Bye SOLD Team 1, Hello BKK

Tuesday was goodbye day. We sent off Aaron, Anthony, John, Heather, and Alex. It didn't feel like we had spent 3 weeks together although we definitely feel like we have experienced a lot as a group- sharing highs and lows, working to better understand the aspects of child prostitution, abuse, prevention, and all the layers that go along with this issue. We are excited to see what the next step is for everyone as we head back to the states and after experiencing what we have, can no longer push it aside.

Now we are in Bangkok and will be working with New Beginnings for the next few days. New Beginnings provides a home, health care, and education for women who have been prostitutes. They also teach English during the day to women who work in the red light districts as a form of outreach. We sat down and talked to Bonita, the founder of the organization, and Lena, a Thai staff who helps run the organization and to make sure that the culture is preserved in the work that they do. Today was intense as we listened to Bonita pour out information about the sex trade, specifically in South East Asia and the districts that we will be working in. We learned so much today about the different levels of the trade, and many other layers that we hadn't heard of before. As women, we will be able to go to the pool (snooker) and beer bars and talk to the ladies, however, the guys will be doing work projects in order to protect themselves- it doesn't matter how pure your intentions are, being submersed in this environment is not a wise idea for men. This is not to say that it won't be difficult emotionally for us women as well- we have been warned of the need to care for ourselves emotionally. Our eyes were opened today and our hearts are heavy as we chew on this information that we have been given.

Chiang Saen

Spent the last week (mon-fri) at the Chiang Saen VCDF home which has a little over 60 kids. There we did work projects such as hang mosquito nets and paint the dining area (as a team we painted a mural on the front of the stage overlooking the floor that the kids gather on for meals). It was a more relaxed time during the day than at the Chiang Mai home so we had more energy to play with the kids when they got home from school and during their free time after dinner. Compared to the CM home, there were more staff here and it felt like a more loving environment in the sense that there were women staff who would comfort and care for the kids.

The last night was the best- we had a campfire and cooked an "American meal" (hot dogs, beans, french fries, pound cake & strawberries) and later gathered in a circle for a dance some of the little girls had practiced for us and to listen to Roberto play songs for us. The song playing turned into a baby powder game similar to hot potato and we all had a blast putting baby powder on each others' faces. Eventually all this running around turned into a dance party and everyone was jumping around, twirling and laughing. Anyone that had been sitting on the sides was easily pulled into the fun and it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip so far. We were touched by the children's desire to give and share what they had; our wrists were covered in bracelets that they had made out of yarn and beads. Leaving was the hardest here, because it finally hit me how going to these orphanages were so much more about me than these kids. Yes, we were able to love on them and hopefully show them that there are people who care, but we were there for 4 days. It's almost like a tease- we played with these kid, danced with them, laughed and played endless hand clapping games- we gained their trust and then left. I want to come back again, not in a few years, but within the year if it works out, but I do recognize that a yearly or couple times a year visit is not enough. What to do, what to do...the constant question in the back of our minds.

Being back in Chiang Mai, our home base, has been good- it provides some source of consistency. At the same time, I would much rather be at the orphanage with those kids than in this city. We spent our last day at the CM Drop-in center yesterday and it was unfortunately a pretty empty day but the atmosphere was nice, you could sense the winding down of the trip and it was a perfect reflecting time.

Yesterday was our last day as the first SOLD team, we have our debriefing and party with the staff and tomorrow we will be saying goodbye to most of our team as they head back to scatter across the states. 5 of us will be continuing on to Bangkok.

More soon

Chiang Mai Children's Home

Last week we went to the VCDF Chiang Mai children's home where we spent a few days. There, we stayed at the home with the children, splitting up into girl's and guy's houses. Breakfast prep began at 5:00 every morning, and we shared breakfast and dinner every day. It was an interesting experience as we ate everything given to us, even if we didn't recognize what was on the plate or found it particularly appetizing for breakfast (ex: squid and shrimp).

As soon as we pulled up the first day we were showered with love and pulled at from all directions to go play. There were children climbing the lychee tree and tossing them down to share. We ran around kicking balls, drawing/playing games in the dirt, and laughing with the kids. It was such a wonderful change of scenery- we were surrounded by vibrant nature and kids who were free to be kids.

