Community Garden

Like we've been saying in the past few blog posts, Mercy is an amazing organization - slum visits, orphanage, church plants, prison visits... and a garden project, something we had the privilege of taking part in. At this garden, community members are to grow vegetables, perhaps to sell at a local market. This had been made possible with the help of a landowner who had graciously donated this small plot of land rent-free. It had first began as a small initiative to help one member of the community and has since expanded into a venture aimed at bringing together and helping the entire community. It hopefully will foster growth, relationship and community within this slum.This project is a symbol of hope for each member who has gone through a lifetime of difficulty – each person with his or her own unique story. Even though their stories are very different, they are able to come together with joint purpose and create bonds that will tie them together. This creates a sustainable future for the members of this slum and their families.



We first heard of this project at the Mercy Center. We had been told by one of the staff that today was its first day the garden would be put into effect. She had asked if we were interested in going along to take pictures for them. Excited, we agreed and took a ride to the community. What's really comical here, is that we had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to.

After a quick tour of the community, we were stopped where the garden was to be planted, our host revealed a couple of hoes. She smiled and offered them to us. We carried them, unsure of what we were supposed to do with them. Blankly, we watched her take her hoe and start taking out the weeds and thick foliage surrounding the area. We finally clued in. They wanted us to help! Never having used a hoe before, we tried to imitate what the others were doing. We watched them raise their instruments, drop it to the ground, and blam - the weeds were gone. Likewise, we attempted to do the same only to end in confusion. No matter how hard we'd hit the ground, it seemed incredibly difficult to get rid of these weeds! The locals noticed and began to laugh, amused at our effort.

With the language barrier, they tried to show us repeatedly how to take the weeds out, but I don't think either of us really understood it. After a couple of failed attempts, both of us were soaked in sweat and dirt, feet covered in ants, and a bunch of new mosquito bites. We were a wreck and compared to the locals, they looked as if they hadn't even started to work. It was hilarious on both parts. I guess we just weren't made for this! We felt bad that our efforts fell short and had to take breaks, but it was such a sight to see them take a jungled mess and transform it into a top soil that would produce a beautiful garden. In a sense, this seemed metaphoric to me - through the chaos of poverty, together, they were going to clear that mess, till it, mind it, to grow together in community and result in a beautiful kind of love.
Although this farm is only in its initial stages, it is evident that excitement and hope lingers with the people. Already, they go together hand in hand to prepare the land for future growth. While the land waits for seeds to be planted and for water to make their crops grow, so they too wait for their work to harvest and bear fruit.

Food bags and Pattaya slums!

Having spent a week with Fred, one of Mercy Center’s directors, there are a handful of stories he likes to repeat. Like a typical grandpa, half the time you’re not sure where he’s going with his story, but endearingly, you listen along because inevitably, it’ll be a pretty good story…

“In the annual bed race,” Fred would say, “Mercy entered!” Confused, we later found out that various companies compete in a media-covered race within Pattaya. Each organization enters by decorating a mattress to race down a hill. Strangely, this race is another testament to how God has been blessing Mercy Center. Through this event, Mercy was able to get press to check out their orphanage and some of the other ministries it dips its fingers into.

With that, we rubbed shoulders with CNN as we handed out food packages in some of Pattaya’s slums. Although I never got to talk with this journalist, I admired his desire and purpose to covering Mercy. With the recent political crises that Thailand has undergone, there are many negative images of the country (so negative that people had previously begged us to stay away from Thailand during our trip). He wanted to document something different – a glimmer of hope in a torn country. And in Pattaya, Mercy is definitely an organization that stands for hope.

Early in the morning, some of the volunteers formed an assembly line making dozens of tightly filled food packages made up of rice, noodles and various canned goods. With sacks of food packages, we loaded them into the song thaew (pick-up truck with two benches!) and headed to the slums Mercy visits on a weekly basis. In fact, some of the kids at the center came from these slums – either abandoned, neglected, or their parents just did not have the means to support them. Getting to know some of the kids, it was really neat being able to visit where some of them came from.

