For our month 7 of the World Race, my team of men and I worked with a children’s home! Unfortunately I can’t disclose the name of the foundation, but I’ll give you some background information. The story behind the organization is based on a girl and her victory over tragedy. This girl was raised by her grandmother because her mother could no longer afford her, and in an attempt to pay off a debt, her grandmother sold her to a man when the girl was twelve years old. After the third time this repeated itself, the young girl thought of an alternate course of action: she could learn a trade and help her grandmother pay off her debts through commissioned non-sexual work. Her idea was successful and her resiliency has sparked an international effort to empower and protect children at risk of being sold into the sex trade. The temptation to sell children due to impoverished conditions is not isolated solely to this story, but has sadly led to a serious problem that spans across all borders and languages. Many children at risk of being sold in Thailand have families suffering from extreme poverty and live in “hill tribes”, which are isolated communities far from the more metropolitan areas. The opportunities for economic growth are very limited in these hill tribes not only because of their distances from the cities, but also because of how they are treated by other Thai people. There is extreme discrimination against people from hill tribes, both socially and politically, so that any chance of support from the state or charity from other Thai people is very slim. In fact, these people are not even considered citizens of Thailand. Hundreds of thousands of people considered ethnic minorities, rather than being celebrated, are instead deliberately confined to their own regions and forgotten. Many families are strangled by poverty as they are faced with the choice of who will eat and who will go hungry, and ultimately, who can the family no longer afford to keep. As an American, this is the kind of poverty most of us cannot imagine. This is not a breadline, food stamp, or unemployment check. This is not even an eviction notice or homelessness. There are no declarations of bankruptcy to erase these hardships nor is there any opportunity for government aid at all. There is dangerous room for evil to grow in such desperation that allows the commoditization of children to be a false source of hope. However, this is where the story of genuine hope begins because fortunately amidst all this heavy darkness, there is a strong presence of God’s restoration that stands in opposition to the alluring tide of the sex trade.
Our host took us to a hill tribe one day so that we could see where many of the children in the organization come from. This particular tribe has not had any children sold into the sex trade for almost eight years. The village is quiet and beautiful, nestled into hills with chickens and pigs wandering about (except for the ones in cages about to become dinner). The village is an organized series of stilted houses sloping across the hills, but one home we walked by was starkly different from the others. It had beautiful mahogany walls, a washing machine and a refrigerator that were all paid for at the expense of a young girl. The mother ran into hardship and found a massive profit to be had in her daughter. When our ministry host heard about the situation, they immediately got involved and, according to our host, that was the last time this village saw child prostitution. The children’s home keeps tabs with the villagers and regularly visits the families there. Should there be a situation in which a child is at risk, the organization discusses options with the parents that would keep their child safe and in school.
The children’s home helps to rescue these families from impossible choices. Should the parents agree, their child will come to live at the facility where all of their expenses are sponsored so that they are educated, well fed, and safely housed. As a result of this effort, 145 children around Chiang Mai have found refuge. Additionally, parents have a chance to relate to their children in a way less strained by poverty. These children are shuttled to school every day and returned to their home where they are loved on and encouraged by house parents that live with the children full-time. There are four independent homes on the property, each with its own set of house parents and staff. All the houses share gardens, orchards, a full-size soccer field, a basketball court, and a volleyball court. All of this is enclosed and at the front gate there is a guard house where security stands watch. The facility is truly as amazing as it sounds.
We had the opportunity to visit the school fair for the high school where some of the teenagers from the children’s home attend. The students were flourishing as they showed off their projects, dragging us from one display to another. One of the girls in the program was third-fastest in her province in solving randomized math equations that covered several years worth of classes. Other students found ways to make use of all sorts of organic materials found native to their communities and transform them into soaps and mosquito repellant. Another one of the girls in the children’s home was part of a robotics club, and she helped to design and build a self-driving toy car that followed lines on the ground using a laser and a camera (and much more I’m sure that’s way beyond my Bachelor of Arts). It was incredibly special to be able to see the lights in these kids eyes as their dreams came to life. Their hard work and investments in school culminated in a beautiful display of achievement. I feel very blessed to have been able to partner with an organization that affords children the opportunity to capitalize on their gifts and talents.
Overall, this month felt like a dream! We spent the month working on the property and the first three weeks we helped to build the wall along the front entrance. The wall spans roughly a hundred yards and will be complete by now. Every night we ate dinner with the kids, alternating between the four houses on the property so we could meet them all, and every night we were surrounded by shrieks of joy. One night at one of the boys’ houses I was deemed a zombie and I spent the next twenty minutes roaring and running with my arms in front of me. I could say that I didn’t enjoy it and only did it for the kids, but that might not be entirely true. Every Sunday we had worship together and the kids would put on musical performances, singing in Thai and dancing at the front of the room while their peers roared with laughter and pointed at each other. All that being said, it was incredibly difficult to leave. We had a farewell dinner and said our goodbyes to the kids after they sang to us. There were lots of hugs and tears. I am so grateful for the time we had in Thailand. The team and I were blessed with the opportunity to work with some incredible people and to build lasting friendships.
Funny Story: The Tearful Surprise
We lived in a beautiful house this month that we called grandma’s house. It was amazing, though Thai plumbing is another story. Our fondness for Thai food and the problematic plumbing resulted in a situation (open to puns). One day, after returning from a hot day of mixing and laying concrete, we discovered a plethora of unpleasant surprises in the toilet bowl in the downstairs bathroom. Dylan, who was a janitor at his school, leapt to the task of mightily plunging. Well, the elements worked against our beloved Dylan, for as he wielded his weapon an air pocket burst and showered him in the contents of the toilet bowl. In great haste to help my comrade as he was frozen with horror, I laughed so hard I cried. Also, we caught it on video so if you’re not too squeamish, you should check out my Instagram page (Jonathanryan92). It was a day for tears, no matter which side you were on.
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read about month 7! Much love and God bless! Please let me know if there are any ways I can be praying for you.
Prayers for Chiang Mai:
For the protection of the property and the children
For the encouragement of the staff caring for the children
For the release of sexual strongholds that perpetuate the sex industry in Thailand.
