Moving to Thailand: First day in Chiang Maihttp://www.bukisa.com/join/56814
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Sunday 30 May 2010
Sunday 23 May 2010
Second orphanage visit in Chiang Mai
Paddle Pool
My second orphanage visit was to a home similar in size to the first one I visited. There were 9 children age 3 to 6 there and Kathy had been their "mother" for 6 years, since taking in the oldest one as a baby. They saw her as their mother as they had no other and in that sense the set up of this orphanage was completely different to the first one.There Tracey and David were more like facilitators and didn't live in the home but rather in their own home with their children. Thai staff and volunteers from around the world look after the daily running of thing
s and taking care of the children whilst Tracey and David do a lot of organisational things and fundraising. However they also have a hands on approach whenever they are at the home which is almost every day.
It was very interesting for me to see the different ways things were done. Kathy's home had a more relaxed but more disorganised feel to it but in a sense it was more like a real home rather than an orphanage.Both examples were good in different ways and gave me a lot to think about.
I'd always imagined being the "mother" of an orphanage would suit me best and would be very satisfying. However I also have a big vision for the future and want to rescue as many children as possible from the atrocious conditions they live in, in the sex slave industry. I could see how being a facilitator would allow you to set up a number of homes for children and more could be helped.
In any case I fully intended to live in the home with the first children God brought me and then God would show me what to do from there. God knows we are all unique in how best we operate and approach things in life and he designs a plan for each one of us perfectly tailored to suit our unique strengths.
When I was with Kathy I felt very relaxed and we talked at length about my vision. She wanted to take the kids in the huge paddling pool but was short staffed so could only take four in at a time for safety reasons.I immediately volunteered to go in with my shorts on so all children could go in. I intended to have a hands on approach after all!
s and taking care of the children whilst Tracey and David do a lot of organisational things and fundraising. However they also have a hands on approach whenever they are at the home which is almost every day.It was very interesting for me to see the different ways things were done. Kathy's home had a more relaxed but more disorganised feel to it but in a sense it was more like a real home rather than an orphanage.Both examples were good in different ways and gave me a lot to think about.
I'd always imagined being the "mother" of an orphanage would suit me best and would be very satisfying. However I also have a big vision for the future and want to rescue as many children as possible from the atrocious conditions they live in, in the sex slave industry. I could see how being a facilitator would allow you to set up a number of homes for children and more could be helped.
In any case I fully intended to live in the home with the first children God brought me and then God would show me what to do from there. God knows we are all unique in how best we operate and approach things in life and he designs a plan for each one of us perfectly tailored to suit our unique strengths.
When I was with Kathy I felt very relaxed and we talked at length about my vision. She wanted to take the kids in the huge paddling pool but was short staffed so could only take four in at a time for safety reasons.I immediately volunteered to go in with my shorts on so all children could go in. I intended to have a hands on approach after all!
Saturday 22 May 2010
Tuesday 18 May 2010
First orphanage visit
I woke up early on our second day in Chiang Mai to pray about the day ahead. I was excited because today I would be visiting the first of three orphanages I had arranged to visit. This first one was run by an Australian couple who had felt called to Thailand about three years previously. Tracey came by my hotel to pick us up and I gave her a few bags of books, art supplies and soft toys which I had brought over from Scotland. She received them gratefully and said they were just what they had been needing. I felt quite emotional as we pulled up outside an attractive house with a mountain behind it. It was the same shape as the mountains in the picture God gave me and my heart missed a beat when I saw it. Nevertheless I knew it wasn't THE house because there was only one solitary mountain. Neverthless I knew I was meant to be there. I felt it strongly in my heart.
The children came out to greet us - eight little treasures, rescued out of darkness, aged between 9 months and 6 years. They were adorable and I couldn't believe how well behaved they were. The orphanage house was so clean and tidy, I made a mental note that I wanted my future orphanage home to be this clean. The helpers were doing a fantastic job both with the kids and in the house.
We had lunch and a long chat. Tracey and David encouraged me to follow God's leading if I was sure about it and said they knew God would provide for me if I was stepping out in faith to follow His call.
I felt encouraged and looked forward to my next orphanage visit two days later.
However, the next day was a special visit day for Josh because I wanted him to have really good memories to take home of all aspects of Thai life. We went to visit the orchid and butterfly farm just outside Chiang Mai. It was lovely and well worth the visit but I must admit I spent most of the taxi ride gazing out of the window, searching for that house in front of mountains, like the one in my vision.
The children came out to greet us - eight little treasures, rescued out of darkness, aged between 9 months and 6 years. They were adorable and I couldn't believe how well behaved they were. The orphanage house was so clean and tidy, I made a mental note that I wanted my future orphanage home to be this clean. The helpers were doing a fantastic job both with the kids and in the house.
We had lunch and a long chat. Tracey and David encouraged me to follow God's leading if I was sure about it and said they knew God would provide for me if I was stepping out in faith to follow His call.
I felt encouraged and looked forward to my next orphanage visit two days later.
However, the next day was a special visit day for Josh because I wanted him to have really good memories to take home of all aspects of Thai life. We went to visit the orchid and butterfly farm just outside Chiang Mai. It was lovely and well worth the visit but I must admit I spent most of the taxi ride gazing out of the window, searching for that house in front of mountains, like the one in my vision.
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