The Thai People Welcome Us With Open Hearts

This journey, more than any other I have taken, has produced more travel challenges than anyone should have to deal with in a three-week period.  First, we received an email from Bob Weeks to say that he had arrived home in spite of the fact that his plane showed up in Detroit but the pilot did not.  After a delay, he was able to head home to Wisconsin.  Then we received an email from Brenda Berry saying that her flight from Detroit to Indianapolis was canceled due to mechanical failure.  She was able to get on a flight from Detroit to Evansville, Indiana; however, her husband, Jeff, had driven from Kentucky to Indianapolis to collect her.  Eventually they connected in Evansville.

While all of this was going on, Kathy and I made our way to the airport in the Philippines.  We were looking forward to our journey in Thailand.  The trouble began as we checked in with Philippine Airways.  They only allowed 50 pounds per bag, not the 70 pounds that Delta had allowed us.  My excess baggage weight charge was $179 and Kathy's was $207.  We paid the bill and hopped on our plane. 



Don & Caroline Armstrong, Kathy Knox,
and Jan Kanjanamukda



Jan Kanjanamukda, director of Young Friends (Children of Promise) in Thailand, was a welcome sight in the Bangkok airport.  She was as happy to see us as we were to see her.  Fortunately, our flight to Chiang Mai was uneventful.  Don Armstrong, Church of God Global Mission's Regional Coordinator for Asia, along with his wife Caroline, met us with a big smile!  Before we knew it we were gathered around the table at Don and Caroline's house sharing one story after another.  We had the disctinct privilege of being their first house guests in Thailand.



Elephant Painting Flowers in Pot



Friday was a day of rest, so to speak.  After the morning rains moved out of Chiang Mai and we had washed some clothes, we climbed into the car and headed for the Maesa Elephant Camp.  We had a blast!  Each elephant is coupled with a trainer...for life.  These elephants, small in stature to the African elephants, performed all kinds of tricks.  They played soccer, painted pictures with a small paint brush (and were really good), worked as a team at stacking logs, and bowed to the audience after each display of intelligence.  At the end of the show, all the elephants with their trainers come close to the stands so the audience can feed the elephants bananas and sugar cane. 



After a few giant slobbers from their trunks, Kathy and I had been embraced by two elephants at once, been given a hat by an elephant and had it placed on our heads!  It was the best and cheapiest entertainment ($3 each) we had had in awhile.

Have you ever been the main squeeze of two elephants?  It's quite an experience.

On Saturday, October 30, our van and driver arrived at 7:00 am for the five-hour journey to the Thai village of Khun Yuam near the Myanmar (Burma) border.  The drive was beautiful.  We saw many rice paddies.  The workers were harvesting the crop.  The scene was idyllic; some workers wore the traditional round hat that comes to a point at the crown of the head.  The work was far from idyllic though; the days were long and the work was back-breaking.  We would learn later that people are thankful for the work they could find.  Employment for those living in poverty is a blessing and not something to be dreaded.

Jan interprets while Kathy interviews

little Thanchanok 

When we arrived in Khun Yuam, there were only a few children present but within 15 - 20 minutes they suddenly appeared.  Even in Khun Yuam it is not hard to find a cell phone and a motor scooter.  Was I in for a surprise!  This church, like many in America, had struggled over the last two years when the former pastor left the congregation.  In this case, the new pastor had just arrived on the scene when I visited in 2008.  I was overjoyed to see that the church had grown spiritually and much stronger at the same time.  The sponsored children looked healthy and happy.  The children sang a few songs for us at Jan's prompting.  One teen girl displayed the most courage when she stepped forward with the leader to sing.  Then all the "shy" children stepped forward and joined in the singing.  They sounded wonderful as they sang songs in the Thai language.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 



Teens from Khun Yuam sing a capella.

 As we began to interview the children, we soon discovered that although the children seemed healthy there were a few children that required some immediate medical attention.  In addition, almost every child there needed to have dental work done.  Children in Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, India and Nepal, are much more petite than their American counterparts. The Thai children have teeth that are crowded in their smaller mouths, to the point that they often twist and turn.  These children would benefit from a group of Christian dentists making a medical mission trip here.  

Some children reported that their fathers were alcoholic.  This seemed to be a new phenomenon.  Unfortunately this would be a sad tale that we would hear repeated several times the next day.

On Sunday, October 31, we worshiped at the Mae Kong Pae Church of God.  The minute Jan stepped out of the van children were there to hug her and tell her they loved here.  She was a bit overwhelmed but what a joyful scene it was for us to witness!  Members of the Mae Kong Pae Church of God are predominantly Burmese refugees from the Karen tribe.  Everyone participated in leading the church in worship that day.  Little children sang and danced, the pre-adolescent sang and danced a traditional dance using bamboo poles.  The older teenagers led in worship as did the women in the congregation.  This is a foreign concept to the western Church where only a small portion of people, usually hand selected, are given the opportunity to lead worship.  Asia is much different in this regard.  The Karen tribe wore their traditional clothing which they weave themselves.  It was delightful to see.  I especialy loved the a capella singing.  The singing was in their Thai dialect.  Even though we could not understand the words, their joy and enthusiasm told us how much they love to worship the Lord.

Linda interviews and visits with her sponsored

child, Mutita

I was excited to interview the children in Mae Kong Pae because my sponsored child, Mutita, was in this group of children.  Mutita is 14 years old and in the 9th grade of school.  Prior to our visit, Jan shared with me that Mutita's school does not have a 9th grade math teacher and that Mutita was concerned she would not be ready for math the following year.  This is important to her because she wants to become a veterinarian.  Thanks to the Armstrongs and Jan I was especially pleased to be able to purchase the 9th grade math textbooks in Chiang Mai.  Mutita was grateful for the books and other gifts I brought her.  She promptly showed the books to her friends.  More than anything, I was pleased to see a spiritual transformation in Mutita.  In every picture I had seen of Mutita, she was frowning.  Now she smiles.  She smiles because a loving Young Friends' director named Jan took her under her wings and led her into a deeper spiritual walk.  I am so thankful for that.


Sponsored children eat rice following

morning services and before inter-

viewing began.


When we visit children, we often hope and imagine that their lives are made easier because of our sponsorship support.  And their lives are enriched through spiritual nurture, education, nutritional assistance, and medical aid.  But the realities of the conditions they live in often break our hearts.  On this particular journey, twenty-four percent of the children in these first two sites have reported that their fathers or father and mother are drinking which leads to fighting.  They are shamed by this fact.  But this also frightens them.   I am glad that they found the courage to express their fear to us.  I believe they told us because they know that Jan cares for them and will help them.  I know this: the children's sponsors care for them and would want to do anything to help them feel safe in their own homes. 

Please pray for Jan as she works with the pastors, parents, and Children of Promise volunteers to make a real difference in these children's lives.  God is calling us to make a difference, one child at a time.  His words are clear:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengenance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow upon them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.  Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV

- Linda Mason