We taught English each day from 8:30-11:30, then broke for lunch. The first day was rough as we ran around hoping that we seemed like we knew what we were doing and that the kids would like us. Throughout our 3 days of teaching, it was amazing to see how much the kids learned and retained. Unfortunately, because many of these kids are undocumented, they have to attend a non-government funded school so there is a lack of teachers, lack of supplies, and a lack of solid education. It was beautiful to see the desire in these kids to learn, even the shyest girl was actively participating by the last day, but it was heartbreaking to know that the level of education that they were receiving was just not good enough. These kids crave knowledge and are so skilled- we watched them weave bracelets, fold origami, pick up anything we taught them after the first try, and play this crazy rock game that none of us were coordinated enough to complete. A couple of the days we were able to play soccer and volleyball with the kids. The soccer was a blast. Basically, it was a long recess after lunch til about 4 o'clock.

After school, we returned home and continued our play time until dinner which we ate with exhaustion. We hung out for a short time after, planning our next days, then passed out early.

It was such a fantastic experience to be taken in by these kids and to see that despite where these kids had come from (all had gone through the VCDF drop-in center at some point), that they had the ability to experience a childhood. These kids are given shelter and the opportunity for education if they desire to go to school, that is a requirement for being at this home.

We have to run and this isn't completely finished, sorry for the sporadic postings. We miss you all and please be praying for the children that we have met, the staff, and our team as we are hitting the rougher time of travel. Love you all!

Update on Drop in Center in Chiang Mai

So here we are in Chiang Mai with a million and one thoughts, emotions and feelings running through our veins. Who knew what this place could stir up? Yesterday we met with VCDF volunteers (the drop-in center) and hung out with many of the street kids. The issue of child prostititution is so complex and completely unfathomable, it is so much more heart breaking than we could have ever imagined. Kids are sold by family members for as little as 100 baht(roughly $3) and this is Reality.
Even as the logistics are explained, the fact is that many of these kids are undocumented Burmese coming from the border and are looked down upon by the Thai people (there are exceptions of course), living in the streets and slums and selling their bodies at the all ages, some 7 or 8 years old. Addiction is a huge issue, the main ones are meth and huffing glue. It is an endless cycle- selling themselves for sex to buy the drugs to escape from what they are doing and to feed the established addiction. These facts floated around like buoys but unwilling to take anchor- we know they are their but it took a while for them to even begin to anchor in our hearts.

We have leaped out of our comfort zones and have spent time in the areas where the kids will prostitute themselves out- mainly the gay bars and an area near one of the city gates. These gay bars are frequented by older, Western men and it broke our hearts to see many of the teenage street boys that we had hung out with earlier that day at the VCDF drop-in center with these men. This is when it began to sink in. There was no denial of reality when entering these bars, there was no shame, it was all out there. That was the craziest thing, is the boldness of these Western patrons as they made out with these boys and molested them, committing acts that would never be acceptable or stood for in the states (not that it doesn't happen, but it would never happen as blatantly and out in the open as it does here). It's hard. Hard to focus on the hope when being faced with the immense reality of the situation. However, we recognize how vital it is for our time here that we continually remember where that hope lies and that it is there. Hearing success stories and witnessing different aspects of the children's lives gives us hope. We see the good that work that the organizations that we are working with are doing, and there are some posters stating that child prostitution is illegal. What is being done does not seem nearly enough, and we can't help but wonder what we can do.

Last 3 days in Chiang Rai

We are finally getting the chance to update our blog on the last few days in Chiang Rai! We moved to the girls house where Amy, Sunni and May live, and Amy graciously gave up her bedroom for us to stay in. However there was no Internet connection so that is our excuse for not blogging in a few days. On Wednesday morning after the kids spent the night we made them an American breakfast of eggs, bacon and pancakes and then taught the kids some english and played cards. Soon after we loaded everyone up into Ryan's 4-door(yes that is 8 people in 5 seats) and experienced our first kow soy gai(yellow curry with noodles).

Thursday- went to Doi Tung which was the Princess Mother's house and garden. The garden was beautiful and spent time with Da and Ori our new friends from Baan Athitaan Church.

Friday - We had the opportunity to go to Jindas village which was such a wonderful experience . We walked around and saw the church and Jinda's father's and sister's homes. After, we picked up the kids at school for the last time. Arlang prepared dinner and we had laab with pork. The pork included the meat as well as some intestine. Experiences! As we headed to town for the last time, we piled 3 of us onto the motorbike and our tire blew out.

Our skilled driver, Ryan, was able to keep us from falling but little did we know that he had shot up a quick prayer thinking we were about to experience a bad crash. Thank you God!

Arlang came and saved the day, and we headed to town.

In the morning, we hung out with everyone for the last time. We whipped out the silly string and ran around with the kids covering each other in the string and interesting fragrance. It was hard to say goodbye, but our new family gathered in a circle and we were blessed with prayer. Although we knew we had many more adventures to come, we didn't want to leave Chiang Rai and some of the most wonderful people we have ever known.

