Khaodee!

Sorry about the lack of updates…we were pretty exhausted from all the travelling and when we arrived at Khaodee we were able to just spend time reconnecting with the children and staff.

We were met by P La and P Charan at the Chiang Rai Airport and arrived at Khaodee around 9pm. It was great to see our friends from Khaodee. Brian and I settled into the guest team house. We got a good night’s sleep and were ready for our time at Khaodee.

Day 1:

We decided that even though we had some work to do at Khaodee, that we would take the 1^st day there to just relax and spend time with the kids and staff. We took 2 college kids and some of the staff to eat Pizza Co. and go watch X men first class. I have a habit of falling asleep during movies I watch in Thailand, and this one was no exception…haha…. I guess I was more tired than I thought….

Day 2:

Today was exciting as P Charan and P La took us to the village of some of the kids. It’s not really that far, but it took a long time as there were no paved roads up the mountain. Who needs Disneyland when this ride was even more fun. We arrived at the village where we were greeted by the family of one of the kids, Siriporn. Sirporn also came along so she could see her family. They gave us a tour of some of the houses of the kids at Khaodee. The main source of income for the families is tomato and coffee farming. There were coffee trees everywhere we looked. We ended the tour back at Sirporn’s house were they cooked a traditional Akha meal. Akha is the name of the Hilltribe that most of the Khaodee kids are from. The food was Aroy mak mak! (very very good)

Day 3:

We met up with Khun Rose. Khun Rose is the founder of MMF (Mercy Ministries Foundation). She is the one who started the ministry that we visited in Poi Pet, Cambodia. We took her to Sizzler, her favorite, where we chatted for about an hour about her ministry and the vision that God gave her. She is American and has been living in Thailand for 30 years, and now also working in Cambodia for the last 10 years. We were blessed to be able to meet with her and hear how God has blessed her ministry over the years.

Day 4:

Saturday is work day for the kids and so we rolled up our sleeves to work alongside our brothers and sisters. This day we worked on farming a rice field. I never could imagine that being knee deep in muddy water in the hot sun could be soooo fun. Everytime I got mud in my eye, the kids would bring water over for me to wash it out. I think they knew we weren’t that good at the work, but they appreciated us just trying and being there. Before lunch, we cleaned ourselves off by going swimming in the river. They had their own mini little water slide, except there were rocks at the bottom. Me and Bo both have some pretty decent cuts and sore bodies from the river. But, boy was it a lot of fun!

After lunch, P Charan took us to Doi Chang, his favorite Coffee Shop in Chiang Rai. We played Skip Bo while sipping on coffee. Green Tea Frap for me as I don’t drink coffee. Good times. Good times.

We ended the day by going back to Khaodee and having worship. Every Saturday night the kids all come together and sing and pray for about 1 hour. It was an awesome time praising our God!

Day 5:

Our last full day here. *sigh* After breakfast Bo helped take individual photos of each kid for Khaodee. After that the kids went off to Sunday school and Worship. The sermon by Pastor Simoon was about how God is Awesome (Prajao Prasert)! And after lunch, the staff passed our cleats to most of the boys which was donated by Sports Basement. Yay Sports Basement! The kids were so excited. I think even some of the little ones were walking around in them even though they don’t play soccer. We went to the local school where the boys got to break the shoes in and play soccer. And since we Americans are really bad at it, we just watched and took pictures. But we did get a chance to play some volleyball with the girls and got some exercise.

We ended our night by treating the kids to some ice cream and bread while showing them the pictures from our travels and sharing what we learned from the trip. The kids blessed us by praying over us and Pastor Simoon prayed for us for our safe travel home.

CJ

Beauty Amidst Sadness

Today we got to meet a neat guy named Brandon, he’s a Canadian man that’s been living in Cambodia for the past 11 years. As we spent the day with him visiting his ministries, we found out he’s quite the comedian and story teller, as well as a hard worker serving in a very tough country. So the day was quite fun as well as eye opening.

First we visited one of his ministries called Hope Center. It’s a beautiful thatched roof community that can currently house six widows and their kids. It was created for women who have HIV/AIDS, whose husbands have either left them or died. At this center, they learn knitting skills and are in the business of making wool hats that are sold to churches around the world. And they earn money for each hat they make. Therefore it gives women the skills as well as the ability to now earn a living while maintaining their family in a safe environment. What’s also great is that the Bible is studied regularly amongst the women and families and two of the women were just baptized a couple of weeks ago.



We also got to spend a lot of time with the children there, playing games, teaching songs, and making crafts. We decorated the meeting tent by folding paper hearts and decorating them.


Today was also a special day as we got to welcome a new woman, Ngek and her son into the center. She had 5 children, 3 of them who have died of HIV/AIDS, 1 who is already in an orphanage, and now her youngest son is the only one left with her. She herself has the HIV/AIDS virus and her husband left her for dead living in a cot with a tin roof over it. Thankfully Hope Center was notified about her situation and they took her in to give her a new start and chance in life.

