Job Descriptions

Several people have asked us, "What is it that you and Dave will actually be doing at ZOE?"  

I love it when people have questions.  It may take a while for me to answer them but I do get there eventually, so keep them coming!

I thought in this blog entry that I'd spend a little time trying to explain what our job descriptions look like (as far as we can tell at the moment) and also outline a little about our fundraising aims.

We just met with the founder of ZOE on Monday night.  Carol Hart is so inspirational. I could just sit and listen to her speak for hours without getting one bit tired of hearing all her ideas and dreams.

Although on a very steep learning curve, David is extremely excited about his new role.  

While, he will have some interaction with the ZOE business, vocational, and bible school, his main focus is the children's home.

 

His first project is the upcoming 4-weeklong children’s camp.  ZOE runs two camps each year to provide a program for the children and teenagers during their school holiday break.     

 

Considering the short amount of time left to plan for camp, he’s really hit the ground running!  

 

Thankfully he’s working right alongside Jessica, the phenomenal children's worker here, who you may recall lived with us for our first few weeks in Thailand and now house sits next door.

The 4-week program caters for 43 children and involves; bible story telling, sports, craft, games, day outings and basically a whole lot of fun.

 

This camp is shaping up to be the most dynamic camp ZOE have put together to date.  We’ll have more to share with you about this later!

 

Jessica and Dave are completing the planning this week and tomorrow they’re presenting the vision for the camp to all of ZOE (everyone except the kids).  I can't say too much now, as it will ruin the surprise!

 

Next week they will begin making the props and purchasing all the materials for the games and craft.  They will also commence training up the staff that will be working in each of the activity centers.

 

Dave feels so fortunate to be involved in camp so soon after commencing as it is giving him a great opportunity to get to know the children, house parents, staff and current students at the school.

 

He is also getting insight in to how the children's home runs (meal times, school routine, transportations schedules, health check ups, special activities etc).  This will be paramount when camp's over and he begins working more closely with the day-to-day running of the children's home.

 

He will be involved in the training, equipping and empowerment of the current child care staff and house parents.           

 

ZOE are planning to expand and replicate the children's homes throughout Thailand, Burma and in other regions of South East Asia (and wherever human trafficking exists) so David will be involved in the documentation of the existing systems and making improvements to the current operations.

 

As the ZOE family grows from 50 to 500 children, so will the role and there are many new initiatives that will commence later in the year, so we’ll report on them as they begin...

So whilst I am officially a "stay-at-home-mum", there are quite a few areas that I will be having some input in that fit in really well with our children's schedules and my home duties.

My most important job remains as my highest priority and that's to support Dave in his role as well as be the best mum that I can to our three young children.

Some of the other areas that I have already, or will possibly, help out with include:

The Design Team- this is the team that is currently choosing the colours for the new children's home building exterior and interior as well as making decisions about fixtures and fittings.

The Craft Team- ideas for children's craft and how to implement them.

Missionary/Staff Events- this includes women's social nights out, family nights with the team, planning of staff retreats/ social events etc.

Blog team- Writing blog entries for the official ZOE blog including updates on events in relation to the children's home, reporting on specific stories or special projects etc.

As well as these, I'll be being included in various meetings and discussions involving childcare, holiday program planning etc.

I've had some great times with Dave and Jessica brainstorming ideas for the upcoming camp and how to execute some of the designs and decorating themes.  As I said, I'll report more about camp in a later blog, but it's going to be FUN!

In regards to fundraising, Carol emphasized to us, that even more importantly than doing our jobs, is our responsibility to fundraise enough money to stay here in Thailand. 

If we're not here, then we're not able to do our jobs!  

As you probably realised from reading our blog, all of the overseas staff here have voluntary positions... so we don't get paid! This concept has probably been more challenging for us to deal with than the actual move itself was.  We are not used to having to ask others to financially support us.

We are going to begin thinking of some ideas over the next couple of weeks of how to do this more proactively.  We may have to approach some media avenues in Australia as well as businesses/churches etc.

Thankfully we have already had a few generous donations which has brought us to achieving about 10% of what we have budgeted we'll need to live here.  Some people have donated funds to specific items like our car, school fees, cooking items etc whilst others have given either a once off donation or a monthly donation towards our general living expenses.  

We are happy to speak in churches or at events to promote the human trafficking issue and we'll soon have some current resources to do this more effectively (there's been a film crew here the past few days getting footage together and the bits we saw looked awesome). 

