My visa expired on the 8th of June so I had to make a trip up to Mae Sai on the Thailand/Burmese border to get it renewed. The bus ride was pretty standard, and safe, for all of you who were wondering! They even have the option of A/C if you'd like to be cool for the 5 hour bus ride. The only eventful part of the trip was when we got closer to the Burmese border and the border patrols had to get on the bus and check our visas and passports for nationality; to prevent Burmese nationals from illegally crossing into Thailand. Not a big deal for someone as white as me. In fact, I barely even got a glance even though only one person asked to see my passport!
There was some good news on the new volunteer front. An American named Heidi came to volunteer for just a month on summer break from college and was a welcomed addition to our volunteer team at Agape. I admit, it was nice to have someone else living in the volunteer house with me. It gets a little lonely living by yourself when you don't spend a lot of time going out into town! Her time here went by quickly, but I have no doubt that she had a large impact on the children. It's easy to tell the people who love what they do and their actions always show their heart's intent.
June was a fairly laid back month as a whole. There were the usual happenings with lots of small blessings mixed in. Trips and outings with the kids help to remind all of us why we do the work that we do. Little girls smiling up at you and asking the kinds of questions that only children can will always brighten my day and make my heart swell. And let's not forget about goodnight kisses from little boys! In this respect, June was a very blessed month and a quiet one as well. Nothing wrong with that!
There was a small amount of excitement at Agape when a new mother-to-be came to stay at the Agape Mother-Baby Unit. The Mother-Baby Unit is a part of Agape where HIV positive expecting mothers and mothers with small children can stay until they get back on their feet. Agape's newest addition was well into her third trimester when she came to stay and we're looking forward to seeing her baby's entrance into the world! Please keep her in your prayers, she has had a rough past and needs the Lord's touch as much as anyone!
Prayer Requests
-Please keep one of the nannies at Agape in your prayers. Her name is Ooy (pronounced like the oye in oye vey). She has a young son that recently had Gengi fever, a fairly serious disease contracted from a certain kind of mosquito found in Thailand. He has a rare blood disease as well and has to undergo transfusions on a regular basis so getting Gengi fever just adds to Ooy's worry about her son. They both need lots of prayer right now!
-I also ask that you keep the influx of volunteers in your prayers as well. Heidi is leaving on the 5th of July and we get two more short-term volunteers on the week of the 17th so there are lots of comings and goings this month! We all need prayers that we can live well together and that I can be the best host possible for these women.
-The trip to Burma reminded me of how long I have been here and how much time I have left at Agape. I definitely need prayer to keep up the work that I'm doing and to be able to say my goodbyes when the time comes! I don't even want to think about the end of September when I'll be getting on a plane to come home, so much of my heart is at Agape.
-Please keep my finances when I get back, and for these next few months, in your prayers as well. The amount of Baht per dollar that I get for exchanges has dropped from 38 Baht per dollar to 33. It doesn't sound like a lot but if you have to exchange 100 dollars, you get a lot less than before!
I truly appreciate all the prayers you all have said for me while I've been here! I know how much influence the power of prayer can truly have, and I count myself blessed to know that people back at home love me so much.
Getting to Know the Kids
This month, instead of talking about two of the kids, I thought I'd talk a little about the nannies at Agape. I know, hearing about the kids is nice, but the nannies really help these kids and teach them so much that they deserve to be mentioned as well!
Mae Ooy (we call all of the women who work at Agape with the children 'Mae', which means mother in thai, as a prefix to their given name) has worked at Agape for quite a few years and works with the 4-5 year olds. She works with another nanny, Mae Goy, at the school our kids go to during the day at Agape. The kids all have the utmost respect for her and she does a lot of good work with them. Her son is the little boy mentioned in the prayer requests, and she's had a little bit of a rough patch lately.
Even though life has dealt a couple of hard blows lately, she keeps a smile on her face and a strong faith in God. She is such an inspiration to both the other nannies and the international volunteers. Learning more about her and all the things that have happened in her life and the way she leads her life just let us all know how much she loves the kids and being at Agape. I'll try to include more about the nannies at Agape in the future, they really are such an important part of the kids lives at Agape!
