Okay. So we’ve been in Thailand for almost two weeks and I haven’t written a single big post. 

Sorry-not-sorry, we’ve been living the good life. Most mornings, we’ve gotten up and had breakfast by 8, and aside from a short mid-afternoon catnap, we’ve been hanging out with staff and kids — fishing, dancing, playing volleyball or pétanque, making meals, eating, visiting markets or playing music — until we crash into bed around 10. 

And that’s pretty much what I “do” on these trips. Sure, I’m taking lots of photos and video, and I have some important business meetings. But the real purpose of my time here is to connect with the kids we serve, the staff with whom we work, and the communities our projects bless. 

And it’s as tiring as it is rewarding. But it’s these connections that make us effective. By investing in these friendships — one meal at a time — we’re creating and reinforcing the mutual trust that allows us to run an organization that serves more than 800 kids without having to employ even one “foreigner” on the ground in Asia. 

Cambodian staff run the whole show in Cambodia. From cook to country director, Thai hill tribe staff comprise our staff in Thailand. And in India’s Himalayas, all of our workers are from the local area, and speak the local language. 

All of this adds up to better care for our kids. The people they look up to on a daily basis understand their culture because it’s theirs too. 

So as we wrap up our time here in Thailand and prepare to return home, we do so with full hearts and bellies, confident that we’re leaving our projects in good hands, because those hands belong to our dear friends.