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Mothers Day @ Agape www.nikkisplace.org The newsletter of A place where LOVE is changing the lives of children living with HIV/AIDS in Chiang Mai, Thailand August, 2013 Fishing at Mae Avis’ House! Mothers Day @ Agape At the end of July there was a Buddhist holiday, so all our Agape kids were home from school. Avis invited everyone to her home for a fun filled family day of fishing, and just hanging out together. We watched movies, playing the guitar, picked coconuts from the tree and feasted on a Thai style BBQ lunch. We even celebrated a special 10th On Monday the 12th of August, we celebrated Thai Mothers Day at birthday together! Thank You Mae Avis for your Agape Home. Mothers Day is a public holiday, and coincides with the hospitality and sharing your home with all of us… much-loved Thai Queen’s birthday. As the Queen was born on a Friday, everyone decorates and dresses in blue (different colours signify different days of the Thai week). At Agape we celebrated with a big party and concert in the Sala – there were blue balloons, decorations, and displays of the children’s best schoolwork. Choirs and bands from both the Jarawee homes and Agape performed well known ‘mothers day’ songs, before we held an acapella singing competition – ‘The Voice’ style! We love to see our kids stretching themselves and having an opportunity to perform, and they love to be ‘out the front’! Finally, each child gave a special, heartfelt blessing to some of our ‘Agape mothers’ – with many tears, memories, smiles and big hugs! The Agape Home is funded entirely by donations and the support of sponsors. YOU can help us care for the needs of our 90+ babies, children and teens by sponsoring a child at just $30AUD/month. Opportunities also exist for sponsoring a family in our Jarawee Village Homes, or sponsoring our Mother Baby Unit. To find out more go to www.nikkisplace.org The Agape Home News August 2013 CHANGING THE WORLD one life at a time… Child Sponsorship at Agape Home Why sponsor a child at Agape Home? …At only $30 USD/month (less than the cost on one cup of coffee per day!), perhaps we should be asking ‘Why not!?’ sponsor a child at Agape Home! Child sponsorship at Agape Home changes lives. Child sponsorship allows us to welcome children who have been abandoned into our Agape family, and care for their physical, social, emotion and spiritual needs on a daily basis. As Agape Home is not a large organisation, sponsors have more freedom to form a relationship with their sponsor child, and actively be involved in their lives. Not only does sponsor correspondence mean so much to our children, we are thankful for mentors and friends for our kids from the world outside of Thailand. How does child sponsorship work at Agape Home? At Agape Home, you can choose to sponsor an individual child/ren, or Jarawee Village Home (adjacent to Agape) family. Donations can also be directed towards our Mother Baby Unit, Project Lek (aiding families affected by AIDS outside of Agape Home) or to our education future fund. You can find out more about all our projects, and sign up to sponsor via our website – www.nikkisplace.org Child sponsorship occurs on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis. Sponsors have the opportunity to build a relationship with their sponsor child through writing letters, sending gifts, or even visiting Agape Home! Our children live with us at Agape Home 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, therefore it takes more than one sponsor per child to cover the costs of that child’s daily needs. However, our children highly value their friendships with their sponsors, and LOVE to receive packages from people who love them, think about them and pray for them ALL over the world. As a sponsor, you will also receive regular updates on your child, and news from Agape Home. International Support Networks – ‘Agape Around The World’ Agape Home also has a number of support networks and contact for child sponsorship around the world. Currently, our international support networks and contact details are: USA/CANADA/WORLD – [email protected] AUSTRALIA – ‘Agape Home Support Network Inc’ – email [email protected] GERMANY - ‘Nikki’s Freundes’ – [email protected] HOLLAND – ‘Nikki’s Friends’ – [email protected] On Monday 2nd September, many of our children, nannies and volunteers were blessed to be able to hear Nick Vujicic speak in Chiang Mai. Nick is an Australian who was born without arms or legs, yet travels the world speaking a message of hope, love and purpose into the lives of millions. Although 12,000 people were in attendance on the night, Nick still took the time to personally meet and hug each of our Agape children – and take individual photos! Thankyou Nick for blessing us more than you will ever know. 2 The Agape Home News August 2013 MUSIC at Agape Home Exciting things are happening in our music room at Agape! Around Agape Every Saturday morning, our volunteers Jordan, David and Mary give lessons to a growing number of Agape children. Piano, guitar, drums, violin, ukulele, bass – there is definitely a JOYFUL noise being made. Our kids also helped to re-design and re-paint the music room, creating a cool, creative learning space. We love seeing our children learn and grow in their love of music. News Saturdays are MUSIC time at Agape Home! THANKYOU to those people who have donated funds towards Agape’s music program. To find out how you can help us visit our website. There is always a reason to celebrate at Agape. Our kids love receiving packages and cards from their sponsors, and there is always ice cream cake too! Here just some of those special Birthday kids from the past month! Mother Baby Unit News New children… This special young woman came to This month we welcomed Jeerasak live in our MBU in May this year. She told us she had been longing to be (10yrs old) and his brother Teerawat reunited with her 6 year old son, who (7yrs old) into our Agape family. The remained in Burma, and whom she boys have settled into family life in one had not seen since he was a baby. of our Jarawee homes and are doing After much prayer and planning, her son was able to come across the well at school. Both boys are in border and now lives with his mother Grade 1. Please keep them and their in the MBU. Whilst still suffering some Jarawee family in your prayers. health issues, he is thriving at Agape, learning to speak Thai and making many new friends! 3 The Agape Home News August 2013 Volunteer Focus…. This month we feature our lovely Asta Ashley from the UK. Asta and her husband had been living in Chiang Mai for a few months when she contacted us to see if she could help at Agape Home. Asta is a trained Neo Natal Nurse, and her knowledge, wisdom and humble servant heart have been a huge blessing to our baby room! We wish Asta and her husband all the best as they leave for South Africa where they will live and raise their family. During June/July we were blessed to have Rebekah Perry and Caitlin McKnight with us from Abilene University in Texas, USA. We also said goodbye to a number of volunteers who had been with us for 3 to 6 months. Our current volunteers are Peter, Kelly, and Jordan Worner, David Hughes, and Georgie Standen – all from Australia. We ask you to keep them in your prayers, and join us in praying for suitable volunteers to continue coming forward to serve with us at Agape Home. Interested in volunteering? Send us an email – [email protected] for more information “I was born in Southern Thailand. My father passed away many years Agape Staff News ago and my mother still lives in southern Thailand with my brother. I also have one older brother and a younger sister. My family is not Christian. I always pray for them and hope that they will come to Christ even though they fight me about it all the time. I accepted Christ in 1988, and was baptized in 1990. I graduated from Bangkok institute of Theology in 2002, and then came to Chiang Mai to serve with Hill Tribe people. Praise the Lord that I have come here to serve God at Agape Home. I hope and pray that all of the children will accept Jesus in their hearts, and that they will lead strong lives when they leave Agape.” Name: Saranyu Srisong (Mae Bu) Position: Night manager Mae Bu has already become a much-loved mentor, friend and colleague to our children, staff and volunteers alike, and we Graduate: Bangkok Institute Theology welcome her to Agape Home. From the mouths of babes… The winning Mothers Day Essay, written by Faa (age 15) (English translation): Every 12th August is Mother’s day in Thailand. It is also the Thai In the future I will be nice to other people who have no mom Queen’s birthday. I am so proud of this day because all children as well. I will be a good girl for anyone who raises me, and be will be reminded of their mothers. good to my brothers and sisters who grow up with me. If my mom were still alive, she would be proud of me, for sure. A mother is a very special, great woman to give us birth.
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