Several weeks ago we thought we had a site all sorted out; a local man had agreed to donate some land near our church for a playground for the local children. Much to our surprise, when we returned from our mission trip to Isaan, we found that the government had come in and built one there already! We began to pray for a new site, and God led us to the school just across the canal, where many of the children who come to our club and church go to school.
Below is what their old playground looked like: not really adequate for over 200 students!
The team came in and in only 4 days a miracle of transformation happened!
All week the kids were watching it go up, and helping by sanding the old paint off. They kept asking, "when will it be ready?" The buzz was building! Besides building, some of the team were able to go into the classrooms and teach English for several hours everyday.
The finished product was amazing! There was an opening ceremony on Friday, with district officials and everything. There was even a ribbon cutting ceremony (Thai people love a bit of pomp....who doesn't?). And then....200 really happy kids were turned loose!!
What's the point? Well much more than just providing a place to play; really valuable relationships were established all week long, and we know that God is going to use this gift for His glory in reaching into the school and beyond with the good news of God's amazing grace!!
Please keep the school in your prayers....
