A little barbecue with our family at Wiang Pa Pao
A decade ago, a group of us stood in the middle of a beautiful but overgrown and disused 13-acre plot of land in Wiang Pa Pao, Thailand just off the main highway that leads to Burma, about an hour and a half north of Chiang Mai. We prayed that God would give us the land, and that he would provide the resources we would need to restore the dilapidated house set on one far corner of the property, turning it into a home for orphaned hill tribe children.
Thanks to the generosity of donors big and small and to the faithfulness of Wooster Grace Church, we've been able to rescue and raise a generation of vulnerable kids at our two Wiang Pa Pao children's homes.
Yesterday, we gathered with some of our friends and family on the same spot and prayed that God would move once again and give us the resources we need to develop our 13 acre campus in Wiang Pa Pao to its full capacity. In faith, we asked that God would provide the funds we need to further improve the campus' infrastructure in preparation for a future expansion that could add as many as seven more homes — that's 140 new children and 20+ full-time staff. (You'll be hearing more about this project in the near future. If you're interested in how you can get involved, contact me at john@asiashope.org.)
On our way up to Wiang Pa Pao we stopped for a delicious Thai lunch and dipped our feet in streams fed by natural hot springs. When we reached the property, our staff and some of our older kids killed, butchered and cooked a 220-pound pig they had been raising in anticipation of our team's arrival. After a long afternoon of songs and games under the hot sun, we shared shared a delicious dinner before heading back to our guesthouse in Doi Saket.
We reached home exhausted but exhilarated. What an honor it is to guide God's people into courageous leadership on behalf of these precious kids. I hope you enjoy the pictures (although I have to warn you that some of them are a bit gory). I pray that you'll be blessed as you join us in this vital work.
Below: a stop at the natural hot springs on the way to Wiang Pa Pao.
Below: Afternoon and evening with kids and staff and Wiang Pa Pao. If you're squeamish about blood and guts, you may not want to scroll too far, as there are pictures of a pig being butchered.