Our first stop was the smallest of the three slum communities. We parked the truck so that its back faced the dirt pathway that led to a handful of homes. These shacks were made of flaps of scrap wood probably found on the roadside and pieces of corrugated tin that act as a roof. We arrived welcomed by a few people who were excited to talk to the Mercy staff. If there’s anything any of them need, the staff were available to help them in whatever capacity they can. Slowly, families would emerge from their homes to receive their food bags. One of the staff members would call out their names, and we would hand them bags. Each person would gratefully accept their pack and walk home.

As we drove in to the second slum, we met a few children riding their bicycles with their pants barely staying on playing a nice game of bumper bikes (attempting to collide into one another). Because there were so many kids here, we were able to hand out little bags of chips and chocolate milk drinks. It was incredibly cute distributing these snacks and watching kids smile and prompted by their parents, thank us by giving a wai (the Thai greeting of slightly bowing, palms pressed together raised at mouth-level).

Following the same formula, the staff would call out names and people would come up to collect their packages. Sometimes, parents would send their children to collect the food for them. We were so amused seeing these cute kids try and carry the packages. As soon as we would let go of the bag, the package would fall straight to the ground and the kids would try and drag the bag to their mom or dad.

At the last slum, the shacks looked similar and the community alike. One of the houses had a newborn baby inside. They invited us to see this beautiful baby. Like most homes at the slum, their houses are very modest and not any bigger than my bedroom at home. In this small space, a bed takes up most of the area, with their small piles of stuff pushed to the side not leaving much walking room. On this giant bed was this tiny baby – so cute and so still, with her father looking on adoringly. Above the bed was an opening in the wall that acts as a window. Beside the hut was an open fire where some of the members of the community were burning garbage. The smoke seeped in through the open window flooding the room in clouds.

We stepped outside the house and began distributing food again. As they called out more names and handed out packages, I saw an older lady crouching in her home. She sat peering outside her door so that half of her face was exposed, just enough to sneak a peek at us. Her friend collects her food for her. She smiled gratefully.

In our course of time in SE Asia, we’ve seen many slums and have heard many hard stories. Unfortunately, not all of these poor communities have many resources to assist in their living. Mercy has been in and at work with them, planning different projects to help further the people and get them out of poverty.

[Check out our video on this post coming soon!!!]

Mercy Center

If your looking for stories of hope, some remnant of sanity in this Insane world, and a clear demonstration of LOVE, look no further than the Mercy Center located in one of the seediest cities in Thailand: the most famous destination for sex tourism, Pattaya.

We came in contact with the Mercy Center's founders and directors Fred and Diane, through a former employee of theirs who now works as a translator in Bangkok. A phone call to Diane brought the open door to Pattaya that we had been waiting for. It just so happened that the day we had planned to arrive, a place to stay became available in one of the Center's apartments. Literally, the long-term volunteer that normally occupies the place had left just hours before we arrived. With a place to stay, and an organization to work with, we came to Pattaya.

Fred and Diane, in all appearances look like, talk like, and hug like the grandparents everyone has always dreamed of having. Their story, and the story behind Mercy, however, reveal that being a grandparent is just one part of their job description. At the age where most couples are cashing in their pensions and getting ready for holiday cruises to Bermuda, they were picking up from their home in Canada and moving to Thailand, where they would start a center to house at-risk slum kids who needed a new home. They saw a need, felt a calling, and met it. This was years ago. Today, the Mercy Center houses 17 children and has plans to build a new Center by the end of the year, that will have the potential to house 50. To describe the Mercy Center as an orphanage would be putting it lightly. The minute you step into the Mercy Center, you feel like you've gone home.

The Center doesn't just care for the children, it seeks to provide a permanent home for the kids, paying for their schooling, their clothes, their food, their medical bills, everything. While occasionally, in the best case scenario, the kids are reunited with their families, in most cases, these children come from homes where either their parents have abused them, neglected them, or even outright abandoned them. Mercy has become family for these kids, particularily for those who don't have any. Spending a little time with these kids, you soon realize that they have found family with each other. The older kids take care of the younger ones- even if it means holding their hand or teaching them how to use a new toy. There is a definite presence of love in these children's lives.

