Thailand has been a month full of adventures and lots of fun ministry. This month in Thailand, we have been partnered with the Haven Project. The Haven Project is run by a group of missionaries from Thailand, America, Ireland, and Australia. The Haven Project is active in a lot of diverse ministries such as work with schools, children homes, village ministry, medical checkups, and a lot more! We have specifically worked with the Haven Projects medical program which provides heath care and training for those with limited or no access to medical resources.
Our first week in Thailand we had the opportunity to travel 8 hours to a city close on the Burmese boarder to run a couple of hygiene camps for Burmese children. Most of the children are refugees displaced by the ongoing civil war in Burma. Many are orphans or come from broken home situations. Almost all come from an impoverished background and have had little education on how to clean wounds, effectively brush their teeth, eat healthy, and basic hygiene. Each child, however, has a light like I have never seen. So much joy in life with giggles and smiles that are infectious. Spending a week teaching them was an absolute joy!
All 7 of us had a different role or station in the hygiene camp. Mine focused on teaching students healthy eating habits through a book I already know by heart from childhood and my many hours of student teaching, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. Though the students were studying English tere was a language barrier in both schools but I found that with exaggerated expressions, solid examples, a fun game, and lots of laughs and smiles, language wasn’t hinderance for my message to be told.
Janine ran a fun station on keeping our bodies clean! She used baby dolls and a “bath tub” for practice scrub-a-dubbing! It was a hit with water flying everywhere!
Daniel was the teeth guy and taught kids the importance of brushing their sweet smiles twice a day.
Cristin was our yoga teacher and showed easy and fun ways to take care our bodies through physical activities.
Brad ran a station focusing on cleaning wounds to keep from infection. The kids loved using fake blood (ketchup) and lots of bandaids to take care of each others booboos.
Jack had the kids running as he did a fun relay race to sort healthy and unhealthy foods.
Tate showed the kids how important it is to wash our hands. She used a black light and glow in the dark paint to show how we can’t see germs but they are there so we must wash our hands.
We ran 3 days of hygiene camp in 2 different schools and taught over 350 students how to stay healthy. While we kept the students busy, Dr. Jane taught the teachers about health and wellness in a separate seminar.
(The first school pictured below)
This past week we also spent time in a home for blind children and two nights doing medical checks in Haven children homes for children who are orphaned. Each of us had a role. I checked teeth and recorded any cavities and also checked for muscle problems by doing a simple balance test. Crisitin and Brad checked hight and weight and Janine recorded any pain or skin issues. Dr. Jane then did a more detailed check while Tate, Jack, and Daniel kept the kids already checked entertained with games and songs. The idea of the checks is to make sure the children are being properly cared for in the homes. It also is a way to catch any pre-existing medical problem as most of the children come from varying backgrounds of neglect and often abuse.
Our past week was full and fast paced but working with so many smiles and energetic souls was by far the highlight of my race!
A joyful heart is good medicine.
Proverbs 17:22
