Hey peeps! Sooo this is a pretty late blog update, but my oh my how time goes on by (boom) and how much has gone on! I'll header this one so I don't repeat or merge everything in to one long shpeel. It's steph by the way!
Work Update :
Work at Rachawadee, everyday, is full of joy!! Even in times where things are rubbish and unjust, God pours out joy, whether that's in the form of one beautiful girl beaming, seeing the girls playing like children, His voice, cuddles, laughter or ice mocha lady at lunch......always joy!! We are still on the wards and daily take out some Pink girlies in the afternoon (apart from Tuesdays which is music therapy and Thursdays which is tak pak) which is just so great. I can't remember a normal week since this whole flood situation! A few weeks ago i found myself making up food boxes for flood victims, crazy! It's a miracle that we haven't been flooded, God loves these children!! I know he loves all the children but so beautiful to see his protection over them :) Being in the wards is amazing, tough and full on, but amazing! I get to see all the girls, the ones that usually can't come to daycare, and can do the rounds on CP ward. It's tiring and can be overwhelming sometimes. I can't sit still for too often and think because it gets too much to handle, and i know God doesn't want me to do that whilst I'm there, these girls need some loving and God wants me to give it while I can! He blesses us with the evenings to chat over stuff, and i can write things down and have a think! But whilst I'm at work i know i can pray and i know God is there!! I don't think things will go back to “normal” before I leave so will be on the wards etc. Bring it on! Love the guys that i work with, such lovely women! I feel I can ask them anything and they have a laugh while I try and pick up Thai and get me to try weird and wacky food :) As schools are off because of the floods It's pretty busy at Rachawadee and Pi Wi's daughter, Nana, comes to help everyday. She's my little buddy and she's taught me Thai numbers.. so now i can do more bahtering on the markets :D Ooo and Rachawadee has a little puppy, he's called Mocha (wonder who called him that??) and the girls love him, maybe a bit too much bless him! We've done different things with pink ward, face painting was on monday and last week we did actual painting. Have had a huge clean up of CCD block and didn't realise how many toys they actually have so doing a lot of rotation. Having a big craft afternoon soon, how exciting! Just a little story about one girl too... Dok is fairly new to the orphanage, she came soon after i was here. Two other girls were new too so we took them out for lunch one thursday. We got out colouring books and found out she is incredible at colouring, perfectly in the lines, she must be about 6. She must have been at school before coming to the orphanage, we just don't know her story bless her. But a few weeks in she became very quiet, and moany but clingy too. She doesn't know what she wants and is just so confused by the whole situation. Pink is a tough word, i've experienced the most joy and the most heartache in that ward. But I formed a bit of a bond with her really and even though she moans and grumps, she's just a bit stressed out bless her and needs some loving! So we were colouring one afternoon and the next thing I know she's wrote in english on this paper :O It didn't make sense but it was definitely english letters, so then i wrote my name and different words and she copied them perfectly!! Then wrote cat in thai and did some drawing!! This girl is clever!! But with pink we've bought them outside and play in the playground lots and do some activities but she's been really closed off recently and doesn't want to do anything. So I've been praying and this week decided to take her to one side, just me and her and do some colouring and writing, got her her own book and pens and as soon as she opened it she started writing english again!! Capitals, spaces, fullstops (not making sense but stilll brill!) and she was smiling away and chatting :D So beautiful to see her come out her shell again! And just today i saw her and she motioned to me that she wants to draw again and i've let her know it's her own special book and stuff and we'll do it tomorrow! Dok has massive potential, i just pray she can get to a school.
Today has been a hard day, would appreciate prayer for me to be able to remember the things I've seen but for it not to weigh me down and stop me being able to do stuff but to strive me on to more and to see change!! Gosh it hits me sometimes that this is crazy, just the whole situation. The way these girls are treated, plain wrong. But God reminds me of his faithfulness and that CCD is having a huge impact on the girls! Praise The Lord for that!
I really am loving it here, through good and bad, God's on the move and working in my heart!
Rest!!
