A belated post of my time in Thailand….I miss my Thai family terribly already.
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Tonight is our last night with Tik, Pastor and Mum. This is the 9th time on the race that my stomach feels a bit queezy at the thought of saying farewell to our contact whom we have come to know and love. It does not get any easier to leave. The hardest part about the Race is spending time to know people and then having to move on.
This family is filled with Joy and love. Pastor and Mum serves the leper colony that live behind their church. Their home is built on the same plot of land as the church which borders the leper colony. They have 3 girls who are staff: Mook, Buu and Aoi. They are in their late teens, and early 20s and they work very hard. Pastor wakes up at 4 each morning, praying and preparing for his daily prayer meeting with the elderly at 5:30 am. Mum wakes up for the meeting and then makes breakfast and delivers it to some of the elderlies who live on their own in the village. Once a month, they host an elderly session at church, we were so lucky to be a part of one this month while we were here. They plan games for these folks and let them know that they are not forgotten. Lunch is served after the games. No one leaves without having a good laugh or an empty stomach. This month, one of the games we played with them was to try to pop a water filled balloon between them and a partner.
Having fun popping balloons:
Leprocy is a bacterial disease that eats away the digits, both hands and feet. There are about 300 elderlies who live in the leper colony, most of them have no fingers and some have no toes because the bacteria hvae eaten away at it. They eat by tying an elastic band to a spoon around their hand. Their dexterity is amazing. It is not a contagious disease however, most people shunned this group of people who suffer from this disease. As a result, they were not able to live in cities and had to move into smaller villages. The government has purchased houses for each person inflicted with the disease. Most have settled and have lived in this colony for 30 to 40 years. Their children and grandchildren do not have the disease.
Homes of where the elderlies live in the leper colony that has been funded by the government.
I’ve learned much from this family, they work together as a family to serve the community. Tik is working to finish her university degree but in the mean time, any earnings she has from odd jobs, she gives to her parents to support their ministry. They focus on serving God and serving the community. Mum spends tireless number of hours working with the elderlies and for the kids program. She makes sure that no one feels left out. They all do everything with constant laughter that fills their home. I have not laughed harder or more often on the race than I have this month and this family had a huge part in that.
Having lunch with Tik
Once again, i don’t want to go, i wish saying goodbye gets easier but it doesn’t. A comforting thought is that i am thankful to have met people that have left such a huge impression on me, all around the world. This family is no exception.
Sawadee Khaaa Tik, Pastor, Mum, Mook, Buu and Aoi. Until we meet again…. Thank you God for bringing me to such wonderful family!!!!!
The family sends us off, I take one last picture of them as we are pulling off
This is not goodbye, it’s just farewell for now….
