Simple Pleasures

You know those months when there seems to be a thousand things that have happened and you sit back and think …. my goodness there has been a lot on!

Well that sums up many of the months at the ZOE Children’s Home!

New children have been rescued, new ZOE parents have been hired, the water filtration system has been completed, our pig farm is coming along nicely (and I have helped eat a few of them too –yum!), plus hosting guests that have come to ZOE, conducting training for the staff … the list goes on!

Recently ZOE initiated a child sponsorship program to allow people to partner with the Children’s Home and assist us as we care for the orphans and children who were rescued from or at risk of human trafficking.   I have the privilege of getting together with each of the kids and asking them how they are feeling, what special moments they have enjoyed over the past couple of months and finding out any highlights or accolades that they have achieved.

For me this process has become such a wonderful time of encouragement.  The overwhelming things that stand out to me as I sit and listen to the children talk and reflect on how they felt about the last few months, is how happy they are!  For many of the kids, the thing they said they were proud of was being able to hand wash their own clothes, or being good at helping clean their room or family area.  They take such pride in their home, they take such joy in completing tasks that benefit those around them and they celebrate each other’s achievement along the way.

Coming from Australia and having been bombarded over the years with advertising to make us think we need to spend money on gismos that make us feel better, stands in contrast with living in Northern Thailand and not seeing any television or viewing advertisements!

What has happened for me is that I have begun to take more pleasure in the ‘simple’ joys of life.  I’m trying not to be worried about getting the next thing, but learning (very slowly) to be content with what I have and to keep looking for someone else to help, who really could just use a bit of a hand.

As I look over my notes from the interviews, most of the kids are not happy because of what they have, but they are excited about what they can do.

We feel blessed to be here.

I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to those that have been supporting our family in the work we are doing at the ZOE Children’s Home.  All the ZOE kids are experiencing the joy of being in a home that is safe and we are privileged to be working alongside the staff here to make ZOE a fun place to be!

I hope you also find some joy and pleasure in some of the ‘simpler’ things in life.

David