Swimming

Hello~

As I mentioned in my last blog, I took the kids swimming on Monday the 12th and it was a blast. The community pool is within walking distance of the house and it is very reasonably priced. You can swim and eat food if you want. It was a great afternoon.

The kids start school tomorrow and the excursions will be limited to the weekends only. They have gotten settled in the house and with a few minor exceptions, there will not be any "major" events to report. This means there will be longer periods of time between blogs but I will be sure to report on their progress at school and other activities. For now, enjoy our day at the pool.

Cool cat- Ahmorntep 

Tin and Ahmorntep 

Palita and Ahmorntep 

Such fun splashing away 

All of the kids having fun 

The pure joy of swimming 

Till next time.....

God Bless,
Heather

New Pick Up

Good morning from Chiang Rai~

Last week we were able to accomplish one of our recently set goals by getting a pick up for the home so the children could be transported to and from school, church, outings and going to the market. With the help of Pastor Prathuan at Bethany Children's Home, we were able to find an eight year old Mazda Freedom Cab in very good shape. A Freedom cab has the second set of doors that swing outward so the kids can climb behind the driver and passenger if they need to. Big accompanied me to see the pick up and he was very meticulous when looking it over. He wanted to make sure it was money well spent and that we didn't get ripped off. It had a couple of minor issues but he got the sellers guarantee that the issues would be fixed at no cost to us and then he approved the purchase.

We picked it up from the shop on Thursday, May 8th and before we took it, Big took it out for a drive to make sure the issues he wanted to have corrected were done properly. All was well so we took it home. After we arrived home, the entire family along with our friends went outside and blessed the truck. The prayers were for safe travels and safety for everyone who ever rode in it and a long life of service for the pick up. Prayers were offered by both Big and our friend, Jermsak.

The following day, Big called and asked if he could take the kids to a waterfall. Of course the answer was yes. I thought it was cute that he called and asked me. They all loaded into the truck and off they went. Big took lots of pictures and when they came home, he showed them to me. Unfortunately, his camera card is way too big for my computer and I don't have the adaptor so I don't have any pictures. I am going to see if I can find the adaptor for his card. After the waterfall, they came to get the washing machine from the apartment and moved it over to the new house. I joined them for dinner and noticed some nice additions to the front yard when I arrived. Big brought several plants from his old home and added them to the front yard. He is working hard at making a home for everyone. They have even started a small vegetable garden out by the kitchen in the back.

Plants along the front balcony

Showing smaller plants along the front wall

On Monday, May 12th, Big took the pick up to the shop and got it measured for the cover. The cover is necessary for transporting the children in the rainy season. It will have a window in the front over the cab for ventilation along with side windows. There will be seats inside that I believe will fold up so he can load larger items inside. It will be done at the end of May so watch for pictures of that. Later in the afternoon on the 12th I took the kids to the community pool and what fun they had. Pictures of that will be in the next blog. They have today and Wednesday to be free and then it is back to school until October.

With each passing day, I feel more and more blessed with the choice we made in hiring Big and his family. I visit daily and the children are all happy. The boys go fishing with Big, the girls help take care of Yim and Fon paints their nails. Big is the "master" chef and Fon and the girls delight in helping him.

The most enduring thing is that the entire group now calls me Mom. In this journey I went from being mom to to Vannessa and my five nieces and nephews to being a mom for nine additional people. How much more could one ever ask for?

Till next time.....

God Bless,
Heather

Nittaya's 13th Birthday

Wednesday, May 7th was Nittaya's 13th birthday and I am not sure who was looking forward to it more, Palita or Nittaya. Palita was so excited that Nittaya's birthday was coming all she could talk about was cake and presents.

Palita and I told Big about the birthday and how we wanted to do something special and make it a surprise. He was all for it. On the big day, Big, Fon and Palita took the car and went into town. Big told me it was for something special and then simply smiled. They were gone quite a long time. So long that I began to wonder if something had happened to them. But they eventually returned.

