Life is Not Fair

Those of you on the praying mission with the Campbell's will be glad to know that you have finally arrived in Thailand, in the northern hill country near Chiang Mai. L

Last night we slept in a bedroom in an open air Thai dwelling under mosquito netting at Wiang Pa Pao, the newest Orphan Home for Asia's Hope.

This Orphan Home began only two weeks ago, with the arrival of 19 orphans from different hill tribe villages bordering the Mynamar and Laotian borders. The physical structure is a larger Thai residence with multiple indoor rooms, and a typical outdoor kitchen. It sits on an acre of land. Unique among other Asia Hope homes, this one is also adjacent to a working farm which is growing fruits and vegetables for the Doi Sachet orphan homes (four of them).

On this farm, there is also a home for six widows who are provided with room and board in a small house, as well as weaving and sewing supplies, looms, machines to start a micro-enterprise to raise money for their needs. These widows have already sent two shipments of their scarves and bags back to the states with visitors to be sold.

We'd love to tell you more of the physical and organizational structures that we have seen in the first 24 hours in Thailand for the Asia Hope ministries, but instead we are going to choose to tell you only one story.

Yesterday afternoon we drove to Wiang Pa Pao with a young boy in the truck with us. His name is T. He was riding with us because he was about to become the 20th (and final) orphan to complete.

T.’s mother died when he was two days old. His “father” had returned to Europe already at that point; when contacted about his son, he thanked the writer and asked that someone else take care of him.

An aunt took T. into her home and raised him as her own for the last six years. She works as a meat vendor at the night market. Child care for T. for all of her working hours was her husband, who regularly abused her, and then abused T. while the aunt was out of the home. Finally, in desperation, she choose for the boy a different life, seeking a place for him at the Asia Hope orphanage.

From T’s position, as a six year old, life had already not been fair having no mother, having no father, being beaten for living with an “uncle” who did not want him. This morning, life became unfair again for T. as his aunt left him at the orphan home.

What T. does not know yet, but will know within the next few weeks, is that life is going to be fairer for him now. He will be living with 19 brothers and sisters who love each other, who are loved and protected by the staff, who make sure that he has food to eat, clothes to wear, and that he gets to school on time.

T. sat on a bed last night watching his new brothers and sisters sing Christian songs and say their evening prayers. He watched the 19 children line up for water, brush their teeth, and nestle down under the new blankets just donated by women at the local counsel in Chiang Mai.

God is good. God is great. Let us thank God for offering T fairness.

(PS -- we will figure out how to do the pictures better.)