Doon-Ian village, Laos

These are pictures taken at the Doon-Lan safe house in the village outside of Vientiane, Laos.  The small church building is where we met but on Sunday, the benches are set up for class and worship services.   It is a small building but adequate for this small community.   It is very clean and neat.  It may be used for other activities such as classes.  There is just a walkway between the church and the house where the minister and his wife live with the 22 girls in their care.   He shared with us yesterday that he has had no problem with the government.  He is well-known and respected.    Front wood carved doors are beautiful.

The girls were back from school so they were all working because it was getting late in the afternoon and dinner needed to be prepared.   Below are pictures of the girls washing dishes, chopping wood, watering the mint and greens they grow, and cooking inside the shed which is their outside kitchen.   Other girls were mopping the floor of the room where they do the embroidery and sweeping around the building.    With so much dust in the road and in the yard, they do a remarkable job, keeping it all clean. 

With girls sick in their beds, I did not take any pictures of their rooms this trip.

  Cooking shed (outside kitchen)

   Girls chopping wood.

Washing dishes.

Below is the large room used for the embroidery.  It was also used as the dining room before they built the outside kitchen area under the shed and set up an area with tables and chairs outside..

This large room has recently been added as the guest room but it is not quite completed.  It is the office and used for storage at this time.