More Visits to Schools/Government Offices

This past week, Ron and TG made more visits to surrounding schools and local government offices.

TG is presenting them with a booklet explaining how SAS sets up safe houses in Asian countries to provide homes for poor girls.    

While we may not find girls through these sources, sometimes we have referrals from teachers or social work personnel.  In any event, it is good to have a good relationship with them in order for us to operate officially with their goodwill.

They plan to make a second visit soon to the Udon Thani Home for Girls.    When we left Udon Thani to drive to Mukdahan a few weeks ago, I saw a large two-story building on our right and at the top in large English letters it said Udon Thani Home for Girls.    It was not very far from here.   TG knew nothing about it.   I did computer research and found this U.S. Christian based foundation.  It does not not state a specific religious affiliation.    They have homes for girls, boys and orphans in Thailand and Laos.  It is a very large organization.    Ron and TG stopped by, but the director was not there   They only talked with a receptionist.   

They learned that there are 200 girls in this home, ranging in age from babies to high school.  Ron and TG plan to make another visit to meet the director.   It is entirely possible that they will cooperate with us as to how they find girls or where to go to get more referrals.  They may even have to turn girls away for lack of space and be willing to give us some leads.   This is what we are hoping.  Ron said there were other buildings on their campus, possibly housing boys or other groups of children.   We will find out soon if they will be helpful or a real competitor.

TG visited the home of a poor family and talked with the girl's grandmother about her coming to live at the safe house.   The girl was interested and willing to come.   

Here is some information about her living conditions and pictures.  We hope she will be the first girl to come to the Udon Thani safe house.    

Her grandmother wants her to come for a better life, but her grandfather is against it.    They are members of another church of Christ further from here.   Hopefully, her grandfather can be assured of our work and the many advantages his granddaughter will have here.   Maybe he will finally agree to let her come.   

She sleeps on the floor at the foot of her grandmother's bed.   

Here is where she lives. 

Just from looking at the pictures, you can see that she needs to come. 

What a difference it would make in her life!

TG has learned the office procedures for completing the Evaluation form for a new girl and submitting it to Ron for approval.   She knows to send me the New Student Information Sheet, once a girl has arrived so we can add her to our computer system and assign her a sponsor.   TG will prepare the quarterly reports about each girl for the sponsors.

Ron has spent a lot of time with TG teaching her how to keep receipts and report them on her petty cash report.   She has a lot of items to break down into various categories, including the mileage on her car that pertains to the SAS work.    Keeping good records for the petty cash report that is submitted monthly, is probably the hardest part of the job for a new house parent.  From the beginning of the remodeling work, she has assisted Ron in translating receipts and maintain proper accounting records.    She is very smart and understanding the procedures have not seemed difficult for her.  

I prepared a typical chore chart for her to use to train the girls in the work around the house.   TG should not have to do it all herself with a houseful of girls.   They will rotate doing the chores so each girl will learn to do the necessary things to keep a home clean and operating smoothly.  The older girls will help and teach the younger girls.   

I also prepared a proposed list of rules for the girls to follow.   In order to maintain disciple over the girls, it is much easier if they learn from the beginning what is expected of them.   We will review this list with TG and have a full discussion about problems we have encountered in other safe houses so she can decide what she will do to prevent problems and how to deal with them when they happen.  

TG worked in the garden all day on Friday.   Friday is not a good day to make visits; too many officials take off work early on Fridays and do not want to meet with visitors.

TG has many vegetables coming up.  It was a hot day but she prepared containers to begin hydroponic growing of plants.  

I don't know yet what vegetables she will grow hydroponically.  She is excited to try this new gardening method.     She has containers of leaf lettuce coming up and the tiny plants are so cute!

TG loves vegetables and she is trying to cut down on just eating white rice, as is the custom of most Asians.  She loves meat but she will add many fresh vegetables to her stir fry dishes.    

The mango trees have a good quantity of half-mature fruit in spite of many small ones falling to the ground.   I look forward to trying the first ripe mango in a few weeks.

The girls in this safe house will learn how to grow a garden and prepare dishes using the various vegetables.  They will eat healthy and never go hungry.

