Terry & Belinda's Trip to Thailand: February 2006

Monday, February 20, 2006

Welcome to Our Blog! For those of you who have not read a blog before, You start at the bottom and work your way up! Please feel free to leave any comment you like. You may visit the Remember Nhu website at www.remembernhu.com

I've been back a few days now and had some time to get over the jet lag. When I think about this trip and how the Lord used it in my life I think of the following things:

1. I Learned that working with Remember Nhu is going to take sacrifice.

2. In order to help with the problem I must open my eyes, heart, and mind and look at the difficult stuff.

3. I have a much better understanding of the problem.

4. I will no longer work with Remember Nhu because I should, now I must do what is in my power to stop this evil.

Acha at Asia's Hope...

Land of Smiles,
yet so much sadness
where is your joy?

Land of Smiles,
open up your eyes
Jesus is for you.

Land of Smiles,
give Him your hearts
Jesus can give you life.

Land of Smiles,
yet so much sadness
where is your joy?

We are leaving Chiang Mai by train, as I walk past the windows of the train and see the people and look at their faces, I see such sadness. They call this country "the land of smiles", yet they have no hope without Jesus. This breaks my heart to see and know this reality.

We are finally going to see the work done at Grace Ministries by the Harvey's and the staff that I have come to know and love. We have become friends with Di and Yao and look forward to seeing what their hearts love. This ministry where God is working.

We are here. There is so much life here. Life in the girls, we see their faces and see real smiles. Faces and hearts that are being changed by Christ. We have had several full days here. We put together 19 bunk beds for the girls house. The ladies helped to make lunch. This is quite a production in order to make food. Thai women do so much to prepare food. They cook on a propane stove with only two burners. (similar to what Americans would take camping but with a large propane tank) They don't have a food processor, blender, mixer, or microwave. They prepare food and it takes alot of hard work... We were so blessed by the loving care, that they took to feed us. We helped by cooking, prepping food, and Serving food, etc.

We watched the documentary about Remember Nhu... Wow! I've already seen it once but to see it again after meeting the people and seeing the places. It just touched my heart. We then heard the testimonies of the staff, about how they came to know Christ. It amazes me at how much they gave up to follow God. I was so touched to learn more about them.

Saying good-bye is so hard to do... I had to say good-bye to Di and Yao... This was so hard. I will miss them so much. What a blessing they were to Terry and I. I thank God that we had the opportunity to meet them. I pray that God will keep them in my heart. They are part of the 1% of the Christians in Thailand. They are the Hope for the nation.

Jeremiah 29:11 " For I know the plans I have for you," declares the
Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a
future."

It amazes me that God is so true to His word. He is shaping so many lives to give Thailand a hope and a future. My prayer is that God will grow the children at Asia's Hope, bring them to you, Father. Let their faith be real. Be with Acha, I pray that you would help to heal her heart of the pain she has experienced. Help her to not be bitter, but to be better. Help those at Grace Ministries to continue to grow closer to your heart.

This is my last entry. I pray that God will imprint the lives of Thailand on my heart. Help me to see them as you do.

Bethany House- girl's house

This is the kitchen at Bethany House.

Kitchen counter full of fresh fruit... In Thailand, they have the best tasting fruit.

This is the stove. They did alot of cooking here.

Di, Yao, and Gail cooking Pad Thai. The young man in the black and green is David Harvey, son of Charles.

Pad Thai

We sat on the mats to chop the food and prep the food. Alot of hard work went into the food we ate.

We took an all night train to Bangkok, went to the hotel for a few hours, visited a local mall, and then went on another night train to North East Thailand to Grace Ministries. We arrived at 4:30 AM, Charles' building is beautiful. I was filled with the awe of the Lord, and how He worked to provide it. When we got up we had breakfast with Charles, and put the bunkbeds together. I wish I would have had a camera to capture Charles' smile when he saw the beds. Then after lunch we went to see some local homes. We stopped to watch some local fisherman - that was cool. We visited Pa, The lady who gave her widows mite to Carl when she heard Carl speak about helping the girls in Cambodia. She is in a difficult situation, she and her husband live with her brother. It sounds like they will soon have to leave their home. As we were driving and I was looking around at the homes and people, I believe I heard from the Lord. I have always been committed to Remember Nhu because it is a great work and I respect Carl very much but I was never sure if it was what the Lord had as something for us to do for the rest of our lives. As we were driving I felt the Lord say that "Remember Nhu is what I have for you" Charles did a good job putting into words what I felt . Previously I felt as though Remember Nhu is something I should do something about, but I now know that I Must do all I can to stop the use of children in the sex trade.

