Highview To Thailand!
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
A Normally Not Normal Day
Sunday, November 3, 2024
On the Fridge
It's more than just a Saturday morning thing to do.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
The Timing of Typhoons and Other Arrival Adventures
Colour, not realizing I was taking the picture, excited to find what's in his packet. |
Moses and Pakin comparing their packets, both thinking they got the better. |
Muay, two thumbs up! |
Atom, so very pleased. |
Friday, October 18, 2024
Between a Stone and a Hard Place: An Update on Our Current Situation
The flood waters may have receded in Chiang Mai, but the ripples of clean-up and fall-out continue.
Many people have been affected by this crisis in Thailand, and our prayers are with them. New Family Foundation visited Chiang Rai earlier in these flooding events, to bring water and supplies and encouragement to the people there. Overall, Thailand has seen an unprecedented amount of rain this season, and the flooding has been severe in many regions across the country. Lots of people are suffering.
Our focus of late, however, is the overlapping events of both the flood, and Suradet's diagnosis of a kidney stone. Anyone (myself included) who has experienced the painful and all-consuming symptoms of trying to pass a stone will understand this particular kind of suffering. For Suradet, however, his discomfort has been elongated by the fact that the procedure that is needed, and that his doctor has put him in line for, requires medical equipment that was damaged in the flood. [Check it out here for a glimpse into what they are all dealing with at Lana Hospital where our staff health insurance is recognized.]
Due to the widespread nature of the disruptions, non-urgent cases are being deferred. This means that an initial visit to Lana Hospital in the first week of October resulted in an appointment for the procedure on October 10. On October 10 he was told to come back October 17. On October 17 he was told to come back November 7.
Because Thailand's health care system is largely private, there may (or may not) be an alternative route we can take at another hospital not covered in our insurance, involving cash payments. However, since the whole of Chiang Mai is affected, it is likely we would be put in a long line there, even if we reallocated the funds. Also, just to make note of it, there's an ethical piece in that, if we had the money, we'd likely be pushing someone who doesn't have the money further back down the line. That's how it works.
Right now we wait.
Suradet, while uncomfortable in a prolonged kind of way, is not in danger. And he knows that if the pain becomes unbearable he can go to the secondary hospital.
Against this backdrop is the return of the children from school break on or before October 25. And then the arrival of our Highview Team - Norma, Cheryl, Evangeline and myself - on October 31.
Yesterday was a difficult day. The November 7th date was hard to hear. And we seriously considered cancelling the trip. There were many messages back and forth, and then a Zoom call to be able to see each other's faces and catch the nuances of all our 'big feelings,' as we made some hard decisions together.
In the end, we're still a go.
The Team members are more than willing to accommodate expectations while there. We will step up our participation in the general running of that big, wonderful family, and lower our expectations for any outings or extras that are normally part of a Team visit. Other supplementary help from Bible Students and other friends of NFF have already been brought in to support the care of the children, which remains paramount always. And of course, we trust that our presence there will encourage and strengthen Suradet in this long ordeal. As honourary Mom to Suradet, I will go and be with him at the hospital on the day of his procedure....trusting that it will not be put back any further.
So. Your prayers please. Of course, we continually bring Suradet before God asking for healing and also patience, and a relieving of the pain while we wait. For Yupa, and the extra load that she is carrying. For the children's safe return to Hot Springs and a good start to the next school year. For the safe travels of our Team. And for us all to be open to all that the Holy Spirit is bringing to our attention to form us more and more into the likeness of the Son.
Our last post concerning the floods in Chiang Mai had an overwhelming response.
Thank you, everyone who is tuning in, and taking notice, sending extra funds for this, and offering words of support and encouragement. It all makes a huge difference.
Monday, October 7, 2024
When It Rains, It Pours
There's a lot going on right now at Hot Springs, and I hardly know where to begin. Most of this only developed over the weekend, so this is all new news.
Let's just go to the flooding in Chiang Mai first.
It's common for areas of the world that experience a 'monsoon season' to have episodes of flooding following periods of relentless, heavy downpours. You can see the preparation for that everywhere in Thailand, where large culverts run alongside the roads, and deep cement gutters, usually covered with steel grating, are a built in part of city streets.
This season, however, has been extraordinary. Last month Suradet and Yupa visited the northern region of Chiang Rai to bring supplies and encouragement to communities hard hit by flooding there. Now it's the Ping River, which runs straight through Chiang Mai, that has overrun its banks, causing major flooding in some of the most densely populated neighbourhoods of the city.
For a three-minute visual, check out this video of the flooding coverage here.