When they got to the house, Fon took Nittaya upstairs and kept her occupied so Palita could sneak in the cake. She was so excited. Then we unloaded the car which had all the makings of the glorious bar-b-que that I have grown very fond of. Once everything was inside, Nittaya was allowed to come down. Big, Fon, Palita and I (yes, me) started making things for dinner. Palita instructed me on how to wash the noodles, the mushrooms and the lettuce. She praised me every step of the way with
"Good job Mom." It was fun getting everything together for dinner. Occasionally Palita had to asked Nittaya how to do something but that was the extent of Nittaya's involvement in the preparation.

After all the food was ready, Big started the fire and we all sat outside under the covered patio and had dinner. Big, Fon, Palita and Nittaya all helped cook the meat and put the vegetables in the broth. But there was something missing...... We were eating and I asked Palita where the noodles were. She gave me a quizzical look and Big translated for her. She looked at me in surprise and jumped up to get them. She is so cute. We ate and ate and ate. Our friends Jermsak and his family arrived and we all sang Happy Birthday to Nittaya and out came the cake. Palita took great care when she carried it outside. It was Mickey Mouse...... Nittaya loves Mickey Mouse. It was the most delicious cake and we all had huge pieces. Ahmorntep actually had two big pieces of cake. He was covered from head to toe with frosting.

It was a great day with the kids. They played in the yard, washed the car when it came back from the market and then we gathered for dinner. They all seem very happy and content in the house with Big and Fon. I hope they have many more of these wonderful days ahead of them. I am certain that birthday's will always be something special for them.

Washing the car mats 

Happy Birthday Nittaya

Tin and Ahmorntep playing in the yard 

Nittaya enjoying her cake

Blowing out the candles 

More cake 

Scrubbing away

Palita enjoying the dinner 

Nom, Tin and Ahmorntep 

Cleaning the inside of the car 

Till next time...........

God Bless,
Heather

A New Direction

Hello all~

The after shocks from the earthquake on May 6th seemed to have subsided as I didn't feel any yesterday during the day or last night. I am thankful for that as I was able to get a good night's sleep. Feel refreshed today. There are several districts here in the Chiang Rai province that have been declared disaster areas and the government is helping them repair buildings and roadways damaged by the quake. Seems like business as usual here in my neighborhood. The roof tiles on the house have been repaired and the children are fine. Thank you for all of your well wishes, thoughts and prayers over the past few days. We are all grateful for them.

There have been lots of changes to our operation during my furlough and since I have returned. The changes are based on a number of different factors and we believe they will be the very best for the children we are supporting here in Chiang Rai.

You may recall that when I first decided to come over here, I was planning on living here full time and spending most of my time here in Thailand. In the months since I have been here, I have changed my mind. There are a number of different reasons for this and it would take a lot of time to explain it all to you in the blog, so I will highlight just a few.

Now that I think about my decision in hindsight I am not certain why I never realized the affect this move would have on me in terms of my family. As many of you know, my family is my life blood and even though I have new members here, I simply cannot get over the ever present ache for those I left back home. I miss them all desperately. Most days when I can stay busy, the void is filled with the activities of the children and the home, but it is at night when I am alone that I feel the ache the strongest.

Even with all of my attempts to integrate into the "family" here, I am still treated as someone special. The way the Thai's are raised makes it impossible for them to treat me like one of them and they will always treat me differently. I bear no ill will towards them, it just makes it more difficult for me when they will not allow me to do things to keep me and my mind occupied. Without something to do, the ache for home rears its ugly head.

The need to have a male presence in the lives of the two young boys became more and more evident with each day. They need to have a male role model around to help them learn the proper way to behave and become productive men in Thai society. The girls need to become productive young ladies in the Thai society as well. After having conversations with our friends here in Chiang Rai who are Thai and who run a very successful home, I learned we needed to have someone with the children to help teach them the way a good Thai citizen should be. We needed a couple to raise the children so they could have both a male and female influence on them and not just the female. While we all loved Maurethai and are forever grateful for her hard work while she was with us, she could not fill the void in the boys lives.

