A Word from Micah and The Double "Hoo Boy!" of Having My Tickets

A tiny delicate flower (not a fig) that grows on the property we hope to develop as a future home of peace for our children.

I have my tickets!

The exclamation mark at the end of this sentence expresses two ways one can say "hoo boy!"

Hoo Boy! 

Yay and hooray, it's finally happening!

After almost two years and nine months away (February 2020 to November 2022), this feels like an unbearable longing fulfilled.  

My heart lives on both sides of the world.  This is a painful kind of love, as anyone who has been distanced from beloveds knows.  Between our two churches, between Sponsors and children, between Suradet and Yupa and myself....our is a very relational kind of connection.  And the on-the-ground feature of my role, three times a year for a month at a time, has become an essential component in the partnership and reciprocity that has been so carefully cultivated over the past fourteen years.  

Of course, the dangers and anxieties related to the reason for being away, that being of course a global pandemic, only add to the sense of distress at being separated.  

So, to now have my tickets for a visit scheduled from October 31 to November 22 feels like something incredible.  And something solid, hopeful to hold on to, to work toward, to hang on for, in the easing of my longing to simply be with them.

Hoo Boy! 

Yikes!  COVID is still circulating around the globe.  Travel news reports much chaos at airports.  The politics of that part of the world are also making news, and I am paying extra attention to that, given my transfer point is Taipei, Taiwan. Yeah, I know.  Besides all that, I hope I still have my travel 'stamina'.  The flights are long and demanding.  Hope I'm up to the demands.   

Hoo Boy!!!

It's okay.

I find these "hoo boy!" exclamation marks force better thinking about who I am and why I do what I do.  More to the point, I find I am reflecting about the whole 'mission of God' thing at perhaps deeper levels.

The Mission of God.  Missio Dei.

Lest that sound too lofty, it's not really.  It's something God has been quite up front about since He started to guide the process by which His heart (His Words) would be written down.  It's everywhere in the Bible.  But for a long lately I've been lingering in Micah, and especially chapter 4.

Emphasizing His passion for equity, and all peoples having what they need, He paints a picture through the prophet of what it will look like when His mission is fulfilled.

"Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree; and no one will make them afraid."  Micah 4:4

Invoking the symbols of agricultural security, Micah describes a scenario where everyone has exactly what they need for safety, health and well being, in the most spiritually riches of ways.  And not being afraid....that's everyone living in peace.

I think of our kids.  How well fed and nourished and supported and protected they are.....now.  

So, okay.  Yes!

This is something I can 'hoo boy!' about!! This is worth moving out of my COVID and politically-safe comfort zone for!  Something this important, this deeply true, is worth taking some risks.  

So.  Okay!  HOO BOY!

The day of my departure is technically Sunday, October 30, since the flight is technically scheduled for 1 a.m. October 31st.  On that Sunday at Highview, I have been invited to reflect even more on what God's been doing with our Thai family, and give something of a pre-trip report.

It's a way off, but for now, what I think is formulating for that report is this:  "A three-year absence from being on site at Hot Springs has re-emphasized important understandings about the mission of God.

One, God's mission is not bound by time.

Two, God's mission cannot be thwarted.

Three, God's mission requires I give myself fully.

So much more to unpack on this, and between now and then, who knows what else may surface?  For now I am happy, excited to be sitting in between the exclamation marks of this next journey with God to the other side of the world.

Breaking Out: The Education Factor and Garage Sales

 Faces of opportunity.  

To the left in the light blue is Kratae, now in her first year at horticultural school, studying not just botany but business, with the hopes of owning her own garden shop one day soon.

To the right in the dark blue is Wara, now in her second year at Bible school pursing what she believes to be a call into ministry as a pastor.

We could not be more proud of these two young ladies!  A post-secondary education would have been out of the question for both of them, given the circumstances into which they were born.  Education at all would have been basic at best, as most villages do not even have a functioning primary school.

Their families asked us to help change the trajectory of their lives, to provide the kind of nutrition and education and environment that would help these daughters live into their fullest potential.  Both Kratae and Wara have been with us for the majority of their schooling, and have completed high school and stepped into the new possibilities waiting for them.  I can tell you with complete confidence that they both have the depth of character and tenacity to spend this opportunity well.  And may I add, we all know the impact of educating young women on the effects of poverty overall.  

And while each of them has a Sponsoring family here in Canada, the extra expenses of tuition, room and board, books and spending allowances comes from a separate fund at New Family Foundation.

That's where all the money will be directed out of our

THAILAND GARAGE SALE

Saturday, September 24, 2022

8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

295 Highview Drive

Kitchener, ON N2N 2K7

(Rain or Shine)

For those nearby, we will be receiving donations of gently-used, already-priced goods at Highview Community Church (address above) starting Sunday, September 19th.  

