Compassion Trip to Thailand

The first week of June, Paige and I were afforded the opportunity to visit Chiang Mai, Thailand and see first hand the work of Compassion International. I just wanted to share some of what we saw while there. If you missed your opportunity to joing us on our Two Days of Compassion, it's not too late! You can go online right now and sponsor a child today! Just click here!

Our first day took us up the dirt road leading to Baan Luang, about 95 miles north of Chiang Mai and a new developing village

These larger homes were the best we saw in the three villages we visited, multiple rooms, thatched roof, a place for their animals underneath the house, even electricity.

Complete with 'new' life as a mother hen looked after her chicks

Other mother hens (and fathers) brought their kids to see the people that love and care about them. These families were so humbled that people they will probably NEVER meet, care enough about their kids whom they will probably NEVER meet, to give them a chance for an education, for health care, for an opportunity to better themselves. Everytime we ask a parent what we could pray about, the first thing was their children's health, their education, their future. These families, if they are lucky will make 60-90 dollars a month. They have NO hope of educating their children without your help!

These are the kids that will benefit from Baan Pong Pattana Child Development Center

Just looking into the kids eyes, there is not a lot of hope. Their project will be opening in a few weeks thanks to sponsors who came on board just last week! Thank you!

This was the first boy sponsored at Baan Pong Pattana Child Development Center.

Our second day took us to Project TH-995, located in Mae Soon and Hnong Yao, about 85 miles north of Chiang Mai. The name of this project is Catching Dreams and Sharing Love Child Develeopment Center. Even the name gives you hope! This is where we first saw our sponsored daughter Prin (on the left) and plenty of other smiling faces!

These kids have been a part of Catching Dreams and Sharing Love and look at their faces! The dreams and the love they not only feel from being sponsored and having hope, but hearing about Jesus Christ everyday as they begin to truly understand Hope and Love and where it comes from in Jesus.

Leaving their Project was bitter sweet and I have to tell you I shed a few tears on the ride back to Chiang Mai.

When asked 'who wants to be a part of a Compassion Family'....

Then it was on to our third project, Project TH-992, located in Baan Mae Daed Noi, about 68 miles west of Chiang Mai, and as we were heading toward Myanmar, it wasn't the best feeling in the world, but off we went, a couple of hours on paved roads, another hour on road/brick roads, then another 45 minutes into the jungles of Thailand on dirt road, ravaged by heavy rains, literal ditches ran through the roadway, thus the reason why we abandoned the van that day and switched to two 4 wheel drive vehicles. How remote was it? A MAN RIDING AN ELEPHANT!!? You don't see that in East Tennessee or Southwest Virginia!

But after the long drive, the pastor in the village had prepared a delicious feast for us...so we took off our shoes, climbed the ladder to his living area and enjoyed rice, eggs, pork, vegetables, watermelon, tangerines and a variety of other dishes.

Most of the homes we visited had firepits like this in the middle of their huts. Used to fix meals, to heat the room, to dry their clothes, to cook meals for their pigs! The family of four would sleep beside the pit on a 6x6 bamboo type rug.

This is another new startup project in Thailand and here is our guide Yui teaching the children as we passed by the classroom.

Here are some of the faces we encountered at the Mae Daed Noi Child Development Center

I know several of you already have Compassion kids and I am here to tell you first hand, your support is greatly appreciated. It doesn't matter which country your child lives in, Compassion has sought out those needing the most help. The opportunity is always available to visit your child, as we were able to do, and as another 'father' got to do while we were on this trip. I could say a lot about the $32 a month investment you make in a childs life. I'm talking about $32 that literally will change a childs life with education and health care, to tell someone 'born Buddhist' that there is hope in Jesus Christ. Then watch that little one tell their parents about Jesus, it could be your Compassion Child that see the LOVE you show them now, change countless lives for eternity. I say this from the heart of someone who has had two Compassion children...looking for his third...please prayerfully consider this. Compassion is raising children from poverty in Jesus' name. God has a plan for these kids lives. And that plan is through YOU. There isn't a "Plan B"....YOU are the plan! Just take a look. Then tell us about your child.

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