I just finished a Skype video chat with Duang's wife Lew and their two daughters. I'm so happy to report that all are doing well. Both Lew and Kelapaw face a long road of recovery, but are happy to be out of the hospital, and living as a family again.

The family, along with Lew's mother, are living for now at the home of Tutu Bee, our national director. They will recuperate there for as long as necessary -- two, perhaps three months. Tutu is glad to have them there, and Lew's mother is enjoying her role as caregiver and helper.

Lew is still in rough shape. The swelling has gone down in her face, and she is doing physical therapy regularly to improve movement in her hand. Her hips and legs are her major struggle right now. She is unable to stand, and will use a wheelchair for at least two months, after which she will transition to a walker. Please pray that God will accelerate her healing, and bring her to full health and mobility ahead of schedule.

Kelapaw is getting around with a walker, and hopes to return to walking on her own in a few weeks. Both she and her sister were giggling and smiling; they will always feel a deep sorrow for the loss of their father, but I can foresee a return to some sort of normalcy over time. They are truly beautiful girls, and it was so good to see them smile.

The family is extremely grateful for the prayers, the condolences and the financial support they have received from all around the world. They know that they are loved, and they thank God for all of you who have kept them in mind during this extremely difficult time.

I too am very thankful for all of you. Please continue to pray for this family. And please continue to pray for Asia's Hope. 

I've updated many of you individually on Lew and Kelapaw's condition -- I also wanted to put some information up on the blog.

Kelapaw has been released from the hospital and is recovering. Lew, however, will remain in the hospital for another week or so, and will require more physical therapy and some significant time for healing.

We're going to keep Lew on staff, but change her duties some. She's very much looking forward to reuniting with her two daughters, and with Josiah, the little boy she and Duang cared for.

We will continue to collect funds for ongoing medical expenses and expenses related to the staffing changes necessitated by Duang's death. If you are interested in contributing to this, you may do so by visiting http://www.asiashope.org/support/. If you write a check, put "Duang's family" in the memo line, and we'll make sure it's allocated correctly.

Please continue to pray for this dear family.

"For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.  For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men." -- Lamentations 3:31-33

I just can't tell you how sad I was to hear this morning about the tragic death of Duang, one of our key staff members in Thailand, and the horrible injuries sustained by his wife Lew and daughter Kelapaw.

The three were on a motorbike that was struck head-on by a car that was passing another vehicle on a narrow road in the north of Thailand. Duang went under the car, his neck was broken, and he died instantly.

Lew is in the hospital with two broken hips, a broken leg and many other injuries. Kelapaw's leg was broken clean through. Neither of them know yet that Duang has died. The next few days will be excruciating for them both physically and emotionally. And even if their bodies heal completely, their hearts will bear permanently the wounds from this horrible accident.

I'm also weeping today for Duang and Lew's daughter Neracha, who saw the accident happen, but was on another bike and was uninjured. And for Bang (known to some of you as Josiah), the little toddler Duang and Lew have raised since infancy.

I'm also heartbroken for all of the girls at Doi Saket 1 to whom Duang was a father. These children -- already orphaned -- have now suffered another shattering loss.

I'm so thankful for Mike and Debbie Flinchum. They're ministry advisors who have provided our staff and kids with countless hours of assistance for no pay. Mike rushed to the hospital to help with arrangements while Debbie had the unenviable task of contacting Duang's friends in the U.S. and Canada. They seem to be hanging in there, but they're exhausted and very, very sad.

And, of course, I'm devastated for Tutu Bee, our national director. She is understandably distraught. Nearly inconsolable. She is strong, but the loss is a huge blow. On a normal day her job is nearly impossible. Today, it's unimaginable.

Please join with me in earnest, fervent and prolonged prayer for these guys. I love them all, and my heart is breaking for them. Please beg God to make his promises very real to all who are suffering from this loss today.

This has to be my favorite story of the year. I received this email from Tutu Bee, our Thailand country director. The email was titled, "Naughty staff but blessing." Enjoy.

In the end of the year on December 29,09. Our staff Dong and his wife Ying. She pregnant for 8 months turn to 9 months. They asked me to go back to their villag for celebrate New year at church. I had told them you should not go because your baby will born soon and your village very far from the city and road very camping road. They said will be fine not born  yet.

So, they went back to the village on the night of Janury 1st, 10. Dong had to hurry from the village to the hospital with a midwife in the back of the truck. Ying very serious with painful for baby will born!! the midwife told her don't puch yet, break... break... don't puch but can't break not work!! and on the way her baby born in the back of the truck!! on the way and then arrived in the local hospital later, both mother and baby saved in God's hand. Praise God! 

See the pictures. So cute and lovely baby boy. His name is Hope because parents working at Asia's Hope and his nick name is Ford because the truck brand baby born inside the truck is Ford!! 

