When we first arrived we were unsure
about our contacts – I mean we knew that we would be at an orphanage but we didn’t
know much more
than that. Phong,
our Thai contact with her American husband Roger showed up and brought us back
to their home in Buriram, Thailand.
This month we are at an orphanage called the Tree of Life. Roger and Pong started this orphanage
back in 1998 and they have about 15 children in their home right now.
As
we drove up I observed a monk sitting in the yard adjacent to the house and
wondered how it could be that a monk was praying right next to the
orphanage. I was curious and
figured that the property next door was probably owned by a Buddhist family or
something. I talked with Pong
today and asked about the monks that I have seen frequently praying next to the
song bird cages in the yard. “That
is my father” Phong said. I asked
whether or not he might come to dinner with us and she replied that the monks
don’t eat after 12pm. Not deterred
I asked if we might be able to have him over for breakfast and I hope that it
happens!
I don’t consider it a coincidence that
a Buddhist monk comes to pray at a Christian orphanage. I will be praying for the rest of the
month that the Lord would work in the lives of the Pongs father and the other
monks. I am confident that the
Lord is going to transform the community and that lives will be changed
forever!!
In terms of ministry, we have been
doing whatever needs to be done around the orphanage and at local schools. Our first day we did yard
work and the
yard was completely transformed!!
This past week we have been doing construction and other projects at a
local school. I have now added,
paint scrapping, painting, scorpion wrangling, sledgehammer wielding, cement
mixing, and tiling to my repertoire of skills!!
Digging up playground equippment to move it.
Painting goals!!
Life
in the orphanage is a tornado of almost constant activity. Everyday we have some new thing that we
are doing and the children are running around playing and learning. Weekdays they go to school, and while
they are at school we partner with different schools meeting needs. It has been an amazing experience to
see the Lord work in the lives of these kids through the generosity and sacrifice
of their parents and volunteers who have gone before us.
Hot and sweaty after working in the Thai sun!
One
of the most pressing needs right now is that the kids need sponsors. There are 15 children here right now
and only one is
fully supported. I
am confident that God can do miracles and I would LOVE to see EVERY CHILD in
this home sponsored in the next two weeks. If you have thought about child sponsorship in the past and
would like to sponsor a child at the Tree of Life Orphanage please visit their
website. I can personally attest
that each of these kids is sweet and so deserving of all that the Lord has for
them. The kids have amazing
talents and giftings ranging from sports to music to acting and everything in
between. I can’t wait to get to
know them even more in the next few weeks!!
