Flowing With Milk and Honey!

When we asked God to guide us in buying land we could never have imagined what he had in mind. As our name suggests and as you have read on many occasions our hope is to ‘connect’ with the Karen in work they already have underway or at least are hoping to get underway. We never thought that we would fit into our ‘work’ so quickly.

Samson grew up in Paday Village only a hop, step and jump from Lucee village. As Samson grew up and as his faith grew he knew he wanted to go to Lucee Village to somehow share with the Karen village the message of the Christian faith. His hope was not to persuade them from their Buddhism but to serve them and to allow them the freedom of choice in their faith. When Samson first went to this village a few years back the Karen there fired their guns into the air to let Samson and his friends know the Christian message was not welcome. Samson was not deterred and where many Christians have continued to pass by and ignore the village, Samson and others have found ways to enter again and continue to serve the Karen in the village. Now with the talk of buying land and setting up a home that would educate, embrace and empower Karen children Samson’s mind went immediately to Lucee Village. In the process of visiting the village, wondering if there were any possibilities for land there, Samson reunited with a past friend. This friend had become burdened to serve Lucee village and had begun coming to the village to teach the children Karen and some English. He and Samson talked and found their common interest to serve the Karen people. They joined hearts and minds and dreams quickly and want to work together – so now there are two leaders that Connect has ‘connected’ with! Arjarn (teacher) Ponpon (Samson’s friend) then told Samson of land that would be perfect for Baan Puk Dek Nakrean. The land is about 2 acres – smaller than what we thought but big enough. It already has a dam on it and borders a creek controlled by a larger dam – this makes water no problem for the school. It has mango trees, citrus trees, coconut trees and more all bearing fruit – it is really a great fit for the school. It happens to be in the middle of the village and at the edge is a volleyball court put up by the Thai government. As yet no money has been taken from the Connect account. Colin and I support ourselves and volunteers are exactly that – volunteers. Currently there is about $22000 in the Connect account with $6000 given specifically for a car for Baan Puk Dek Nakrean. That leaves $16 000 and how much does the land cost? $15 500. This land originally had a price tag of $25000 but after Samson spoke to the owner, explaining its use, the cost was reduced. The step to buy this however did not come easily, on Tuesday (handover day) we will own land but won’t have much in the way of funds to begin building. So, we ask again for continued generosity to this work. All of your gifts will go directly to building. (Except if you are sponsoring children - that money will be used to set the students up when they arrive and will continue to fund their schooling and living expenses). Thank you so much for all that you have given, we have been humbled by the support for this project. We understand that we will go slowly in this project. We will begin building with bamboo to keep costs as low as possible and add onto buildings as funds come in. We hope to at least build a girl and boys dorm and possibly a kitchen/eating area, as well as toilets this month. We will only need a few thousand dollars to accomplish this. Samson and Arjarn Ponpon are very excited, as are many in Lucee village. We spent a night out at the village on Saturday and helped Arjarn Ponpon and Samson with teaching the children. The parents and grandparents in the village are ecstatic about the hope this teaching and the school brings to their children and now don’t mind that bible is taught also. The villages are coming to listen and learn as well. We were brought gifts of pineapples and coffee, flowers and papaya, sometimes given by people who didn’t smile, look very apprehensive, but wanted to express thanks. It was absolutely mind-blowing! Next week we will go and live on the land – we will begin clearing the land, trusting that God will give the money to buy materials to start building.

A note on sponsorship. We have had a bit of a change in the timeline and students that will come in our first year. Sorry – but this is pioneering work and that often means confusion until things find a rhythm. Some of you have not received the photos and details of your child - even though I have sent them. If you have not received your child’s details, please send me a quick email. Added to that- due to the fact that our students are refugees in Thailand they are reliant upon ID cards to allow them to travel outside their province. Some of the students have applied for ID to allow them to travel but this has not been granted. We have to do a reshuffle with students and will have to possibly resend photos and details. We suspect we can not do this until the end of April. The students will come and camp on the land with us and work alongside us (building their school) on the 5th of April and then we will begin to know exactly who has been able to get ID or not. Please be patient as we sort this out. Feel free to write letters or send photos, but these may need to be general for now rather than to specific students.

Above all.....please pray. Pray for the Karen of Lucee village. Pray for the students to recieve ID cards. Pray that the sale of the land will go through on Tuesday. Pray for Colin and I and our children and pray for David, Lexie, Janet and Ken - all in Thailand building with us during April.

