Sawadee! Here are the highlights of what has been going on with us in the last couple of months:
AUGUST
We were busy with preparations for various short term missionary teams visiting ZOE from August through November. Short term missionary teams are a great way for us to meet people from other walks of life who want to serve in some capacity at ZOE for 1 to 2 weeks at a time. We were so looking forward to hosting one of the teams arriving in August because nine of the team members were from Hawaii–and three of them from our church! We filled their time with information about human trafficking, service projects, a village school outreach, and opportunities to get acquainted with Thailand. Maybe next year we can get a team of ten from our church to visit and serve short term.
One of several short term teams we hosted. This was the very first short term team from Japan
My favorite part of hosting these short term teams is going with them on a prevention outreach, usually held at a village or village school to help educate children on the dangers of child trafficking while having fun at the same time. One event may have upwards of 500 students in attendance, I’ve been to one where we hosted almost 700 students. We combine carnival and field games with educational material to help the students retain the information we share. Since we are usually ministering in poorer parts of Northern Thailand, we also distribute goodie bags to every child filled with food, slippers and other necessities.
Our staff with another short term team…recognize anyone from Hawaii?
Also, as many of you already know, Lori-Ann’s mother passed away peacefully in Chiang Mai on August 6 at the age of 86. So in August we returned to Hawaii for a couple of weeks to join the rest of Lori-Ann’s family in preparation for Mom’s memorial. Lori-Ann’s brother, Newton, and I were among the last to join the family as we completed the arduous journey of escorting Lori-Ann’s father back to Hawaii from Thailand. Dad and Mom have been residing in Chiang Mai for the last three years and, as a survivor of five strokes, Dad is unable to do most physical tasks. It’s a good thing Newton is a CNA otherwise we might not have been successful in bringing Dad back in one piece 🙂 It was a special time of being together as a family and celebrating Mom’s life.
Beginning the journey back to Hawaii with Dad
SEPTEMBER
ZOE enjoys a great relationship with the Royal Thai Police, and we had the privilege of preparing for and hosting a week-long training course for them (and for our own security staff). Five law enforcement officers with over 100 years of collective experience flew in from California and generously donated their time and expertise for this event. By the end of the training there was such a spirit of camaraderie between the Thai and U.S. police, we ended on a high note with a fun karaoke dinner together. They do love their karaoke here!
In September two at-risk children and five trafficked children were rescued and are staying at ZOE right now. They are receiving great care, encouragement and support as determinations are made regarding the next steps for them. They may be returning home, or going to a government shelter, or staying with us. Each child’s situation is different and we take the utmost care to do what is best for each of these precious ones.
The ZOE team continues to do outreaches throughout the year to educate children regarding Human Trafficking.
Another outreach at a village where 200 student were in attendance from grades 1-12.
OCTOBER
The Child Rescue Center that I support underwent a major restructure that started at the beginning of October to reflect our goal to have the local staff take the reins of leadership at ZOE. There’s been lots of meetings during the transition but this is such an important milestone for all of us!
We continue to progress in our Thai language studies…thank you for your prayers in this regard. While Lori-Ann’s grasp of the vocabulary is stronger than mine, for the first time I am able to comprehend about 70% of my conversations with the locals. That feels awesome!
We also currently enjoy attending Kingdom Life Church with our ZOE family where I’ve signed up to be on rotation with the security crew.
Worshipping at Kingdom Life Church
We ask for continued prayers as we serve here in Thailand. Please also let us know how we can be praying for you and your family.