While providing a home for these kids is a large part of the ministry, Mercy also has separate programs including slum ministries, and prison ministries, and a sponsorship program.

In our week at the center, we were able to witness firsthand the fruit of Fred and Diane's step of faith . While Mercy is openly a Christian organizations, I was amazed to hear that 80% of their funding come from non-Christian donors. The Mercy Center is real-life evidence of God's faithfulness.

For more information on the Mercy Center and how to donate, visit their website at http://mercypattaya.com/

Ramkhamhaeng University / Ma Ha Thai Slum

Thai university students love Uno, baby powder, and just plain ol’ having a good time! How do we know all this? Right across from where we were staying is Ramkhamhaeng University, one of the largest universities in Bangkok. Every school day at building 7, you can usually find a group of students mixed with a few Farang (Thai for foreigner). On the occasional day, we would drop in to hang out with this unusual group – for it’s quite a rare sight for onlookers seeing both white and Thai together. Not to mention, our group can often be boisterous enough to be heard from the other side of campus.

Our loudness is often due to a heated game of speed Uno, or games that involved plasting baby powder on your face as a consequence. Although we mostly get weird looks from passersby, once in a while a new face would join us, intrigued by the commotion. This little group has become a community unto itself. Amidst the silly games and English lessons, it’s been neat seeing people grow in relationship with one another and through this group, connecting with a church family.

Their hangouts don’t stop at the university either. One day, we joined them to do a slum visit at Ma Ha Thai. Sitting in the back of a pick-up truck, a group of us drove over to hang out with some kids, fellowship with the community and spread love in whatever way we could. Immediately, we were greeted by dozens of people. A little boy greeted us with a Sawadee, and immediately we took to the people there.

Earlier on our trip, we had bought some temporary tattoos just in case we worked with street kids again. Although the kids were hesitant at first, once we had tattooed one kid, the rest wanted to follow suit. Soon enough, kids wanting “Finding Nemo”, “Whinnie the Pooh” and “Ben 10” characters on their hands bombarded us. This emphasized the culture of the Thai children for me. It seemed as if these kids hold up walls of caution towards us. Thankfully, these walls were not too difficult to break down to get them to laugh and play with us. And in a life filled with poverty and tragedy, it’s easy to see why these walls are up.

While we don’t know all of the details, we heard stories of a child being sold for extra money (sometimes even for something as little as a television), or a woman who faces life alone, abandoned by her husband for another woman, and her daughter who ran away to be with her boyfriend. These weekly slum visits, however, offers a glimmer of hope for them – a chance for the community to come together, be supported, and to get to know a God that cares for them and will never abandon them.

Thai Song

It started with a bag. Just one. And in less than one year, this bag has multiplied into the dozens of bags that are sold all over North America. This bag is much more than a fashion statement. For a handful of women living in the slums of Bangkok, this bag represents hope, and freedom.

A Thai Song Bag

Through a missions meeting we attended early on in our time at Thailand, I met Tukta, one of the founders of an organization called Thai Song Fair Trade Organization. When her and friends got together to start the business, they began with no previous business experience, no formalized plan, and no money, just a single bag made of recycled plastic bags and a calling.

Each of the ladies that works for them has a unique story . One of heartbreak, and poverty, but ultimately, hope. Through the sale of these bags through Thai Song fairtrade, these women are given a steady salary of which they can depend upon. Each bag they make is another opportunity for them to better both their own lives and that of their families.