The photos below show you ‘our’ (yours, ours and the Karen) land. There are also a couple of photos showing you the people of Lucee Village. Arjarn Ponpon is teaching and Samson is translating for me as I preach

A job for you!

As we prepare to purchase land and begin building, there is something each of you can do as well. Currently students in Thailand are on holidays and will begin government school again in May. We are hoping to have enough of Baan Puk Dek Nakrean built to receive students at the end of April. Coming to BPDN will be a big transition (exciting, but big) for the students. We have an idea that may help. We would like to have a letter at the end of each bed and a board up with faces and letters from people who love and believe in each of them. If you have sponsored a student, could you write to that student individually. If you have partnered with Connect and this project in a different way, could you write a general letter introducing yourself and send a photo also. Please send letters/photos to Zach Harrison (volunteer with connect) and he will ensure that each letter is translated and placed at the end of the beds or pinned to the board. Address 128/3 Thanon Kokmor. Amphoe Mueang. Ratchaburi. 70000. Thailand. David and Lexia Edwards (volunteers with Connect from Nth Qld) arrive on the weekend. Stay tuned!

Postscript.....

This morning I received a call (as I do often) from Samson asking if there was any possible way we could take another lot of students. I chatted through with him what this would look like and said that we would need to have another leader in order take more students. He said 'I already have another leader who wants to study bible also'. There is such a great need and hunger for education and empowerment among the Karen - it is a little daunting. Samson and I decided that we could increase the student intake to 35 (5 of them as leaders) but that we would have to stop there until we get the home built and launched. Again...we are in need of sponsors for these children and for Amamoo (our extra leader). If you know of anyone who would like to sponsor or if you are able please email me (Ruth) at connect3e@hotmail.com. We are looking at land this week. Samson has his eye on about 2 acres of land costing 700 000 baht ($25 000) - he understands that this is too much for Connect to pay for so he is asking the owner to lower it to 250 000baht ($9000). Samson just says...'If God wants us there he will lower the price. If he doesn't we will find some different land!' Please be praying as we search for the best land to build Baan Puk Dek Narean. Thank you for reading....I will update this blog a little more regularly over the next couple of months....so check back often.

There is a need!

This morning I received a phone call from Samson. Amongst other things Samson spoke of a visit he had made to a family in a particular Karen village. The children in this family have been a part of Samson's bible study (when he had traveled on occasion to their village). On the phone Samson relayed the story of these children (early to mid teens) crying as they asked Teacher Samson if there was any way for them to come to Baan Puk Dek Nakrean this year. Their parents then told of their deep desire to have their children come also. This family is very poor, Samson told me, and unless the children could come to BPDN they would not be able to continue their education. Samson (with expectation and hope in his voice) said to me 'I said they couldn't come this year...is that right teacher?' Peacefully I replied 'We trust that God will give us what we need Samson. We have 6 leaders, we can take 3 more students, I think'. Samson let out a huge sigh...'oh teacher, Praise God! I will tell them they can come'.

So....precious friends....we need an extra 3 sponsors. We will have 24 students this year. We have 18 children/leaders sponsored already and have another 6 to go. If you can help with this...please let us know. Sponsorship is a monthly commitment of $35. It pays for their schooling, food, accommodation and much more.

Let me introduce you...

Yesterday, even more than previous chats with Samson, I was impressed with him as a leader. I had taken our two boys and traveled to the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan to meet again with Samson. As with managing any project there are various concerns/question and ideas to align with those who work with you and I wanted to speak through a few of these with Samson. Samson had also traveled to various villages and had taken the photos of the 21 students and I wanted to get copies of them to send to Mikiele Barr (a volunteer with Connect in Australia) who will forward the photos and details of your sponsor child/ren onto many of you. Already we have 15 of the 21 students sponsored. We are so thankful for your response.

The day started early with a coffee at Starbucks (I told you that Hua Hin was a touristy city). So with a good coffee in one hand and photos in the other, I was introduced to the precious, beautiful students by Samson (via photograph). He told me their names and a little of their story. This was, without exaggeration, a highlight of my life. Samson also had photos of last Sunday when a number of the prospective students and leaders (at one village)had spent the day eating, swimming (Samson paid for the picnic smorgasbord of food) and praying about their new school/home that would soon be built for them and future students in the years to come. My great delight was that our family and any other Connect volunteers were absent! Great because our absence highlighted again that this project is Karen led and while they have immense gratefulness toward each of us, this is their project as much as it is ours (Connect). So… they lead, they pray, they plan, they hope and they smile and grow as they watch God provide for them.