As we begin to make a plan, you may be wondering how you could possibly help.  Please email us if you have any ideas that come to mind on this topic.  Maybe you could forward our blog address to someone you know in a business position looking for a cause. Or possibly you are linked to a church or company that is showing an interest in the human trafficking topic at the moment and needs someone working in the field to come and speak later in the year.  We are open to all your suggestions!

Please understand that our heart is not to drain our friends and family of their money.  That is NOT what we want to do at all, so please do not take this as a cry for help.  Whilst all financial gifts have been received gratefully, we only want those who feel that placed on their heart to give of their finances.  

We would love the word to get out though that we're here in Thailand and that we've started with ZOE and that we're passionate about making a difference in the lives of little children who deserve the best that we can give.

Thanks for your support.  Just by reading our blog and keeping up with our journey, you're an encouragement to us... and we really appreciate you.

Blessings,

Andie 

And It Begins!

It was with a mixture of excitement and (just a tad of) sadness that I said a prayer for Dave today and he ventured off to begin his new job at ZOE. 

It's true, I will totally miss having him around, as I've become used to having him close by over the past two months, but I am also so happy to see him go off and start a wonderful work that I know will totally transform him and grow him in to all that he was meant to be.  How delightful that he's found a place to work that we both feel so passionately about and so inspired to be involved with. 

A year ago, almost to the day, I emailed Denise one of the missionaries who works for ZOE with a billion questions about her experiences in Thailand and how she manages living over here with her four children etc.

A lot has happened in the past year...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of accompanying Rob (Denise's husband), Jessica, the architect for the new ZOE project and Mike and Carol (the founders) out to the new building site to help select colors for the exterior of the building.  It was so interesting seeing all the plans and then helping to make decisions that I will have the privilege of being able to "see" for many years to come.  It was also exciting to see the roof going on to the building and each step of progress.

So how did I spend the day without Dave?   After we dropped the children at kindergarten, we drove to ZOE and I proudly left Dave in the car park and he set off to do his orientation.  I then drove from ZOE back to our local shops- which I managed to do successfully using the navigator!  Go me! Spencer and I attacked the grocery shopping with gusto and then headed home for a coffee (just me) and play together before going back for the kinder pick-up and home for resting time.

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing craft with the children and then heading to the backyard for some fun with water.  We are loving not having water restrictions and the sprinklers are a big hit!

In just under 2 weeks my parents are coming to stay with us.  Our first visitors. I am SOOOOOO excited.  I am missing them more at the thought of getting to see them soon and I just cannot wait to give them some massive hugs!

Coming up:

Every 90 days we have to cross the Thai border and get our passports stamped to say that we've left the country (due to the type of visa we currently have).  We are going to do this this coming weekend as we have a number of commitments over the next month.  Dave, of course, is very excited about this.  I'm sure you can imagine the delight on his face as he announces "Road Trip!"  Mind, you it is a 4 hour drive each way!

Well it's officially started now... our work begins and we are so glad that our time has come to finally get involved and make a difference.

Stay tuned as I'm sure Dave will have lots of stories to report on soon.

Love and best wishes for a wonderful day,

Andie :) 

The Perfect Lunch

We all have things that we enjoy in our daily life.  

We have those ‘special’ places we go to unwind or to give ourselves a treat …a local coffee shop that knows exactly how we like our coffee.  …a favorite bakery that makes a jam donut that has twice as much jam than other bakeries can seem to squeeze into their donut.  

You get the idea.

These small treats in our life become part of our routine and we draw such comfort and security from them.

Today we picked up Tobi from kinder and within moments he started having a total meltdown.  It started with Tobi giving Andie a relatively simple request ‘Can I have a sandwich when I get home?’ 

Andie and I have had heard this request many times before, but as we were about to find out…today was different.  She answered with the same response we always do, ‘No Tobi. You just had lunch at kinder.’ 

Now most times this response answers his question and the conversation moves on to a different topic.  But, not today!   Andrea’s simple response was like putting a pin in a balloon.  The balloon had obviously been filling with small breaths of uncertainty and today it went BANG!

After the outburst had subsided a quite, sad little boy came down the stairs and Andrea and I started to try to unpack what was really the matter. 