P. Lec making bags

On one of our last days in Thailand, we got together with Tukta, to help her make a video on a few of the ladies Thai Song employs. The purpose of the videos were simple: to show the kind of lives the ladies live everyday. We saw inside their homes, which sit on smelly, swampy water, and on hot days you can literally smell the urine from below. And we saw their families, which many of the ladies are solely responsible to support. Its amazing how just a little thing like taking a look inside someone's home can alone shock you into the realization of what a blessed life we live in North America. I'll let the videos speak for themselves, but I hope that as you travel with Tukta through the dark rooms, past the litter, and among the dust, you will see poverty for what it is: preventable. (and that you will feel compelled to buy a bag.. or two). ;)

Denise filming Tukta for the Thai Song video

Checking out the Swampy Water in P. Mai's house

Smelled like PEE

P.Mai's Grandson saying "Hold me!"

He loved the camera

P.S. this isn't the end of Thailand... stay tuned for more

Check out both videos on P.Lec and P.Mai at www.youtube.com/l3ak3d

Check out Thai Song at http://thaisongfairtrade.org/

Red Light District- Bangkok

As a kid, I was afraid of the dark. The dark brought fearsome things of the night. Shadows on the walls that moved, strange noises from creatures that grab you out of your bed at night . While I am (mostly) over my fear of the dark, and I realize that these childhood fears were figments of imagination, there is something about the dark that still today conjurs memories everything that goes bump in the night.

We had the opportunity a few days into our time in Thailand, to take a bus downtown late at night with an organization called Word Becomes Flesh that ministers to the kids who work alongside the prositutes in Bangkok's downtown red light district selling flowers, or gum in hopes of making some money off of Thailand's sex tourism. We had been warned by the team beforehand that some of the stuff we were about to see was dark. Evil, evil stuff. To prepare our hearts, we'd prayed that God would open our eyes to see this part of the world with His eyes. I believe that God sees even the darkest of places with hope- with love. As we walked down the streets, it was clear that Thailand was a completely different place at night. Prositutes, mostly Thai, sat, stood or danced along almost every sidewalk beckoning for men to come over. Mingling among the street vendors selling food, fake designer goods, and I LOVE THAILAND tshirts, these girls were everywhere. One of the most shocking sights of the night, was one particular street filled with bright neon lights, bars, bargirls, and men. As we walked down, everything screamed SEX. Viagra was being sold like vitamins on the street side. Young, beautiful thai girls held hands with old white men like young lovers. As we saw these things, something in my heart felt for these girls. Something in their eyes told me they were looking for love. Something in the way they smiled back at me told me there was still hope.

These men. Looking around I realized that you really couldn't stereotype a sex tourist. Some were old, some were young, some were white, some were asian. Some of them looked like loners, creeps, while others looked like fathers, grandfathers or husbands. It was too easy to look at them and feel scared, feel vulnerable, but most of all, to feel angry. Something about them though, drew me in. Maybe it was something I read on the MST project site- (www.mstproject.com) "Some of these men who come to Thailand looking for sex are hurting and in need and are trying to fill that need and hurt with love and intimacy".

I realized that these men are looking for LOVE but are just looking for it in all the wrong places. How many of us look for ways of filling NEED in our lives with the wrong things. Money, jobs, clothes, porn, SEX. These men suddenly didn't feel so different.

As we walked further along the street on our way to meet the other group that we had come with, we stopped to talk to a lady sitting on the side of the sidewalk. Her little girl about the age of seven lay sprawled across her lap as the woman held out a cup, hoping to get some spare change from passerbys. We sat there with her, pulling out some crayons and paper for her little girl to draw while our friend and translator, Jane, asked her some questions. We found out that she had come with her two children to Thailand from Cambodia looking for a better life. Every night she sits on the street begging hoping to make enough to pay her dues to the mafia as well as for food. Wait.. the mafia? Thailand also has another dark side- their mafia. On more than one instance we talked to beggars on the streets who were forced to pay dues in order to be allowed to sit there on the street. For this lady, it was 200 baht. Six dollars to sit on a public sidewalk.

When we eventually found the other group, they had been joined by two young children around the ages of seven and six who had been standing on the street selling gum. A little while later, we were joined by two more children who made money selling flowers to men for their prostitutes. It amazed me that while most parents back in North America wouldn't hesitate to shield their children from even hearing about the horrors of the red light district, these kids were forced on the streets every night by their parents in the heart of the seedy area. They are constantly witnesses to the the horrors of night. There is no need for a rampant imagination, reality is enough.

