Dear Church, we are very grateful for your prayers! Happy Mother’s and Father’s Day to all parents.
Mother’s day is very important in Thailand. Many schools are making a special event for mothers where the students are making a flower or a bouquet of flowers out of a paper and give it to their moms at the end of the ceremony, standing on their knees, showing respect and gratefulness.
For most of our children, this is not the joyful day they want it to be, because their parents won’t be at this ceremony. Why? Because they are not there with them even though they are not orphans. The definition of a parent sadly has been changed. The “Mom and Dad, who are raising you” is not the standard any longer. If you would ask our children:
Do you have parents? Most of the answers would be like:
- Parents?!
- Yes, I am living with my grandmother and uncle.
- Yes, but they are far from here and I can only see them once a year.
- Yes, I am staying with my aunt’s family.
- Yes, I have a grandmother and grandfather who are taking care of me.
- Yes, I am staying with my uncle.
Some answers are:
- Yes, I have a father and a grandmother.
- Yes, my mother is with us.
- Yes, I have a father, and my sister’s father and my third sisters’ mother.
- Yes, I didn’t see my father since I was 3 months old, but my mother was always with me.
- Yes, I am staying with my adoptive parents because my biological parents don’t have an opportunity to take care of me, but I visit them sometimes.
And only few would describe their parents as mom and dad who are taking care of them. All these children have “parents” or at least one “parent” but the definition is not what we used to understand.
Because of this, we decided to make a “Family day” instead of “Mother’s day”, where children can invite any of their family members who are taking care of them and thank God for them. We had over 150 people who attended the “Family Day” and had a chance to share with them God’s Word, what it says about the family, and what advice it gives for parents and for children.
This “Family day” was a real joy for one of our girls, who hasn’t seen her dad since she was three months old, and after eleven years her family reunited again! Praise God, for the privilege to have “parents” as “Mom and Dad who are with you!”
The culture or economic can change the definition of the family and Parents, but nothing can change the definition of the perfect love of our Heavenly Father. He never changes! He is always there for us. He understands our joys and sorrows. Such amazing and encouraging news to share with our children. God continues blessing us with many children and teens that are coming to our evening school.
Please Pray for:
- The greatest need is that we would like to build a small building next to our bamboo church, where we can continue the ministry and in the meantime fix our Bamboo building. By God’s grace, we received enough finances to start the process and believe that God will provide the rest. Please pray for the remaining finances and also for people who would like to help us with it.
- The right people who would like to help us in teaching and taking care of the children.
- For God’s Word to bring fruit in the hearts of the children
- That God would raise boys to be future leaders in our church.
- Wisdom and strength for us as the leaders.
Ministry in Thailand – San and Anita