They're Coming to Canada and We Can't Wait

First Visit 2013 where they quickly learned how to place their Tim's order!

Excitement is building!

Pastors Suradet and Yupa, and their daughter Bell are coming to Canada!!

From October 7th to 30th Highview Community Church will have the great joy and privilege of having this remarkable couple come all the way to visit with us.

Our Thai Directors of New Family Foundation, and currently parents to no less than 22 orphan and at-risk children, Suradet and Yupa are very much looking forward to spending some time with us, sharing their vision for the important work being done in Northern Thailand, and getting in on some Canadian culture while they are here.

Two Highlights of their visit will be:

"A New Home for our New Family" Fundraising Event - Saturday, October 14, 2023 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Highview Community Church, 295 Highview Drive, Kitchener ON N2N 2K7.  Come hear our story, and get in on some exciting new plans to house our children on the new property.

"One Can of Tuna" Sermon by Pastor Suradet - Sunday, October 15, 2023 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Highview Community Church.  The story of Suradet's own childhood and how God has redeemed his experience of poverty to break the cycle for other children.

Everyone's welcome.

We will also be hosting a time for our Sponsors and Supporters to come meet them in person in a more intimate atmosphere, meeting together with the Team that is heading there in November, and enjoying a few day trips to Niagara Falls among other things.  Those details will be communicated in various ways, so watch your inboxes and stay connected to The Friday Update (Highviewers).

For more information feel free to email me at rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.

Watching Bruce O. play hockey, 2015 visit.

 

How A Garage Sale Changes Lives, Literally - Saturday, September 23 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

I didn't know they would be there.

Both Da and Tae are now studying at a post secondary level, living and learning on their respective campuses.  Tae is into horticulture and business, hoping to run her own garden one day.  Da is just in her first year of nursing school and says she finds the workload quite heavy.

But neither of them were at Hot Springs when we first got there.

Then one evening when we came into the room to get ready for our worship and ESL, Suradet had to nudge me.

"Did you see who's here?"

Oh yay, and happy hugs and asking how long they can stay.  For the weekend only, and since it's Friday night, that's all good.  They both made the effort to come for a visit while Ken and I were there.

Neither of these young women would have ever finished high school if it weren't for the generous and faithful support of their Sponsors who made it possible for them to be here in the first place. Then, how it works for us, whenever one of our kids wants to continue into post secondary education, we make it happen for them in a similar way we might do with our own young adults at home.  There's conversation and guidance and assistance in the application process.  There's consideration of living accommodations and transportation needs.  There's the encouragement to seek some part time employment whenever possible.

But the bulk of the money comes from New Family Foundation's Student Fund.   

Same goes for Wara who is finishing up her theological education, hoping to serve as a pastor in Thailand.  A difficult but rewarding calling for a young Thai woman, for sure.  For more on her story, see a posting from just a few weeks back here.

Here's where I insert the commercial.

NEW FAMILY FOUNDATION STUDENT FUND

GARAGE SALE

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2023

8:00 TO 1:00 PM

Rain or Shine

at Highview Community Church

279 Highview Drive

Kitchener ON N2N 2K7

Anyone in Kitchener or the surrounding area is invited to donate gently used items, dropping them off at the Church building, lower doors, beginning Monday, September 18 through Friday, September 22.

On Saturday, September 23 a Team of passionate volunteers will be there to help you browse for treasures, and explain more about New Family Foundation, our work with at risk and orphaned children, and the excitement of seeing them take full advantage of the opportunities they've been given.  

Hope to see you, if you are anywhere nearby.

Next up.

Suradet, Yupa and their daughter Bell visit Canada this October!!!!

Stay tuned.

 

Complex Simplicities

 

These first days back have been so good.  I’m mostly unpacked, have thank yous ready for Sponsors, and am ready for and looking forward to Sunday at Highview.  It’s been great to get out on my morning walks, which makes my travel weary body very happy.

Also.

Some unexpected complexities in scheduling, social expectations, and ‘just life’ realities are messing a little with my ‘jai yen yen’ (stay chill) hopes for this week.  Just sayiin’.

Jet lag doesn’t help, since one of the ways it presents for me is a diminished cognitive ability for problem solving and/or processing too much new information all at once.

Having been away for most of the summer doesn’t help, making these few days here in the city rather concentrated in what I can and cannot be available for.

In the overall summer plan, this was supposed to be an ‘under the radar’ kind of week.  Unrealistically, I think I didn’t expect any ‘new things’ to crop up; that everything would just stay in slow summer mode.

But no. 

I want to have the capacity to accommodate all the things.  To have the compassion required.  To be fully present with each person.  To answer questions thoughtfully.  To respond and not react.  But I realize with some dismay that I actually don’t have too much to offer right now.  Which makes me keenly aware of who I’m disappointing right now, which is really awkward and uncomfortable for me.

So I just think about the shoes.

In Thai culture you absolutely always leave your shoes at the door.  So, it was a notable thing while we were at Hot Springs just how big Ken’s sandals are.  Side by side with Jua’s flip flops, the contrast was amusing and sweet.  I just had to take this picture.