Many of my matters to discuss were addressed as I spoke with Samson throughout the day. In fact without prior knowledge of what Colin and I were wanted to question and possibly reassess, and before even raising the issues, Samson spoke directly to each and said on many occasions ‘I didn’t feel at peace about this……and so I prayed and prayed and now I feel peaceful about doing such and such.’ His alterations were exactly in line with what Col and I had felt would work better or would be a wiser direction to head. This too provided further confirmation that we were all walking where God would have us walk.

After a few hours of rapid conversation, goose bumps, intense joy, relief, questions, clarification, big smiles and thanks to God (all from both Samson and I), I excused myself to go to the bathroom and suggested we change coffee shops! As I walked to the restrooms such was my awe I could only whisper the name of God. I, myself, felt humbled and deeply delighted (but also on your behalf) that we were getting to play a small part in all of this.

One concern that we had was the registration and legalization of such a project under the Thai government, given also the unsteady status of Karen people along the border of Thailand. I had asked Samson to look into this and he has come up with an ingenious plan. The project will be called (in Thai) Baan Puk Dek Nakrean meaning Home for Students. Our requirements will be to attain seven signatures of various people in specific positions (such as lawyer/pastor/district politician) and we will be covered in the event of Border Police or general police investigating the project as we build and continue the work there.

Apart from providing sponsorship to these students for their government schooling, food, general care and accommodation, BPDN (Baan Puk Dek Nakrean) will focus on discipleship. Samson’s passion is for teaching and he has spent the last 6 years traveling (often an 11 hour round journey, on a weekend, on a motorbike) to teach children/teens in various villages about a God who loves them and the hope that it brings. He is beside himself with delight that soon he will have students in one place, where he can ensure they are cared for, taught, mentored, loved and given every opportunity of a future. Already he has had to turn students away, so next year’s intake is already building. Samson has relayed conversations to me also of parents who are deeply thankful for this opportunity for their children. Hopelessness is a powerful thing; it destroys a person’s spirit. Hope on the other hand is a more powerful thing and brings life where there previously was little. God is without a doubt a God of hope. Living and working here I am often reminded of the urgency to pass on the hope I confidently carry with me all day, every day. As I pass it on it seems to generate more hope in my own life. Perhaps this is what God meant in his Word when it says ‘give and it will come back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over’!

Samson had pages of notes and we spent hours going through them. One page had his free hand drawing of a proposed building plan of BPDN. I am not sure if Samson is sleeping at night, but is rather awake planning and praying for BPDN. I wonder as his pages of notes included a freehand plan of where each variety of vegetable will be planted in the vegetable garden! I told you he was excited! Samson and the Connect team are still aiming at purchasing land in March (about 60km from Hua Hin amongst the Karen Villages along the border of Prachuap Khiri Khan and Burma) and beginning to build in April. We hope to have enough built to accommodate and feed the students who arrive 26th April. Our family is on holidays from mid March so we plan to buy tents and head to the land (once we have some) to assist with building a school in 4 weeks! We will bath in the river, cook on a fire and build in the day. The children (and Col and I) are looking forward to this. The students for 2008 range in age from 11 to 17 and we look forward to meeting them face to face. We have 2 university students who have also accepted (volunteer) leadership positions at BPDN. We also have a 25 year old girl (Juicena) who is coming specifically to lead. Below are some photos of students playing on their day out with Samson.

We have some urgent and specific needs. They are as follows;

*6 more sponsor families/individuals

*Financial gifts. This will allow Connect to purchase land, building materials, tools, plates, fridge, gas cooker, sheets, mosquito nets and so on and so on.

*Builders/Laborers. If you can build or work hard and have a couple of weeks off in April (or can get them off) PLEASE COME! We need you desperately. We will pay the Karen to build for us (which provides income for them) but it will be of great benefit to have some others (like you) on site also. April is Thailand’s hottest month – so this is not for the faint hearted. You will need to bring a tent and be willing to really ‘camp’. If you are up to the challenge and a month like no other, please email me at connect3e@hotmail.com. I can call you and talk through further details.

*Prayer. Please pray. Pray for the seven people we must find to sign the document allowing us to build. Pray for the finances to come in God’s timing. Pray for the future students. Pray for safety of those traveling and working. Pray for stamina, wisdom and discernment.

I will leave you now with photos. Please pass on this blog address to your friends….please tell as many people as you can about the Karen and this project. Thank you so much again for being in our lives. Thank you more so for being people who seek to bring justice and hope in an world with very little.

Samson's Hope

Many of you will hopefully have received or seen the dvd of our trip out to a Karen village. If you have not and would like to receive one please email us at
connect3e@hotmail.com and we will happily send you a copy.

