MomoCat December 22nd, 2009
We are well and joyful. As Christmas appraoches the carol singers are out in full force, up late. Last night our little kids went around the village singing too. Zac sang solo, his favorite Heidi song, “More love.”
The bigger kids are all away at the national English competitions representing the local government schools. We will have stories told when they get back. Our main carol night will be in Sai Yok square on Christmas Eve.
Today we are in BKK, having brought a small boy to the Sirijah hospital… He is growing a bone formation on the nasal bone, already preventing the tear ducts from working. Unfortunately his growth has turned inward toward the brain. He looks a little like an elephant with his bulging trunk between his eyes! His family thought it funny, and gave him the name Cartoon. How very sad. Please pray for him.
MomoCat November 30th, 2009
At last the rain has stopped, and the nights are cool. Not enough to stop mosquitoes, but enough for blankets on the shoulders of kids and volunteers alike at early morning worship.
Dokmai loves the new baby…. kissing in her favorite occupation. they sleep together some nights!
We are cozy because the International Rescue Club gave us warm fluffy blankets. Then Chulalakorn University visited with my friend PK. Their dean gave us the backboard for the ambulance. Our new volunteer has arrived and already Dokmai has him around her little finger!! Thank you Jim for having a large heart for little kids. As well, Jojo is working hard with Po Kwar Lay, putting tiles on the classroom floors and in the bathroom block. Wow, we are coming up!!!
MomoCat November 8th, 2009
Can you pray for my new volunteers… They are adjusting to climate ,
culture and job changes. Especially pray for Nick. His day yesterday
went something like this….. the morning was slow, as Momo was buzy with
end of month reporting to local authorities, statistics etc…. so Nick
was playing with small children, especially the blind/deaf/cerebal palsy
boy (John)….He prayed: “God, do not let me be bored… I want to have
something to write in my journel… something REAL”
After lunch Momo and the other volunteer transferred three patients to
hospital and went on to shop for the food. Nick was to pick up the older
kids at school at 3.30, and supervise their chores….
At the top of the first hill, the car ran out of fuel. Nick tried to
negoiate in a new language (sign language) about credit for 5 minutes to
“refuel and then bring money back”…. not possible, so he ran the km back
to the house to get his wallet!! When he got there he remembers seeing the
old resident grandmother waving and shouting… however the mind was
intent on getting the stupid car back on the road to pick up kids!!! Car
full, he successfully transported all the kids home…. to find baby John
laying on the floor , caked in pooh. John had got his hands into the
pamper and painted the room yellow, hair, mats and all. The girls meant
to be taking care of him stood in awe as the new teacher Nick proceeded to
race him to the bathroom to wash off. Child shivering, but clean was
given back to the girls. The teacher then worked off his guilt (afterall
he did not respond to the old lady’s call), but cleaning up the
aftermath!!!! When mashed pumpkin was served for dinner, Nick was no
longer hungry! We debriefed and laughed together. Salainee said she had
never laughed so much in her life…. today she is looking after things at
home, while Nick has time away to recuperate!
Share this story with your church youth, I am sure they will all be
lining up to serve God!! I praise God for Nick’s guts and willingness
to go the extra mile for one of God’s children…. John cannot
communicate yet, but think of what will happen when he meets Nick in
heaven!
MomoCat October 31st, 2009
- Moremorechore and Dokmai
These two are great mates for each other, but younger Dokmai is the leader, and Chore loves to follow… the car has been painted with mud often… Praise God our long rainy season has just ended!!
MomoCat October 31st, 2009
Bekah aged 3 weeks.
We are in operational mode, with a second round of dengue fever…. Just as well Ruthie, Ellen and Julianna were here from USA to man the hospital!! I will miss them all. Nick and Salinee are a great back up team, just as soon as they remember that we drive on the correct side of the road, not the right!
MomoCat October 10th, 2009
It’s holidays and time for our annual outreach programs… these last two weeks I have enjoyed the company of Pastor Nathan. He has been leading the kids toward outreach in remote villages. The kids divided themselves into 3 teams. The first team, led by Canagee, went for 4 days to Sangkhlia. They had worship, mini medical clinics and returned home with an extra child! This young girl had “a fever when she was 3 years old, resulting in convulsions and brain damage). I took her to Bangkok to be diagnosised… she had encepalitis, resulting in permanent damage… so we gain a 3 year old brain in a 13 year old body!