The sermon for this coming Sunday at Highview is about saying yes and saying no.  About a practice of faith that ‘makes space’ for the work of God in our lives.  About discerning where and when our energies and time are to be spent.  About have a clarity of purpose and the willingness to sacrifice.

Ironic.

I’ve been rehearsing it this week almost as a prayer, doing that preacher’s heart-check thing where ‘every sermon I preach, I first preach to myself’, making sure it’s as authentic as it can humanly be. 

And these shoes, this picture, the beautiful ordinariness of sandals parked at the door, reminds me of all God has brought into focus for me in these past five years especially.  And all that I’ve sacrificed to get that focus.

Simplicity. 

These little shoes pretty much represent ‘the main thing’ for me.  They’re why I say yes and hurl my body half way around the world and back again.  They’re why I’m foggy and unable to engage and a tad withdrawn right now.  They’re why I say no to other things, both during jet lag week, and also all the time.

So I look at the shoes and I can focus a bit and let things go a bit and ask for grace.

I’ll get to the new stuff when I can,

and hopefully there’ll be enough grace and gentleness for that,

from everyone else,

and also from myself.

Day three. 

Getting there. 

Letting God do His job.

Not Done Yet

 

It’s raining softly.  The kids have left for school.  All is quiet here except for the sound of the rain, and of birds, most I could not identify even though I’ve become familiar with their calls.

I am outside under the roof of the porch of our guest house, feeling all relaxed and satisfied, and very much at peace.   

This space has become another “outdoor office’ for me.  I’ve written many sermons and quite a few school papers here.  As well, it’s where we do our reading together with the kids.   A sacred space for me.  And I am again in awe as to how many such places I have been given.  Out in the kayak, the dock, the deck, our back patio at home.  And here at Hot Springs.

Tomorrow we leave.

Ken and I have already begun the packing process this morning, working first on our personal clothing and items, and then tucking in all that we’ve collected from our market visits.  We can’t come home without something for our amazing Sponsors and Supporters.  And we haven’t forgotten the grandchildren. 

The packing process also includes what we will bring home with us that cannot be put in a suitcase.  At breakfast this morning, both of us agreed that this trip has more than met our expectations.  What we felt we came to accomplish, and what has been accomplished in us, in our own minds and hearts, has been amply provided. 

We’ve most certainly deepened our relationships with Suradet and Yupa, the other staff here, and the children themselves.  We were able to bring tangible gifts of love from the children’s Sponsors.  We learned about the Fruit of the Spirit and can now recite them in English.  We read countless books to the kids, and handed out prizes for their efforts.   Two sermons were given, one by myself on the benefits of wisdom, and one by Ken and I on how to build a strong marriage, both seemed well received, and we just release them for God to work as He sees fits in the lives of these dear people.  Ken has had another on-the-ground experience to keep the work he does back in Canada in good context. 

Most significantly, perhaps, we were able to get a solid grasp on planning for the development of the other property we will eventually need to move to.  Ken’s passion and skill for site plans and blueprints was not only necessary for this trip, but was also truly encouraging for Suradet and Yupa.  It was such fun for me to watch Suradet and Ken working on this together, especially since this is a vital part of the ministry for which I am not equipped.

We honestly cannot think of a better way to mark our 45^th anniversary than spending time together here midst the love-work God has invited us into as a couple.  On our wedding day, all those many years ago, we never would have imagined such a rich investment of God’s Spirit in our lives.  Never. 

 

The promise that comes to mind, this soft-rain morning on the porch at Hot Springs is this.

 

“He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”    Philippians 1:6

 We’re not done yet.   I guess we’re supposed to be a retired couple by now, but we have no intention of such a thing until we are truly not capable, physically or mentally.  So.  No.  We’re not done yet.

But we are amazed at what God has done, and that we somehow got to be a part of it.

And that we get to keep watching how He’s going to carry it on to completion.

 Today has been carefully set aside as a transition day.

No outings, no big plans, to big expectations except to pack, and reflect, and be fully present in these last hours.

Likely this will be the last longer post/report until we are back in Canada.

But we’ll keep you posted as we go along.

You never know what surprises might be waiting in the next 24 hours that will be post-worthy.

 Blessings all.

And thanks to everyone who has been supporting us and praying for us and cheering us on.

No Small Thing

 As seems to be a pattern from previous visits, these last days here I find myself ‘gathering and sorting’.

Thoughts. Feelings. Hopes. Expectations. Reflections. Observations.

It’s all part of an intentionality I have found to be so helpful in the ongoing discernment process of hearing God’s voice and direction for the love-work He’s invited me into here. To stop and do this.

It happens quite easily as I download my pictures.

It’s been a full two weeks, with Ken’s presence and the celebration of our 45th anniversary included, so there’s lots to gather, lots to sort through. The whole of the processing, like the pictures, will take weeks if not longer, and so in these quieter (for now) Saturday morning moments, I make no attempt to make any sure statements. Not even to summarize. Not yet.

