Our first glimpse of The Promised Land Children's Home! (video)

Those of you who follow our work know that we've been fundraising for The Promised Land Project since this January. You may have also heard the GREAT news that we announced on November 1st - a Children's Home has been purchased and is being prepared to take in kids! Well, last week we got our first glimpse of the new home, and as promised - we're sharing the video with all of you!

Promised Land Children's Home - Our First Glimpse from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

As I mentioned in the video, the home is still being remodeled, but the all the preparations should be done in just a few short weeks. I can't wait to see how beautiful it is once the cement wall around the outside is finished and painted, the wood inside is all re-stained and sealed, new tile is laid, and the furniture is moved in! I love all the light from the windows, and looking outside at the beautiful view of the coconut trees. It's so exciting to know that the next time we visit, there will be children living in this home!

            The house Mom & Dad, Rapee & Banya, CELEBRATE! They are so excited about their new Children's Home!

To see this dream come true for Rapee and Banya after 27 years is truly incredible. Being a part of starting this home has been so thrilling and humbling at the same time. There are no words to express our gratitude to everyone who donated to this project! Because of YOU, many children's lives will be saved and changed forever!

Click to read more ...

The Promised Land Project – UPDATE

For two days we've been back at The Promised Land Project getting video and photos of the work that's being done. It is so exciting to see visible progress being made on the land! I can't wait for the day when the home is finished and this land is full of the laughter of children!

This will be a place of

RESCUE

PEACE

OPPORTUNITY

EMPOWERMENT

&

HOPE.

Since arriving in Thailand, the Sound of Hope has funneled more than $5,000 into the Promised Land. This money has infused energy into a project that had been stagnant for more than a year. Check out this video to see what has been happening in just the last couple of weeks!

Promised Land Project - Real Time update from Thailand 2/24/11 from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

We still have a long way to go, and we need your help!

To give, just CLICK HERE!

Remember Nhu

Today we visited two girl's homes in the Chiang Mai area that are run by an organization called Remember Nhu.

I've heard lots of good things about this organization, starting with the story of how it was created. Today we had the opportunity to see it first hand! The main home we went to was clean, cool, and built on beautiful, peaceful grounds. It was full of laughter and smiles - proof that these girls are protected and loved here. Which is a big deal considering what their lives COULD have looked like.

Most of these girls came from high mountain villages in Thailand - places of extreme poverty and desperation. They were at risk of being sold as child prostitutes and slaves. They were at risk of drug trafficking, drug addiction, and a number of other horrors that are common in poverty stricken areas.

The little girl in the brown is only 5 years old. Her name is Maile. The leaders of Remember Nhu found her wandering around, alone, in a village. Her parents were both in prison for drugs. No one was caring for her. No one wanted her. When I looked into her big brown eyes I just couldn't believe it! How could this precious child be unwanted - tossed out into the street to fend for herself!?

But here she is safe. And she is loved. Here she's just a normal little girl, giggling as she jumps into a pile of clean laundry. Hugging me tightly around the knees and blowing me kisses as I wave goodbye....

Our American partners here in Thailand told us that this model is a great example of what they want to do with the Children's Home we are building at The Promised Land. And as I looked at the kids' sweet faces my heart was full. Now, when I look at The Promised Land Project I don't just see this....

I see what WILL BE. Beautiful little girls and handsome little boys waving goodbye on the front steps. Children that are free to just be children because they are loved, protected, and provided for. Children who will have a REAL opportunity in the world.

And that makes it all worthwhile.

To give to The Promised Land Project, CLICK HERE.

The Promised Land Project

We are SO excited to introduce you to The Promised Land project, one of the projects we are partnered with here in Thailand!

The Promised Land project all started with the dream of a Thai-Karen couple, Banya and his wife Rapee. Located near the border of Burma, The Promised Land Children's Home will be a place where children are rescued from desperate situations such as poverty, abandonment, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, or being forced to fight as child soldiers.

Approximately 7 acres of land has been purchased, which will allow The Promised Land to become much more than just a children’s home. The Promised Land will be a safe environment where children will be given love, stability, shelter, mentoring and an education. At The Promised Land, marginalized children will have a safe place to learn real life skills such as farming, fishing, raising livestock and other agricultural training. The agricultural products that will be developed will allow The Promised Land to become self-sustaining once the buildings are built and children are settled in.

