Remember Nhu

"This month’s blog is about relationships, those that have been made stronger and deeper as a result of this mission journey and new relationships founded on common theology or shared circumstances. First a visit from two members of a much loved church family…Michael and Josie visited the first week of November and what a week it was! Even though “wedding preparations” consumed much of the week, we loved introducing them to some new friends and seeing Michael reconnect with Janko and the children in the homes. Josie instantly loved all the children and they in turn connected with her immediately…playing games, coloring and reading together…I really have to step up my game!

We have begun working in a village about an hour’s drive from our home…women there are working on their English skills and are very diligent about their work. This “class” was supposed to be for women but this last week the men and children also joined so I had to put Glenn to work helping with the children. I have a deeper appreciation for those teachers of the past who navigated the complexities of a “one room schoolhouse”!

This month I want to include the relationships we are building here in our neighborhood. I have already mentioned the children who come to “school” in our living room and Henry, the photocopier/barber. This time I want to include the woman who brings her baby, Phillip, for me to admire and hold. Also, Tabare (Tabarah) who is our neighbor and sells breakfast bread sandwiches out front by our “store”. She is an amazing woman who has had to support herself for the last 20 years. Her husband now lives in Senegal with his second wife and family and she gets no help from him. She was married at the age of 13 and has six children. Her youngest daughter is a nurse in Atlanta and is married to an IT tech who had a successful business here but left for the US to study international law. She has another son who works at the UN in NYC. Two other children live and work in London. I would love to write her biography, what a story!

Looking ahead, tomorrow a medical team from Washington state will arrive. We will be working with them for 14 days as they travel to the children’s homes and villages in this area. Also, tomorrow we will travel to a new village where there are women who would like to start an English class. After the medical team leaves the plan is for Pastor to introduce us in another area previously untouched by missionaries. There is no school and many who want to learn. Because of the number of villages in this area we will need to establish some sort of organization and decide how best to serve the most people…not an easy task! I am praying for strength and peace for this effort, not only is this a new outreach but the distance is great. It will require us to travel and teach one day, spend the night in a lodge there and return the next day. The logistics involved will test our strength, our faith, and especially our budget! I sometimes get worried about the consequences of driving here. Actually, travel is the most dangerous aspect of this mission, unless you have visited here there are no words to describe the perils of traffic and security checkpoints. Please pray for safety and wisdom for us as we “stretch” our borders!"

Written By: The Martins, West Africa

https://remembernhu.org/

To support the Martin's work in the field go to:

https://themartinsinwestafrica.wordpress.com/

The world is extremely rich with history. I may be stating the obvious, but I so easily forget. Any country visited or any interaction with a human can reveal information that occurred in their past. These historical circumstances can help us understand why present situations are a certain way. It has been some time coming to write about the trip, but I recently had the privilege to learn about the culture and history of two, beautiful countries.
Surrounding Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are geographically close to one another, yet they are significantly different. They each have their own unique systems in place for politics, employment, transportation, communication, entertainment, and fashion. These diverse countries do happen to share one thing in common. They each have endured a nationwide tragedy. One experienced a mass genocide while the other faced a fatal war. As I toured historical locations in a famous city of each country, I was reminded to keep incorporating history in my perspective as I go through life.
It is easy to look from the outside and draw a conclusion about the condition of another country. Once I stepped inside the other countries' territory, I began to see from a new angle. Especially when I entered Cambodia, I was expecting that I would be exposed to more poverty than Thailand. This expectation wasn't wrong, but I was thrown off at first when many of the people spoke fluent English, used US currency, and drove like Americans. While traveling to the RNhu home and the floating villages, this first impression changed as the Western (and French) influences in the city quickly diminished. Then, the poverty screamed loudly.
In the late 1970s, the people of Cambodia suffered from the Khmer Rouge. The reigning authority at the time claimed he wanted to create all people equal and to do so he needed to start from ground zero. He tortured and killed off the educated, suspected spies, families, a few foreigners, and many others. At prisons and work fields, thousands throughout the country unexpectedly faced an early death. The results of the genocide are still clearly visible as the country continues to struggle in developing from square one.
The results of major events in history help me better understand why homes like RNhu are needed in places like Cambodia. In Cambodia's situation, the children are essentially the third generation in their country. The first generation were their grandparents who were lost in the genocide, and the second generation were their parents who were just children themselves during the tragic event. Resources and energy since the event have been spent trying to survive and develop that not much is left to support a family or an education. Children are left vulnerable.
The trip also brought to my attention the importance for people to learn a skill or trade. Education is important, but people who survived the prison headquarters of the Khmer Rouge were the ones who possessed a skill in art or had a trade in mechanics. Their skills created a way out. When there is not an opportunity to earn an education that will provide a future career, what else is available to be used as a source of income? I would hope the chance to learn a skill or trade would be available before people think the last option is to be sold or to sell their child.

I know I've written most about Cambodia, but my visit there just reaffirmed why I joined a ministry like RNhu. Children and families are aided with resources to provide an alternative way to life. Remembering history will unlock ideas in knowhow to help others.

