Meet the New Missionaries.... and the Kentucky Mission Team too)

This week, our new missionaries, Vicki Brown and Carol Fare, arrived in Thailand.  Vicki and Carol are United Methodists from Texas who have served faithfully with VIM Nomads.  Their high level of knowledge and experience in education will be a huge asset to the ministry of Blessing Home, as we all seek to prevent children and teens from getting dragged into the brothels and drug rings of Pattaya and other places.

New missionaries, Carol Fare and Vicki Brown

Yesterday, we took Vicki and Carol shopping for appliances and household goods.  While we were at the appliance store, a European man asked all of us if we worked for an NGO (Non-Goverment Organization, usually a social work or relief agency).  When we said we did work for an NGO, this man gave an amused smile with a smug look and said, "All of us men come here for our 14 year olds."  Vicki was very shocked that the man would admit to being a paedophile so openly.  But here in Pattaya, the child sex trade is so open on a massive scale, that men like this do not even try to conceal their intent.

 (It is very odd, but we constantly get asked by people if we are Christians, or asked if we are missionaries.  We can never figure out what clues they are reading to discern that we are Christian missionaries.)

Please pray for Vicki and Carol as they make all of the difficult transitions.  Not only are they living in a brutally hot climate, in a foreign land with a different language and culture.  But they must live in the most difficult of cities, the trafficking jungle of Pattaya.  Pray also that they will quickly grasp the Thai language, as they study over the next 5 months.


Last month, a mission team of Kentucky United Methodists came to Thailand to serve the Thai people with the loving kindness of Jesus Christ.  Four of the team members were from Petrie Memorial UMC and one from Russell Springs UMC.  As is usual for our mission teams, most were our age or older (one team member, Margaret (the Thais called her "Grandmother") is 80 years old.  Grandma Margaret brought joy of her salvation to all the Thai people, and she elicited smiles wherever she went.

This mission team was a hard working group and they accomplished more than we thought was possible. 

The team took the children of Blessing Home to the zoo, and blessed them with a wonderful magical time.  Most of the children have never been more than two miles from the slums where they live, so this field trip was very special to them and to us as well.  We could not afford to do this and would not have had the manpower needed to do a field trip to the zoo.  We are grateful for the team's compassion and their playfulness with the children.  We think the team had as great a time as the children.

Kentucky Mission Team on the day of the zoo trip

The Kentucky Mission Team also served by providing an English Camp for children and teens near the new location of Blessing Home Isan.  Four Thai churches worked together with the team to put on this activity. The camp was a great success and it helped us to make deeper connections with the churches in that region.  .    

After the English Camp, the team came back to Blessing Home Ground Zero and built new storage cabinets on the second floor (thank you, Mark for your craftsmanship and can-do spirit!) as well as build shelves for Teacher Pui's office and the storage room.  They organized both Pui's office and the storage room in a way that made sense and looks great.  Charlene's organizational skills made order out of chaos.  Thank you, Charlene! 

The staff at Blessing Home are told us that they felt blessed and cherished by the Kentucky Mission Team.  We wish we could take all five of the mission team members and clone them and keep them here with us.  We have been asked by the Thai Christians over and over again when they will come back.  We just tell them, "Hopefully, very soon."

The Kentucky Mission Team, standing in front of one of the beautiful mahogany cabinets that they built.

We were also glad the team was able to mount the framed quilts that our dear friend, Ann Davis, made special for Blessing Home.  I will post some pictures of these quilts later because my pictures did not come out well and I want to ones that will do them justice.  Ann's quilts now bring joy and beauty into the lives of the children and staff of Blessing Home.

The team worked long hard hours for many days, so we were glad that they were able to tour some of this beautiful country and get some much deserved down time.

The Kentucky Mission Team and Sherri take a water taxi ride in Bangkok.

Truly, Sherri and I are blessed to work with such wonderful people, on both sides of the Pacific.  God is good!