February 18
At church on Sunday morning, as soon as one of the Agape girls saw Steve, she ran over for a hug. The wai is the normal welcome in Thai, but we are finding many people enjoy a hug.
Sunday morning pre-service had our staff recapping our experiences and messages from our Kid's Camp day! During the service, we had a chance to hand out more of our senior care packages in memory of my dad. Then Mom spoke with Gan translating. She tied together the threads from the week and called our Thai family to continue to press into all God has for them. Her love for the people here rings out in every sentence! She asked them to listen for their unique purpose and called them to share God's love with those who are still working and striving to feel valued. People were invited to come to the front to have their feet anointed to move into their purpose. I placed a dot of Valor essential oil on their feet as we prayed for each one.
The church prepares a meal for all who come each Sunday and we ate together in a hall at the back of the building or outside under umbrella-covered tables. We knew that this would be our last good-bye to some of the church people until our next trip.
We didn't linger too much after lunch because we had to get back to the ministry centre to prepare for guests arriving. We hosted a dedication of the Agape Home and Ministry Centre as spaces for safe shelter, hosting and working on Mighty Oaks daily operations. Gan, Noii, Tum and David put many hours into preparations. David and crew set up chairs for 130 and we were delighted when every chair was filled under the rented tents for shade. The children gathered on the porch in the cool shade. Gan had been personally messaging people for weeks to invite them.
Many sponsored families, teachers from the local school, pastors from the villages and supporters from the earliest visioning for Mighty Oaks traveled in for this special day. It was fun to show people around the centre and celebrate together how far God has brought this grassroots ministry to help protect vulnerable children from exploitation. So many graduates came and thanked Mom for the chance to follow through with an education and have opportunities to rise out of poverty into a secure future. I enjoyed meeting them and hearing their stories.
Pastor Jaroon, Mom and Steve did an official ribbon cutting during the celebration. The Agape Girls led a few songs with Gan and Tum. Several of the pastors that are on our Mighty Oak Tree Board in Thailand spoke and led the group in prayers of thanks. The pastors prayed over the people that live and work on the property daily. Then Mom and Steve shared final words of thanks and dreams for the future with those who gathered to continue this important work together!
I soaked in story after story as Mom moved among the crowd to greet old friends and surprise guests. It took three photos to capture photos of all who came.
I was able to show my sponsor child, Nat, the photos of family we left up from our Celebration of Dad's life the week before. It was great to have a translator so we could talk. Nat asked for prayer for her studies as she works hard at school. She is a sweetheart. I invited she and her friend to take one last photo with me. I gave her a gift at the camp the day before. It was fun to encourage her artistic side and offer her an essential oil and bracelet to help calm stress.
As people gradually left, we said fond farewells with our hearts full of gratitude for this Thai family we have gained. Mom and Dad's retirement project has been so transformative in this area as their step of faith was met by God's provision and care for each of these. We look forward to what God will do through these people of Northern Thailand in the years to come.
After a quiet hour where we focused on packing for the trip back to Chiang Mai and making sure any last gifts were left to our staff, we had a farewell dinner with the MOT staff and the Agape girls! Gan and David had a few more surprises planned. After dinner, we moved upstairs to the beautiful sunset views from the balcony.
The staff and the girls shared gifts that they put on us! A Thai scarf, purse, fan, necklace! So lovely! We also had gifts we had carried from home and purchased in Thailand to hand out to all!
Then the Agape girls had a dance and song they performed for us and the staff had choreographed moves to a song together to perform. Then we went around the circle and shared any last words we wanted to say. It was an emotional time! Dada could hardly speak as she talked about her grandparent's deaths and how MOT (Mighty Oak Tree is the name of the Thailand Foundation) had become her family. The girls all expressed how grateful they were to have a home together that was safe and gave them the chance to learn and grow together.
The staff then spoke and talked of how much they have learned by working with my parents. Many of them had not understood grace until they had to tenderly deal with tough situations that arose among our sponsored students. My parent's and Steve's heart for the children guided their decisions to allow second chances when that would not have been a normal response in Thai culture. They all mentioned Mom, Dad and Steve's example of servanthood leadership and Christ-like compassion.
Our Canadian team then took a chance to share what was on our heart. I was struck by how in such a short time God had inscribed each of their names on my heart. I knew I would continue to pray for them and hold them in my affection. Mom isn't sure how many more trips she will get to make as she approaches 80 next year. Her words for each one were both a call and a blessing.
Our Thai family then prayed for our Canadian team, and then we prayed for them. It was a meaningful exchange. It really felt like the perfect closure before heading back to Chiang Mai on Monday!
