David's Pictures

David is Tutu's youngest son and an aspiring photographer. He was able to be with us at Wiang Pa Pao for the two days we were there for the dedication of Grace Place, Thailand. Not only was he fun to have around -- David has a perpetual contagious smile and a soft voice that gives you comfort, but he also shared his gift of photography with our team. He was also a great companion to Nathan, which was great because I am sure Nathan was tired of hanging around all these old people.

David is pictured here in the first picture with one of our children. He took many great pictures and I share only a few with our readers here as a reminder for you to pray for this young man whose mother is in the front lines of the fight to rescue children from a life of desperation. Oftentimes when we put our lives on the line this way the enemy of our souls targets our families. Our families, too often, suffer the blow of the enemy's attacks. Please pray for all the families of all staff both in Cambodia and Thailand. They are serving these children at great peril and need to be surrounded with prayers.

Thank God we know the end of the book. The enemy is a bully. He has already been defeated. He is a usurper. He's come only to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came to give us life and life abundant. May all of our children experience this kind of life that Jesus promises and delivers and the enemy tries to take away.

Enjoy David's pictures. Please remember: you are looking at pictures of children who up until just a few months ago were objects of scorn, considered discards, rejects, a nuisance, an accident of abject poverty, a mere obstacle to be passed over on the dusty alleys of northern Thailand.

These children have been metamorphosed and are now becoming what God had always intended for them to be. All for $122 per month per child and lots of love which cannot be measured in dollar signs. Each of these brilliantly rendered pictures represents a miracle of God's grace. If you are part of this miracle, consider yourself among the most blessed people on earth.

With all my love,

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

Blogging About our Trip

For those who are interested, I am also posting here about our trip to Thailand. You will also learn more about the ministry of Faa and G.R.O.W. in Thailand. Thanks.

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

Afterwards

Coming home after a mission trip overseas can be an incredibly frustrating experience.

First off, in the case of our recent trip to Asia, you are dealing with some significant physical exhaustion, jet lag, sleep deprivation and diet change. My stomach is in disarray since I landed in Los Angeles. It always happens to me after returning to the U.S. I don't get sick while on the trip but I do after the trip. Go figure.

Then there is a problem of communication. Already, it seems that the interest in this blog has dropped exponentially. It is expected. I am not complaining, it is just a fact. In fact, we were blessed to read the comments all of you left on the blog. They were like medicine to a weary soul, to quote a famous proverb.

But the problem of communication is not just related to the blogsphere. Our hearts are full of impressions, stories to tell, God moments, close calls, human suffering, heroic sacrifice, demonstrations of humility, selfless giving. People stop us in the hallway and say two things: "Glad you are home," which is great, and "How was your trip?" Now the second one is the one that always gets to me. Because people expect a ten second version of a two week trip packed with emotions from here to high heavens.

So here is my ten second answer:

1. I was very humbled by all the staff who work sacrificially to rescue children at risk in SE Asia. I would be blessed to learn at their feet on earth or in heaven;
2. I was very proud to be representing a church that is doing something concrete to rescue children who were destined to a life of desperation or no life at all;
3. I will never refer to the children who are in our homes in Battambang and Thailand as "orphans" anymore. They are no longer orphans. They have been adopted into the family of God. They are royal princes and princesses now, destined to change the world for God;
4. I can never forget that for every child rescued there are thousands who are still trapped by the evil claws of exploitation, sordidness and sinfulness. If every family unit in our church gave $35 per month to rescue at risk children, our church alone could rescue at least 230 more children for God.

So there it is, my ten seconds worth...

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

Bet You didn't Know-- some unknown facts about our trip

In Chiang Mai RAD and I shared a room and Jeana and Nathan shared another, with a bathroom in the middle which serves the two rooms. After a couple of days RAD and I got our ears trained to recognize the sounds of "lock" and "unlock" coming from the other side. We would just say out loud: "lock," "unlock." We managed to make full use of the bathroom and never surprised anyone. And this morning, before we left, I did a thorough cleaning of the bathroom (practicing for coming back home...).

During the time we were in Mike and Debbie's house in Chiang Mai they also had a husband and wife friends f theirs who were staying in the house. As a result, Mike and Debbie slept on a mattress downstairs in the living room for three nights. We were humbled.

RAD and I rode for about an hour on Monday morning up the mountains toward a place called Doi Suthep. We rode as far as the first scenic look out place and had to turn around and come back because of another appointment. We stood by the little outpost and took pictures. Down a little ways from us a couple was taking pictures and there was a beautiful waterfall. We loved the ride and the scenery. Too bad the time was too short...

On Sunday afternoon, while eating some seeds with the children at homes 3 and 4 I broke a tooth (an upper molar). I didn’t notice until later when I sat down to eat again. So on Monday afternoon Mike’s dentist graciously agreed to see me for an hour (he had to delay one of his regular patients in order to do that). I sat on the chair and interacted with this gentle doctor and his wife. He had studied in the U.S. many years ago and has been practicing since 1969. His tools were somewhat antiquated but his expertise was undeniable. After a detailed examination, including x-rays, he ran out of time and ended up doing some light work to smooth the edges and told me to go back to the dentist in the U.S, “He did a nice job with the filling on that tooth. You will be okay,” he said.

Jeana shopped in Asia like a pro. She did most of the shopping for a fundraising we are planning for G.R.O.W. later this year and was always looking for an opportunity to find another item for someone.

Nathan was willing to try all the foods during our travels at least once. He was a great trooper, even eating some of the bugs at the night market in Battambang. He also managed to do quite a bit of home work in all of our flights.

Faa’s sister, Ning, has to be one of the best cooks we came in contact with. She cooked us a meal on the evening that we stayed at the G.R.O.W. home which we all agreed had be one of the absolute best we ate during our stay in Asia.

The widows at Wiang Pa Pao must rank among the most generous people we met. They insisted that we each got a bag for free, a gift woven by their own hands, one made with much sacrifice, I must add. I takes several days to make a shirt or a purse. I also got a Karen shirt from Tutu and one from her mom, made especially for me, which I’ve been wearing since our flight from Chiang Mai.

While waiting at the airport in Los Angeles we ran into some people from our church, Dan and Mary Lou Cross, who were returning from Hawaii. It was so nice to see some familiar faces as we turned our heads toward home. They are in the same flight we are!

Obviously, we are in Los Angeles now, waiting for our connecting flight to Cleveland. I feel my eyes closing even as I am typing this. We’ve been on airplanes for too long now, we managed to lose a whole day in the process. Thanks for your prayers!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

itrindade@woostergrace.org

Home

We just arrived in Woster. I am in the office right now typing this. We are all safe and somewhat sound. :). Stay tuned as I will be posting some more pictures and stories here for the next few days. I hope you will be able to hear from our other team members as well!

Thank you for all your prayers!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

Giving Gifts in Battambang