What will you do with the history you know?

Written By: Remember Nhu Intern, Thailand

https://remembernhu.org/

To support Megan's work in the field go to:

remembernhu.org/give.html

Note Megan B. - Thailand in the notes section.

My story currently intertwines with fifty other stories concealed behind the eyes of Asian girls. Although the English is limited to communicate their stories, the bits and pieces revealed are like treasured jewels. Their stories may even have common themes, but each one is unique. Since my tongue is fluent in English, I would like to give an insight to a few of their stories.

One girl in particular, Noy*, had a conversation with me shortly after she returned from her village. The blooming 18 year old told me, "My back hurts a lot. I had to plant corn." Can you imagine? A young woman with a tall and slender frame toiling in fields on a mountainside for hours. This would be a common scene to encounter among hill tribe families. With minimal resources and slim chances of receiving an education, most families work together in corn or rice fields for a living. Looking at the scene inside Noy's home does not improve. Her father favors a bottle of alcohol while her mother suffers with arthritis.

As for Lyn*, she thrives in her studies at school, and she has a dream to attend a university to improve her English skills. Lyn's father implanted and encouraged this dream at a young age. He understood that vast opportunities would be available to his daughter if she learned English. While making her dream a reality, her father passed away in an accident and left his wife struggling to support three children.

Ali* has a similar story to Lyn's in the fact that she lost a parent. The difference isthat Ali's mother did not pass away. She ran away. A child should remember a loving and caring mother but instead Ali will remember going with her father in search of her mother. They managed to find her...with another man. Ali's father is now remarried, but living with a step parent increased Ali's risks of being neglected and sold while her father was constantly at work.

Here is where God gets the glory. Noy happened to be related to a house parent in the first Rnhu Refuge home. She was brought to the home and became one of the original, twelve girls. These girls were rescued from spending a life time working in fields or from being sold into illegal employment. Noy is about to complete high school and has a new avenue to earn a living. She is planning to continue her education at a vocational school to study about local transportation.

Lyn has received educational support from Rnhu for the past five years, and her dreams to study English are becoming a reality. Perhaps one day, she will be found serving her community as an English teacher. Ali is now receiving love and care in the Refuge Home as she enters her teenage years. She is also hearing about the Agape love extended to her by a Heavenly Father. May she come to have a special relationship with her Savior.

In my "coffee shop" reading, I also came across a quote by Beth Moore. She said, "You cannot amputate your history from your destiny." God can redeem past events to shape futures, and He is doing so through Rnhu. I can testify to that.

Written By: Remember Nhu Intern, Thailand

https://remembernhu.org/

To support Megan's work in the field go to:

remembernhu.org/give.html

Note Megan B. - Thailand in the notes section.

We are beginning to “settle in” and a “routine” is evolving slowly. Routine is in quotes because, of course, there is no such thing here! We are still dealing with some bureaucratic details…we need permanent resident cards and it is time consuming, not to mention frustrating, to jump through all the hoops! Meanwhile school has started. It was delayed until last week because of Tobaski and the first week children go to school but spend the day “weeding” the school grounds. This week classes have begun. Each school requires a different uniform and students must buy “exercise books” (notebooks) and other school supplies. It is quite daunting to prepare approximately 50 children with uniforms, shoes and supplies. I am so impressed with the rather efficient way all of the children at three different homes, with different uniforms and requirements were outfitted and ready to go last Monday!

Last Saturday there was a birthday party for all the children in the homes who had birthdays in August, September, and October. There were eleven children celebrating birthdays and a good time was had by all. Each home brought the tables we had built but the cashew tree branches were too low so the tables were removed from the vans and carried in to the compound! “Where there’s a will there’s a way!”

The day was complete with rice benachin, cake and snacks. It was so good to see all the homes come together and develop a sense of community.

We are looking forward to the end of rainy season when we will be able to travel more freely. We are hoping to visit the first village within the next 10 days and start an English class for women. I have started working with a pastor here to do Bible study at the homes once a week and two out of three homes now have working TVs and DVD players so we can show English speaking movies, an excellent way to improve their English skills. I would like to begin each session with a game or activity. So far I am planning on some “Minute to Win It” competitions.

Written by: The Martins

https://themartinsinwestafrica.wordpress.com/

"Three, Eight" she said as her eyebrows scrunched together, her eyes searching mine, hoping to confirm her answer was correct. She knew I had the answer she was looking for and instead of being discouraged that she didn't know, she looked to me to help her figure out the question of the game we were playing, How do you say this number in English? Looking into her brown eyes, the same brown color as mine, I fell in love with a child I knew nothing about. I was overwhelmed by the strength of love and compassion I felt towards someone I had just met and all I could think about was, is this how Christ feels about me?

I sat in the local Karen village's church, with its concrete foundation and wooden walls, with its fluorescent lights bolted to the tin roof and oscillating floor fans nailed to the top of support posts throughout the room, and the conversation I just had with this little girl kept repeating in my mind like a song stuck in my head, "Almost," I replied, "this number is said thirty-eight."

