Diary : 2 Sep 2011

I decided to write a quick note before I rush off to pick Dr Boon from the airport and from there its 8 hours on the roads.

Dokmai one of the STREETKIDS! girls was having problems class, academically she was improving in leaps and bounds. But coming from a broken background, dokmai was reluctant to open up to others and stayed alone most of the time, she would eat lunches her self and had no friends to support her at all. Her quiet demeanor was soon observed by the class bully and soon Dokmai became the target of the bully.

The bully hit dokmai frequently and that was not enough, the bully stole dokmai's homework just so that Dokmai will not be able to submit them to the teachers. Dokmai was in distress and as she is not good in articulating her thoughts, she took the brunt of the teacher's punishment and not voicing out her problems with the bully.

2 days ago, Dokmai finally broke. She confided in our staff, her personal mentor her struggles in school and was terribly depressed.

She was depressed, sad and would not speak much. Being bullied, reprimanded by teachers and furthermore she had no friends.

The staff sat down with her for more than an hour just to encourage her but we knew it was not going to be easy. But we prayed.

We shared with Dokmai how as a Christian she can love the unlovable and learn to forgive. Who knows how God can turn things around if we apply wisdom in difficult situations.

She was quiet and we're not sure how much she understood. We could only pray.

Yesterday evening, the staff came out running to us. Telling us some amazing news. Dokmai went to school, stood right up to the bully. Not only did she make her stand, but she offered forgiveness and friendship to the one that hurt her.

It was difficult for Dokmai who comes from a background of hurts to forgive someone like the bully. But Dokmai did.

And you know what ? God turned things around. The bully relented and realised something was different in Dokmai. Stunned and overwhelmed by the thought of dokmai confronting and offering friendship and forgiveness. The bully was overwhelmed.

3 hours latter in school. The bully approached Dokmai. In her quiet voice she asked "So where shall we have lunch ?"

Dokmai lit up. Things truly turned around with prayer and her enemy turned into a friend. A first friend.