Staffa and all your kids miss you so much and they are praying for your coming back soon.  They all love the Lord very much. They encouraged me a lot by their singing and pray and love to study bible.

Thank you so much for care for them and loving them and give them hope and future.

I'm happy to introduce 14-year old Vilay to you. He really is one of my favorite kids in the world. One of the "big kids" at our Prek Eng 2 home, Vilay is gentle and kind, and takes a great deal of responsibility for the younger children. He's such a big help, and all of the kids look up to him. I pray that some day Vilay will join the staff of Asia's Hope.

Pray for Vilay as you read this bio, submitted by Savorn Ou, our Cambodian director.

His father was killed when he was working as a guard at a prison. His mother remarried a new husband, unfortunately, her new husband committed suicide when he laid down on the train tracks and was run over by a train. Vilay and his brother Veasna went to live with their uncle. His uncle took Vilay and his brother to live in Phnom Penh.  He did not have enough time to go to school because he had to work clearing grass around the house. He was also responsible for guarding their house at night. Sometimes he scavenged for recyclable materials to get some money to feed himself. He had to work so hard all the time. He never had new clothes to wear. If he got ill, he could never buy medicine to take.

Vilay now lives at Prek Eng 2 near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which is sponsored by Central Vineyard Church in Columbus, Ohio.

Now that he is living in the orphanage, he has a good school to go to, enough food to eat, toys to play with, new friends, and time to do homework. He has the opportunity to study English and computers. Even though he has gotten sick, he has kind orphanage parents that take him to the hospital and take care of him. 

He attends Asia’s Hope Christian School. His favorite subjects are English and Math. His favorite food is fried pork with ginger. He enjoys Game Boy and hopes to become a pastor.

If you're interested in receiving a bio and updates for a child like Vilay, you can sign up today to become a supplemental sponsor!

I can't tell you how excited I was to receive the DVD for our Cambodian Christmas program! Savorn and our staff did a fantastic job putting together this video.

I know it's a little long, and doesn't have chapter breaks, but I highly recommend taking some time to watch some of this this with your friends, church and family!

Asia's Hope Cambodia Christmas Program 2006 from John McCollum on Vimeo.

Asia's Hope now provides comprehensive care for almost 500 kids in Cambodia and Thailand. Now that we've reached a certain scale -- 16 orphan homes -- it could be tempting to evaluate the ministry in terms of statistics more than stories.

And God knows I have a lot of statistics I have to review on a daily basis -- donations, expenses, projections, exchange rates, salaries, rents -- the list goes on and on. But the real measure of our ministry can't be charted on a spreadsheet. Our children are our greatest treasure, and each one has a compelling and often heartbreaking story.

Whenever I get overwhelmed by the "business end" of the ministry, I take some time to look over the bios -- the personal stories -- of our kids. I'm often moved to tears, and I'm always moved to thankfulness; I'm thankful to our supporters for their generosity, and to our Father God who has given us the opportunity to act as conduits of his mercy and love to these precious children.

So, I've decided to share with you on a more regular basis some of the blessings I receive in reading the stories of these amazing kids. I'll try to post at least one bio a week. 

Here's an excerpt from the biography we have on file for Rarot, a beautiful nine-year-old girl who lives in our Battambang 1 orphan home in Battambang, Cambodia. I always look forward to seeing Rarot's wonderful smile every time I visit Cambodia. It's amazing to think about the suffering this now-happy little girl once endured...

Rarot's father contracted malaria. Her mother sold their land in order to get money to pay for his treatment, but he still was not able to recover. Without a home, her mother sent the children to live with their grandmother and went to Thailand to find work, but she has never sent word home. They lived in a poor shanty. Every day she took care of her two sisters, washed clothes, cooked and went to catch crabs, snails and fish to make stew. Many times they did not have enough food to eat. For nighttime they didn’t have blankets or mosquito nets. The roof leaked when it rained, and their clothes were often wet. She could not attend school, and lived a miserable existence of extreme poverty.

In 2007, Rarot came to live at home 1 in Battambang, Cambodia, sponsored by Westview Bible Church in Montreal. She is very healthy and happy to be living at the orphan home. She has a lot of friends, a lot of good food to eat, and good clothes to wear.

Rarot's favorite subject is Math, and she would like to become a doctor when she grows up.

If you're interested in receiving a bio and updates for a child like Rarot, you can sign up today to become a supplemental sponsor!

One of my jobs as Executive Director is to present the ministry of Asia's Hope to potential partners and donors. I've put together this presentation that I usually run as a .pdf on my laptop.

Occasionally, people tell me, "I'd like to tell my pastor (or boss, or friend, or parent) about Asia's Hope. Can you send me some information I can use?" So I thought I'd make this presentation available online and also as a downloadable .pdf.

So, now you have it. You want to present Asia's Hope? You interested in finding out what we're up to? Here's a great place to start!