Kings Kids

Our first official Saturday in Thailand started early with a short sung tao ride (truck turned taxi) to a nearby slum with a ministry called Kings Kids. Even at nine in the morning and with puddles left behind from the previous night's rainfall, the sun was high and bright... and hot!

By the time we got to the parking lot near the slum, a small group of young boys had already started accumulating, greeting us as we stepped off the truck. Wide-toothed grins were matched with aimless chatter in Thai as we smiled back with a simple "Sawa-dee-kah"!

As we walked toward the slum to gather the rest of the kids, I couldn't help noticing the little boy on his way-too-big-for-him pink bike. Something about the way he pushed that bike around reminded me of the little boys we had met not long ago doing street kids ministry in the Philippines who greeted us with one giant rollerblade on one of his feet. There was something endearing about the sight that brought smiles to our faces.


Calling out "Pah!" or, "let's GO!" to the kids, we found them at their homes. Some were eating breakfast, others were sprawled out on the floor with their eyes glued to the television, and even a few ran out to greet us. Young and old mingled together like family. We mentioned early on in the Philippines about the presences of community within the slums. It was apparent that this was no different in Thailand. Doors were wide open everywhere and as we walked past each home, we were greeted by a friendly "Sawadi" and a smile.




Each home was sparsely furnished with raw wooden floorboards. Living rooms also served as kitchens, bedrooms, dining rooms, and everything-else rooms. Filthy water filled trenches surrounded the homes serving as some sort of drainage system for the homes. These trenches would often flood into their homes during rainy season, exposing the children to sewage and waste. Rainy season also forced holes into the homes, room for wild pythons and cobras to enter - a potential hazard for the kids. We found out later on that Kings Kids staff along with the YWAM team from Kona, Hawaii and Battambang, Cambodia were able to help fill those holes in order to prevent such incidents.


As the kids followed us out into a nearby park, we saw that they had a strange fascination with the puddles left on the ground by the rain. Whether they were just looking at it, jumping in it, or full on wading in it, it was clear the rain had brought a new source of amusement to the kids. You just couldn't keep them away!


That day's activities involved more than a few laughs as we watched the kids dance to songs and joke around with each other.Although we were incredibly glad to be there, we found ourselves frustrated with the lack of ability to communicate. So much did we want to be able to understand the kids-- not just because we wanted to be able to laugh at the funny things kids tend to say, but we wanted a way in, a way to connect with them.


At first the kids were shy around us, eventually though, we found that if we did something slight like put our arm around them or gently nudge them with a knee, they would respond instantly by leaning against you or sitting in your lap. It was like that simple movement towards them broke down any barriers and allowed them to meet us halfway.



After spending time with these kids- its difficult to imagine them being anything other than, well, kids! Its easy to forget that they have stories to tell; that despite their youth, most have already had their fair share of hardship and pain. One particular story, however, is one of hope and a great testament to the work Kings Kids does. As we talked to one of the leaders of the ministry, he told us the story of Boy*. Boy* grew up in a home where his mom would beat him with a bicycle chain every time he did something wrong. One day, his mom found his dad in their home having sex with another woman. His mom, enraged by what she saw took her anger out on her son, blaming him for his father's infidelity. Her son as a consequence was severely beaten by the bicycle chain. That week, bruised and battered, he went to a Kings Kids ministry where the leader saw what his mom had done to him. He decided to do something about it. He went with Boy* to his house and told his mom that if she ever beat him again, he would report her. She never beat Boy* again.

Thailand is full of these stories. Stories of broken families, poverty, and pain. But with ministries like Kings Kids, it is evident that there is hope for a revival.


*Name has been changed to protect the identity of the child

For more information on Kings Kids Ministry and how to support them, visit http://www.ywamthai.org/bangkok/kingskids.htm