Next we were able to visit Brandon’s second project, Mercy Ministries School. It’s a free public school that has 100 students taught by qualified, certified teachers. Finding a Cambodian teacher is already hard but finding certified ones are even more difficult. So the education these grade school children are getting is excellent compared to a lot of other public schools in Poi Pet.


The last part of the day blew me away. We went to the slum community of Poi Pet. I thought the Burma slums were harsh…until I experienced this. I really don’t think anything can get as bad as what I saw here: beautiful children and people living in putrid filth. Garbage everywhere, massive stench, and run down shacks with no running water were what made up this community. The next pictures will probably say what my words cannot. I was literally speechless and my heart was truly saddened when I saw these images.

Brian

Their backyard playground Priceless smiles

Uh...We're not in Thailand anymore...

So today we left Thailand to visit Cambodia for a few days. We got up early and headed to the beach to do devotions for an about an hour. Gai’s mom, who graciously let us use her car for the past week was also with us. After that, he headed out to eat breakfast, and then boarded a taxi headed to the border of Thailand/Cambodia.

So the ride was about 3.5 hours and it cost 2000 baht, or $70 for the 4 of us. And the taxi had satellite TV where we watched some Muay Thai kickboxing. Can you imagine how much it would cost to take a taxi anywhere in the US for 3 hours?

We arrived at the border and I got my first taste of Cambodia. A seemingly nice man, who spoke English, asked where we were going. He walked us over to where he said was immigration. He said we had to fill out an arrival card, and that we would help us. My first thought was wow…they are really helpful here in Cambodia. Then I took a closer look at his ID card, and it said something Travel Agency. I look back down and he is done filling out my card and says, 50 baht please…I pay the 50 baht, and he warns me to not let children come close to me or they will try to pickpocket me, and to just walk straight to the border patrol. Nobody warned me about him though…haha.

We crossed the border with no other problems and were met by Saru-dee and Patty from Mercy Ministries. Mercy Ministries has established an orphanage and a preschool here in Poi Pet, Cambodia. Patty drove us to pick up some snacks, as there aren’t any 7-11s close by like they are in Thailand. We checked into our hotel and headed to Mercy Ministries.

Most of the kids were at school, but about 10 younger kids were there. We got to play with them while Patty talked about the ministry there. They have 40 children there ranging from 4-17. Kids go to school for 6 days a week, but only for a few hours a day. Mercy ministries supplements that by sending the children to a private school for the other half of the day. The cost for the private school: $7 per child.

The thing I noticed about this children’s home was how it reminded me of Khaodee. The kids all had chores to do. The older children took care of the younger ones. The kids led worship. And the presence of God. Praise God for this small light in this very dark place. Patty told us stories of the kids and where they had come from. One girl’s mother had gone insane. Another took care of her mother until she passed away. And when she passed away the father tried to take custody of her so he could sell her into prostitution to feed his drug and gambling addiction. Other children’s parents died of HIV. I could go on and on…but Jesus is healing and changing their lives.

After we had dinner with the kids, they had movie night. After we stayed for about ¼ of the movie Patty took the guys back to the hotel. So another thing that struck me was the stark contrast inside and outside of MM. Inside MM things looked really nice. Nice building, lush grass fields, basketball court…outside was really run down. Small shacks, garbage everywhere, and barely a paved road. The amount of poverty here is overwhelming. I can understand how children have very few options.

Before we got to the hotel, Patty took us down Poi Pet’s red light district, which is about 1 block long. It looked completely different from Pattaya. Pattaya was filled with music and lights and bars. Poi Pet looked really dark and hidden. In each house, there was a red light shining out. You would have to go in behind the door to pick a girl. Also there are rooms next to these brothels that show porn movies. And after the movies, the men go next store to pick a girl.

Honestly, I don’t really feel comfortable and safe here in Cambodia. There is an uncomfortable feeling as we drive or walk around. Not so much for my safety, but the amount of darkness here in Poi Pet. Not that Thailand does not have darkness, but it’s different here in Cambodia. Maybe the need is greater here…Pray that God reveals purpose here to us…

CJ

The reason GOD OF THIS CITY was written

Today we were able to meet and connect with a great ministry called Tamar Center. Tamar center is made up of two facilities in downtown Pattaya. One of the places is Tamar Bakery and Restaurant. There we got to eat lunch made from women who are rescued from the streets. Afterwards we got to tour and talk with P’Khaek who is the manager of the restaurant. She told us that girls get the chance to learn baking and cooking skills and have a full time job in the restaurant. Upstairs from the restaurant is a card, jewelry and craft facility for more women to make money working full time doing these crafts. Most of the cards and crafts are shipped overseas to Holland, Australia and America to churches that sell these to help support their ministry. The great thing is that both the bakery and craft centers give consistent full time work and skills to women who previously knew nothing other than prostitution as a means of living.

