Child Rescue
Thank You Rockford First Church
January 28, 2013 | 
Author 
Goodies brought by the Rockford Team
A mighty team from Rockford First Church in IL visited ZOE for a two week short term mission trip recently. They were such a huge blessing to all of us and accomplished so much. Thank you to each and every one of you for spending your precious time with ZOE and the people of Thailand.
Posted in Child Rescue, Children's Home Update, Education, Short Term Teams, Thailand, USA News, ZOE Visitors | 
1 Comment »
The Low-Down On Being Back…
Many of our missionary families have returned to Thailand after being away for a 6-8 week period from their work at the ZOE Children’s Homes.
Our trips back to our home countries were filled with sharing at churches, schools, fundraising dinners, etc. about the work that ZOE does as well as taking the opportunity to thank financial supporters for their part in helping precious children in need.
It’s been so great seeing {nearly} everyone back in Thailand again and getting back into the routine of life here.
As we transition back, we have each experienced the emotional highs and lows of missing pieces of our lives back in America and Australia – especially the friends and family we’ve left behind.
But we are all here with a specific role to help care for children.
Here at ZOE we rescue and care for orphans and children who may become victims of human trafficking. ZOE also rescues and protects children taken directly from trafficked situations where they have been misused and mistreated.
It’s life-changing stuff – for the children and for us!
I was recently reminded about some of our first reflections upon arriving in Thailand over two and a half years ago. My husband David wrote:
“Before we came to Thailand, it was a series of statistics that compelled us to act. But now when I sit with these wonderful kids, each of the statistics suddenly has a face. It’s a face that is covered with a big smile, and their smiles are part of my every day.
“I have sat across from these smiles at meal times and shared some laughs over hot and spicy soup. Well, they laugh at me as the spices make my eyes water! They have watched me (with some curiosity) as I have sat with their house parents on the floor tasting strange-looking green things accompanied by fried animal fat! They interrupt me as I sit at my desk by standing outside my office window playing a game of peek‐a‐boo, trying to not let me see them and breaking into laughter when I do.
“Seeing them now, you could easily assume it’s always been this way, but each of their faces didn’t always have a smile. Some of these children were rescued before being trafficked; others have come directly from slavery. All have faced incredible hardship.
Our Child Rescue Team at ZOE does a phenomenal job in ensuring that we thoroughly investigate every child’s case. We document the details and act with precision. The investigative work that Child Rescue does will help to purge our society of this evil crime.”
Since our arrival in Thailand, ZOE Children’s Homes have been very active in the rescue of children.
It is never about the number of children we rescue though. It would be worth it, even for the one!
The new life these children at ZOE have is very different from where they were just weeks or months ago.
These kids have talents, just like you and me that are waiting to be discovered. Some have amazing voices and love to sing, others are gifted at art, designing things or dancing.
Only now do they get the opportunities they deserve – to go to school, to learn and to be loved.
They get a chance to make a difference in the world and make tomorrow a better day than yesterday.
I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity to help them shape their future.
I can assure you that the work here is not always easy but we have a tremendous group of staff and house parents that ensure all the children are well cared for. The ZOE staff members are strong and committed and do an absolutely amazing job.
To know their names … see their faces … have contact with them regularly and see their smiles.
Our life here in Thailand may have required considerable adjustment…
But is it worth it?
Absolutely! YES!
Missionary’s Mom on a Walking Mission
You may remember ZOE volunteer Joe Chongsiriwatana. His son, Noah, featured on this blog back in December’s post: The Most Awesome Toy Ever Made.
Noah’s kindness, creativity and generosity touched not just the hearts of the ZOE children, but many others who heard about his Lego initiative and felt inspired that they could also make a difference, no matter their age.
Well now just months later, Joe’s mom is making headlines for her enthusiasm and commitment to being a Team Captain in the upcoming ZOE Rescue Walk.
While other 64 year olds might be feeling like life should be slowing down, this super-energized grandmother is reminding us all that we are only as old as we feel.
To recap:
- The ZOE Rescue Walk will provide several ways to help raise awareness and funds to support ZOE Children’s Homes.
- All of the funds raised during the ZOE Rescue Walk will help ZOE continue on its mission of rescuing children in need.
- The ZOE Rescue Walk, gives Southern Californians the opportunity to provide support to children who are suffering, not from a physical disease, but from a societal affliction: human trafficking.
- The walk will take place on November 10th, 2012, between 9 a.m. and noon at Newhall Park in Santa Clarita, California.
- Interested participants can register as walkers, team captains, team members, or simply support someone who is walking. Registration is $20 for adults and $15 for kids. Signing up as a team captain allows participants to set a fundraising goal and invite their friends and family to become part of their team.
- In addition, ZOE is inviting businesses to become corporate sponsors of the event, which will include a silent auction, a kids’ walk and an awards ceremony.
- Visit http://www.zoerescuewalk.com to learn how you can participate.
- And remember:
“Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.” (author unknown)
7-Eleven
As I drove around doing errands the other day, my mind wandered from thought to thought. My to-do lists. What to cook for dinner. Things to remember.
And then I saw it. Another one. A new one, which had just been built.
A brand spanking new … 7- ELEVEN store.
