Compassion Family: TH-982 ~ Waking up at a Compassion Project!

After our evening with the Karen people at the idp camp in Burma, we returned to Thailand and the church where we had previously dropped off all out stuff. There were about 30 of us who would be sleeping here, and amazingly, they had room for all of us! Some slept in hammocks, some slept in a large house with several rooms, and my family had a little house all to ourselves.

We woke up very early, thanks to the resident rooster who would not stop announcing the new day. The girls were outside walking around and then mentioned they had seen a Compassion sign. Folks....I had been trying to figure out how in the world we could get to a Compassion church project while we were in Thailand. I had tried to arrange our meeting with Orm at a Compassion project in Chiang Mai, but it didn't work out.

God is good....He provided in a way I could not have imagined. We slept at a Compassion church project! Right on the border of Thailand and Burma. This is one of two that Dave has encountered in his work with FBR. I think it's so neat that Compassion and FBR overlap and minister to the same people!

Consistent with what I saw in Peru, Compassion takes the back seat to the local church. This was the only indication I saw that this was a Compassion project. Of course, once I knew, I started seeing evidence...but Compassion does not plaster their name all over the buildings. It's all about the local church and letting the local church take the lead.

Here is the actual building where the church service is held.

And this building appeared to be where a lot of the Compassion related stuff takes place.

They had display boards that had what appeared to have been an art contest.

And another had what appeared to have been a writing contest.

This building was locked up, but I'm guessing there are project offices in here. The blue sign has the Compassion project number on it.

This is Dave with Night Flower - the wife of Pastor Edmund who is pastor of this church. We did not meet him, as he was away from the village. But Night Flower is just as much a partner in the ministry of Compassion as her husband is. Dave told us some wonderful stories of how she is a powerful force of evangelism and faith in this community.

In addition to the church, the project building, the offices and the houses, there was this building which appeared to be new. In it were some classrooms for a Bible school (and likely the Compassion children use these classrooms as well).

My heart was so, so happy to have made this connection. The only thing that would have made it better is if it had been full of children. If I ever go back, I want to take my violin and spend the whole day (Sunday) at the Compassion project, then spend another day or two in the Karen idp camp just across the border.

Here's the water supply....I'm sure on Sundays the kids are lined up getting water to drink.