The conversation slowly turned from Tobi wanting a second lunch to the very specific nature of what he wanted for lunch.  You see Tobi and Eli both have their snack and lunch provided at kinder but, the lunches in Thailand seldom include sandwiches.

The lunch provided at kinder is the envy of most adults.  It’s a hot lunch, generally consisting of some steamed rice/noodles with chicken, pork or fish.  They also get a soup entrée and generally some fruit for dessert!  Yes, it’s very good food!  However, Tobi was not looking for nutritional value in his lunch, rather he was just searching for that special “comfort” food that he was missing.  He wanted a taste of his life back home. 

He wanted something that was associated with a memory... the good old ham and cheese toasted sandwich!  

Now, those of you with kids have probably consumed a few of these this week.  I know when we lived in Australia we ate plenty of them.  In the summer months we would have our lunch outside on our deck.  The sun would shine through the laserlite roof and  we would often sit sharing a plate of toasted sandwiches.

Cheese is not something that is consumed in Thailand.  They only stock cheese for the foreigners, so it (like Vegemite) attracts quite a price tag!

As we started to discuss the toasted sandwich, we asked Tobi ‘What else do you miss from back home?…’

It was like, at the moment, we flicked a ‘switch’ on and so Tobi begun.  He began to talk about very specific things from our house that he missed.  As Tobi started to give us his list, Andrea and I sat there amazed.  It’s been over six months since we left our family home and a great deal has happened since then, yet Tobi could remember it all so clearly.  

This was a very special moment.  He was giving us an insight into his world. He was sharing those ‘things’ that were special to him.  The special moments that he enjoyed in his daily life.   

A small tear began to roll down my cheek.  ‘What have we done?’ I thought.  Taking this small boy away from the things he loved that provided him so much security.  

As Tobi continued to talk, Eli’s eyes lit up and she began to add to the conversation with her own list of very detailed things that she missed from Australia.  

They listed games we had played in our backyard, our cubby house, a book we read before bed, throwing balls into our ball pit on the deck, riding their bikes….just to name a few. 

Tears were now streaming down our faces as we heard our two little children so sweetly articulate all these wonderful memories of our life back in Australia.  

As if that wasn’t enough they then, totally unprompted, started to talk about their grandparents and cousins and the people they played with….oh dear me!  Talk about pulling at Andie and my heart strings.

All because of a toasted sandwich!

We know that we have a significant work to do here in Thailand. I look forward to making many memories here and the children finding their new ‘special’ favourites. 

So we got off the couch and headed to the kitchen.  

Tobi and Eli have just enjoyed a toasted cheese sandwich!  

A little slice of home and yes, Tobi does have a point, it is the perfect lunch!

An Ordinary Week... well sort of!

I trust you all enjoyed a nice, long weekend back in Australia and that wherever you were, you didn’t get too wet.  We’re hearing that things were getting pretty stormy in some parts for a while.  Our thoughts are with you.

Last Monday we had a public holiday here so we used the opportunity to escape the increasing heat and take the children to a local pool.  Strangely this was my first ‘swim’ since arriving in Thailand and despite the weather being high 30’s, the water was FREEZING!  It didn’t stop the children though, or Dave, and they totally enjoyed splashing around and keeping cool- at least for a couple of hours anyway!

David has begun to count down the days until he starts at ZOE.  This is his last week to acclimatise before he begins his official duties at the children’s home.  

So has he acclimatised?  Well time will tell.  We both feel differently about this on a day-by-day basis.  The minute we begin to feel that we’ve got our heads around our move, we realise that ‘no’ actually we haven’t and there is still so much to organise, get done and learn.  What a steep hill we’ve been climbing.  There are certainly days when ‘life’ over here feels extremely overwhelming.  The most simple tasks that we’ve performed millions of times back home can be so difficult, confusing and frustrating here.  We try to keep our heads held high though and laugh often… otherwise we’d probably be crying way too much!

Today I picked up the phone to hear the lady from the front office of our gated housing estate telling me that because we didn’t pay our electricity bill, our power was being cut off “Right now!!”  I quickly grabbed Dave- we hadn’t even seen the bill let alone avoided paying it.  Dave ran outside to be greeted by a man from the electricity company poised and ready to disconnect our electricity at the main switch. 