January 19:
We left early in the morning for Chiang Mai. I enjoyed the mountain scenery again as we wound our way South.
We had a nap at the hotel before heading to the night market to pick up any last gifts to bring home with us. We are on our last lap now as we leave for the airport tomorrow. Steve will be staying an extra week after getting us set up for our flight. We will be able to share in person soon! February 17:
Friday was Gan and David's Anniversary! In our devotion time in the morning, David started the sharing about what we are thankful for with reflections about how wonderful it is to have a partner that is his best friend who draws out the best in him. We had a great time talking, singing and praying together! I really appreciate this team!
After worship time, we largely spent the day doing last preparations for our weekend events. Our team and the Mighty Oaks Staff are hosting a camp on Saturday for all our sponsor children and their friends. We decided to do a Music and Drama Camp using the story of the Prodigal Son. Mom and David will lead the artistic campers who want to create props and backdrops. Sylvia and Air will work with the group of actors to tell the story using the script and costumes Sylvia prepared ahead. Noy, Tum and I are working together with the music group to create the score for the play. We sat in our groups after a worship and prayer time together in the morning to clarify our plans and identify any missing resources.
On Sunday we are hosting the area Mighty Oaks families and church leaders to come to the ministry center after church. Gan and some of the Agape girls put together beautiful flower arrangements for the event. Thailand has so many flowers that it is the natural way to decorate.
We had a special celebratory lunch together in honour of Gan and David. Gan and Noy did most of the cooking! It was awesome! Mom bought Gan a sweater that matched her own - so we insisted on a photo!
By late afternoon we had accomplished all the physical preparations at the church and centre. We took the evening off and I spent time trying to refine my talk for the camp evening and then catching up on our blog! Mom helped me with the details.
February 18
What a full and amazing day! We expected around 60 children and youth to attend our camp and had over 85!
We met the campers and they learned our theme for the day and our theme song: Give Me Jesus. You can hear it in Thai at this link - ข้าต้องการพระเยซู (Give me Jesus) - Bright Romance Live Moment - 030222 - YouTube
We then divided into groups of more than twenty campers each. We weren't sure how this would work but we were looking forward to seeing what we could put together in a couple of hours!
The artistic group talked about dividing into teams that would work on backdrops, signs, fake food for the feast and large props like a doorway to the Father's house.
The drama group identified cast members and dancers as they ran through the script.
And our music team identified instrumentalists as we talked through the transitions that we could use music to create the atmosphere and the party music. Tum taught a song that he wrote to the instrumentalists while Noy walked through the story of the prodigal with the rest of the group. Then we taught them the vocals for the play.
I worked with the dancers to help them picture how they could move to the song we had prepared.
Then we put our pieces together to see how it worked!
The result was a really fun version of the lost son with ownership from all the children! And that was all before lunch!
After lunch we did a dress rehearsal and then the campers had an afternoon of games.
David drove us Canadians back to the ministry centre for a break before the evening events! After dinner, we put on our production as a camp for parents, volunteers and one another! Every actor had memorized their lines, the song was really solid and the props were way beyond what I imagined! It was a great experience of what we can do when we work together!
When the children settled after a wonderful job of telling the story of the lost son from Luke 15, Sylvia shared a personal reflection about her own experience of a child who had gone her own way but then was restored to a wonderful life.
Tum and the worship team led a great music and prayer time.
After that, I spoke with Gan's translation about unconditional love and God's desire to restore all of us to our true selves through the cross. We then had time to write down something that got in the way of God's best for us - a limiting belief, a bad decision that we needed to repair, or anything that hindered us from living out of fullness - and brought them to the cross. We had a great prayer time and finished the night with worship.
It was a full day but we all felt so great about having our first kid's camp in four years! The kids had a great day connecting and making beautiful memories. I was so proud of our leadership team from Fang. They really shone! It was also a pleasure to see the pastors from the area churches bringing in their truck loads of children! Their care and involvement in the children's lives was obvious! There are good things happening in Northern Thailand! We are excited about what the future hold for these sponsored children and hope to see many more children have a chance to thrive!
February 15:
Wednesday morning we were scheduled to meet with the English department from Fang's State School where Mom has often been invited to teach before. Sylvia and Mom are retired teachers and I homeschooled for seventeen years, so teaching is a passion we share. Sylvia organized our materials for the day. We introduced Canadian seasons, geography and Random Acts of Kindness day to two groups of English students.