While I was on furlough we had many discussions about the path forward for our children's home and after much thought we decided to hire a couple and move the children to a different house to live with the couple.

During the time I was back in the United States, our friend searched for a house and found one right before I returned. So the day after I got back, I headed out with him to look at the house and I loved it. It is off the busy street, has three bedrooms, one for the girls, one for the boys and one for the house parents and their two girls. It has a gated front yard with a covered drive and lots of windows with screens on them. The screens are so important because they can open the windows and not let the bugs in. It is so much cooler inside the new home than it is here at the old place. It has a balcony on the lower level leading to the yard and one off of the Master bedroom. There is an indoor and outdoor kitchen and lots of storage space in the indoor kitchen. There are two bathrooms. One upstairs and one down. There is even a bathtub in the one upstairs. The three best features of the home are: The yard where the kids can play. The quiet street around the house where they can finally get bicycles and ride around and last but not least, the community swimming pool.

Moving In

Upstairs Balcony

Indoor Kitchen 

Master Bedroom 

Cleaning the chairs in the living room

The house parents we have hired are a lovely family of four. They all use nicknames so they are Big, Fon, Nom and Yim. Big is the father and he speaks fairly good English so he and I can communicate pretty well. When I have trouble understanding I just look at him and he asks if I understand and when I say "No" he tries again. It may take two or three tries but eventually we get it communicated. Fon is his wife who speaks very little English but she is trying to learn from me. Nom is their 10 year old daughter and she is a sweetheart. She speaks a little English as well. Yim is the baby. She is 7 months old and she is adorable. All of the children seem to love her as the girls take turns helping care for her and the boys will make faces and play with her when she is sitting on the floor with mom.  Big is a kind and gentle man, who already appears to have a calming and wonderful affect on the boys. This past Sunday we went to church and he had the two boys sitting with him and they sat there during the entire service which is a miracle. In the past when I have gone to church with the kids, the boys have been allowed to run around after Sunday school and create mischief. I was amazed at seeing them sitting there with him. Fon is a hard worker and she gets along well with the girls. All of them keep the house very clean and they take care of things. I am positive that we made the right choice in selecting Big and Fon as the parents. They are kind and gentle souls and I love to see how quickly the children have taken to them.

Big cutting Ahmorntep's hair 

Cutting Tin's hair

All of us- Nom is sitting to the right of Vannessa, Big is next to Nom, Fon and Yim are behind Nom 

Palita and Yim 

After moving them into the house, we went to get a new pick-up truck for them. We found a Mazda Freedom Cab that will work perfect for them. Big can take the kids to school and use the truck for shopping and other chores. A Freedom Cab has the two cab doors that open to the seats directly behind the driver. The kids can climb in there or ride in the back. The next project will be to get a cover for the back so the kids can ride back there in the rain and not get wet. We have a few weeks to to that.

Palita and Big in the new pick up

So….. what is happening to me? I am currently in the old apartment and will stay here during the summer when I will have many visitors and volunteers coming to help out. June 2, 2014 two of my nieces arrive for a visit and while they are here, two young college aged girls will arrive. The two college girls will be staying with me until August 1, 2014 and doing lots of volunteer work. One is using this experience as an internship for her school. They have lots of fun activities planned and we will certainly put them to work on helping us make improvements to the house. It is dingy inside so we are going to add a fresh coat of paint to brighten it up. One of the girls said she loved to paint which is good since I am not so fond of it.  The girls and I will stay here at the apartment during the day when the kids are in school except when we are doing work at the house and then go over every evening for dinner and spend time with the kids. They all start back to school on May 15th and will go until October. We will spend most of the time on the weekends at the house doing activities and fun things with the kids. Perhaps soon you will see a picture of me riding bicycles with them……