This model of holistic care and self sustainability will EMPOWER the children as they grow older. It will give them the skills they need to provide for themselves and their families AND the opportunities they need to become leaders in their country!

We had an opportunity to visit the land recently, and it is truly INCREDIBLE!

It looks like paradise...

 ... but there are a lot of other reasons why this piece of land is so special!

The first is its location - it is located approximately 20 miles from the Burma border (read why that is important here). That means it's strategically located to help rescue not only Thai children, but also Burmese/Karen children. It's also located near schools so the children will receive a great education!

This land is also special because the soil is SO fertile. They are already growing crops of rice and soybeans and will be able to have 4 to 5 crops a year! This produce can help feed the children AND be sold in the market to help cover other costs of running the Children's Home.

There is also a fish pond (it's not yet filled or stocked - that's part of what we're raising money for) which will provide food and fish to sell in the market. And the land is right near a river, so irrigation will never be a problem.

One of the most incredible things to me though, was what is already growing and flourishing on the land. This piece of land has an ABUNDANT supply of fruit trees and edible plants that can be used for food and medicine! There are banana trees, jackfruit trees, coconut palms (which are rare up north and can be used for food OR to make pressed coconut oil that can be sold for a high price in the market) and sweet, edible bamboo - just to name a few! I can't imagine a more perfect place to start a Children's Home!

This project is overseen by our partners in Thailand - which are the Thai-Karen couple Banya & Rapee and an American couple, Ray & Candace Ward, who have served in Thailand for 10 years. To find out more about them (and The Promised Land Project), check out the video below!

The Thailand Promised Land Project from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

To give a donation today, please CLICK HERE!

An overall estimated  $100,000 USD will be needed to see this project fully become a reality. Any amount you can donate will help bring HOPE and OPPORTUNITY to orphans and vulnerable children from Burma and Thailand for generations to come!

Meet our partners...

On January 31st, we headed out to Mae Sariang, a district in Northern Thailand, near the Burma border. You can see Mae Sariang on this map where it says "Mae Hong Son".

There were many reasons for this trip. The main reason was for us to see The Promised Land project, which is one of the projects we are partnered with for The Sound of Hope. I'll share more about this project tomorrow with a post specifically about it (and a video we made while on the land!) This place looks like PARADISE. I can't wait to tell you more about our work here!

The other reasons for our trip was to gather media (video, photos, etc) of the project AND to spend time with our partners! That brings us to the purpose of this blog -  to introduce you to the awesome people we are so privileged to work with here in Thailand!

On the left, you'll see the Ward Family - Candace, Ray, and their little girl Maile. The Wards have been working in Thailand for over a decade, and they care deeply for the people here. They have sacrificed so much to move their lives to this country, and we are excited about helping them with the projects they're working on right now! Plus, they're just really awesome, fun people that we are glad to call friends!

In the middle, you'll see Rapee and Banya. These are our Thai-Karen partners, and the visionaries for The Promised Land Project. They've been dreaming of building a Children's Home for over 10 years, and they are THRILLED to see that dream beginning to take shape! These are two of the most loving, joyful people I have ever met. They cannot have children of their own, but they have so much love to give. I can't wait to see them become "parents" to a houseful of kids!

(above) Here we are giving Banya & Rapee their gifts - The Sound of Hope t-shirts,

plus some hot apple cider and hot chocolate packets (their favorite! ;)

(below) Rusty, Rapee, & Banya goofing off in their Sound of Hope shirts!

This candid video will give you a glimpse of these two in action. It’s so easy to see how full of love and joy they are (and how much fun they are to be around!)
http://www.vimeo.com/20567462

We believe it's so important to partner with local people as much as possible when it comes to our work overseas. These people understand their culture better than we ever could, and they know how to care for the children in a way that we cannot. Rapee and Banya understand the issues these children face intimately, as they've spent most of their lives building relationships and caring for people in the high mountain villages (which are the most poverty stricken areas). The vision they have for this project is incredible, and we are SO honored to get to partner with them to make it happen!

Check out the video below to hear more from Candace about why this partnership is so important!

Meet our Thailand Partners from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.