses are above this amount, but we praise HIM for this gift. We don’t want to be secure, but want to continue to depend on God. This will give her a foundation to work with—Praise GOD. This is the GRACE OF GOD. But this is not the end of the story: We have been praying for one more vehicle for some time, as our old truck is going and going to the hospital for supplies, to the villages and more…, what to do when we have students and villagers with cerebral malaria or accidents needing immediate transport to the hospital? Bradly’s very tired car was no longer road worthy, and he had been trying to sell it for some time. Well, one day someone came and bought it. We were delighted for Bradley but now what do we do? We prayed for God to supply the ministry with another vehicle if this was what He saw as a need. Paul’s parents called and asked about our truck-- “How is it doing?” Paul painted everything out in a very positive light—“The truck is doing great”! It would have been more accurate to say that we have had quite a few problems with it lately. But to our astonishment his father said, “We have felt impressed to get you one more vehicle.” So here we are in Chiang Mai looking for a truck-- Praise the Lord ! Our God is an awesome God! Grace and love to you all.
2009
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