What's It Like?

Stop...  and imagine 'Mother's Day' as an orphan, abandoned child or 

someone sold in to the dark world of human trafficking.

For many children around the world, the first word that they learn to speak is some variation of ‘Mom’, ‘Mum’, ‘Mama’ or, in Thailand, ‘Mae’. Although the word might vary in different languages, the name given to one's mother signifies a special relationship with the one who loves unconditionally and cares devotedly for her precious children. 

Mother's Day is celebrated across the globe, although not on the same date in every country.  

In America and Australia, it is celebrated on the second Sunday in the month of May, but in Thailand, Mother's Day has been celebrated on the 12th August (since 1976) because this is the birthdate of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.  

As the Queen is regarded as the mother to all Thai people, this day is also celebrated as ‘Mother’s Day.’ 

The planning is in full swing for Friday with many celebrations all around Thailand being organized for a wonderful day of honoring mothers as well as mothers having the opportunity to bless their children in return for the love that is shared between them.

But... have you ever wondered what Mother's Day is like for the young boy whose mother died of AIDS and left him to fend for his younger siblings?  

What's it like for the girl who finds herself with a price over her head, abandoned by a relative who said they cared? 

What's it like for the teenager trapped serving clients, who has never known what it feels like to {really} be loved and protected? 

What's it like?

These are the cries that are finally being heard.  

Justice is being done and FREEDOM is being given.  

"Love" and "Hope" aren't just 'words' but they are GIFTS being given as precious children are being rescued and brought to the ZOE Children's Homes.

I'm really looking forward to this Friday night's special Mother's Day service at ZOE.  

I remember last year hearing testimonies from some of our amazing, courageous children who got up in front of over a hundred people to share how having a ZOE mother has totally transformed their life.  

How being loved unconditionally has given them freedom beyond just the physical sense and how being accepted in to a family has provided a chance to develop in to the person that they were created to be.

And so, I think Friday will be a day of mixed emotions. Overwhelming gratefulness for the mothers at ZOE who have given up their lives to raise children not biologically their own but with just as much (if not more) love, selflessness and devotion.

And my heart still breaks for the tens of thousands of children who know no love right now. Who need a breakthrough... who need rescuing.  Who need us to keep fighting for the their rights to be loved and cared for.  

Thank you for your interest, your support and your voice to keep making a difference in the lives of those who need a 'mum' the most this Mother's Day.

Andie

More reflections on Mother's Day here.

Pep Talk

So Eliana and Spencer started back at Hana Christian International Kindergarten today. Eli full time and Spencer part-time. They both went to their new classrooms without a tear, which kind of made me want to get out the tissues and have a little cry myself at just how far they've come. 

Was it really a year ago that we decided not to re-enroll the older two kids at the other international kindergarten they had been attending for just 6 short months and at the same time move house again!?
August last year was a turbulent month but it was also the beginning of some settledness as the decisions to move house and move schools turned out to be the best choices for our family in the long run. 
But Eliana and Spencer aren't the only ones starting back this week... Dave and I begin Thai lessons again tomorrow! Dave's not worried one single bit but I, on the other hand, have been shakily reading through my books today from Unit 1 in utter despair at how much I have forgotten in two months. How is it that, "Can I have a coffee please?" and "I don't understand" are the only phrases that seem to have stuck? Oh man!
Tobi will be attending Thai lass with us too as his school doesn't start back until next Monday. Truth be known, he'll probably be able to answer more questions than I will! {sigh}

But wait before I throw myself on the floor and start blubbering like a baby, I'm going to give myself a pep talk and by the end of this post, hopefully.... hopefully I will feel charged and ready to go and read my Thai book through just once more before tomorrow's lesson with a little more umph!
So, adapted from PickTheBrain.com, a website dedicated to self improvement, here's my top 10 reasons on not giving up now. Maybe it will also inspire you to keep going with whatever is challenging you right now.  So...

1- As Long As I Am Alive Anything Is Possible
I have the choice to keep trying until I finally succeed.

