Doi Saket Thailand April Update

Update provided by Asia's Hope Thailand Intern, Ashley Barnhill

Throughout the beginning of this month, many of our students continued studying Thai and English during the week in hopes of them getting caught up with their classmates. They’re progress is evident and it’s a blessing to be able to see their minds working and to see these children being invested in and challenged to work harder and reach a goal that before coming, would have been completely out of reach.

Their coloring and cutting skills of the kids at Home 3 have even gotten much better!

After a fourth complete month of being here, our Home 3 kids are doing excellent. The staff is incredible and really emphasizes the importance of God’s Word. Before every meal, all the children recite Bible verses and pray together, all led by one of the kids.

Also pictured is Jojo with his watermelon, enjoying a safe home at Asia’s Hope. Jojo’s father used to beat him, so when he was told that some of the kids were going to visit the villages, he said he didn’t want to go. He wanted to stay with his new dad, Ajarn Boone.

One day early April, we took all of the kids that were here to the Chiang Mai Zoo. The kids loved it and had a great time.

After the zoo, we took all the kids to a local waterfall to have lunch together and play. All the kids were fast asleep on the way home after such a long morning and afternoon.

This month, Dob and Ying, an engaged couple who have been helping out at Home 2, were married up in the Karen village of Om Koi. They will be joining our staff soon at Home 2.

In mid-April, Thailand celebrates the festival of Songkran. The festival is celebrated over 3 days by people throwing water, sometimes ice cold, on one another all day everyday. We took our kids out on the first day to join the fun. They had a great time, but were pretty tired by time we returned.

The kids in the nursery home are all healthy and happy, which is such a blessing after a long battle with re-occuring sickness, especially with Tee Noi and Sai for several months after they came. They have personalities like you wouldn’t believe! The kids love to color and are getting better each time!

Rachel from Home 2 just moved with her new care-taker to live in the baby house as well. A welcome addition. She’s walking and babbling now!

We have some different activities for the kids to do to fill their time before school starts, such as language study, learning dances, art and new songs as well as some chores around the orphanage. They are all adjusting well coming back. Their first Sunday back, after church, we had an Easter egg hunt for all of the kids and they all searched for hard-boiled eggs to eat for lunch. They enjoyed it so much. (Easter hunt).

Please pray for:

• Health of the children and adjustments as they enter new grades and, some of them, new schools
• Safety and protection for our children and staff
• Continued encouragement of the staff as they work hard to care for and to guide the children who have experienced extreme hardships and loss