For 15 days me and my team are working at an orphanage named Connie’s Home in Chiang Mai, Thailand!!!! This orphanage takes in babies that are too sick for the government to take care of, and Connie gives them the care and attention they need to become strong, healthy, smart kids!! The staff that works. The staff that works at Connies Home are all Thai women that were either in bad situations, or are working off their probation either for drug trafficking or other felonies. The work Connie has been doing in the lives of the staff and the kids for the past 21 years is so inspirational. The staff and the kids are all taught English, and ministered to greatly. It is like one big family. All the kids call Connies mommy and love her with all their heart. She gives her heart and soul in loving on these kids, and making sure they all feel seen and known. If you are looking to adopt this is the place to do it!!
We teach the 3-7 year old kids lessons every day …one 45 minute one in the morning and one hour lesson in the afternoon.…We teach them a new subject everyday.. science, geography, history, English, math, and healthy living. Last Monday, we went into the day not knowing what in the world we were going to teach on science or how we were going to get kids to stay interested. I now know the struggle teacher go through especially in planning lessons. During play time, one little boy caught a frog, and held it nice and snug to be able to show mommy his new pet. We put the frog in a cage, so he would not hop away while they had snack and movie time (I have seen pets 2 three times in the span of a week). Catching frogs gave us the idea to spend science day learning about frogs and their habitat. In the first lesson we talked about what a frog was, and the difference between a frog and a toad. We had the kids draw frogs in their habitat with lily pads, water, and flies ….all the essentials. In the second lesson we taught about the life cycle of a frog… the classic science lesson every kid learns in school. We watched some fun videos, because what’s a lesson with out a sing along video?! We then closed out the day by spending the last part of lesson catching frogs, and playing leap frog. A whole day centered around frogs. Now frogs are EVERYWHERE… every day we go to the play ground someone is catching frogs…. When we are reading a book and there is a picture of a frog at least one kid screams FROG!! Not a day goes by where frogs are not brought up. It all started with one tiny little frog my boy insisted on showing mommy, which turned into a very hoppy day.
This is a great example on how every single little moment in life matters. Everything is a domino affect!! All the little things add up to be big things that shape our lives. This simple fact can have positive or negative effect…you decide. One little yes to the Lord has the power to reroute your day into something magical. One little lie about your self… “your alone”.. “not worth it”.. “they are better “…can put a damper on your whole mood for the entirety of your day. One little sin can stumble into years in the chains of addiction. The little things matter more than we think. Two year ago I got an email on a random gap year program, and fast forward I’m in Thailand doing/seeing things I never thought were even possible….What I thought was just a tiny frog turned out to be a defining day in my relationship with these kids. The Lord’s grace in our life is a domino effect… chains are broken… righteousness restored… joy in the fullest… and a life glorifying the Lord. Everything matters, so in everything you do worship the Lord and follow the path of small moments he creates for you that build up an altar of thanksgivings to him. Even if the little yes ends up with you hopping around like a frog.