2- Be Realistic
The chance of mastering something the first time is almost non-existent. Everything takes time to learn and when I make mistakes I need to learn from them.

3- I Can Be Strong 
I am stronger than I think. One little setback should not be enough to stop me from achieving my goals. Neither should 10 or 100 or 1000 setbacks.

4- Prove Myself
I CAN and WILL achieve what I set out to do. 

5- Has It Been Done Before?
If someone else can do it then so can I. Even if it is only one other person in the world, that should be reason enough to never give up.

6- Believe In My Dreams
Don’t sell myself short. Don’t let anyone destroy my dreams or discourage me.

7- Family and Friends.
The people I love and who mean the world to me are my inspiration to persist and persevere. Maybe I need to try a different angle, study more or practice more but I won't give up!

8- Improve Our World
When I achieve my goal, I can use my skills to make a difference to the world and other peoples lives more effectively.

9- Inspire Others
I could be an inspiration to others by refusing to give up. Who knows what someone else might achieve because I never gave up and in turn inspired them not to give up.

10- Getting Closer
Often when people feel like they want to give up they are about to make a huge break-through. Any given time could mean I'm just a heartbeat away from achieving success.

Now I hope and pray that Reason 10 turns out to be true.  

At the moment I feel like I'm just a heart beat away from an anxiety attack but... as I chant these ten reasons to myself over and over in my sleep tonight, I'm sure I'll wake up more determined than ever... right?!

Having a challenge at the moment, let me know what's helped you. I'd REALLY like to know! Leave a comment!

Andie:)

Nearly Over...

Our children have been on school holidays since the beginning of June.  And honestly, I have almost forgotten what that morning routine of being up, dressed quickly, bag packed, breakfast, teeth and out-the-door feels like.

And so, I am feeling reflective and grateful for these past two months.  I am thankful for the long plays in the garden catching mini-beasts, the bike riding, pajama days, reading stories, water play, tea parties, visiting parks, baking, making play dough creations, movie marathons, puzzles and painting nails.

Here's a little look at just a few of the things we got up to both in Thailand and Australia during our school break:

We've definitely made some wonderful memories.

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”  Robert Brault 

Here it is... Dave's Vlog!

Just as I promised, the latest news from the ZOE Children's Homes.  Dave shares about the flooding, the new kids and just how he is settling back to life in Thailand.  Enjoy!

 

Got something to say?  Leave a comment below!

Coming soon...

I think Eliana summed it up perfectly a couple of nights before we were due to leave Australia when she sobbed, "I want to go home to Thailand, but I just wish we could take our family with us!"

It's so great to be back but we are also dearly missing our family and friends, again!  At the risk of repeating myself- it was just so great to see everybody and we really had a wonderful trip.

HEY, now I know you're probably only reading this blog to get the latest ZOE news not because you want to hear about us missing our family etc, and so I have to say this...Dave has promised me a VLOG (video blog) today!  But WAIT!
He's out at ZOE until late tonight so I won't be able to post it today but it is COMING!  All the updates... what's been happening... all the latest news.
So, check back here soon for the low-down on the ZOE Children's Home.  
I also want to say that we are slowly getting through all our emails.  What a privilege it is to see so many.  Please be patient with us as we make time to write back.  
We have had students from schools wanting to know what they can do to help fight human trafficking, people wanting to be a part of an Australian short term team, teachers excitedly organizing KIDS! You Can Help Too fundraisers, friends and strangers alike wanting to financially support the cause... as well as more and more people following along with this blog and creating awareness about what's happening in, not only, Thailand but around the world in relation to modern day slavery.  
Don't forget to check out the YOU CAN page to get ideas on how you help fight for orphans and children affected by child trafficking.  And if you have other ideas, please let us know.  We're always looking for ways to get others involved and spread the word about what's happening as well as what needs to be done.
Stay tuned!!


Andie :)

P.S.  Again, I just want to say a HUGE thank you to the churches, schools, groups and individuals that invited us to share this past month.  You have put your faith in us to keep fighting for these children without even seeing.  We thank you for trusting us with this important task.  We feel honored to be working over here in Thailand and we look forward to sharing with you the stories of the precious lives that you've helped to rescue!