For anyone who knows the area, has walked those streets, shopped those markets, visited at those hospitals, this is way more than just news about a disaster somewhere else. It's real. And very disturbing.
Next level 'real and disturbing' is, of course, how it affects us at Hot Springs.
Good news is that our property is situated at a high enough elevation 45 km from the Ping River with no other rivers or streams close enough to cause immediate danger or damage. Our children are safe and dry. Praise God for that.
Where it hits home, however, is in food shopping. The downtown markets where we fetch fresh produce, fish, eggs and rice are all flooded. That presses a food scarcity outward as people stretch outside of the city to find groceries. This sudden increase of shoppers only adds to the understandable panic buying often seen in any sort of crisis (remember trying to find toilet paper during COVID?).
Suradet tells me they are eating a lot of pumpkin. That's thanks to a productive first time experiment this summer growing an entire patch on the property. When we were there in July, we could see all the blooms at the ends of healthy-looking vines. Little did we know how much we would need it! Of course children do not live on pumpkins alone, which is where other produce from our own garden will be well used. As the days move forward I will keep you posted on the food situation.
Another implication has to do with the coming school break in October. Normally, this is a time when the children can go back to visit family members in the village. As well, the Staff get a short break, and an opportunity to do some of the bigger work projects on the property. Right now, however, many roads to the village are flooded. No one's going anywhere. We will do everything to prioritize the children's care and safety always. This does mean, of course, a reorientation of expectations over the next weeks.
In the midst of this, Yupa's mother Sangwan has just returned from a hospital stay, recovering at Hot Springs because she still needs extra care and attention.
And one more random thing we just don't need right now, Suradet is dealing with a kidney stone and is in severe pain. He has a procedure scheduled for October 10, but it is booked at one of the hospitals experiencing flooding. We don't know if this will delay his procedure or not, but it seems likely at this point. Having experienced kidney stone pain myself, I do not wish for him to have to endure one minute longer than necessary, let alone have to be in that difficult mental and physical space of not knowing how long this will go on.
Yupa, who clearly has a lot on her shoulders right now, messages me saying, "Nothing is impossible with God."
At the moment, there is really nothing pragmatic we can do. The rains have stopped, so there's that to be thankful for. And officials are talking about opening some dams and other government level interventions. But there is no real disaster relief systems in place for the majority of the population. It will be a while before things can go back to any semblance of normal.
I hate being this far away. Daily contact and updates don't seem enough. So I invite you to pray with me. Pray for the country, for the people, for the food shortages. Pray for stamina and presence of mind for Suradet, Yupa and the Staff at Hot Springs. Pray for supernatural healing, both for Yupa's Mother Sangwan, and for Suradet. Pray that hospital schedules can stay on time. Pray for the children who are experiencing this too, in their own way.
How this affects our upcoming trip - due to leave October 30 - remains to be seen. I will keep you posted on that as well.
Thursday, October 3, 2024
Garage Sale Thank You
“The mission of New Family Foundation is to provide a loving home for
at-risk and orphaned children in Northern Thailand to help them achieve their
best potential in education, vocation and service to society.”
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Abby's Own Words - Summer 2024 Trip to Hot Springs
Hi everyone, it’s Abby!
The biggest highlight of my time in Thailand was, without a doubt, the time I spent with the children. Even though I was only there for a short two weeks, during that period I was able to forge a strong and meaningful connection with many of the kids and in many ways felt as though I could fill in the role of a big sister. Overall, there was such a wonderful atmosphere of welcoming and love and I was so glad to be a part of that and foster that on behalf of our church.
One of my favourite moments was when we took the kids out to the nearby Hot Springs water attraction for a swim and ice cream. Even though it was a smaller outing, they were beyond excited. The girls even got all dressed up and did their hair and makeup! To see them carry such a bright joy with them as they went about jumping in and out of the pool, going down the small water slide, and splashing around together, was so, so heartwarming.
unstructured ways; doing board games or puzzles together, making bracelets, or playing jump rope and other outdoor games for example. These moments were special to me because they were not times that the children were expected to spend with me, but rather times that they chose to spend with me. To me, this was an indication that they felt secure with me and that they truly enjoyed my presence.
All in all, this is only a short summary of my trip, but I hope that it helps to give you a clearer picture of my time spent in Thailand! I am so grateful for all of the support I received as I embarked on this incredible adventure. Not only has it meant so much to me, but it also enabled me to strengthen the relationship between our church and our partner church in Hot Springs, and to remind the children that they have a deeply caring community to support them by providing them with a physical presence.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the pictures I have included - they are some of my favourites!