But one thing seems repeated. This time, and perhaps every time.

There is no such thing as a small thing in God’s hands.

Apparently, I like to take pictures of flowers when I’m here, something a real photographer (Evangeline Wilton) pointed out to me when we were here together a few years back.

It’s true. In particular, I like to try to capture the very small blooms. Bring them forward into focus. Let them be seen and admired even though they might be overlooked if you were just walking by and didn’t stop to get a closer look.

I was doing this on our second visit to the other property, yesterday. While Ken and Suradet and our male staff A-nu paced out and measured for potential new dorms and kitchens and bathrooms and such, I traipsed about capturing small things.

I think long ago I abandoned the very wrong notion that success was measured in size. I rejoice with my brothers and sisters in ministry when they report huge numbers in Bibles delivered, churches planted, congregational attendance, healings and baptisms. Of course I do, who wouldn’t?

But these things no longer motivate me to emulate them.

Because God is also in the small. And so many of us serve in the small ways that never earn much attention, if that's what we wanted. No interview or article or any notice whatsoever, really. Honestly, the world could well walk by and never even know we were here. And that’s good and that’s true and that’s also how God works.

The wise words from a director of a local charity in KW (Jon Hill of Ray of Hope) once told a group of us that you can do one thing for a lot of people or do a lot of things for a few people, and it was good to know which thing you were going to aim for.

Twenty-one. Right now that’s how many delicate, miniscule little souls God has asked us to care for. And each one is an individual in their own right. A uniquely essential human being God has placed on this planet for His own plans and purposes. And for some incredible reason, He has seen fit to have us come alongside them and support their growing as they become all they were created to be.

One at a time. Small but not small. Not at all.

Now, for clarification. New Family Foundations does want you to know we are here. We need you. You are an essential part in making this smal- not-small beautiful thing happen for these kids.

And, the part about buildings for the new property? Well, consider that a behind the scenes sneak peak into some of what we are trying to prepare for, as God provides and leads.

Which is really what I’m gathering and sorting in these last days before heading back….I was going to say ‘home’ but…..it seems I have a few of those.

Photo Cred: Still life, me. Children Ahahn Gow Sman (with thanks).

Heroes and Hearing Aids

 

Mapping out a possible site plan for our next property.

Suradet arrives at the door to the guest house and, speaking Thai, lets us know that our breakfast is on the table. I get up to get ready and Ken gives me that look. Oh, right. He doesn’t know what was said. “That’s the call to breakfast”, I tell him.

That’s a small one.

Offertory is done on Sunday morning and, speaking Thai into the mic, Suradet invites Ken to pray over what has been gathered. I turn to Ken and translate, but Ken still can’t quite hear me above the noise of the fan. He decides to just go with a good guess, and goes up to the platform and prays.

That’s a bigger one.

And it’s happening all the time.

Pacing out possible grading requirements.

Whenever you take on a cross cultural adventure you know you’re going to run into communication risks. It’s just the nature of the game. I’ve written my fair share of anecdotal posts recounting my many mistakes and misses, some hilarious (Where is my poo?), others somewhat unfortunate (When I thought someone called me fat just before I got up to preach and I let it be a distraction). I am trying to learn not just the language but also the cultural nuances of communicating important ideas, concepts and feelings in Thai. It’s hard.

But for Ken there is an additional factor.

Half the time, he can’t hear what’s being said even in English. A familial hearing loss reality makes navigating conversations and relationships that much more of a thing. He wears hearing aids now in both ears, and is pretty much legally deaf without them. Even in our regular lives, in English and with me raising my volume most of the time, this is something we are always dealing with.

And then we fly half way around the world to where quiet-spoken people speak an entirely strange language.

I hadn’t really noticed this in his previous two visits, even though I’m sure it was there. Either way, this time I am rather impressed with the character and patience it takes for him to be here with this specific difference in ability. The sense that you are always just one step behind, that everyone else seems to know what’s going on, or what’s so funny, and you’re the odd one out - that’s hard on anyone’s self esteem. We’ve all been there from time to time. But if it’s a constant, underlying factor in the overall experience, that’s wearing.

To put it simply, it makes you feel stupid. And not very many of us can stand up against that and stay true to ourselves after days and days of it. Those who can are to be commended.

Some heroes wear hearing aids. I happened to have snagged one for a husband. And in this trip particularly, I so admire his patience, his willingness to go with the flow and wait until he has more context, his graciousness with non-English speakers (not always something foreigners – and dare I say it, white Boomer males – are known for here), and his enviable ability to not take himself too seriously.

Cross cultural communication is a huge dynamic in building the kind of relationships we are committed to at New Family Foundation. As Highview’s Missionary in Residence, I will continue to lead into reciprocity and respect in every way possible. Although I confess that I struggle, I will continue to press myself to learn the language and the culture, even though mistakes will undoubtedly continue to be made, and often as not I feel foolish.

And I am glad to keep learning from Ken too.

He is, after all, my hero on so many levels.