This past weekend saw further advancements in our/your involvement here with the Karen people. We took a bus (3 actually) to Hua Hin a city three provinces away. This is where Samson lives and works. He is from a village at the border of this province. We spent the day with Samson in the bustling (extremely touristy) city. We had asked Samson to write down his ideas for his people so as to further clarify with him what he was hoping to see happen. Samson had done exactly that. He had a page of notes and this proved extremely helpful as we spoke through his hopes and dreams that he has prayed about for the past four years. Samson continues to really impress us as a leader. He consistently shows and speaks wisdom that we feel could only have come from an intimate walk with God. Samson has a diploma in Biblical Studies from a Bible College in Bangkok; he has full Thai identification and can speak five languages. In our many conversations Samson shows strength, determination, passion, softness, boldness, humor, sadness, hope and joy. We have seen humility when he is working with pastors or leaders of various Karen/ Thai churches and have seen those pastors and leaders support him and hand ministry over to him on various occasions. We are feeling such wonder at being brought into this man’s life and the plans that God already has underway.

It is difficult to write succinctly of the amazing hour’s spent in conversation with Samson last Saturday and Sunday. When we had finished we (well at least Colin and I did) felt that we were standing before a towering building of hopes and plans and we were at the base arching our heads upwards to see the top story. We spoke about many scenarios but the following emerged as the most effective.

* A campus on about 10 acres of land (to allow for growth) that would initially house Karen young adults and children. It would be a place where the younger children could be sponsored by people/families (like you) so they would have the opportunity for proper meals, education (school fees and uniform fees), care/mentoring and discipleship. It would also be a place where the young adults could learn leadership and could be discipled and empowered to serve their own people.

This was not a new idea to us, or to Samson. However it was extremely important for us to hear this idea from Samson. We have always wanted this project and any others to be lead by the Karen themselves. It was thrilling to see Samson with his notebook outlining his hopes for a school. Samson has longed to see the above scenario happen for the past few years and so quickly the vision of this particular project was clear. It was time (albeit terrifying) to move on to more practical issues that would step us into seeing this scenario become a reality.

It would be accurate to say that Colin and I (looking upon this towering building of plans) hoped that Samson would begin speaking about building throughout the current year and be ready to accept students April 2009 (the beginning of the school year). But it was not to be. Peaceful but dumbfounded at the enormity of the project for little people like us we embarked on discussion of seeing the school open soon after the new school year in May 2008….this year!

The Connect team has spoken and is in agreement that we will aim for this project to begin NOW! So……

We need you to prayerfully consider the following needs. God’s timing is perfect…and we will rely on the Holy Spirit to stir people’s hearts. If you do not wish to give financially then we would cry out to you for your prayer support. If you do wish to give financially to this project then we would also cry out to you to pray. This is a big project.....but God’s project…. and so we rest in that…but God asks his people to pray!

* We are anticipating that 10 acres of land will cost around $20 000 AUD. We currently have $2000 in the Connect account…so we have started toward this first goal.

* We are not sure (once we have been able to purchase land) how much building materials will cost, but we anticipate another $10 000AUD to build a boys & girls dorm, kitchen, classroom and toilet block. It may not even be that much!

*We need 21 sponsors for 21 students. This would be a commitment of $35 AUD a month. If you are interested in being a sponsor it is necessary to email Connect directly (connect3e@hotmail.com) with your name and address so that we can be sure you have the account details and that you receive a photo and specifications of your child/young adult. You will be able to write to your student and have your student write back to you. You can come and visit them and be part of their life and future… I am so excited about this I want to sponsor all 21 but I won’t because I will love watching you have that privilege.

*We need volunteers once we have the land…to join with Samson and his team to build a school! So if you would like to spend a few days/weeks or a month with us then book a flight from about March onwards; be sure to send us an email (connect3e@hotmail.com) and give us your phone number and we will call you and speak with you further. Colin and I have holidays for the month of April so our hope is that this will be a key month for building. (If the other things come into place)

I can’t write everything here, but like I said, I am more than happy to speak further with anyone.

Thank you to many of you for personal support to Colin and I and our family. Samson took the past weekend off work so as to spend his time with us. A gift of money we received from dear friends allowed us to give Samson a gift to cover his time off work. We are truly in partnership with you all.

Samson telephoned us just the other morning and said that he had spoken to many Karen about the possibility of a school being built. He said that they were very excited. Then he said ‘maybe 60 or 70 students next year!’ Ahhhhhh!