Bethany House -
This is the new building for the girls.

Local Thai men fish by casting large nets into the water. Then they swim in and catch the fish with the net.

The catch of the day!

This is Pa and her baby. There is joy in her face because she has Jesus in her heart.

One of the four rooms where we put together the bunk beds. How fun are the beds.

Terry having fun putting together the beds that Team B put together.

Team B after putting together the bunk beds.

girls and their new bunk beds.

Guys at Grace Ministies

Picture of New Life Center (just one of their buildings)

The last two days have been very busy. We began the first day with a meeting with Karen, the director of a ministry called New Life Center. They have 50 girls in residence. They focus on vocational training (such as nurse's aide, beauty salon, or hotel staff), teaching (human rights, Thai citizenship, etc), life skills (nutrition, child care, personal health) and evangelical training (Bible study in every language that the girls speak). Karen is really an ambassador for Christ. We then visited their facility and met Kit and several of the girls. They really have been blessed with a great facility.

Then later in the afternoon, we went to visit an orphanage called Asia's Hope. We handed out clothing to wonderful, smiling children. They were so happy to get just two outfits. Just two outfits and it was like Christmas to these children. How spoiled we are in America.

On the second day, we went back to Asia's Hope. We spent several hours just playing with the boys and girls. While we visited, I held a little girl named Acha. She is 3 1/2 to 4 years old. She is so precious. Her father was killed by a police officer, because of drugs. She speaks very little because of the trauma that she has gone through in her short life. She sat on my lap and colored pictures. We then spent time putting together a bracelet with foam beads. She was such a perfectionist. She placed all the same beads together, all the fish, all the churches, all the hearts, etc. I long to bring her home, but I know that this is not an ultimate solution to the problem. One day maybe she can go to a place like Grace Ministries, where she can get even more education. Then go back to her village and help educate her

village. Maybe this is a solution . I will pray for my little Acha, that her heart will heal from the pain of losing her family.

Children waiting in line to get clothing.

Anxious little faces as they are getting clothing.

Acha, such a cute little one... This was taken when we got to the orphanage. She was playing by herself. A few minutes after playing with her. She came into my arms.

Acha with her outfits... She was so excitted about the outfits that she just had to put on one. The pink dress is one of her new dresses. The

purple dress is the other new dress.

Yesterday we went to Asia's Hope to visit and give out clothing. While there, I had a good time, I took a tour of the buildings. The buildings are bamboo and they rent the land, it is very rough. We were there for few hours and I did everything but look at the children. That evening we had a meeting and I believe that the Lord was present. When we had a brief time of silence to listen to God, I heard the Lord say "Look at the Children" I think earlier that day I was so focused on not looking at the children. The next day we went back to Asia's Hope and played with the children. We brought the kids KFC and oranges for lunch, They loved it! I fell in love with the children. Belinda had one especially, Acha, she was darling. I spoke to Charles about their future when they leave Asia's Hope. After high school there is no money to send them to college. Then

Charles told me that he has decided to take in some of the brighter children of Luke and TuTu's and give them an education thru college.

This is one of the buildings at Asia's Hope. This is the girls dorm.

The children are lined up waiting to receive two outfits.

This is Acha. You can see by her face that it was not hard to fall in love with this little girl.

Recap of yesterday, it was our first touristy day... We went to an elephant farm. There we watched them play soccer, paint pictures, go through obstacle courses, and do tricks. I rode on

an elephant with a young lady from our group whose testimony is a real blessing and a reminder of how God takes care of us in our times of need. The elephant ride was quite an adventure. We went through jungle area going up was fun, but going down the hills... was very, very scary. We were afraid that we would fall out of the seat in which we were riding.