Honda pretending he's working at the bakery

P' Khaek showing us the handmade cards

Next she took us to the heart of the prostitution area in Pattaya to visit the Tamar Center Salon. Even at 3pm, prostitutes were out in full force waiting at the outdoor bars for customers. P’Khaek said that it is very dangerous for men to walk the streets alone because of all the temptation out there. And she was right as we watched many men talk to and enter the arms of various women. But surrounded by the bars sits the Tamar Center Salon. The bottom storefront of the building hosts their salon shop where rescued women get the opportunity to learn haircutting and styling and do nails. Upstairs is even cooler as it has a meeting room where women’s biblestudies and counseling are held. At the time we were there, all the Tamar Center staff were out at the bars looking for women who would leave their lifestyle for a new one filled with real love – Jesus’. A lot of draw for women to come to the center is the opportunity to learn English, and from there the gospel is shared to them. The top floor of the building had probably the most important place of the whole center, the prayer room. P’Khaek told us that that was the only part of the center that was open 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. Even after the center was closed and someone wanted to use it to pray, they would just need to make a phone call and someone would come out to open its doors. Anytime is a perfect time to be alone to pray to God and repent of sins and turn to Jesus.

Tamar hair salon

Tamar meeting room

Sadly amidst the thousands of prostitutes in the city every day, Tamar center is the only organization fighting to stop this atrocity in Pattaya. They have a huge task in front of them, but through their salon and restaurant, they are reforming and reaching women on a daily basis.

That night we took a walk around the beach and Walking Street which are popular night scenes locations for tourists. Unfortunately they are popular for most of the wrong reasons. If you can imagine Ocean beach except lined with prostitutes lined up every few feet, the length of the beach, that would be a pretty accurate picture of the beach we walked on. And if you can imagine a mile of street filled with bars with women soliciting men in front and in them in plain view then you have the idea of Walking Street. You might want to view the next pictures without the company of youngsters…

Please pray for Pattaya




-Brian

Pattaya Pattaya...city of dreams?

From Ratchaburi, we headed our to Pattaya. Pattaya is Thailand’s #1 tourist destination. It is by the beach and known for its nightlife filled with bars and prostitution. It is one of the world’s top sex tourism destinations.

The drive took about 4 hours and it gave me a bit of time to reflect. The slum ministries like the one we just visited are so important. It is these children who are at the most risk to end up in Pattaya trafficked and sold into this world of under aged prostitution.

We arrived at around 2pm and found a hotel to stay at. Here’s a picture from outside our room.



We rested in the room till about 4pm, where we then headed to visit another slum ministry. We met Angela, a missionary from Milwaukee, who now lives in Thailand. She heads up the slum ministry here in Pattaya along with her staff of 2 Thai women. The community we visited was made up of poor Thai families and a camp of Cambodia families who are in Thailand illegally to do labor work. The thai families either pick up gargbage, sell drugs, or are involved in the sex trade. The Cambodian families do labor work at extremely low wages because they are not Thai. The cannot go back to Cambodia either, as it would be too expensive to pay off the police on both sides to let them leave Thailand and go back to their home. They are basically trapped in this community.

We drove into the community where we set up tarps and brought our a mobile library. About 40 kids ran out to greet us. Angela and her team come every Tuesday and Thursday, so the kids were waiting for us to arrive. We sat on the tarps and read the children bible stories and help cut the nails of the children who needed it. I tried to use my limited Thai to have conversations with the kids. After this we sang some songs, played a few games, and did a skit about the widow and her 2 coins. We ended the time with some coloring and crafts, and passed out treats to the children to eat.























When we got back to Angela’s office we were able to ask a few questions. She explained how ministry is difficult in Pattaya because how easily it is for the children to get lost in the darkness that is Pattaya.

After this we headed to “The Crossing.” The Crossing is ministry that serves as a youth center for youth. They have 2 skateboard ramps, a pool table, music instruments, and snacks. This was the first time for me in Thailand to see this kind of ministry. The Crossing is open from 6p-1am and kids can come to hang out and do the things they enjoy. The idea is to get the kids to go there and be in this community as opposed to just being out on the streets. The center does worship for the kids and try to share the gospel with the kids that come out.

We met Bobby who was on of the first fruits of The Crossing. Over 10 years ago, it was there that he became a Christian. He came from a broken family, was involved with drugs and alcohol, when he met Jesus at “The Crossing.” He turned his life over to Jesus, went to Discipleship Training with Ywam and came back to “The Crossing,” and now serves as a staff member.





As a talked with Bobby, I realized what a powerful and effective ministry this was. I came to know Christ through playing basketball, and now these kids were being shared the gospel through skateboarding and billiards. They were reaching the people by becoming the people first.