Looking Back To Find Confidence For Tomorrow

People often say that it is a bad habit to look back at your history. But for me, i find strength in looking back at what God has done in our ministry. Knowing that He has watched over this ministry and guided us, gives me confidence to face the uncertainties of tomorrow.

This journey is truly amazing, how God brought people alongside us to reach more lives for His Glory. Allow me to honor about 2 women in our ministry today !

The first would be Kanokrat Puu. We met in the worst of circumstances. Our ministry was at the verge of closing down, the staff were backstabbing each other, the people who needed help was not reached and making all these things worse, we had only funds left to last us 1 or 2 months at the max. God brought us an accountant in a time that we COULD NOT afford an accountant ! This crazy women stayed on with us, and can be credited for resuscitating the ministry, despite receiving less than 50% of her last drawn salary !

The next would be Shirleen Ng. An diving kaki turned supporter of RADION. While most of you would have heard her name, much of her background work is not seen by most. She labored alongside us even when she was in poor health, setting up booths, lugging heavy stores, working into the wee hours of the night to get our supporters connected to us. And though she is working on a full time capacity, she has refused to take a single cent knowing our financial limitation. It was through this lady's hard work, that freed me to focus on the ministry's needs.

And i'm grateful to God for these 2 amazing women !

Giving Them A Tomorrow To Look Forward To

Last week, we received a report of a group of asylum seekers living in Thailand. The group fled their homes after being persecuted for their faith. Many had the lands forcefully taken, the homes torn down and identity cards withdrawn.

These were a group of Christians, and such was their faith. They refused to back down at threats, refused to denounce their faith. They knew what was ahead, and true enough their leaders were arrested and they were on the run with the military on their trail.

Sobbing and without anything to turn to, they arrived at SITE B hopeful that an international NGO will be able to assist, however they were shockingly turned away.

Now the group is living in hiding, starving and fearful of their lives. Should the police turn up at their doors, they will be deported back to their country where an unknown fate awaits. Going back was not an option for them.

As I sat there in a cramped room listening to their stories, my faith was challenged. Their pale faces were the consequences of surviving on 1-2 meals a day, on a diet of plain rice and salt. Both children and adults have been surviving on just that for the last few months. It was a grieving sight.

There were just so many little ones. And my heart just broke.

Not only was the place overcrowded but also filled with sick people. Each family of 6-8 occupied a small area of 3X3, sleeping on the floors with very little ventilation. Their only comfort a small fan that helps to alleviate the effects of the scorching heat.

While it was tormenting to stay indoors, but they were just too afraid of going out, fearful that they will be found out and the police will come to deport their families.

The children stayed indoors, perspiring without access to any form of education waiting idly as each day passed. Staying in a poorly ventilated area with sick people was a bad idea. During our medical mission, a huge percentage turned up. Sick and some very sick. A whole family cluster had a bad case of bacterial infection of the skin with 4 children had rashes all over their heads, some filled with pus, reddish, inflamed and terribly itchy. One died.

The medical situation was so intense that that most of the critical medications in our house call kit was used up. We had to turn away the rest who came later and had to get the people to share medications while we thought of how to get medical assistance to them.

Officially, our reccee trip has ended. We've got all the details we need and we're scheuled to head back tomorrow morning. Enjoying a slow drive back. But I just can't do it, after seeing the needs. It is definitely more convenient just to pack and leave. But I just couldn't.

I contemplated the whole afternoon and this evening I looked at my deputy we both knew we could do more. We can't live with ourselves just to sit idly by. We looked at our reserves and decided that we could afford to buy 250kg of rice for this community and that was what we're going to do. More than that we're going in for a 3rd round of medical clinics.

At the back of my mind, i know that such an operation is risky and helping these people may get us into trouble with some authorities. But without this critical food aid, they will continue to starve. Without medical aid, the little ones may not make it past the next month.

Before I left for this trip, I told Alvin, RADION was birthed doing crazy things for the right causes; for causes that is critical but under reached. As we get bigger, we should never allow our policies to override our passion to serve. So we're going to do what we need to do. He smiled.

So here I am. Tomorrow I'm going out again and please keep us in prayers.

p/s : My car's tires are rubbing against the wheel arch from all the weight of the relief. We need a sturdier car !