Watching this little girl, sitting next to me during a game of Connect Four, trying so hard to recall the English words for numbers she knew very well in Thai and Karen, almost could have discouraged her to give up on learning or it could have given her hope to continue even though it's not easy. It all depended on who her teacher was. And as I replayed the last 20 minutes of game playing, I had no idea the intensity of self reflection that would come from something so casual. I reflected on my almost moments.

I can't even begin to list how many times I was almost there, almost had it, almost made the right choice. Sometimes it feels like my life is full of almost moments. I thought back on teachers who pushed my almosts into growing experiences and teachers who turned my almosts into moments of hopelessness and inability and I pray that this little girl has more hope than she does despair.

And in thinking about my moments of despair, my relationship with Christ came to mind. I look to him, the same way this little girl looked to me, knowing that I don't know the answer, but He does, knowing that I am trying really hard to get it right and He's there sitting next to me, guiding me. Maybe this is why the compassion and love became so overwhelming, I was allowed a glimpse of what it will feel like when things are made right. I was given an opportunity to see through the eyes of Christ and feel His love towards humanity. I've prayed countless times to see things the way the Lord does, to love like he does, to be given a concious of doing something when something can be done, and he has answered my prayers countless times. Today making it countless and one times.

Written by: Remember Nhu TESOL Teacher, Thailand

https://remembernhu.org/

To support Cristina's work in the field go to:

remembernhu.org/give.html

Note Cristina R - Thailand in the notes section.

"Vetiver grass is an important plant used around the world for erosion control. For years we've been learning about it's use and we were pretty excited to think we'd have a suggestion that might be helpful for the banks around the soccer field. We mentioned it to Ploy, who then took us on a little field trip to the King's Royal Project Vetiver Research Center. He filled out the paperwork and then we all went back to learn from the employees at the center about it's uses, the many benefits, etc and they generously donated about 20,000 individual vetiver plants!

The boys got up early the next Saturday and helped plant all the way around the field. Since it did not take all 20,000 plants, the visiting World Race Team helped to plant all around the property where erosion is a problem."

Do you have any dreams? Does it seem like we dream big but then our dreams are hard to reach? I know for me, I often find myself thinking that I won't be joyful or content until these dreams are attained. Sure, there will be joy beyond compare when these dreams are fulfilled. However, I have to remember that many moments in the present bring joy and create special memories. These small moments may even play a role in shaping future dreams.
According to Google dictionary(I know; a credible source ;) joy as a noun is "a feeling of great pleasure and happiness." I have experienced this form of joy in many ways over the last eight months. Building relationships, zip lining, attending graduations, and seeing children welcomed into a safe home are a few among many. I never thought these words would come out of my mouth but, joy has come from doing homework. When girls in my home approach me with a good grade on their English homework after we've worked through language barriers, we share in a moment of great happiness. We also have joy from misunderstanding one another.
Just the other night, I was helping a girl spell a word and she got stuck on which vowel to use. So, I gave her the vowel options, "A,E,I,O,U." She didn't pick up to only select one, and she started writing all the vowels. An abrupt noise came out of her mouth as she realized she wasn't suppose to write them all. We just looked at each other and started laughing. As we kept doing homework, we continued joking about proper spelling. She'd look at me and say,"P'Megan, is that how it's really spelled?" with a grin on her face.
I didn't expect how much joy could come from simply helping with homework. Homework has provided opportunities to learn about the girls' families and hill tribes. It has given me a glimpse into their lives, their interests, and their dreams.
Homework is also an area that could use prayer. There are a few girls who lack the motivation to do homework. As a result, they do not have the skills to read and write Thai. As it comes to mind, please pray that these girls will grow a desire to learn especially since their future depends heavily on their education.
This past week, Thailand celebrated Mother's Day which coincides with the Queen's birthday. Our house mom decided to have a fun day by taking our girls swimming. It really is amazing how much pleasure can come from watching excitement in children. Their joy of going out for a day at the pool was very contagious. Even the process of getting ready was an adventure. It included packing a change of clothes, putting on sunscreen, blowing up a beach ball, and....waiting. The house only had one truck to transport people to the pool. The anticipation of swimming increased for those who were left behind. As one who was left waiting, I realized there were still happy moments during the wait. The waiting moments also quickly vanished from memory as the truck arrived at the desired destination.
Life presents many moments where we have to wait for dreams and desires to be fulfilled. I encourage you to look for joy in small moments throughout the journey. Perhaps, these small moments will build relationships that will last a lifetime or will point you in the direction where God is leading you.
On a final note, the dictionary also provided the definition of the verb form of "joy" which is "rejoice." Rejoicing can come easily in accomplishments, holidays, vacations, answered prayers, and worship. There are also times, like when we wait, that we have to be intentional about rejoicing. God has beautiful plans to fulfill our desires, and he rejoices when his children are joyful. Even if the journey takes us where we didn't expect, knowing God's love creates enough joy to last for eternity.

Written By: Remember Nhu Intern, Thailand

https://remembernhu.org/

To support Megan's work in the field go to:

remembernhu.org/give.html

Note Megan B. - Thailand in the notes section.

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