Now, we are in Chiang Mai waiting to start our work with VCDF. Talk soon!

Happy Times in Chiang Rai

Hey all,

Day 6 and 7 Update: We cannot believe we have been here in Chiang Rai for almost an entire week! The time is a flyin', we just have 3 more days to spend with CFPM before we head to Chiang Mai to meet up with the Sold Team and VCDF. Yesterday was a restful day, we had time to sleep in (because Thai energy drinks have the force to keep you up until 4am, In fact, Thailand is where Red Bull all started) and then we ran some errands and spent time just playing with the children, teaching them songs and games. It is going to be extremely difficult to say goodbye to these kids, they have stolen our hearts ;) We are learning more about how organizations work, about frustrations and successes, and how much it takes to run a solid foundation and to spark a vision. Ryan has been great with being open and answering our questions. Another great conversation about something we love and trying to figure out how to better make it happen. After another one of Amy's authentic Thai meals we headed to the night market to spend our last night with Judy and Steve (Ryan's parents) who have shared so much wisdom with us in daily devotions and in how they live their lives. Anyway then we settled back down at Ryan's house and watched Life is Beautiful ( a must see people!) before heading off to bed.

Today we woke up early ate some fibrous oatmeal and weetabix (there isn't the same fiber opportunities of whole wheat and vegetables here as there is in California) and then headed off to elephant land up in the mountains. The drive up was absolutely beautiful and we got to drive by many of the villages where the many of kids of CFPM are from. We passed corn and rice fields, and finally arrived at the elephant camp which thrilled the kids, though they patiently waited to head over to the giant animals. We began by feeding the elephants then splitting up into threes to ride the elephants for a good half hour which was a blast.

Before heading out we held a 130 kilo snake (about 280 lbs) and posed for this wonderful picture. After this adventure, we headed to Big C (a mall/grocery store...an all-in-one) with the whole crew which is exciting for the kids and always an event in itself..Sunni and May enjoyed their first KFC experience and we wandered around. Beng got a new pair of jeans for memorizing and being able to spell 50 English words!

We had our last meal together before taking Judy and Steve to the airport, which again entailed the whole crew. It was hard to say goodbye, but we are so thankful to have had the privilege of being taken in by the Roes. After leaving the airport we headed back to the house, the kids are staying with us at Ryan's tonight to give the CFPM staff a break for the night, so we watched a Disney movie and put the kids to bed.

4th and 5th day with CFPM in Chiang Rai

The time is flying, we can't believe it is already the 4th and 5th day we have spent with Child and Family Prison Ministries in Chiang Rai! Saturday, the kids had school off so we got to spend the day with them taking them to ride ostriches. It was a rainy day here in Northern Thailand but that didn't stop 13 of us piling in the truck bed(in the rain) to visit the Ostrich Farm. The kids enjoyed looking at the strange creatures and the two oldest, Bing and David, were big enough to ride them. Christina daringly hopped on one and had a ride of her life thanks to Ryan who is a pro Ostrich wrangler(a pop on the behind really gets those big birds movin'), Kaitlyn enjoyed the view from afar(no thanks ostrich lice). Check out the remarkable video ;)

After spending most of the afternoon at the farm we headed home with all the kids falling asleep on us as human pillows in the bed of the truck.

Last night some of our group was craving some farang (western) food in celebration of the 4th of July, so we ended up at a beautiful shack like restaurant built over a little lake. There was American buffet but Christina and Kaitlyn still opted for the delicious Thai food. There were many adventures at that little restaurant.



After that we ended up on the Walking Street of Chiang Rai and wandered through the night market experiencing new tastes, smells and sounds and using obnoxious candy whistles to draw even more attention to us farangs. We opted out of the cricket salad but indulged in strange marshmallow tacos (not so tasty). Our goal has been to try something new everyday which we have so far exceedingly accomplished!

Today, Sunday, we headed to Baan Athitaan Church, where the service is held in English, Thai and even Chinese. It was a beautiful picture of the Church as a diverse body coming together to worship the same King. The songs of praise were sung in both Thai and English simultaneously, making such a unique, spirit-filled time to worship. Before the service began we went to the college groups bible study and read and openly discussed Mark 11. This morning was such an encouragement, meeting even more missionaries and hearing what God is doing here through members at Baan Athitaan. Everyone enjoyed sharing a meal together after the service, I was a wonderful morning!

Will update again soon,

Kaitlyn and Christina