by Marcée Lane
After more than 24 hours of travel, the Thailand team arrived safely in Pattaya. Due to the time change, our bodies felt like they were left behind on Friday while our minds kept reminding us that it was actually Saturday. Our first stop was to settle in at our accommodations, the Momento Hotel. We were all extremely tired so after eating supper, we turned into our rooms to catch up on our sleep. On Sunday, we joined in worship at the international church called One Way, which offered a service in both Thai and English. It was an incredible blessing to experience worship with believers from all around the world. After the church service, we headed to Hand to Hand’s housing centre where we had a tour and a delicious lunch. We met many of the beloved staff and children, including several children who are sponsored by Forestview attendees. On Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed a tour of the city and supper at a well-known restaurant right on the ocean. So far, it has been a beautiful time of connection with our missionary friend, Margie Grainger, and seeing firsthand the work that Forestview has faithfully partnered with for over a decade. Thank you for your prayers and we’ll stay in touch periodically throughout the week.
by Kim Ward
Our team spent most of Monday at the Tamar Center, where we learned about the work they do with girls coming out of prostitution. Tamar Center provides vocational training, counselling and bible teaching to “bargirls and ladyboys”. They teach hairdressing, baking, cooking, sewing and handicrafts.
We started our visit with coffee and treats from their bakeshop and we learned some of the history of the ministry and of Pattaya; a history that has led to its current label as the unofficial sex tourism capital of the world.
We took a tour of the Tamar building where we saw girls making greeting cards and the guest house where girls learn hotel/hospitality skills.
After enjoying a delicious lunch made by the restaurant staff, we visited the Palm Center, a separate ministry, located in the same building. There, they offer counselling to girls from the Tamar Center as well as others in need.
We ended the day by visiting their gift shop, purchasing some of the handicrafts made by the girls.
Pattaya is a city in great need of God’s love and care; it was a privilege to meet some of the people who are meeting that need.
by Hilary Carver
The Thailand Team had an early start making sandwiches to take to the prison and participating in the pre-school’s daily activities. Frank was a great hit sharing his moves during the exercise and dance. The teaching class featured the Canadian maple tree with an appropriate snack of real maple syrup that we brought from Canada. In the afternoon, we helped sort a lot of bags of donated clothing that will be distributed in the slums later in the week. Our day ended with supper at a beautiful garden restaurant.
by Frank Ierullo
Day four was another busy day for the Thailand team. Some of us went to the hospital and others prepared bags for the scholarship children. We worked in the preschool and attended a worship service run by the children from the housing community. We even cooked dinner for everyone! It was a very,very busy day and a lot of fun. Our trip continues to be a rewarding experience.
by Hazel Flores
This trip has been truly magical from day one. Personally, it has been an incredibly humbling experience. It’s teaching me that we don’t need a lot of material things to be happy or feel fulfilled. The joy and love these children, youth, and adults have for Jesus is simply amazing.
We started the day by heading to the preschool, where it’s always a delight to see the young children. The kids are so loving and full of life. The team then split up: Kim and Frank jumped into preparing sandwiches to take to the prison, while Marcée and I stayed behind to help with crafts for the children. Hilary worked in the office on stories for scholarships.
There is so much love from the leader, Margie. Her heart to serve and her effort to find ways and resources to support the children and their families are amazing.
After lunch, we headed to the housing centre and joined the youth English class. Today was their first-time having English with a new volunteer, Joey, from California. He had us talking with the youth—it was a lot of fun! We got to know their names and interests better. Our Thai is also getting better…just kidding. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to experience all of this with an amazing team.
After dinner, we went down to Soi Six, a street known for sex work. It was harsh and eye-opening to see the reality of Pattaya; survival can be difficult and the environment felt raw and heavy.
One moment that deeply touched me was when a young child named Tao prayed for us. It was so powerful and reminded me of Matthew 19:14:
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”’
Hand to Hand truly lives this verse out: teaching each child to know Jesus and understand how much He loves them, even when their earthly parents are not present.
Overall, our sixth day was very productive and blessed.
by Marcée Lane
The Thailand team spent their last full day in Pattaya at the Housing Centre where we filled 140 five kilogram bags of rice. Once the bags were filled, we were able to join a worship service with neighbours from the surrounding area. There were approximately 100 community members who gathered to sing, pray, and listen to God‘s word. After the service, we distributed some of the rice bags to the attendees. For fun, the Hand to Hand staff taught our team how to make authentic, delicious pad thai, which was our lunch and also served to everyone else. Once our bellies were full, we headed out into the slum areas to hand out rice, diapers, and Ensure to people who were unable to leave their dwellings. It was humbling to spend time with these dear families, and also encouraging because we were able to witness how Hand to Hand has improved their quality of life in both material and spiritual ways. Margie took us to a more western restaurant tonight and a few of us were able to try a traditional Australian beef burger instead of the usual Thai fare. We look forward to joining the scholarship event tomorrow morning as we spend our final half day with all the new friends that we have made.
by Marcée Lane
The Thailand team spent their last full day in Pattaya at the Housing Centre where we filled 140 five kilogram bags of rice. Once the bags were filled, we were able to join a worship service with neighbours from the surrounding area. There were approximately 100 community members who gathered to sing, pray, and listen to God‘s word. After the service, we distributed some of the rice bags to the attendees. For fun, the Hand to Hand staff taught our team how to make authentic, delicious pad thai, which was our lunch and also served to everyone else. Once our bellies were full, we headed out into the slum areas to hand out rice, diapers, and Ensure to people who were unable to leave their dwellings. It was humbling to spend time with these dear families, and also encouraging because we were able to witness how Hand to Hand has improved their quality of life in both material and spiritual ways. Margie took us to a more western restaurant tonight and a few of us were able to try a traditional Australian beef burger instead of the usual Thai fare. We look forward to joining the scholarship event tomorrow morning as we spend our final half day with all the new friends that we have made.