That's NOT Fair!

The concept of fairness has really had me thinking lately. Following a series of conversations with close friends and my children's words,"That's not fair", ringing in my ears... I've been on a quest to figure it out... in my own mind.  Where do I stand on the issue of fairness and how does it fit in to our family?
One thing I know from having three children is that despite them all having the same mum and dad, they are all completely different from one another. Although they do share a likeness in their appearance, they like different foods, they have different temperaments and there is no "one" way to parent them because they all respond differently to behavioral discipline and rewards.  
As embarrassing as this sounds, the first words to escape my mouth when one of my kids says, "That's not fair" are often "Well, life's not fair!"  But how do I explain that concept to my 5, 4 and 2 year old when so much of the other time, I am cutting 'equal' pieces of cake, dishing out the same number of crackers and making sure that what one gets, the others do too?
The problem is, that when one of my children misses out on something that the other one got, they feel unjustly treated. How do they learn to cope when they're not invited to a party that their sibling is, or when their sister gets a lolly bag and they don't?  If they think that life has to be fair, then aren't they being set up for constant disappointment and frustration?
I'm wondering, if society has swung too far on the 'fairness' pendulum by creating situations where every child is a winner, all the kids get a trophy and nobody fails?  
I love this quote from parentguidenews.com, "Aim for equity rather than for equality. Equity means that all children have comparable opportunities to be loved and appreciated and to have their needs met. Equity does not mean that all children are treated the same way. As you know, no two children are the same, and there’s no reasonable rationale for treating them as if they were".  
It goes on to explain that as alternative, we could teach our children that we are not attempting to treat them equally because different children have different needs.  
We can explain, I am trying to address your needs. I am not trying to be fair or make things even. Tell me what you need, and let's talk about seeing if we can make it happen for you.
But even this seems idealistic to me. Fine for the family that has the means to provide for their children's needs but what about the 1.7 billion people who are estimated to live in absolute poverty today?
It's not fair when children are born in to families where they aren't cared for, or when teenage girls are sold to brothels, or that little boys have to steal food just to keep their younger siblings alive or that some children have no food to eat night after night...
On ministrytochildren.com is says, "The Bible reveals only three instances in which the word fair, meaning equal or same, is used, and each time it is terms of how humans should treat other people fairly. In all of these instances, God was not calling for equal treatment, but merely that we would follow the Golden rule to do unto others as we would have them do unto us".
This leaves me with both a lot to think about and a lot to communicate with my own children.  I need to figure out how we do life in an unfair world, how can I bless my children evenly but not necessarily at the same time and in the same way... and how we help those around us that are born (or find themselves) in unfair situations.   


What's your thoughts? Are you someone who is feeling the pressure to be "fair"?  What do you say to your kids?  What else can parents do to help their kids avoid the trap of thinking that life will always be fair?


I'm adding this video too, food for thought!

26 days

It's amazing what can be fitted in to 26 days.  
That's what we just had in Australia and it was a FUN!
We fitted in 6 night-time catch-ups, 5 churches, 4 small groups, 3 schools (2 secondary and 1 primary) plus almost every other day and night seeing family and friends... it was really special.
Okay, so we're just a tad exhausted but it was so worth it and the only bit I would've changed if I could've was our little Spencer coming down with a vomiting thing the day before we left!! It caused a little bit of concern but thankfully he had pulled up well enough to travel and it was all okay!!
Thank you to everyone who came and heard us share around the place, you were such an encouragement to us and we have returned with our love tanks full and our refrigerator also stocked with Cadbury which should last us a little while!
We are already missing those Australian accents, big hugs, meat pies and fish 'n chips but we know that we will be okay and that it just makes us all the more eager looking forward to when we come back next time.


Well, I'm not sure what time my body clock is saying that it is but I do know that I need sleep.


I'll have more to update about what's been happening at ZOE Children's Homes in the past month as well as a few more reflections about our fabulous trip in Australia.


Signing out... Andie:)


PS We love your comments and feedback!