Project LIVES! Pictures

Some pictures from PROJECT LIVES! 2011

http://www.radion-international.org/uncategorized/2011/11/10/project-lives-2011-singapore-phase/

Excerpt From Bangkok Post (28 Sep 2011

Chiang Mai floods above critical level

• Published: 28/09/2011 at 11:45 AM

Searchers have found the bodies of four members of the family of five swept away when their village was hit by hillside run-off overnight in Chiang Mai province, where the flood situation was reported to be above critical level on Wednesday.

Forest run-off triggered by two days of incessant rain struck a village in tambon Muang Kai in Mae Taeng district about 1am, destroying four houses and sweeping away a family of five people.

Rescuers continued the search for the fifth victim, as rain continued pouring down, causing an electricity blackout in the entire tambon.

Meanwhile, reports said the flood situation in the northern province was above critical level.

At 10.50am, the water level in Muang district had risen to 3.85 metres and the water flow was measured at 482 million cubic metres per second.

The critical water level is set at 3.70 metres and the water flow at 440 million cubic metres a second.

Five swept away by flash flood

• Published: 28/09/2011 at 10:35 AM

Forest run-off caused by heavy rain struck a village in Chiang Mai's Mae Taeng district overnight, destroying four houses and sweeping away a family of five people, who are feared dead.

Tambon Muang Kai Administration Organisation chief Duangkam Wutthi said Wednesday morning village teams  were searching for the missing family - the father, mother, two daughters and a son.
A group of soldiers and administrative officials also joined the rescue operation, Mr Duangkam said.

Photos POST TODAY

I don't want to be anywhere else...

Last evening, we did the worship differently. We got the kids to think of a bible verse they remembered best and why it meant so much to them. After much sharing, the kids started to recount and open up about their past.

The staff were so moved as some kids were saying things like :

A boy who was an ex addict said, I don't even know where I'll be today and probably still roaming the streets if not for RADION.

Jai, one of the oldest girls who is from a neglected family told us that since stepped into RADION and found a place where people loved her for who she is. In her words "I don't want to be anywhere else, this is my home"

Just hearing these stories of little lives being transformed and changed tells us its all worth it... despite the pain, the struggles and heartbreak working with broken children.

Right now we're seeing a greater influx of children being brought to us, more complex and challenging cases such as domestic abuse, sexual abuse and so on. Do keep us in prayer and if you would like to be part of this outreach to children and know how you can support us, please drop us an email at
general@radion-international.org

2nd Picture Set

 Clinic At Huay Nam Khao Public School

Attending to the little ones

The Pharmacy

 More people come in

Home visitations

 Listening and caring

 A group picture at Huay Nam Khao

 A group picture at STREETKIDS! Home 1

A final picture

Diary : 7 Jun 2011 - We're Going To Build !

RADION has been serving the tribal community from a small rented shophouse for the last 4 years. Though its a very small premises (even leaking through the walls when it rains), this little shophouse meant the world to many.

The shophouse was the place where the juvenile kids first came in, the place where people received medical care when they couldn't afford and more importantly it a symbol of hope- when all else is lost, the villagers know that its a place they can come, to seek advise and prayer.

Our monthly mass outreaches is getting quite an audience with new people coming every week,lives being touched. The last outreach we had, we didn't have enough chairs !

With all the work increasing, we're now praying and seeking the Lord concerning a new Integrated Center. A place where we can not only reach more lives, house more children, but also a place were dreams & hopes can be restored.

Right now we may only be able to afford a small plot of land, so just have to trust the Lord for provision !
So do pray alongside with us !

Here are some pictures from our last Mass Food Distribution (Held at STK home instead of shophouse as it could no longer fit this crowd !)

RADION May Newsletter !

It has been an awesome 3 months ! Read more about it here !

RADION May Newsletter !

RADION In CLEO Singapore (May)

Everything Is Worth It

Every single day on the mission field is difficult physically, emotionally and spiritually.

The harsh terrain and unforgiving weather up in the mountains can prove to be fatal if one is not hardy enough. The temperatures can change from 42 to 2 in a matter of hours and having a bath in icy cold waters is really not that fun. The things that are placed on the dinner will challenge even the adventurous ! A weaker stomach, and you'll find yourself with a nice case of food poisoning and surely medical help is available- just 30km away !

Now this 3 years have been most uncomfortable to say the least. I've chosen a path less journeyed by most - a journey into the fringes of society to reach the ones who need it the most. A place where no one really wanted to go.

That's probably the reason why RADION is still the only NGO in this village of 14,000.


I did not decide to serve because of convenience nor popularity, i decided to serve because there were real needs. People were starving, womenfolk battered to death, children left to the streets and exploited by drug gangs.

