This month I am mostly at Zion Cafe (mentioned in a previous blog). The girls, ladies, and one boy here are so wonderful….and I wanted to share a bit about them with you all!
Emmi – Emmi is the owner of the cafe and the founder of Lighthouse Ministry. She is one of the most spunky ladies I have ever met, and her passion spreads like wildfire. She has such a big heart for the girls here, and a beautiful vision for the nation of Thailand.
Pi Neuk – Pi Neuk is sort of the manager at the cafe. She and Emmi are good friends and live in a house together right outside the city. She is so loving and friendly. She and I tease all of the time, and she calls me French Fry because I have gotten them so much this month. Hey, there’s no telling when I’ll be able to get them again, haha!
Bing – Bing, I believe, has been here the longest out of all the girls and Chat. She has a sweet spirit, and gives off an older sister vibe. She really comes alive when she’s out playing with the kids in the slums.
Gwang – The first thing that drew me to Gwang were her deep brown eyes. They pierce you with so much love and hope! Gwang is sweet and really quite funny. She loves to joke around but she is also a very hard worker. She makes most of the coffees and smoothies.
Mai – I have probably built the best relationship with Mai so far this month. She is spunky yet shy, and so loving. She really loves it when I share my snacks with her, haha. I think that’s how we first started to bond. Mai is also a very hard worker! She cleans the hostel from top to bottom every morning, now with the help of Chat and whatever racer is working that shift.
Dok Mai – Dok Mai is Mai’s sister! She is very quiet and somewhat shy, but after a while she has opened up a bit. She and Ba Pong do most of the cooking in the back (which is seriously delicious). It’s been exciting to see her come out of her shell more this month.
Chat – Chat started working here less than a week after we arrived. He is the only boy and he speaks very little English, but he is very kind and sweet tempered. I think he was a bit nervous to be around all of us girls at first, but not so much anymore. He smiles at us and says hello, and now that he is learning English from one of the girls he asks us how we are doing. So precious!
Ba Pong – Ba Pong is the newest member on staff; she’s been here almost a week now. I’m not sure if she speaks any English. It was the sweetest thing that she learned my name to bring my order out to me though! She has a sort of grandmother-like presence, even though she’d be too young to be my own grandmother. I’m excited to get to know her more.
Loong Win – This is “Uncle,” who does a lot of the maintenance work around the cafe, and is also the designated song tuk driver for day off trips. He is truly like an uncle to us, sweet and caring for us.
Ba Fon – Ba Fon, or “Auntie,” is his wife. She’s not here all of the time, but she does the laundry for the hostel as well as some of the cleaning. She is very petite in size and in manner, but also very kind-hearted. It seems as though she speaks less English than Uncle, but that doesn’t stop her from spilling out her love for this place and everyone in it.
So that’s the staff of Zion Cafe! I hope I was able to communicate their likenesses well, haha. It’s so sad that we only have a week and a half left here…time has gone by too fast! Thailand has been one of my favorite countries so far because of the amaziing people and the incredible ministry that God is bringing up here. I am so blessed to be a part of it in this time of my life and life of the ministry.