God is very generous to us and the weekends are just incredible! We've been to Nichada a lot recently for chill time and air con time :) They are lovely lovely people who want us to come whenever we can really so we've jumped on that one! It's a relief to get out the house sometimes and escape at the weekend!! Also about 3 weekends ago we went to Koh Samet on a long weekend holiday, wow, it was paradise!!! So bizarre going from Pakkred to there but God blessed us with it and he wants us to rest (it just happened to be in paradise...) so we LOVED it and made the most of it by sunbathing and swimming and eating and drinking. Apart from my silly body decided to get a cold for the whole weekend, i was streaming, but rather be there with a cold so I was still loving life :)
Want to tell you everrytthingg but it's too much and we'll be back soon to have major catch ups :D
Thankyou for your support and prayers, you guys are just great and I can't wait to get back soon and see what's next for me....exciting stuff!
Catch you later, Loves x
Nic's work update!
Again so sorry this is late but here goes. It has been a crazy few weeks of tears and laughter. Can't begin to explain but will give you a very little low down. Firstly, I know many have you have been praying for Por (said Bor, spelt Por!). Praise the Lord he is getting better. Saw him yesterday and going again tomorrow. I have agreed to regularly pop my head in to check the infection and just to ensure the care is okay. It's not UK standard by any means but he is on a high dose of IV antibiotics and his wounds are being dressed regularly so I'm a happy nurse. Every time I see him he is brighter and more and more of a laugh! A lovely boy, there's a picture of his gorgeous smile below! We also get the privilege of praying for him every time we visit which is amazing. Please pray that his condition continues to improve, that he is suitably entertained and doesn't get too bored! Sadly he is not being moved to a private room, so prayer that God would shield his eyes from the suffering and pain that is going on around him and that he would not be traumatised by this hospital stay.
So the nursing role has gradually become bigger while being out here which is incredible. Although It's a whole different kind of nursing than I was trained in! But I absolutely love it. It's amazing to don the latex gloves and get my hands doing something practical even if it is tummy turning stuff most of the time. I have learnt to remember in Thailand everything, including nursing, is same,same, but (very) different! I have had to just grit my teeth, pray like crazy and get on with it using the best stuff available. The things that I witness on the ward are shocking. It never ever fails to shock me when I walk in to orphanages. Some of these girls don't look human at all. They are tainted by abuse, covered in sores and all sorts of weird and wonderful infections. The pain that they are in must be hideous. And despite this these girls rarely complain. They sit there and take whatever comes there way, but this is just as tragic as seeing there sickness. That they would except that this life is just the way it is. What hits me before I even enter the ward is the quietness. These children don't know what it is to play or to have fun everyday. So therefore it has been my absolute privilege and joy to spend time with them and to have some much needed laughter! They are great. They totally entertain me once you get them started! They provide me with so much Joy in the midst of that awful place, if it wasn't for their laughs I'd be constantly in tears. They keep me going. And then there's my favourite place of all time. Baan fung fah Nursery, which without doubt holds the greatest children I have ever met! It can be tough to find motivation for work in the mornings and yet as soon as I see these children I'm filled with so much energy, love and Joy. I'm now feel like a fully fledged member of the team. I love the staff and they are so appreciative of all I do. Today they explained to the children that i was leaving in 3 weeks. It was so so sad. I will miss these children and staff unbelievable amounts. I didn't even know there names a few weeks ago and now they are huge part of my life, and have had profound influence on me in so many ways.
And finally thank you for praying for me last week. I really can't thank you enough actually. It was the toughest day I have ever had to face. HOWEVER our God is an awesome God. He didn't just squash my emotions and make me respond to what I saw with a short cliché christian answer. In his grace he let me shout and grapple and lay all of it before him, and then in his perfect timing he beautifully spoke to me with his truth and enabled me to carry on cause there's lots of work to be doing! 'So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is seen is eternal' 2 Corinthians 4.
All parts of Thai life are great. Wont bore you with all the details, but we find enough time to sunbathe don't you worry! Love that we have beautiful places to rest here, we are mega blessed in so many ways. And we haven't been flooded which is unbelievably great, and even greater, the crocodiles and deadly mamba snakes that have escaped from a house in our area haven't made an appearance yet either!
Sorry that I can't reply or talk to you all as much as I'd like, but no every bit of communication we receive from you all in the UK is SO appreciated! Love to all xxx