So i told the Lord, "If no one is willing to get their hands dirty, send me."

The ministry to street children is not always popular amongst the locals, in our infancy stage, many quizzed our rationale for helping the ones that the village has given up, the ones that are perceived to be hopeless and the trash of society.

And it surely didn't make things easier when we started sheltering village women who had been beaten up by their spouses. In the eyes of many, these women deserved the battering they received.

We took the womenfolk in, gave them jobs to care for our street children. They were the only ones who were willing to do the job actually. 

They were the only ones who understood what it felt like to be hurting and an outcast of society.

We were jeered upon and were subject of household gossips.


The Christian community provided little financial support as some commented that we're "not evangelistic" enough. But our main aim was not about forcing people into conversion, but about pointing them to God and allowing them to make a decision on their own whether to accept Christ or not.

RADION is not about talking, but showing people that God loves them, not through words, but our lives & actions.

People will say that hurting people are most receptive to the gospel and thus its easier to get converts.

I beg to disagree.

While hurting people are in need of emotional support, more often than not, their hurts are so painful that it contradicts the idea of a good God.

How do you ever tell hurting people that God has a good plan for you ? How do you tell that to a woman that has just been battered by her husband ? or how do you tell that to a kid that has been sold by her own parents ? Or a girl whose family has been shattered by violence ?

Last Sunday I was overwhelmed with tears as I saw a girl on the streetkids program worshiping. No one taught her to raise her hands in worship, but she did. As she sang, tears flowed down her cheeks. Towards the end of the service, the communion was being served, the kids were unsure if they should partake of the communion.

So i told them "if you're not ready, honor God and give the communion a pass. If you've really decided to follow Christ. Join me"

The cup & bread swiftly passed through the isle and it stopped in front of the young lady. She'd finally made her stand. As she picked up the bread and cup, her eyes filled with tears as she recounted of God's goodness.

What she did not know is that as I sat behind, I was tearing with joy. Finally a child has calculated the costs and decided to follow Christ on her own accord.

After the service, she was still clinging on to the cup, holding it all so tightly and her face was still stained with tears.

That moment was beautiful and it was something that i've waited for.... 3 years of toil and that moment made everything worth it, the physical pain, the emotional strain, the spiritual ups and downs.

Songkran 2011 Pictures

For those who were unable to join us for this trip, here are some photos of what you've missed !

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150590740875565.679549.73585165564&saved#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150590740875565.679549.73585165564

No Strength To Fight On

For a couple of weeks, we have been noticing that the older streetkids who have shifted to Chiang Mai started to develop a high sense of want. Yesterday was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Yesterday after church, the kids sat in the truck and was complaining how hot it was, and asked persistantly to be brought to "cool off" in the waterfall while others asked to go for a massive buffet.  Somehow these kids coming from a poor background have almost forgotten everything about their humble past and decided to "live it up"

Over the past week, the staff had much difficulty trying to get them to help out with the chores with many of them running off to chill in the shade and play guitar, instead of doing their duties. So they basically ate their fill, put in their minimal effort in school, lazed around and did all the minimal to get by. There was no longer that fighting spirit in them in wanted change. Somehow something triggered that change.

We sat the kids down to speak to them, and my staff (Puu) spoke to the kids to the point of tears, how she dreamed they can reach for the skies if they only try. But this wasn't tying at all.  We knew something caused the slide, but we couldn't pinpoint what it was. Till we started praying together. After prayer, it seemed apparent that they were discouraged, tired of being looked down upon by school mates, and struggling to catch up due to the differing standards. We got them all to pray for each other and before long, you can see tears flowing out of many of these kids eyes.

The beautiful part, after ministry a breakthrough happened. We did not have to tell the kids anything more, they just took up chankol and started to work. Something changed deep inside !

A Beautiful First Quarter

Quite a lot of things have happened in this first quarter. There are 4 things which I want to share with you.

First, we received a small grant from Lee foundation, enabling us to invest into having proper caregivers for our children and dedicated staff to continue ministry outreach. Its a blessing ! The first STK home in Phetchabun rescues, rebuilds and help tribal children get back on their feet. The second center continues the rehabilitation process by giving them access to quality education, christian care & guidence. This is extremely important as these kids reach their teenage years.

Secondly, after 3 years of working on the mission field, this year our work is started to break new ground, having more village leaders, government officials and tribal people coming alongside us in this work. As a result of the influx of people coming to us, we too have started monthly food & relief distribution missions. This brought in more needy elderly at their last laps of their lives coming forward to ask to know about Christ. So we'll need a lot of prayer and help here.