Eventually with his limited Thai, Dave managed to persuade the man not to turn it off.  The man then rang his supervisor (who spoke a little English) and Dave was able to speak to her and negotiate to leave it on and pay the man right then and there!  So as Dave ran back inside, we scrambled around and came up with sufficient money to keep the power on.  Of course he had no official identification or receipt book so we just hope someone doesn’t come again tomorrow and cut it off when we are out!

This situation was quite stressful and one that we really felt God’s favour because about five minutes prior to the phone ringing, Dave and Tobi were getting ready to leave for the shops when something happened that delayed their departure.  David had his keys in his hand and was putting on his shoes when the call came through. 

Had they gone when intended, I would’ve had the same scenario yet not enough money in my purse to pay the bill, which would’ve resulted in no electricity for us… no fans, no microwave, lights, fridge … let alone coffee machine LOL.  We cannot imagine how bad this could’ve been (especially in 40 degree heat) and, as we know with from our home phone where a similar thing happened, it has taken 6 weeks to reconnect!!!! Praise God this was not the case.  The posties seem to just leave things anywhere around here and we’ve often found bills sitting on top of the gate, in the garden etc so no wonder we never saw the bill to begin with.  We felt a little stressed about this!

On a more positive note, Eliana enjoyed her first excursion last week. Her class went off to the main campus of American Pacific School where the senior students attend to look at some pond life and do a little fishing.  She’s really enjoyed studying water this term and loves thinking of ‘water-related’ items to take in for Show and Tell on Thursdays.  When I picked her up today she was completing a sequencing activity and drawing a picture related to her field trip.

Tobi’s class is going on another excursion to the airport this week. This time to the inside of the airport though to learn about airport security.  He’s very excited about this, as he loved his last trip out.  Last week his class finished making their rocket launchers and had a great time firing them off.  Tobi’s landed in the house next to the school!

Spencer has picked up so much speed now and runs everywhere!  He seems to understand much more each day and loves going to drop off/pick up Tobi and Eli at kindergarten.  Whenever music is played he dances and sings. He gets so excited when I pull out the tub of plastic musical instruments shouting “Wow, wow”. 

He continues to delight us as the youngest member in our family and is very affectionate with his big smoochy kisses and long cuddles followed by a pat on the back.

We actually have suspicions that the bites he kept getting may’ve in fact been hives caused by a reaction to eating mandarins.  We’re yet to test this out again but since we stopped giving him a mandarin after his dinner each night he hasn’t had any spots and has been sleeping heaps better.

Dave and I officially started Thai lessons last week.  I say officially because Dave actually began learning Thai before we left Australia via podcasts.  He has continued this diligently since we arrived as well as surrounding himself with Thai cd’s or language DVDs.  He also has the navigator in the car programmed to give him directions in Thai!  His vocabulary is much more developed than mine however what we are learning with our teacher is to read and write Thai so I am working hard to try to keep up with him.

We celebrated Dave’s birthday on Saturday. It was our first birthday celebration in Thailand and after searching for 5 days in a row for balloons (and doing lots of charades) I finally found some in one shop in the section with all the inflatable swimming devices… of course!  We had a pizza party and enjoyed making our own pizzas as well as keeping the theme for the decorations and the rest of the party.  It was great to have our lovely friend Jess home too.  She’s been in the States for the past month and we missed her dearly.  She is now house sitting next door so she joined us for the party, which was great.

Well I am sorry for the lack of blogging during the past week.  The days just slipped away and my thoughts were all a bit scatty especially after finishing Thai lessons late at night.

Thank you so much for your emails and letters.  Dave was thrilled to receive some birthday cards in the mail and it’s always wonderful to hear news from home, even if it seems mundane to you- we love it.

Lots of people have been asking how the kids are going and whilst they have coped remarkably in so many ways, there are still so many new situations where it’s a huge struggle.  I think they all display their insecurities in different ways according to their personalities and ages.  While one of them seems to cope easily with something, another one or two will struggle and vice versa.  Tobi had a particularly stressful weekend as we continued looking for a church to attend as well as spent the afternoon/evening at a bustling market.  Spencer and Eli on the other hand found both these events enjoyable.  We can never underestimate the amount of change that have occurred for these little ones in the past 4-6 months.

We just continue to try to normalise “home” and let it be their safe house and place to find comfort and rest.  

It’s an unpredictable place to be for all of us and each day there’s a lot to adjust to.

We look forward with so much anticipation to sharing with you the next stage of our lives here as we begin working with the children at ZOE.  

Roll on the next week and let the fun begin!