I have decided not to stay here full time so after the girls leave in August, I will be going back to the United States. My plan is to work part-time, go to school for non-profit management, fund raise for the project, and then travel back to Thailand three to four times a year to check in and visit with the family here. I need to take on more of a directors role and let Big and Fon be the parents and that is what I will be doing. I will have regular communication with Big and get regular updates which I will share with you. After much thought and consideration, I know this is the best for everyone. The children are Thai and they need to be raised as such. The most important thing for the group is to be there to support them financially and emotionally. We have provided them with a house, good daily food, the ability to go to school and a sense of security. That is what we need to continue for them. I ask that you all continue to support this project even when I am back in the United States because the children will still need us. It is our hope to eventually add more children to the home and at that time, the need for support will be greater than ever.

Yesterday was Nittaya's 13th birthday and we had a wonderful celebration for her. Big went out of his way to make it a special day. More on that tomorrow.

Until next time…….

God Bless,
Heather

Earthquake

This isn't the first blog that I wanted to publish but it is the biggest story of my time here so far.

Yesterday evening, May 5, 2014 at 6:00 GMT +7 there was a 6.0 magnitude earthquake. The epicenter was located in the Phan district which is approximately 16 miles south of Chiang Rai where I am. It was a shallow quake, about 7.4 kilometers from the surface.

I was at the movies with a friend on the fourth floor of a shopping mall when everything started violently shaking and swaying back and forth. We exited the theater and there was a wonderful young man who was also at the movie who took it upon himself to ensure that we got out ok. He went as far as to take my hand and lead my friend and I to the exit and make sure we were fine and on our way out before he left go. When we got outside, we were able to find him again and thanked him profusely for taking such good care of us. There was no panic, no pushing and shoving. Just an orderly exit out the door and down several flights of stairs.

I contacted the kids at home and learned they were all ok and there was only minor damage to some roofing tiles that fell off. No cracks in the walls or anything broken. They were all ok. After dinner we turned in for the night but at least for me, sleep was not in the plans. I had a very restless night because of the after shocks. The news reported there were more than 100 after shocks ranging in magnitude of slightly below 3.0 to 5.2. The 5.2 shock was the morning and it shook so hard, I ran down the stairs and quickly exited the house in my pajama's. Those of us not used to events such as this were on edge for most of the day. We did not experience any additional after shocks after the large one early this morning.

I read reports this evening that one person died and more than 20 were injured because of the quake. The death and injuries occurred in the Mae Lao district which is between Chiang Rai and the Phan district. One of the major treasures here in Chiang Rai, the White Temple was damaged but the extent has not been released.

I am hoping for a quiet night so I can rest as I am exhausted after not sleeping well at all. I am grateful for God's protection over all of us here in Chiang Rai. The children and all of my friends are safe tonight because of his grace.

Until next time…..

God Bless,

Heather

Songkran- Thai New Year

I made it back to Chiang Rai just in time to take part of my first Songkran Festival….

The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water upon others. Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns. In addition, many Thais will have small bowls of beige colored talc sold cheaply and mixed with water which is then smeared on the faces and bodies of random passersby as a blessing for the new year. Sometimes this talc is mixed with menthol. It is very common to have groups of Thais post themselves at the side of roads or corners of intersections with garden hoses or large new plastic trash cans filled with water (typically ice cold) that is used to drench sidewalkers and random vehicles (taxis, cars, motorcycles, tuk tuks) that come within watering range. Songkran is traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends, neighbors, and monks. The songkran festival is counted as a new life festivity in which many around the world take part in, but mostly focused in the country of Thailand.

Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran as a Buddhist festival may also go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines as well as Buddha images at monasteries by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance (Thai: น้ำอบไทย) over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such asChiang Mai, the Buddha images from all of the city's important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually 'bathing' the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats. In northern Thailand, people may carry handfuls of sand to their neighborhood monastery in order to recompense the dirt that they have carried away on their feet during the rest of the year. The sand is then sculpted into stupa-shaped piles and decorated with colorful flags.

Some people make New Year resolutions - to refrain from bad behavior, or to do good things. Songkran is a time for cleaning and renewal. Besides washing household Buddha images, many Thais also take this opportunity to give their home a thorough cleaning.

What a fun day we had. This is the one time I allowed my self to get soaking wet while being fully clothed. For those who really know me, this is a very big deal. By the time I came in around 4:00 pm, I was soaked from head to toe. The entire family out here took part in the fun along with some friends of Maurethai. We started around 11:30 and there are still many of them outside on the street throwing water at truckloads of people and each other. It is now 4:44 pm. Today we did not worry about our water bill because the water has been running non-stop for several hours now. After spending the entire day outside in the sun, I am sure we will all sleep well tonight. Enjoy the photos.

Challenge

Friends,

My furlough is almost over and soon it will be time to head back to Chiang Rai, Promise Home and the children. I have been receiving updates while I have been back here in the United States and I am being told that they are all fine. The first week of March, they all went back to be with their families in their villages to spend time with them during their summer break from school. They will come back to Promise Home shortly after my return and we will have some free time together before they go back to school.

We are still searching for just the right house for the home. I think we may have found it based on an email I received from our friend on Monday. I am just waiting for an update. Sometimes those take a little bit because he is busy with his job. If we are fortunate enough to get it, I will post pictures as soon as I can.

This summer will be a busy one for us at Promise Home. If all goes well with securing the house, we will be moving everything and getting it all in order. A house means that once we are settled, Charities Within Reach will look to see if we can assist more children who would benefit from what we offer. Eventually, we hope to be able to help a total of 8 children. In addition to moving, there are several groups of individuals who will be coming to visit and spend time with the children. The first group will arrive April 21, 2014. My daughter Vannessa is part of that group and she will arrive April 19, 2014. June 1, 2014, two of my nieces will arrive and in addition to spending time at Promise Home, I get to show them the beauty of the countryside in Northern Thailand. Then on June 9, 2014, two college students will arrive to stay for two months. They will spend lots of time with the children teaching them games, activities, English and other things. Their goal is to be able to give back some of the wonderful things they have learned over the years. I am excited for all of the different experiences and adventures the children will have.

THE CHALLENGE

Between December 1, 2013 and March 10, 2014 three 7th grade girls who are members of the National Junior Honor Society at Altona Middle School in Longmont sold fundraising sheets in order to raise money for a computer at Promise Home. The computer will help with children with their homework and will also give me and the volunteers an opportunity to teach different skills to the children. Since computers are used in almost every business around the world, giving the children an opportunity to learn computer skills is a part of our goals to help give them a better chance in life. A computer is something most of us take for granted…. Many of us have several of them ranging from desktops to laptops to iPads. We think nothing of carrying them around all of the time. So………..

The young ladies were able to raise $414.00 dollars for Promise Home during their fund raiser. This is amazing and we are so grateful for their efforts and support. Now, I am challenging all of you to help us raise the rest of the money so we can purchase the computer for the children. There are many of you on my distribution list so the amounts do not have to be be large. We can do this if everyone gives a little. My hope is to raise $500.00 more for the computer. I know we can get a good one for $850 to $900 dollars. If you are moved to help us with the project,  please go to www.charitieswithinreach.org and donate whatever you can.
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I guess I should enjoy this colder, snowy weather today since I have heard that there are tropical storms and heat waves in Northern Thailand. According to the Weather Channel, the daytime highs in Chiang Rai are in the upper 90's. Will be going from a wintery blast to the heat of summer very quickly. I will have to remember the colder weather when I am baking in Chiang Rai.

Till next time……

God Bless,

Heather