 

In Loving Memory of Wang Zhen Zhen

Ron was visiting a hospital in China in 2002, looking for a hospital capable of handling an open-heart team of doctors, nurses and medical personnel from the U.S.    The director of the hospital said they were not large enough or had the equipment that would be needed for such a mission.   But, he said he had a little girl there with a heart problem that they were unable to correct.   He asked Ron if he want to see her. She was in a little bed near the nurses' station, and they were looking after her.   Her mother brought her into the hospital by taxi and then fled as soon as she checked her daughter into the hospital.  They tried to find the mother and at one time thought they had, but the woman denied that she was the child's mother.

Ron took the little girl into his lap, and she wet all over him.   He has always remembered that first meeting with her!   The hospital released her into Ron's custody.   He had her taken to a large hospital in Wuhan.    The picture below with Ron and Luke, the director of the North Canton Christian Care Center was taken in 2005.  

They did some testing and said they could not repair her heart problem.    When the team of doctors from the U.S. arrived for the medical mission, John Morgan, the children's cardiologist from Chattanooga, TN, evaluated her condition and said it was impossible to correct.   Some congenital heart problems are inoperable, and sadly, he said hers was.  

 The first time I saw Wang Zhen Zhen, she was one of the first five children that came to our first orphanage in China, the North Canton Christian Care Center, in Longhui, China.   She was four at that time.   She is in the pink shirt in the next two pictures. We were in Longhui for a general medical mission.  This was my first visit to China.  I was excited to see our first children at this care center that was just opening.    

During the years this orphanage was under China Mission's control, King was brought to this care center by his uncle.   King came to the U.S. and lived with us for about 19 months to have skin grafts due to a house fire.   Many of my followers know King.    King finish high school there and later became the director of the Neil Taylor Christian Care Center in Rongshui, China for a few years.   He took care of Wang Zhen Zhen while he was the director.  (We continue to be in touch with King regularly).  

The NCCC orphanage closed about 10 years after we opened it.   The buildings were originally a school.   It had been abandoned and not in use at the time we renovated them for our first orphanage.   Over the years the cost to keep it livable became too expensive.   Many of the kids were then in High School and had to live at the school which was too far away to travel to every day.   The decision was made to close it.   The government through intense negotiations with Ron, refunded China Mission $60,000 U.S. dollars, which were the funds that started the orphanage in Tanjay, Negroes Oriental, known now as Philippine Mission.  

Wang Zhen Zhen was moved to another orphanage, but later she requested to go to the Neil Taylor Christian Care Center in Rongshui (where King was also living).    She continued to live there until her death two days ago.   At some point in time, whether before Ron met her or afterwards, she had a stroke that affected her left arm.   She could not use the arm; it hung limp at her side.    I think it also affected her mind, but the school allowed her to attend classes for several years.    She rode to school on the back of a student's motorbike.  A few years ago, a stint was put in that gave her a little more time.   

When we visited, and other visitors as well, she wanted all of the attention.   

She would push children away from us if they were trying to wedge in to get a hug.   She had blue fingers and blue lips, which are sure indications of heart problems with a lack of blood flowing to other parts of her body.  

Here are pictures of her with sponsors/supporters Sam (American Airlines pilot), Dave Halligan, and Ronald and Gigi Brown.

Everyone felt sorry for her.   No one knew how long she would live.  She soon realized that she was the center of everyone's attention.   Later on, I think everyone quit spoiling her, but she was well cared for all of her life.   Her life was not easy, and it was often sad for everyone who knew her, because we knew the time would come when her heart could no longer hold on.    

We loved visiting the happy children but Wang Zhen Zhen was alway right beside us in every picture.   She is at the top center of this photo, probably our last visit the Neil Taylor Christian Care Center.

From time to time, she would have heart pain and the workers would take her to the hospital.   Not much could be done for her but maybe they gave her pain medication that made her more comfortable.

Here is the report we received this morning about her death.  

I am sorry to have to inform you that Wang Zhen Zhen passed away at midnight after a 13 hour and 40 minute surgery (cost for us was over $20,000). Sister Song (NTCC care center director) said the surgery started at 7:50 am on the 14th and they finished up at about 8:23 pm and Sister Song was sent back to her hotel because the doctors thought the surgery was successful. After she returned to her hotel at about 9:30 pm, the hospital called and told her Zhen Zhen’s situation had changed.  One person from the Guangzho church came and met her at the hospital. The doctors said Zhen Zhen’s blood pressure suddenly dropped and they could try to save her, but it might be of little use. One of the doctors said Zhen Zhen might not survive the night even if they tried to intubate her. That was at around 11 PM. Zhen Zhen stopped breathing right around midnight. The plan is to have her cremated in Guangzho and wait for the issue of her death certificate. They may have a memorial service for Zhen Zhen at the funeral home if there is a room available.

