It's a new year! Hooray for that. I feel that this one may be a challenging yet fruitful year. God is already moving us along in big ways. I haven't blogged on here in for so long that I'm not sure where to begin. Perhaps a reflection of last year...
Our son Jet, who is now 6 mo. today was safely born in the states. He is now almost crawling! Of course we are back in Chiang Mai and enjoying being home again. Our time in the states really made us realise that we are truly made to be living over here as we deeply missed the international community and sense of adventure :) We did however, love seeing our families and friends during our stay. We miss them often. Maya loves being a big sister. Jared and I are finally adapted, I think, to having two. It's quite a change. It's amazing to think that it is only a little over a year ago that we moved to chiang Mai. Now another year begins!
The end of 2010 and the beginning of this year has been one of the busiest times in my life aside from preparing to move here. We have been going non-stop. Not to mention the new additions to our home. Maya now has a dog named Spot. She is absolutely adorable. We got her from an animal shelter here in Chiang Mai. The dogs are so many they just give them away free already spayed and vaccinated. Jared and I decided that this was the year for a dog as it would add extra security. Last year when there were thefts around the area, only two homes that we know of got hit. Us and our neighbor. We were the only two without dogs. We feel a bit safer with spot around. Our second addition is Tahn. She is a Thai friend of ours who just graduated from an animation school with YWAM. She is in-between places right now as she has been trying to figure out her next step. As it turns out, God put her in our home for a reason. Later on that. Now total, including the kids we have 8 people in our home plus a dog. Any more and we will burst. We are sort of looking forward to our border run in February as to have some quiet time.
Another add to the hustle in bustle is the English classes we've been doing out of our home. Right now we have 5 university students that we cook for and teach twice a week. This helps us make a bit of money and allows some discipling. We've talked about topics including abortion, aliens and creation, desperate housewives, JFK conspiracies, ect... it can get quite interesting. Our hour and a half class usually turns to two hours or more.
Jared is still looking for full time work. We hope to find out something this month... we're counting down the days :) Even so, work will not begin until March. I am now in partnership with Tahn, working on a Family Club. We have rented a house three doors down from our home to use as an outreach center and language center titled the Happy Family Club. It's a Thai style english name. :) So, I've posted the details on our project further down. Right now we are trying to make and raise 3000 U.S. dollars to finance the start up costs. Tahn has signed the contract for the building. She signs the lease in 2 more weeks! Please be praying for this project as it has the potential to make a big impact in the community. There are many (70-80%) broken families and unstable homes in Thailand.
Happy Family Club
Transforming communities by transforming families.
December 29, 2010
Transforming communities by transforming families.
December 29, 2010
Founders
Amber Lee
It has been my vision to start a center for children in
Chiang Mai for many years. I’ve been waiting patiently
for God to bring along someone in Thailand to work
with who carries the same vision and conviction for
community, families, and children. If we can give value
to the lives of children and work to build stronger
family units, it will change lives and has the potential
to change generations. Through this project, I believe
we can bring joy and the hope of Christ to the families
within the community. It is my honor to be able to
work alongside Tahn to serve and bring glory to God!
Amber Lee
It has been my vision to start a center for children in
Chiang Mai for many years. I’ve been waiting patiently
for God to bring along someone in Thailand to work
with who carries the same vision and conviction for
community, families, and children. If we can give value
to the lives of children and work to build stronger
family units, it will change lives and has the potential
to change generations. Through this project, I believe
we can bring joy and the hope of Christ to the families
within the community. It is my honor to be able to
work alongside Tahn to serve and bring glory to God!
Tahn Vong
From when I could remember, it has always been my
passion to do media for kids and families. I value families as
the very core foundation of community. To build a strong
community, we need to start at its heart, which is families.
After Christ came into my heart, He made me even more
passionate about families. He has equipped me with
education and experiences to make that dream of mine,
which is truly His, come true. I have invested my time,
energy, skills, and finances for this passion and have
started putting together the pieces of this jigsaw. Our God
is creative and He has creative plans to reach communities
in southeast Asia. I am so blessed that He created me to be
a part of His creative plan for His creation. I would be the
manager and facilitator for this project.
Our Vision:
To transform communities by transforming families.
Mission statement:
To create a center where families can come to build stronger
relationships with each other and learn skills through seminars, media
and activities to continue building a healthy happy family in the future.
Club Center Club Center:
The features of this house make it the perfect facility to
start our center. The features include: a large courtyard where kids can
play, an open main floor with a small kitchen, an office on the main floor,
four rooms on the second level suitable for classrooms, two restrooms,
ceiling fans, and air-conditioning in the classrooms. It is located in a
central residential area within Chiang Mai City. Another advantage is
that it is only three doors down from our home. This is good as we will
be spending a lot of time at the center!
start our center. The features include: a large courtyard where kids can
play, an open main floor with a small kitchen, an office on the main floor,
four rooms on the second level suitable for classrooms, two restrooms,
ceiling fans, and air-conditioning in the classrooms. It is located in a
central residential area within Chiang Mai City. Another advantage is
that it is only three doors down from our home. This is good as we will
be spending a lot of time at the center!
Our activities will include:
- Family fun night
- Kids story time
- Handcrafting
- A mother&daughter cooking time
- A father&son sport time
- Child development workshops
- Marriage improvement workshops
- Family’s day outreaches in surrounding communities
- English Fitness: Teaching English by playing and doing activities. We will charge
people for the English Fitness program to generate income for staff.
- Family fun night
- Kids story time
- Handcrafting
- A mother&daughter cooking time
- A father&son sport time
- Child development workshops
- Marriage improvement workshops
- Family’s day outreaches in surrounding communities
- English Fitness: Teaching English by playing and doing activities. We will charge
people for the English Fitness program to generate income for staff.
This Saturday we will celebrate Children's Day. We will pass out cookies and have tea at the center to become more known to the community!
There is a lot to look forward to in this year! God is good!
P.S. My new years resolution is to update my blogs regularly this year. Should be better now that we have the Internet! I'll get a pic of the center up asap.
