Friends in Mission:Mae Kha Chan Children's Home

A new addition to the "Friends of Mission" links on our weblog is the Mae Kha Chan Children's Home, a place in northern Thailand where orphaned Hill Tribe children may come to live and grow in body, mind and spirit. The home represents a remarkable coming-together of many caring groups and individuals, guided by the Holy Spirit, and it left an indelible impression on our hearts when our Mission Team visited the home in February. 

 The home houses 65-70 Hill Tribe children, ages 6-17, and is preparing to house 55 more in the beginning of May (which is the start of the new school year in Thailand). "Our goal is nurture their given talents while allowing them to study in many various fields and teaching them valuable skills they can use to better not only themselves, but also their community," they explain. "We encourage them to pray for God’s direction in their futures and teach them how to study the Bible and follow Jesus." 

The children have come to the home for various reasons, such as the death of one or more parents to AIDS, and/or extreme poverty. It is noted that many children their age are sold into prostitution or forced labor to pay for family expenses. The home began through the love of a single woman ..... "while visiting a Hill Tribe village which, like most, had no electricity, bathrooms, or schools; Lawan Promwongsak, a Thai Christian woman, met five children that desperately wanted to study the Bible but had no education to speak of. God gave her a vision to work for these disadvantaged children and give them the education that was necessary to develop their communities." She brought these children to live with her in an abandoned house in the town of Mae Kha Chan, which she was allowed to rent free-of-charge because the owner and other members of the local community believed it was haunted by ghosts. 

The building may have been small and dilapidated, but the mission continued to grow - but so did the surrounding community. As the area began to develop, the owner of the house began asking for rent. They prayed for help and guidance - and that prayer was answered through the Manna Foundation. The result was a large piece of land very close to town and a brand new building, which opened in November, 2006. A roof over their heads, and food on the table is just part of the operations of the home. The children have planted a large garden, which they are extending throughout the property, and are raising pigs and catfish. It is stressed that they focus on doing activities that involve all of the children and reach out to the local Buddhist children as well. You are also asked to visit their Prayer Projects to see what they are planning to add. 

The children all have chores in the home, they wash and iron their clothes, do their own dishes, and other various duties. Providing guidance for the children are the house parents - actually, an entire family ... the Askrens. James and Katie, Celeste Josh and Jerrah were our hosts when we visited the home, early in our mission trip. The Askrens also have a website of their own, which is also being added to our "Friends in Mission" list. "The Lord opened the doors for us to come to the Mae Kha Chan Children's Home and we are excited to see how He is providing the means for this journey," they write. "We praise God for His love and for His kindness, and we look forward to serving Him in Thailand."