Here is her picture made in January, 2023. She must be about 22 years old.  This is about the longest a congenital child can live with a severe congenital heart condition.   While we were over the China Mission work, I think we saved about 500 children who were born with various types of heart problems.    The foundation that took over China Mission, continues to perform some heart surgeries in China.  

Some pictures received right before her surgery:  

I hope to see her in heaven and give her another hug.   

She will have a perfect body and life for eternity!

Process to find girls underway!

Today, Ron and TG visited the elementary school (very near) and the high school (about 1 mile away).  They also visited some government offices to establish contact and let them know about the safe house. They said they got a very warm reception at all offices they visited today. 

TG prepared a booklet to give to each of these offices about the work of Save Asian Souls.   She had a cover letter of introduction and pictures of our safe houses in other locations with group pictures of girls in each home.   

TG had a sign made for the front wall to identify the house as a safe house for girls under SAS.   She spent one afternoon sawing wood and built the frame for the sign herself.   She also installed it on the wall by herself.   She is a very talented girl.    Some days I call her our engineer; other days she is the carpenter or master gardener.  She is excellent with electronics and her English has improved considerably since she has to talk to us every day. She can teach the girls computers and English!

She wears many hats and does each job super well.  We are so blessed to find her and persuade her to work with us.   She is even natured, friendly and very tender-hearted in addition to being so talented in many ways.   We don't even know of any limitations she has yet.  

TG has also prepared a PowerPoint presentation to use when they visit potential girls to explain our program and what benefit it will be to girls who want to come live here.    

Front of house and side along the carport to the back.   Yard is clean.  Along the right side, TG plans to add more trees, perhaps some of the beautiful flowering trees we see with yellow, pink and red flowers.  On the left side of the house, she plans to have grass. 

Carport entrance to house mother's room.

Beds are ready for 24 girls upstairs.   

A small air conditioner was installed in the housemother's room downstairs and a large unit was installed in the foyer upstairs.    There are plenty of fans which they prefer unless the temperature reaches 100 degrees.   They can cool the rooms down and then turn the air conditioners off to suit their comfort.   

The house is certainly a comfortable and lovely place for the girls to live.   If we can bring in girls who are too poor to go to school, we can give them an education so they will be able to find jobs when they are older and have a good life.   We hope many will take advantage of learning the computer and develop great English skills.    The most important thing of all is to teach them the Bible and hope they will become Christians and spend eternity with us in heaven,    

Pray for the success of this work in Udon Thani, Thailand.

Ron and I will go to our safe houses in Laos the last week of March and return to the U.S. April 30, the Lord willing.   

   

Gardening at Udon Thani Safe House

 TG has worked very hard to get the backyard cleaned off and a garden planted.   Our neighbor told someone he knew who had a small bulldozer about our desire to level the backyard.   It was hard as a rock from no rain for a long time and there were holes, weeds, grass, rocks and other debris scattered all around.   The neighbor said everyone used the backyard as a dumping ground while the property was vacant.    Not any more!    The gate on the side has a padlock and the front entrance gate is kept closed and locked.    

Two men came with the small bulldozer and worked less than an hour, grading the back yard and pushing the stuff into a pile.   The cost was $16.00 U.S. which is just unbelievable for two men and the equipment.  TG and other workers picked up rocks, burned some stuff and put the rest in sacks to be picked up by the garbage service.   

A young soldier on leave, worked two days digging up the garden space.   The first day, he and TG worked to install a very strong bamboo frame and attached clear plastic across the top to keep the hot sun from burning the young plants.   The next day they laid out the beds for the vegetables, dug in the hard soil to make trenches for the thin concrete block that was used to make the frames for the beds.  

TG planted four papaya trees and one lime tree.  

 She has other papaya seeds coming up as well as cucumber, lettuce and other vegetables.    

The garden transformed the backyard into a great landscape with banana trees and mango trees surrounding the fence.   

We have enjoyed the bananas since we arrived and there are currently 3 bunches large enough to cut soon.   Most of the mango trees have some fruit at various stages of maturity but none are ripe at this time.   

TG drew the plans, purchased all of the supplies, seeds and supervised the entire project.   She knew exactly what she wanted in the garden and she has taken a great deal of pride getting it underway.    She is definitely a master gardener in our estimation!