We also hope to have a baked goods table and have already had some tasty offers in this regard.  [I intend to provide some of my own chocolate chip cookies, just sayin'.]

On the day of the sale, if you're close by at all, we would LOVE to see you!!!

And Kratae and Wara are already overwhelmed that we would do this for them.

If you have any further questions, or maybe simply would like to make a donation to NFF's Student Fund, please do not hesitate to contact me at rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.  

An Invitation to Make A Real Difference - Four Sponsor-Child Connections In The Waiting

 

If you've been to our blog before, you know how this goes.

And for all our faithful, beautiful Sponsors, you really know how this goes!

Four New Children

Four new children have arrived at Hot Springs and we are hoping to make good connections between them and folks who can come alongside and love and lead them on to strong futures.

Let me introduce you:

Fah

Fah is 12 years old in grade 6.  Both her parents are living and are together as a family.  However, the mountain village where she is from only has school up until grade 5.  For her to continue in her education and have wider opportunities, her parents have asked if we could bring her to Hot Springs.

Sharon

Sharon (pronounced Sha-Lon) is 16 years old and in her last years of high school.  Her story is complicated, with both parents living but neither of them in Thailand.  Her mother has had previous connections with the church at Hot Springs, and Sharon has spent holidays there while at her previous boarding school.  Now that school has closed down, and Sharon was left virtually homeless.  We are glad to have her become part of our circle.

Colour

Colour is 9, from a very rustic village with no school.  His parents, both living, have heard how well one of the other children from this village has done so well at Hot Springs; Kratae, now in post secondary education, and contacted Suradet and Yupa to ask if their son could be given the same opportunity.  This isn't new this year, but it's always affirming to have parents contact us because of good referrals.

Goo

Goo is is 7 years old from a Hmong village.  His divorced parents have left him to be raised by his maternal grandmother who is herself still working as a farmer.  Unfortunately, this is a common story among many separated families. There is no school whatsoever in the village.   The grandmother heard about our home from a relative, and asked if he could come to be with us.  Another of our new children (Jua, already sponsored) is his first cousin.  So the boys have each other to keep fluent in their original language and culture, an important value at Hot Springs.

Each of these children need Sponsors to come alongside and be partners in their future.

"Sponsors' Expectations" are carefully laid out in the document I would be happy to send you.  And for that and any other questions you can connect with me at rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.

But a warning.

When our kids come to us, they already have big challenges written into their stories, as you can understand from the little I've told you about the children above.  Our hope is to see them find hope and safety in a journey that takes them through to the end of high school and beyond.  Indeed most of our kids stay with us for this consistency and stability, and you can go back to previous blogs or keep checking in for those stories.

But sometimes the challenges, combined with our commitment to keep them connected with living family members and their original tribal culture, interferes.  As with our own children at home, they have the freedom to make their own choices and not all of those choices are wise.  

So the caveat is this.  We invite you into a very relationship-based, hands-on kind of Sponsorship experience where we will do our best to keep you meaningfully connected with one another.  AND that may mean some heartache as you walk them through to their adult lives.  Just sayin.  To be fair.

So if you are up to that, let me know.

You will make a difference.  No question.

Wanla Nit, Wanla Noi - "A Little Bit Each Day"

 

May and A-Tom - Grade 6 Graduation

The slow and steady things of life have been impressed upon me of late.  The bigness of the little bits all collected; the successes of a long faithfulness; the measurements of what happens when you just tenaciously stay at it over the long haul.

If we're honest, I think we might all admit to feeling the temptation to want the 'big win'.  When things are important enough, we can get impatient to see the results of our efforts in obvious, immediate metrics.  Pounds off on the scale.  Big chunks off the debt.  Huge strides in improvements or developments of any sort.  Flowers shooting up into blooms all at once.

Earliest spring shoots.

But in most of life, accomplishment comes in increments, almost impossible to see happening before your eyes unless you take a longer look at what's going on.  Like children eager to line themselves up against the wall to see how tall they are now.  It's only by measuring against where you were months or even years ago that you can see where you've come.

May and Atom both graduated grade 6 this school year.  They are tall and blossoming young ladies now.  Here's May when she arrived at Hot Springs, age six, and so very, very small.  What you can't tell from the pictures is how much she has grown in confidence as well.  Her voice!  Such a timid, held back whisper, now developed into a well-spoken, articulate expression of strength.  All around the world, it's so important that we help little girls find their voice.

Similarly for A-Tom.  The coming into her own, the building of skills, the finding her own space in the world...it doesn't happen over night.

The Thai phrase for this is a colloquial blending of the word for 'day' (wan) and the phrase for 'little bit' (nit noi), becoming a lyrical wanla nit, wanla noi.  Just a little bit each day.