Thirdly, we converted our internet cafe into a low cost education centre providing low cost internet access to poor and needy students. 1 hour of usage costs less than 50cents (SGD) ! Just to tell the villagers that we care and our doors are always open to help. Of course with more trust build, we also seen an influx of people bringing their kids to us, many addicted to drugs, glue or from special needs backgrounds. Right now we only have expertise to handle drug kids, but please pray with us that we'll one day be able to handle special needs children as well.

Lastly, I want to thank our givers who have journeyed with us. YOU. Without you, we would not have made it so far and your financial partnership with us has enabled literally thousands of lives to be reached, touched for Christ. But please continue to spread the word, we are still surviving on very minimal funds but we're trusting the Lord to provide as we continue this work.

Some pictures of this first quarter !

2 young girls were rescued from the black market after a tip off. Both girls are now safely on the streetkids programme.

 

Nong Plaa receives certificate for coming up first in art competition. Not just any art competition, but across all the northern provinces in Thailand !

 More open hearts and more villagers coming to our centre to seek help.

 

RADION partnered Huay Nam Khao villagers to rebuild its only church which was invested with termites and was no longer structurally safe.

 

RADION STREETKIDS! Home in phetchabun hit by strong winds, dining area was at the point of collapse. In a surprise turn of events, church members from Huay Nam Khao came to help rebuild this dining area for the kids!

The completed dining area with a new zinc roof.

 

11 Older kids travel to Chiang Mai as the pioneer group to start the second rehabilitation shelter ! All made sacrifices to leave a family environment so they can have a shot in life.

Our main vehicle barely made it to Chiang Mai before giving way. The truck is in the worshop for the last 2 weeks and the whole engine had to be taken out to do a major overhaul.

 Dr Choo teaches english to children in the Chiang Mai Home.

 

Kids settling into the 2nd streetkids! home in Chiang Mai & getting ready to go to school.

 The children's first outing in Chiang Mai. Something they can not have enough of- waterfalls.

 The daunting journey down hill. A journey one must take to have fun with the kids !

 

 Education exposure to bring the kids out to the local animal market.

Diary : 5 Apr 2011

Right now I'm in Chiang Mai spearheading our second streetkids shelter. Everything has been going great, kids are settling in, managed to get into one of the best schools and they everything ahead of them.

As much as I feel happy for these 11 kids; knowing they have been given a shot in their lives. Despite this, I'm saddened by the fact that there are still thousands of children needing this "shot in their lives" but yet have no chance, I'm also reminded of my little boy David who never did return to the programme despite us going all the distance. I have no idea why I have such a strong affiliation to that boy, maybe he just reminds me of me. :)
 
I dream that on my dying bed, I'll be able to see the faces of these children all grown up- doctors, pastors, teachers, businessmen, missionaries etc. All living their lives out for God, impacting the next generation, restoring broken lives, because they were first reached through this ministry.

Diary : 30 Mar 2011

I think the best times I had on the mission field is when I'm with my kids. The streetkids.
A bunch of unpretentious and terribly unrefined children !

Few days back, some kids came over to help us paint the office. We had such a wild time painting the shutters while chatting about almost everything under the sun. Suddenly they came to the issue of marriage. Now, these kids are 12-14 and they were already discussing about the kind of husbands they want!

Suddenly Nee (a streetkid) looks at me and asked "Pii Eugene, I reserve your oldest son ya ?"
Before i could reply, Jong (another streetkid) quickly chirped in ... "I'll book the second son !"
Naam (The newest streetkid) looks obviously dismayed, decided that something was better than nothing. She said "ok then... I'll take whatever that's left !"

Excerpt From Bangkok Post 29 Mar 2011

Wild weather grips the nation

Temperatures plunge, storms wreak havoc

Thailand is expected to experience more unseasonal weather patterns this week causing more floods, rough seas, storms and cold temperatures, meteorology officials warn.