We were warmly greeted and ushered into a computer room where they had projection set up. Then Mom lit up as a long time friend ran to hug her. Pom has been teaching at this school for many years. A long time ago, she got to know Mom over some deep conversations outside of the classroom. Mom had the opportunity to lead her to know Jesus. Mom shared scripture with Pom around an issue they were discussing and then felt prompted to give her favourite study bible to Pom. She spent all night reading from it. She met Mom the next day with exuberance that the bible was riveting and she couldn't put it down. She and Mom have felt a deep connection ever since. And shortly after Mom returned from the mission trip, she was given a bible just like the one she gave away. God is cool that way.
In true teacher style, we had the students repeat phrases after us and insert their own information to teach us about Thailand. Mom is holding up a winter scene to see if they can identify the seasons after her lesson.
The second class posed with us and then we shared a lunch with the English staff. It was fun to sit around a table with people who spoke our language fairly well. Our conversations were able to flow easily with such interested and caring communicators. Their students did well with the language and it was a pleasure to spend time at this school where some of our sponsor children attend.
Wednesday afternoon was unstructured. I was ready for a Sabbath day and took the afternoon to rest before we shared a dinner with Gan, David, Beulah, and Tum. Gan was starting to feel a sore throat so they headed home for rest. They have so much translation and leadership, that we were glad to release them to some recovery time. We would really appreciate your prayers for health and strength.
After dinner, Sylvia wanted to see if the Agape girls were busy. Mom, Steve, Sylvia and I knocked on the door of our closest neighbours. We were invited in to find that we had interrupted dinner and the girls were heading to bible study soon. So we wished them a great evening and went out to enjoy the Mighty Oaks property!
There is a great campfire pit and volleyball court across from the Agape Home. You can see the ministry centre where we are staying in the background.
The staff and girls have done an amazing job of raised garden beds. They grow their own lettuce, cilantro, squash, ferns, pumpkins, peppers and a few other plants I couldn't identify.
This shelter on the property is a sturdy and welcome cover from the hot sun. You can see the haze in the background of the photo from nearby burning that leaves a campfire smell in the air. We are looking forward to rain in the forecast for Thursday to clear the air.
This is a view of the property from the road. The ministry centre is the first building you see with the Agape girls home safely tucked behind it at the back of the property.
February 16:
We had the opportunity to meet the different pastors and see the churches who partner with Mighty Oaks by identifying students among their congregations that are at risk. They encourage the families and keep in touch with the needs of their church community while Gan, David, Noy and Tum check in on our students regularly. We have over 160 students currently in our sponsorship program. Over the twenty years we have been in Fang, we have had over 370 students.
At our first stop, Mom was drawn to an elderly woman sitting on a blanket whose eyesight seemed poor. She spoke with her through Gan's amazing translation abilities. The woman was much younger than Mom but had less opportunities for medical care. God was tugging on Mom's heart to do more for seniors in our communities. We left our senior care package, some t-shirts and some dolls with this church family.
This church was built in the past three years and was simple and beautiful as a gathering place for the Lahu hilltribe people and other neighbours that surround it. The view of the mountains was stunning from the second floor balcony. They are raising corn, chickens and small garden produce on the property.
Our second stop was with another pastor and his wife whose congregation is largely Lahu and Chinese. They had tea and oranges on the table to welcome us. We had a great conversation with these church leaders that care for several of our sponsored children and families.
They smiled often and showed us the 'bell' they use to call their congregation in for worship. We had time to pray together. They asked for prayer for the older children and teens who begin to drift away from church.
The third church we visited had outgrown the original church building which was repurposed as a home for the pastor's family. The pastor's wife had a kidney stone that she asked prayer for. Her husband is scheduled to leave soon to go to Chiang Rai for a conference and she needs to be in good health to care for their children while he is away. An elder member of the church asked for prayer for her knees which are swollen and sore. I applied some essential oils as we prayed over our new friends. We left gifts of dolls, backpacks, shirts and an elder care package.
Below is the new building they are now gathering in.
We stopped at the home of relatives of one of our Agape girls and one who is joining the girls home soon. We missed the family but had other encounters that made this an interesting stop.
We met this mother of six who was wearing her sleeping two month old. She was adorable and looked well cared for! Her mother held an umbrella over both of them to shade them from the noon sun. We shared with her some beautifully dressed dolls donated for this trip.
At the first house on the laneway, Mom was drawn to another senior woman who could barely walk, yet her property looked well maintained and she had a variety of plants drying on mats around the yard. Mom was struck by the bamboo pole the woman used to hobble around. She wondered if it would be beneficial to provide a walker for her. We left her with a care package.
