Progress update at the close of 2022

On the last day of 2022, we will have a high of 81 degrees.   Skies are bright blue, and the air is fresh.  Tonight, the low will be 55.   We sleep under a comforter or blankets every night during Thailand's winter season.   

The members of the church are camping out in the rice fields surrounding the church building.   They will be sleeping in small tents and cooking outside and enjoying the fellowship together today and tonight, New Year's Eve.  Remember, it will be 55 degrees tonight. 

TG asked if we wanted to join them.  Ron's quick reply was "We are already camping."    She smiled at me and told Ron that she promised the church people that he would be there.  He said she could tell them he is too old to sleep in a tent on the ground as he would never be able to get up Sunday morning.  Of course, she was kidding as she had no expectations of us going.   

I took progress pictures of the house today.  You will know what most are but if you want any additional information write to me at patbrown10@gmail.com.

Here are things we hope to have completed on the inside by the time supporters from Houston, TX arrive to see the house on January 11th.

1.   Touch up painting on walls as the electrician made many changes and additions (plugs, switches, wiring, etc.)   Some walls are rough, and Ron asked them to sand and repaint.   

2.   Bunk beds set up in the girls' quarters upstairs.

There are beds for 24 girls.   Space is tight but it is like a dorm room and girls will not mind if they like each other and get along well.  They can switch beds until roommates are compatible.   Curtains will be added as this room is exposed to the street and other houses.  A large fan will be mounted in each area but there will be a good cross breeze with so many windows.  Windows will have screens to prevent mosquitoes.   Each will have a small locker space for personal stuff to be under lock and key.  Clothes will be stored in bins for each girl.    

3.   Tables and chairs will be set up in the dining area.   The second picture below is in the carport now for workers, but this is the kind of table and chairs that will be in the dining room.  They are practical and economical for a large group of girls as we have used in other Thailand safe houses.  Chairs can be easily moved from the dining room to the living room if all girls are there for TV or Bible classes.   

4.   Kitchen needs shelving underneath in the cabinets and either more cabinets overhead or shelves for dishes, sauces and supplies.  Doors to the right end of the kitchen lead to a space under the roof where they could set up a couple of tables and eat outside.   It is a great sitting area with a cup of coffee and a book!

Another cleaning will be done when these things are completed.

OUTSIDE or ADDITIONAL things to be done:

1.   There is space to add another bath (at least a toilet and shower) next to the existing bath to the left of where the washing machine is located (where supplies are stored as you see in the second picture).  

I tried out the washing machine this morning.   There is a second tub to the right side that has a fast spin cycle to get clothes practically dry.   I stretched out a line out the back door and put things on hangers and they dried very quickly.  The washer will be a blessing to these girls.   

This is at the left end of the kitchen.   This entire area is the width of the house downstairs (plus the small patio area I mentioned above).  

2.   Second coat of paint needed in under the roof at the carport and down the side of the house under the eve in some places.

3.   Section of metal roof is rusting and needs work.

4.   Screens to be purchased and installed on all of the upstairs' rooms for the girls (to prevent mosquitoes)

5.   Curtain rods to be purchased and installed upstairs.  Curtains to be purchased for girls' rooms.    

6.   Some screens need hooks installed.

7.   The electrician has about a day's work to correct some plugs and problems.

8.   Fence painting to be completed.

9    Landscaping around house to be done.

10.  Garden to be prepared and ready for planting vegetables.

Drains around house are completed.   This was done on both sides of the house and at the back behind the house so flooding should not be a problem now.   

   

The concrete block wall around the property is being painted a dark gray.   It was a horrible dirty white without this fresh paint. 

  

As you can see, great progress has been made in two months, but the remaining items listed will take time.   There are many things that have been done that the pictures or my writing to do reflect.  Workers have diligently put in some very hard work.  There is at least another month of work remaining.    

We have been living in the house mother's room for a few days.  She has a nice bedroom, office and bath.  

I'm not wild about bathrooms in Asia as the shower is mounted on the wall.   With the shower not separated, the entire floor of the bathroom gets wet.   

I am having trouble sleeping due to the noise.  Ron can sleep on his worst ear and hear nothing going on.   Roosters crow all night, loud music comes from some houses or places of business behind us, the main highway is not far, and traffic is loud at night.   We are about half an hour's drive to markets, restaurants, the mall or to the condo where we were living.  We are outside the Udon Thani city limits so getting Uber this far is an extra cost.

We will have to depend on TG for shopping.  I will keep an on-going list of things needed and she can pick them up at her convenience.   She took us shopping the day after we moved to the house.  Macro is about 2-3 times the size of our Sam's club at home.   Some signs are in English, but many items have no English on them.   There is a large selection of different brands and kinds of most everything, so selection of the right item is sometimes a challenge.   At this store, as at Sam's, many things in the fresh food section were in too large quantities for us.   The other grocery that is extensive is Lotus and they have most everything we need but not in large size packaging.

I know I could do a better job arranging pictures and giving a better explanation about various aspects of the progress, but I think you can get a good idea of this project from my posts.    The house is not the most beautiful, but it is practical.  And it is one we can afford with the generous donation from Bands Ministries in Dallas, TX.    It is not easy to find an ideal house to accommodate 24 girls and have so much nice living space with a large living room, dining and kitchen area.   The property is safe and ideal for a nice garden.   Living conditions for the girls should be very good and they will have good teenage years if they will study hard and get along with each other.   This is an opportunity of a lifetime for poor girls to live free and get an education because loving Christians want to help them.  It prevents the chance of a recruiter coming along and promising them a good job, only intending to sell them for prostitution.   

More importantly, they will learn the Bible and about Jesus Christ.   It is their choice whether they believe and accept Him and His Word.   They will be taught well.  Christian teachers and workers will be diligent to teach the truth of the Bible without manmade opinions and creeds.   Sometimes, this is why we lose the girls...because of our determination to provide spiritual education along with secular education.  They agree to study the Bible just as they would any subject in school but when they reach the point of believing, parents may object to them becoming Christians.  Buddhism is the official belief in Thailand.  It only teaches a thought process to obtain happiness at some spiritual level, but it will not provide anyone with salvation in eternity.  

Once the house renovation is complete, we will start working with TG to locate girls who want to come to the safe house to live and attend school.    We will teach TG what duties and responsibilities will fall on her shoulders as the housemother.   If we can spend a month with her, she will know what to expect. She is very smart and quick to learn so we have no doubt but that she will do a great job.  She has watched Ron purchase things and she knows how to be a wise shopper.

Healthwise, Ron and I are doing well.   We both have back problems but now that we are at the house, we have comfortable places to sit and work and the bed is very good.   Ron continues to have allergy problems and his dry eyes are bothersome and he can't tolerate air conditioning or fans.   

I will post about our travels with the Houston supporters as we visit the safe houses in Chiang Mai, Thailand and Vientiane, Laos during the second week of January.

Let me know if you have questions about us or the work.   I would love to hear from you.

We wish everyone a Happy New Year.   May God bless each of you with good health as you find peace and joy throughout the year as you count your many blessings.