We then went to a orchid and butterfly farm. The flowers were beautiful... The butterflies were, as well. We had lunch there it was excellent Thai food, however they also had french fries! Yummy!!

In the evening we went to a traditional Thai dinner and dance. The women were so beautiful. The men and women who danced were very talented. I saw their faces and realized that they have no joy. They make so little money for all the work that they do. This was so saddening to me. It is so sad that the people who profit are not those who are doing the work ( The annual income for a Thai person is $3000.00) They are paid very little, how depressing that they are treated with such animosity.

Elephant Show

Elephants painting a picture. Here is the begining of the painting. See next two pictures for finished product.

Elephant Painting

Finished Product... the elephants painted flowers.

Yesterday was neat, we went to an elephant show and ride. I believe the Lord met me there, I realized that Belinda and I cannot stop all the evil in the world, the most we can do is what the Lord enables us to do and pray that He would work in the

world. I believe the Lord is showing me that I need to think about and recognize the evil in this world. In the past I have always been very squeamish about evil in the world, I would often try to avoid thinking about it. I think to be effective in working against the sex trade, I must understand and not be so squeamish about the problem. We did a few other tourist things...Visited an orchid farm, went shopping, took a nap. Then we went to a Thai Traditional Dinner. It was so beautiful but at the same time sad that something so beautiful can be abused without most of the people around them caring.

Bel on elephant

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Yesterday we saw several very depressing and heartbreaking things, alot more than I've ever seen.

1. We went to go see a Kahren hilltribe ( the long neck tribe). When we got there (recommended by our driver) we found out that we needed to pay to go see the people and that the hilltribe people received no money for wages... Only the men at the top of the hill and the drivers who receive a commission from people who they bring to the village.

These men were exploiting these people. Praise God for the wisdom and the heart of our leaders and group. We turned and left despite the driver being very put out that he received no commission for taking us up to the tribe.

2. We went to a buddhist temple... How could a people be so deceived? It felt evil. So many people were there and praying to their gods... Such sadness.

3. One of the Thai girls had a death in their family and was a buddhist... It made me realize how lost the nation is without Christ. How heartbreaking it is to see the way it affects those who are Christians but their families are not Christians. This has impacted my prayers because I have come to know and love so many people in Thailand and I know that it saddens them that their families need Jesus.

This is a picture of the Temple we visited.

Yesterday was interesting. We left our hotel for a four and a half hour drive for the Koran Long Neck Tribe. Our driver, a Buddhist told us that he knew of one much closer, only 20 minutes away. We decided to go there to minimize the drive. When we arrived we realized we were in a tourist trap. We would have to pay 400 baht ($10.00 US), and then the guides would take us into the mountains to see the tribe, It was kind of like a circus show, and the tour guides would be the ones getting all the money, it would not help the tribes at all. It was very exploitive, when

we realized this we left. We went to the mall next to the hotel for lunch and did some light shopping. We then went to a Buddhist temple on the top of a mountain near Chaing Mai. The ride up was gorgeous, and the view from the temple was beautiful. It was very sad, you could sense the evil in the place, we were happy to leave.

We then went to the night market with an interpreter named Di (Deek). We did a lot of shopping and then she took us to this place to eat. It was amazing, it was like something you would see in James Bond. It was a courtyard with lots of tables in the middle and all around were food stands, and they would prepare your food and then serve you. They had a Thai Musician playing some kind of instrument in the middle of the place and lights hanging, it was a definite highlight of the trip for me. I wish I would have had my camera with me.

Later that night we had an awesome meeting and shared how we had seen God on this trip. I shared how much it had touched my heart the night before while we were at the village we saw very few smiles from the people there, but when they start singing for Jesus, They light up. We had an awesome day, The Lord was with us

As I sit in a resort in the Hilltribes, I recall our day before. After the train ride, we arrived at a resort and headed to the hilltribes. We went back and up to the mountain villages. They reminded me of some of the towns in West Virginia... They were beautiful, yet rundown. One difference is that in Thailand hilltribes, they were mostly huts, instead of trailers. In the first village we visited, it was like a loop of huts. Some huts had supports to raise the house about four feet off the ground, this is where they kept their farming animals like goats and pigs. They did not have many animals. The chicken just roamed freely around the village. Here in the village there are little stands on the roadside, where the women sit and sell their product. The hilltribe people called the few english words they know "hello!", "look!" and "buy". They know very little English.