My 5-year-old daughter and my husband like to play this game in the car called “7-Eleven”. It’s basically just spot the 7-Eleven store and the person who spots the most during the trip is the winner or the game can be carried on from one trip to another, depending on what they decide {sigh}. It drives me crazy because I might be mid-sentence, saying something really important {a-hem} when all of a sudden “7-Eleven!” erupts, followed by lots of excitable screaming and yelling about who’s winning and who saw it first … yadda-yadda … hence, my important sentence gets lost.
You get the picture. But, in case you’re wondering how I could let this simple game drive me crazy, I just want to point out that in Thailand, there are over six thousand 7-Eleven stores!
Yep! We pass at least 10 just on the way to drop my younger two children at their preschool. You might understand now how it might, kind-of, just a little bit, get annoying after a while {nod here}.
And then my thoughts trail away to other things. Things I’ve been reading lately. Funnily enough a recent article from Family Education talks about what to expect in the second grade, and helping your child aged 7-11 to successfully face challenges that the school year may bring. My eldest is turning 7 later this year but I am already trying to think ahead and be prepared (as much as possible) in relation to the social and emotional issues that this age group generally face. And then my mind races once more, this time to the ‘other’ kids in this age group, the ones who don’t have a mom or dad reading up on all the latest educational advice. Whose moms or dads never had the chance to learn to read. Whose parents are no longer alive. Whose parents, for whatever reason, couldn’t protect them. This is the group we came here to help: the orphans and the little ones who cannot fight for themselves. And while I sit in my car noticing the 6001st 7-Eleven to be built, I think of the many little 7-11 year olds who still need rescuing.
At ZOE Children’s Homes we currently have around twenty children who fall into this age group who have been rescued and are now safe in the care of a new family. [There are also many children who are both younger and older than this].
The team at ZOE not only works hard to prevent child trafficking from occurring, but we will intervene when a child is in danger of being sold or has been sold into prostitution or slavery.
But it doesn’t finish there, we commit to caring for these children from then on.
Did you know that there are more than 39,000 7-ELEVEN outlets worldwide? 
You see them too.
As you drive home from work.
As you race to pick up your kids from school.
As you rush to that meeting.
As you dash out to go to the gym.
On your way to church.
But what can you possibly do? Right? Well here’s a really easy thing.
Every time you see a 7-Eleven store, let it remind you about what you have just read.
I’m not going to give you a bunch of statistics to remember. If there is one child who has been trafficked, it’s one too many.
You’re valuable to us!
You have the potential to share what ZOE is doing with an audience that we cannot reach – your friends, family, work colleagues, sports team, mothers’ group, church, school and neighborhood.
You can create awareness about the atrocities of human trafficking, child trafficking and modern day slavery.
You can address these issues through your Facebook page, your blog, your local newspapers or any other link to mass media that you have.
If you’ve been touched by the work going on at ZOE or if you’ve seen or read or heard or experienced something that affected you, then go on and share THIS with others.
Will you?
A Happy Heart
It is very traditional in Thailand for young boys to spend several weeks or months as a monk apprentice as the local temple. They will shave their head, beg for alms, and study Buddhism. After the prescribed time, the boys will return to their homes and resume their normal lives.
So it was rather unusual when a Buddhist monk brought a young boy to ZOE Children’s Homes earlier this year asking us to take care of him! Dteeng was about 13 years old and had been sleeping around one of the local wats (temples). He was homeless, apparently parentless, and stole whatever he could to eat. The monks could not control him and asked us if we could help him.
Now, when children first come to ZOE, we do not immediately integrate them into our main children’s home. We have several safe houses where we take them until we feel they are ready to integrate. Dteeng did not want to stay at ZOE. He was determined to run away! We had to have three of our house fathers watch him 24 hours a day (each in an 8-hour shift). At night, the house father had to sleep outside Dteeng’s bedroom door on the floor blocking the door so that when he tried to open the door to escape, it would bump the father and wake him up! After a week had passed and there was no indication Dteeng would agree to stay at ZOE, we were wondering what to do next.
The house fathers were at a loss and were praying for wisdom. Then, a group of three teenage boys who had been at ZOE for some time, approached one of the house fathers. They had overheard what was going on with Dteeng. The three boys asked to be taken to Dteeng to talk with him. They said “We know exactly how he feels. He is scared. He doesn’t trust anyone. Let us talk with him and we’ll let him know that ZOE is a good place.” So the fathers took the three boys over to meet with the new boy. After spending a few hours together, Dteeng opened up to them and began talking. Oh, I didn’t mention that for the whole week at the safe house, Dteeng never said one word! The next day, he said he was ready to visit the Children’s Home. He was so overwhelmed with all the greetings and smiles and hugs that the very next day he told the house fathers he was ready to stay at the Children’s Home.
When he first came to the Children’s Home, Dteeng stuck very closely to those three boys and they really watched over him like big brothers. Whenever we adults spoke with him – or tried to talk to him – he would avert his eyes, not say anything, and get away as fast as possible. Recently, we had a special talent show at ZOE and there he was, up front, singing with his team. Afterwards, Dteeng came and sat down on the arm of the couch where I was sitting and laid his head on my shoulder. This boy’s face has literally taken on a new appearance in the past few months! As the proverb says, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.”
