Community Playground Phase 2

We recently purchased, quite cheaply, some very old but sturdy playground equipment.  Some of the boys from our team, along with some wonderful helpers from Australia,  spent countless hours sanding, restoring and re assembling the playground. This process gave some of our trainees the opportunity to learn new skills in sanding, painting and seeing the importance of doing a thorough job in preparation rather than just slapping another coat of paint over the top of the existing 7 layers.  The end result is fantastic.  The boys are very pleased at their accomplishments and have seen the benefits of persistence.   

 

There is of course the other benefit too, the one for which the playground was purchased and for which the boys from our team and the Aussies who assisted, put in all those hours... the children are using the equipment every day!  This new playground, along with the earlier installation of the first phase of our playground development,  will assist us to continue to provide a kid and family friendly safe haven for the community of Hang Dong. 

Healing of a deaf woman.

We recently drove 3 hours  to a remote village, where Yingwhit, our team member, is sowing his life into serving the people of that hilltribe.

After eating chicken and sticky rice and drinking coffee in Yingwhit's tiny coffee shop/bamboo home, we walked up the hill to show some visitors the water tanks supplied by the “miracle water”.  As we walked, a little old lady and her husband  came out of their little hut to asked us to pray. This lady had become profoundly deaf. We had prayed for her many times before on previous visits, but gathered around her again, prayed and asked God to heal her. She then spoke with Yingwhit in her local language for a little while and then Yingwhit blurted out  “She can hear, she can hear!!”

 

What an experience! We had prayed for this woman many times and at every community meeting her husband asks the people there to pray. Why did God choose this day to heal her and not earlier? We don't know, but we do know, this day she walked away healed. We also know that she was healed so that He will be glorified!  Praise God!!

Please continue to pray for our champions who have laid down their own ambitions and comfort to see people groups receive wholeness, healing and eternal life !!

Mother’s Day in Thailand

August the 12th is a very special day in Thailand. It is the Mother’s Day. The

day coincides with the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, who is regarded as

the “Mother of Thailand”. The whole country has a public holiday, so that mothers

can be with their children on that day.

The River Team commemorated Mother’s Day this year with several celebrations in the local communities:

We visited the local Hangdong hospital, where we sung songs and  distributed gifts of fruit and flowers to all the mothers there. Patients, visiting families and the staff, all loved it and asked us to visit again.  Hospital is not a nice place for any woman to spend the Mother’s Day, but it was our huge privilege to show love to those confined.

We also visited over 300 mums in their homes in Hangdong communities, giving them flowers and inviting them to our evening dinner and celebrations at the River.

The “rainy season” did not stop the mums and their kids from crowding our River meeting hall! The program of singing, children’s presentations, skits and games created an atmosphere of fun & freedom. One of the funniest moments was when the kids with blindfolds on, put makeup on their mums’ faces!

In a special DVD presentation, some of the kids shared their thoughts about their mums. There was not a dry eye in the house. Yua, our Thai team leader then shared about the purpose of an umbrella - It provides shade from the sun and the rain. She went on to parallel this with God’s love and the role of a mother in protecting and nurturing her children.

The evening ended with the kids presenting a beautiful umbrella to their mum. In cases where the mum’s biological child had either died or was far away, our team members stepped in to be the “child” for that important moment of hugging and presenting the gift. Mothers are so precious to God!

People, People, People

 All that we do as The River Team is about serving people.  No matter how old or young.

Communities are transformed as their people are loved and empowered.  The children are not just the "next generation", but vital members of the current generation.  They need to be loved and empowered to succeed in life.  The elderly are not a burden, but carriers of heritage and experience that forms a platform from which the young can excel.

 The sick and lame are not to be discarded but restored to wholeness and helped to regain their dignity.

Where can they find the love that can achieve all this?

The River Team is training and equipping leaders from across Thailand and S.E.Asia to lead in a great transformation of the nations.  A transformation of Love, of Grace and of power.  A transformation of lives and entire communities.  A transformation that brings wholeness and equipping, adding value to the lives of multitudes.

Our Girls

Two little girls, living in poverty were being used as child labour to help their parents meet basic living needs. Their parents  loved them dearly, but, due to circumstances and financial hardship, were unable to look after them in a way that every child should be looked after. The police were about to intervene and remove the children, placing them in a Government orphanage.

Our team members had been working with this family for some time,

and have seen wonderful changes in their lives. Because of our relationship with all

parties concerned, we were able to intervene and bring a better solution. The girls

now live on site in our team accomodation, being cared for by our children’s leaders. This

also means they are still able to regularly connect with their parents, are attending a great school and are beginning to love life the way children should. A future that couldn’t have been so bleak is now full of hope and light.  Another family saved by the power of One.

Naang

 Naang is a woman who is involved with the work of The River Team.  She is quite poor and lives in this tiny hut.  Despite her financial poverty, Naang is a generous woman, opening her tiny house each week for people to come and connect and discuss life issues.  Those who attend her meetings must  sit outside on mats as there is simply not enough room inside to accommodate guests.  The area outside is often muddy, but Naang does her best to make everyone comfortable. When it rains, the group goes home early!

 Recently The River Team helped Naang by extending her roof line and adding a raised floor at the front of her house.  Naang is now excited about being able to welcome more guests to her house and offer them a dry, comfortable place to sit.  Her group can continue despite the rain and all can enjoy the comfort of the new raised floor.

Naang is one of many people in our community who are seeing their lives transformed as they come to know the life transforming love of Jesus.

Naang's extension completed!

Cultural Exchange Evening

The local government recently organised with us, a "Cultural Exchange Evening" between the local Hang Dong youth and 22 Australian year 10 and 11 students recently served with us at The River.

 The evening was attended by a number of local dignitaries who were delighted to connect more closely with us and our visitors. 

  

Following Thai culture, we all ate together, sharing a Norther Thai style meal.  This was then followed by displays of traditional Thai dances by the youth of Hang Dong and Australian songs by the visiting Australian students.                   

The evening concluded by releasing hot air lanterns up into the sky as a display of unity.

It was not just a fun evening, but a time of further developing relationships and understanding between us, the loval government and our community.