The second team went with me to Petchaburi, where Petploy led the team. Our team was the young est team, including Zac, Dokmai and a new one called Bee. They drank some bad water so we had diarrehea all the way home!! I was called by the hospital in Kanchanaburi to pick up a small baby belonging to the AIDS lady…. small is the operative word. She weighs in a 1.5 kilo, has no hair (Shaved off for easy os hep-loks and IV fluids) She needs feeding every two hours! It looks as though she may be blind and deaf… tests for this tomorrow… we pray for God’s fixing of her…. He isn’t finished with her yet!
The final team are now in Pilokee with Nathan. When they get back tomorrow, Nathan will ready himself and a couple of the big boys, to go north to Chiang Mai to buy bibles and resource materials.
MomoCat September 26th, 2009
Well, it was a tough night…. Started out great, with a worship that took too long, because the kids wanted to pray…. I took nathan to catch a bus to BKK…. we missed it, so I thought we could catch it up… result, I drove to Bangkok! Turned around and then went back to Kanchanaburi to pick up the patient from Phahlom….. She had walked 6 days from Burma to us, as she knew something was wrong in her pregnancy… At the time she arrived, she was in full labor, with the placenta presenting first. A quick transfer to Phahlom…. a baby girl delivered at 31 weeks, 1.5 kilos, with a problem of infection. It turns out the mother has AIDS! So we have brought her back to one of our houses on the hill, so we can take care for now. The little baby is still in hospital, fighting hard for life! Pray for both them and us! Apart from that, the sun is still shining.
MomoCat September 14th, 2009
We have settled into a routine of sorts. Some children have been reunited with their parents.. After 4 years at Bamboo School, Gorlar, Oray, Eskimo, Ahpoo and Lisa have gone home. We paid the school fees for the year and the fees for their lunch, o the partents can afford to care for them. It is good for them to be home. Suwit and Dee Chai also went home to the new school in Pilokee. It is good as we have 4 new kids arrive about two days later.
As the west faces financial crisis, we too are affected a little. We are currently looking for replacement sponsors for some. The kids made a strategic plan to reduce costs and to become self supporting. Hence we need a little capital outlay for the irrigation system at the lake, so our vegetables can grow all year round.
Our orchard is producing fresh bananas and some papaya, pomelo and jack fruit. We have just expanded it to twice the size, including many pineapples.
The hospital is being a place of God’s rest for many from the village. It saves me some trips to hospital at Sai Yok in the middle of the night!
Some new volunteers are on the way. Please pray for them. I am missing adult company a bit. Thank you all who have given me light releif over the past year. God is always kind to me, and the spiritual growth in the young men and women is exciting.
MomoCat August 20th, 2009
My friend Lyndsay has gone onto meet up with her brother… today is quiet. Tomorrow Nathan and Niel leave to return to travels / job seeking. So just Jo and Jesse will be here for the weekend.
Somsee has at last made a commitment to finish her studies and is enrolled into Ramkhamhaeng University in Bangkok. She is packing up ready to shift on Monday. SO by Tuesday next week, Bilay and I will be the adults at Bamboo School.
The kids seemed to be contented that Momo stays! (Where else would I be??) They have grand plans of turning off the electricity everywhere except the hospital; going back to the basics, praying a lot and just being together as a family, taking care of each other. We do have volunteers coming in, or considering coming… pray for them and us! In the meantime we are alive and well. Dokmai is recovering from AH1N1 and seems to be active again at last. We are making the most of each and every day as it comes. Rainy season is still here, but dry days with heavy rains each afternoon, cooling us down and filling up the water tanks.
MomoCat August 16th, 2009
It is amazing how much bigger God is than the devil… WE have had health problems with chicken pox, then with viral throat infections for 20+kids, then swine flu (AH1N1) striking the village, and then a new young girl…. now Dokmai has an “unknown viral flu” attacking her lungs. Still no sure diagnosis…. Volunteers come and get into “bad medicine” drugged off their faces, still forgetful…. but God sends in the reinforcements… Lyndsay (not the Christian) came in to help and brought in her friend Flemming… what positive role models for hard work! The Jo and Jesse came in for a few days, and they are still here, being friends with the kids, playing football, etc… Now we have a number of volunteer applications… God is good to us.
One day I will write a book!!! Heard that one before…. but the shame, the suffering the brokeness of each of us, can still be used to help others.
Quotable quote: as we were driving home from a hospital 4 hours away, I asked Lyndsay to inform home of our ETA and tell them we would not require food… In her best kiwi language she says,”Niel, we will be home about 9pm and never mind food for tea, we will pick something up from the side of the road.” Niel’s understanding was that we would drink a drink of tea, and we would eat dead dog!!! We all speak English, but we still have a break in communication especially over the phone.