We got back to the ministry centre just as the rain began. We divided into groups to prepare for our busy camp weekend. I am speaking on Saturday evening to the children and youth at the camp so needed time to narrow my thoughts and pass them on to Gan so she knows what is coming up for translation. The rain was heavy mixed with some hail and the power went out. Thankfully, my battery on my laptop was fully charged and I was able to finish editing my talk. The rest of the team was helping prepare props and costumes for our Music and Drama Camp where we will be performing a version of the Lost Son story from Luke 15. Mom was polishing off her talk for Sunday morning worship.
After the rain, the mountains were more visible. The haze of smoke was gone and the air smelled sweet and fresh. The colours were more brilliant as if the earth was cleansed. Just one more prep day before our camp!
February 14th
We started the day with worship and prayer with the Mighty Oaks Staff at the ministry centre. Gan and David brought a little gift of chocolate for each team member and a blossom from their tree. It was a lovely beginning to the day! Then we organized gifts to bring to one of the hill tribe villages where some of our sponsor children are from. At my the Celebration of Life for my Dad, we had donations given to honour his life. It was that money we used to bless seniors in Thailand. We presented some food gifts to the seniors in the village along with the donation. We shared t-shirts with the villagers and gave dolls to the children that were home because they are too young to go to school. The dolls have exquisite dresses made by some of our sponsors.
Pastor Sirachi and his wife have been active in caring for this village community for many years. The people spend much of their time outside under an awning they erected to enjoy time together. Steve was instructed to be seated there.
Most of the people in the village speak Burmese. So when Steve and Mom spoke, Gan translated to Pastor Sirachi in Thai and then he translated it into Burmese.
The pastor and his wife live simply with bedrolls on the floor with a mosquito net over them since the ceilings are left open to allow airflow. There is an outdoor toilet shared between a few families.
The two pigs that were donated to help with food insecurity have become a successful enterprise. Two pens grew to eleven with 5 large sows and several pens of 1-3 month old piglets. The piglets can be sold to bring income into the village.
We visited the home of Bo, one of the Agape girls who moved into Fang to go to the State school which offers a much higher standard of education than the village area. Bo helps with the younger girls in Agape home driving them to school and helping them with whatever is needed until the house mother, Pree returns home from teaching. In the village, Bo's Mom proudly displayed her three room home with one bedroom for Bo's siblings and one for her parents next to the cooking room with a small cooking area on the floor. Bo's Mom is wearing one of the t-shirts we brought to share! 
The water filtration system has been upgraded and the gardens have grown over a larger area and look healthy and prosperous.
They fed us lunch in a communal eating area. My husband would be proud of me for branching out into new vegetables and flavours! I don't ask too many questions. Everything was delicious or 'aroy' in Thai. 
The community reflects a deep love and concern for one another, a generous hospitality for guests and a deep abiding faith and trust in God to meet their needs and make them a blessing to those whose lives they touch. They offered to pray for us before we left. They pray all at once with their voices mingling with ours in three languages. 
They gifted us each with a hand crafted bag with their unique tribal influence made by the pastor's wife. 
And then of course we had to gather all of us into the photo!
We formed a great bond with these loving friends. We are pleased that they are finding ways to thrive as refugees living on the mountainside without the benefits of Thai citizenship. They have shown a beautiful resilience and reflect God's love in the way they live.
As we drove away, I snapped a few photos of the houses that are still reed matting and tin. I hope they hold up well in the rainy season that is coming soon.
I also enjoyed seeing how bamboo grows in the area!
The orange groves are beautiful as we drive along.
After lunch, Sylvia's sponsor child's mother came over to meet with us. It was an emotional meeting. Sylvia sponsored Meow all the way through to a post secondary education. But she started to show signs of ill health in her last few years of school. She graduated and gained a position working in Bangkok in the government. Her mother was so proud. But just a month after starting her job, she was admitted to hospital for a long fight with liver cancer. Meow's mom shared her memories of that time and the photo's of Meow as she declined. She was the first of the Mighty Oak's children to pass away. It has been a year and a few months, but Meow's mom has been heart broken and unable to work. She asked us to pray with her and before we knew it, Gan was helping her to ask Jesus to be her guide and help as she chooses life again. 
We had some down time before our plan to meet the Agape girls and MOGI staff for a Valentine's dinner. Our team wrote an encouragement on Valentine cards for each staff and presented them each with a box of chocolates that survived the trip in our checked baggage. Sylvia brought a large box of chocolates that went to the Agape girls.