A-Tom

I am glad for these reminders.  As    the pandemic months turn to years and I am not there with them, it can feel a bit like time is frozen and nothing is happening.  

That is, if I make this only about what I can perceive.

It brings to mind a rather intriguing "quotation" from Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:9.

"'What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived' -- the things God has prepared for those who love him -- these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit."

There's good depth in exploring this text (and the Isaiah 64, 65 connection it evokes)  that I won't go into here.  But the underlying thought is that there's always a lot more going on than meets the eye...and God's got it well in hand.

This brings me again and again to places of deep gratitude for all you who take these patient steps a little bit at a time with us.  The long faithfulness of your support makes these gradual life transformations possible.  Thank you for your tenacious vision to stay at it with us.  They are growing, these precious ones.  Just a little bit every day for big, big outcomes that would not be possible otherwise.

Soon I will be making some important decisions about a time to return.  There's a lot to consider, especially now with war and air-space factoring into flight paths and transfers.  And then there's this little 'sixth wave' making its way around the world, and the growing realization that waiting until COVID has run its course isn't likely going to be a proactive strategy.

So, as always, we appreciate your prayers.  Much wisdom is needed for this, and for any and all future plans for property and financial development, and the nurturing of all our partner relationships that make any of it possible.

Blessings and strength for your own "little bit each day" endeavours!

The Little Beauties of the Bigger Thing

One of the last outings I went on during my January 2020 trip, was to the Chiang Mai Flower Festival.  A magnificent event showcasing the incredible talent and attention to detail of horticultural artisans skilled in traditional forms.

From the huge floats to the tiniest of details, the vibrancy of colour and the sheer number of blooms required is truly breathtaking.

Who does this?  Who pays such attention to each individual petal and blossom in the most basic configuration, all the while keeping the big picture in mind?  The time taken and the precision and the patience all speaks to both the extraordinary artistry AND the unhurried, meditative nature of the Thai culture.  

These memories (and photos) serve me well in these days of waiting. 

I wonder if the artists get eye strain, or neck strain, or lose sight of the final project while they are hunkering down into the miniscule work of it?  Probably.  Tedium will do that to you.  When something takes a long, long time, when you're in the middle of it, it feels like nothing's happening.

It's time to be thinking about booking my next flight.  At least I think it is.  Then a war breaks out and new risk factors have to be taken into consideration.  But at least my own stamina and well being is on the upswing, enough that I can once again imagine myself on the plane for that long.  But when, exactly?  I don't know.

 When I was at the Flower Festival I couldn't help notice the juxtaposition of the old city walls against the colour-splash of fresh flowers.  While the festival itself is only 45 years old, these bricks have overseen more than 700 years of life and living and festivals on the city streets.  That's old.  That's a long legacy.

I am so grateful for all that I keep learning from my Thai beloveds, from their culture, from their collective-psyche, from their love.  And it's all worth it, I know this.  Every teeny detail done in preparation for the big splash of things, it's all part of the longer story.

Right now in Thailand the Flower Festival is past.  Our children are finishing up another COVID- interrupted school year, and making plans to head up to the mountains to visit living family members.  One of our teenagers has graduated high school and is applying for university.  She wants to be a kindergarten teacher.  We are hoping to arrange much needed holidays (didn't happen last year) for Suradet andYupa.  It's getting hotter, especially by 3 or 4 in the afternoon.  And I wish I was there.

We have much to do together, even from this distance.

Rice and water and other bare necessities have experienced the inflated prices felt all around the world as we contend with the fallout from not just the pandemic, but now the war as well.  My main job right now, the teeny flowers for the bigger picture, is to send out appeals and discern best practices for closing the gap in our 2022 budget.  [As always, if you are not yet a supporter of New Family Foundation I am always happen to chat.  Contact me at rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.]

And always....our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for all those who faithfully watch over us by their support.  And to God and His incredible care for our children as seen in the trouble He went to, to arrange for all of you to partner with us!

Blessings and joy and quiet peace to you all.

"Gola" Part 3 - Of Mothers and Fathers

"Gola" Part 3 - Of Mothers and Fathers 

This is the last of the three part re-post from my mountain village visit in the fall of 2015.

Some adventures are worth re-living.

Gola Part 2 - Being There

Gola Part 2 - Being There 

Six years ago I had the enormous privilege of spending three consecutive months in Thailand, shadowing Pastor Suradet as part of my MDiv requirements for a pastoral internship.

One of the most stretching parts of that time was a three day journey up into the mountains to visit Suradet's family in his home village.

In reflecting now on both the end run of my academics, AND on how much I'm aching to be in Thailand, memories of this particular trip seemed worth re-sharing.

It comes in three parts.  This is the second installment.  "Gola" Part 2 - Being There.  

Click on the link above.