This is Gwyn catching up on the blog for Team Two for July 7th. After we spent three days in the village of Pong Aang we came back to Chiang Mai on Sunday night. Monday morning Somm met us at the hotel and took us to our one day project at an orphanage in Doi Saket. It’s a small orphanage run by Pastor Pong and his wife in a small home. They have 8 children at this time and hoping to grow. This orphanage is part of the work of a foundation run by Pastor Kamm Seen and his church. The majority of the group are from the Karen tribe and from the Pong Aang village. Our job was to put in a water filtration system so the children would have clean water. Your money and ours bought a large water holding tank and a filter system that was in the house. Chase, Ryan and Cameron broke up the cement so the pipe could be laid and after it was hooked up they poured new cement. What a thrill is was to hear the sound of water flowing into the big tank and know that they wouldn’t have to drink unsafe water anymore. While the boys were working on the water pipes the rest of us helped clear their garden area. We weeded and prepared for the new season and cleaned up lots of brush. They needed the fence to be repaired so we split bamboo and wired that up over the barbed wired. When we asked why all the extra fencing they said it was to keep the water buffalo out. They roam free even in town and you can’t do anything to them. When ever we’ve had jobs to do all they all join in and work beside us. This gave us a great opportunity to visit and get to know them. Kam Seen wife Pimpar worked along side us as well as Somm and Sarah. Sarah is Kam Seen’s director of the Foundation and speak’s very good English. They took us to lunch to a small restaurant in the town and we enjoyed the local food.
In the afternoon we finished up the filter system and enjoyed practicing English with the women. I didn’t realize until working in the village and then the orphanage how much the honored their elders. I got so much special treatment it was almost embarrassing. They couldn’t believe I didn’t need to sit down every five minutes. We stayed until the children came home from school and met them all. Each one was introduced to me first and they gave me a hug and then they got to change into their work clothes. They all had chores to do besides homework. I forgot to tell about Craig. He is retired out of the Navy and he and his family have moved to Chiang Mai for the states. He wants to work with the Karen tribe people and connected with Kam Seen. It was fun to be able to talk to someone who could understand us. There are so many special things to share with you all when we get home. We felt like for very little money we were able to see immediately the benefits of our work. Clean water is such a precious thing in Thailand and all Third World countries.
Hopefully we’ve made some connections that will continue on. One of the drivers we got close too started calling me Me Mar which is grandma in his tongue. They enjoyed getting me to laugh so they could laugh. Won’t be long and we’ll be home.
In the afternoon we finished up the filter system and enjoyed practicing English with the women. I didn’t realize until working in the village and then the orphanage how much the honored their elders. I got so much special treatment it was almost embarrassing. They couldn’t believe I didn’t need to sit down every five minutes. We stayed until the children came home from school and met them all. Each one was introduced to me first and they gave me a hug and then they got to change into their work clothes. They all had chores to do besides homework. I forgot to tell about Craig. He is retired out of the Navy and he and his family have moved to Chiang Mai for the states. He wants to work with the Karen tribe people and connected with Kam Seen. It was fun to be able to talk to someone who could understand us. There are so many special things to share with you all when we get home. We felt like for very little money we were able to see immediately the benefits of our work. Clean water is such a precious thing in Thailand and all Third World countries.
Hopefully we’ve made some connections that will continue on. One of the drivers we got close too started calling me Me Mar which is grandma in his tongue. They enjoyed getting me to laugh so they could laugh. Won’t be long and we’ll be home.
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