The girls dragged IQ into a Thai dance they prepared to share with us. Then they brought heart stickers to put on all our shirts as a sign of care. The staff led us outside to launch rice paper lanterns into the dark night sky.
Our team felt like we had really captured the spirit of loving one another on this unique Valentine's Day!
I ended the day with a call to Lance and enjoyed a chance to hear how things are going at home. We celebrated Valentine's with a dinner out before I left on this amazing adventure. I felt badly for not being home while Lance recovers from a gum graft surgery and Andrew is not feeling well. I passed along my best treatment ideas and explained where to find them. I asked our team to pray for them both this morning. I'd love it if you would pray for them on the home front!
I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's day!
February 13:
This morning was focused on relaxing with the staff and getting to know them better while Mom and Steve shared some special locations around Fang. We enjoyed a hike around Fang's hot springs where Gan demonstrated that it was hot enough to boil eggs! The geyser was impressive to watch but I was most impressed by the kindness of the staff as they looked out for Mom on the uneven paths, helped her up steps and wanted to share the beauty of Creation with us. They are also really fun! They are quick to laugh and it is a joy to see the fondness and camaraderie that has developed between them. We are so blessed to have such a talented, pure-hearted group to mentor and lead the children and family ministry in Fang!
Steve and David went straight to the hot tubs for men. It is great to see how they care for each other and dream about the future of Mighty Oaks. I'm proud of Steve for his willingness to take on leadership as CEO of MOGI. He has transitioned the ministry into the digital age while still keeping Mom closely involved at the heart of every decision as he learns from her about the connections she and Dad built over the last twenty-two years.
Mom and I had a soak in the mineral hot spring tub for women. We were the only ones there and loved the feel of the water on our skin as the warmth soothed some sore muscles. It felt like an awesome Epsom Salt bath that never grows cold!
Mom wants to share with Sylvia and me all the places that she has enjoyed with Dad over the years. This bridge and waterfall are a perfect stop for a picnic and some photos. We also changed to meet one of the parents of a sponsored child working there on the grounds. Mom enjoyed talking with him through Gan's translation.
We drove through one of the first villages where education sponsorships began. As we were passing by the school, Gan tapped the side of the truck from the back where she sat with the rest of the staff to alert David to stop. A dear friend who teaches at that school was on her lunch break and Gan knew she would want to see Mom.
Pam was teaching at the school in 2004 and chose from the students those most in need of support. Fourteen children were selected and seated on the floor of the Principal's office as Mom and Dad met with the principal. All fourteen were sponsored within a very short time of that meeting by churches in Peterborough and Brantford. Pam and Mom displayed obvious affection for one another as Mom recounted how Pam and her husband had hosted my parents in their home during the early years of discerning how they could be a blessing to Thailand in their retirement years.
While Mom and Pam were talking, a group of girls started to call "hello" to us in English. We began to talk to them but my limited Thai and their limited English made for a short conversation. I asked if they wanted their picture taken. They got excited and posed for me and then I showed the picture to them. Uniforms are standard for teachers and students in Thailand. This is one of the fees that is important to be able to assist with to help children stay in school.
At the gate of the school, one of the trees had an orchid wired onto the side to allow it to grow. I had never seen this before coming to Thailand, but the orchids here are lush and have so many blooms on them!
Often during their trips to Thailand, Mom has assisted teams in creating English lessons to bring into the classroom to share some Canadian culture. This allowed the children to hear Canadian English pronunciation. Teams have been to this school where the sponsorships began many times.
After the school visit, we had lunch together with the staff before heading over to the Thai version of Costco to pick up supplies for food gift baskets for vulnerable seniors in the church and gift bags for the children's camp on Saturday. We filled four shopping carts with food, toothbrushes and pens to give. The staff still managed to fit in the back of the truck with the supplies!
We got right to work filling the bags for the children. What an efficient team! Gan also added Christian education materials to each bag before they were stapled and ready to give away! We made more than 180 bags!
Mom and Sylvia worked on the gift baskets for the seniors and then sorted the dolls, t-shirts and other items that had been donated in Brantford and brought to Thailand to bless the children here. We will go to one of the Hill tribe villages tomorrow where many of our sponsor children live.
This is for the seniors. There are about 20 that will be grateful for a care package!
Tonight we ordered pizza that tasted more like home! Fang has many more options than when my parents first began travelling here! We played a card game with David, Gan and Tum after dinner. It was fun to laugh and have fun together.
I'm heading to bed tired but so grateful!