One thing that stands out in my mind is there was a little girl about two years old being held by Charles. I came over to take a picture of them and she reached out to me. She was so precious! I can't quite collect my thoughts on this... I was

blessed that she reached for me. I did not want to put her down, it mattered not to me that she was dirty or that we spoke no common words... I simply wanted to care for her and love her. Maybe the mother in my heart feels like our God. He sees past our dirt and grime and sees us for the children we are, precious in His sight.

The next village we went to was at the end of a long road. The people came out and sold their crafts in the middle of the street. They came in their traditional dress. There were very young girls (4-5 years old), older girls (10-12), young women, (25-30) and even very old women (95 and up) selling. Their poverty is simply heartbreaking.

We then went to another village where they slaughtered a pig for us. The people here had such joy in their faces. They were so kind and welcoming. They showed us what it means to love like Christ loved.

The following pictures are women from the first village we visited selling crafts. Some on mats on the ground and some up on platforms.

This little girl is selling some trinkets to one of the members in our group.

A little hut stand to sell stuff. Look at the beautiful smile on the young woman.

This woman is holding a very little baby. When asked how old the baby was, she said almost one year old. The baby looked like she was maybe 3 or 4 months old. The baby was very small.

Yesterday was an incredible day. We got off the train and drove to the hotel. I like Chaing Mai a

lot more than Bangkok, It's very rural and tropical, the mountains are beautiful. We are staying at a wonderful resort. Yesterday we went to several hilltribe villages. Most of these towns have not seen a lot of tourists yet, they make most of the money they have from the few times they see them. We bought as much as we could, they all sell mostly the same things, little handicrafts and weaving. When we could, we bought from a Christian.
We just felt like giving
them all the money we had, and if that would solve there problem of poverty we would but that would solve nothing.

The last village we visited was a mostly Christian village and they knew we were coming. In this village they had killed a pig (a months income) cooked it and held a feast for us. This would usually be done at weddings or other special occasions. It was humbling, after dinner they put on a prayer service. We sang a few songs for them and they sang and did traditional dances for us. We took a love offering for the village, there was so much money that there was a concern that it could cause problems for them if we gave it all to them. We gave them half and half to Luke and TuTu. We came to Thailand thinking we could do good or help them, but they were the ones blessing us! I was moved at how much they had sacrificed for us, would we sacrifice like that for them if they came to the US? I think not, Lord soften our hearts.

Beautiful Mountains in Chaing Mai

Picture of a home in the first village we visited.
Elephant at the first village. Look at his muddy legs. He was probably in the fields working.
Elephants are common in Thailand. Usually a village will own one and they share the elephant.
Picture of the homes in the second village.

This is one of the women who cooked the dinner we had at the village. She is cooking over a fire on the ground. They have so little but gave so much.

This is a portion of the pig that they cooked for us.

Girls dancing at the prayer service after the dinner.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

It's 3:40 Am Thai Time and we are on a train to Chaing Mai. As I reflect on yesterday, I recall our walk with Charles Harvey and a small group to exchange money. On the walk, we saw several couples. Couples that consisted of a foreign man and a Thai girl. By foreign, I mean a man who is not a Thai. I couldn't help but look at the men and see them with disgust, judgment, and condemnation. The girls, I looked at and felt great sorrow. We passed by a hotel and saw pictures posted of girls that could be bought... How sad!

It was not until a sleepless night on a train that God spoke to my heart. He longs for the girls to be free, as well as the men. He reminded me that He loves the girls and these men. I saw a small glimpse of God's love. God's Love is so much greater for them. God has love for these lost people.

In God's love, He does not call those who have led a perfect life without sin.

In Matthew 9: 12-13
"Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the
sick. But go and learn what this means. I desire mercy not sacrifice, for I have
not come to call the righteous, but sinners." "

Pictures of Bangkok

Terry & Belinda's Trip to Thailand

Monday, February 20, 2006

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

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