A crocodile is captured by zoo workers yesterday at Suan Somdej Phra Sri Nakharin Park, where Nakhon Si Thammarat municipality’s zoo is located. It was one of 11 crocodiles that escaped the flooded zoo. Zoo staff shot dead one crocodile and caught three others. Seven remain at large. Two bears also escaped. NUCHAREE RAKRUN

A further drop in temperatures in most parts of the country and continued heavy rainstorms over the southern region during the next few days have been forecast.
Heavy downpours and turbulent seas have caused flash floods in at least six southern provinces, disrupting land, sea and air travel and causing devastating damage to farmland and property in many areas.
Local and foreign high-season tourists were caught off-guard by heavy rainstorms while celebrating their summer holidays in popular southern tourist provinces.
Thousands of tourists were stranded on Koh Samui after bad weather forced the closure of the island's only airport and the suspension of the ferry service to and from the mainland yesterday.
Airline personnel were unable to provide exact departure periods for those stranded as bad weather continued into the night.
Roads in the densely populated tourist areas of Chaweng and the fishermen's village of Bophut are submerged under nearly a metre of flood water.
Compounding problems for international travellers are fully booked flights from Koh Samui because it is still the busy tourist season on the island. Bangkok Airways personnel said they will give priority to passengers with international connections if weather conditions improve tomorrow.
Several hundred more tourists were also reportedly stranded on islands at Similan National Marine Park in the Andaman Sea because of the turbulent weather.

Waves in the Gulf of Thailand and on the western coast were reported to be as high as 5m, forcing fishermen and tour boat operators to temporarily suspend their services.
At least eight people have died - seven in Nakhon Si Thammarat and one in Phatthalung - while more than 268,000 households have been affected by severe floods covering Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Trang, Surat Thani, Chumphon and Songkhla.
But in other parts of the country, 47 provinces, particularly in the north and northeastern regions, have been declared as drought-affected areas with more than seven million people affected.
Weather officials said yesterday they could not say why the high pressure wedge has continued to prevail from China.
"If the influence of the high pressure remains strong, we will see more and more rain in the South," Weather Prediction Division chief Charoon Laohalertchai said.
He said the unusually heavy rainfall in the southern provinces was likely to be a result of the La Nina phenomenon.
The amount of rainfall in Nakhon Si Thammarat during the past week was higher than the province's year-long average of 200mm. In some places of the province, the amount of rain was more than 600mm in five days, which is higher than the average annual rainfall in the central region.
"We expect to see a declining amount of rain by the end of this month, together with a declining influence of La Nina by the middle of this year," Mr Charoon said. However, he said the increasing temperature in the Andaman Sea was an important factor that might lead to more rainstorms in May and June over Phuket and other provinces along the west coast.
The Meteorological Department predicted yesterday the temperature in north, northern, eastern and central provinces, including Bangkok and nearby cities would decrease by three to five degrees Celsius from today.
Residents living in several provinces in the lower Northeast have experienced a sharp drop in temperatures during this summer season.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, a cold spell gripped the province yesterday with Pak Chong district experiencing the lowest temperature at 16.1C.
The temperature dropped to 12C at Phu Rua district in Loei and 5.5C at the top of Phu Rua national park.
In the North, cold spells have also gripped the region, with the temperature on Doi Inthanon, the country's highest peak, measured at 7.8C yesterday.In lowland areas, average temperatures were between 18C to 23C.

Westerly Trough & Plummeting Temperatures

The Hmong hilltribe village of Khek Noi has been consecutive hit by extreme weather for 2 days now. Average temperatures during this season ranges from 29 to 36 deg celsius, however the extreme weather together with heavy rains & strong winds have plummeted  temperatures down to 12 deg.

The cold is not the only worrying part, heavy rain on the mountain slopes may bring about a series of disasters such as massive landslides throwing houses down hundreds of feet.

Storm Damages StreetKIDS! Home

This morning we received a weather warning of a storm approaching our area in Phetchabun Province.
Storms in our area is not uncommon and temperatures can swing from 5 deg to 45deg in a matter of hours in certain cases.

By the time the storm warning came, there was too little time to do much but to keep the little ones safe while the storm passes through. The storm lasted only for a couple of hours but brought along strong winds and heavy rainfall.

My staff who was outdoors at the time of the storm said that it was so bad that you can hardly see the road when you're driving, much less the cars in front of you. Electrical were cut, water from the taps ran dry and internet was not accessible for hours.

After the storm passed, we inspected our properties for damage. Fortunately all was alright except for the STREETKIDS! home which suffered some damage. Here are some pictures that were taken at around 5pm.


The roofing in this area tore off leaving only the wooden frames intact.

This used to be our STREETKIDS! dining area, fortunately no one was around when the storm hit. The storm was so strong that the whole structure is now inclined to one direction and is no longer structurally sound.

The meteorological service predicts that the bad weather will continue till the 18th. 4 more days...