A Glimpse into our Role with GHNI

As of late, we have not talked much on the blog about our new role with Global Hope Network International. There are a few reasons for this, but to put it most simply I feel confused about what I can say about our work with this organization.

I wrote a couple blog posts, to which Josh promptly said "you can't say that" or "you need to say that differently." I deleted them roughly 5 minutes after posting them. I felt so flustered and confused about what I was allowed to say that I decided to say pretty much nothing at all and keep the blog mostly personal. I know that this blog is the only way some people hear from us though so I feel bad about that. 

That being said, I still haven't exactly figured out what is appropriate to share on this oh-so-public blog. So if you read this, and are thinking, "wow it's weird that they don't talk much about their work with GHNI, I wonder what they are actually doing." then please e-mail me. Our private newsletters contain much more of the exciting information. And if you really want to know the gritty details we could also meet up, which is what we have been doing with a lot of people. 

A few things I can share here: we will be living in Chiang Mai, Thailand and working full-time for Global Hope Network International. You can read all about certain aspects of the work on their website (link on the right side of the page).

We are really excited about this work. Over the past eight years we have traveled to more than 35 countries (I have lost count) and been to many remote locations working with people in need. We are so thankful that we had the opportunity to do that work but were sad to leave villages behind in dire conditions. In some cases, the chief of the village would actually give us a tour and tell us what some of their physical needs were- usually along the lines of "we need a doctor, or a medical facility", or "we don't have enough clean water." Children wore tattered clothes or no clothes at all and were visibly malnourished or sick in many cases. Even though we know we brought one good thing to their village (purposefully vague here), it was hard, especially after I became a mother, to leave a village behind knowing that their children were still dying of preventable diseases. 

We have just been visitors in their villages, but we got a little taste of what life is like for them. We have mastered the art of the "bucket bath". We've made the choice in some cases between whether flushing the toilet or taking a bath was more critical that day. We've eaten via candlelight under a mosquito net....not by choice, more than once.  We've had rats bigger than Josh's tennis shoe in our hotel room. We've eaten monkeys, snakes, camels, rats, pigeons, horse intestines, and some food that we may never know what it was. We are familiar with all the major anti-malarial medications because we had to be. We've had dengue fever, intestinal parasites, and severe food poisoning. We've received threats and been told we have to stop the work we are doing, and continued anyways. We've been robbed, cheated, and begged upon. And I am not complaining. It has been a privilege to serve in this way (though I don't always have that attitude in the moment). But I'm thankful that most of these are not everyday realities for us. We have lived comfortable lives- both in Illinois, Florida, and Thailand. 

The people we visit on the other hand....they have no other choice in many cases. They live in remote areas, and are uncared for by the governments and majority groups in their own countries. These are the people we want to help. These are the people Global Hope Network International is helping. Their slogan is "bringing help and HOPE to the hidden and hurting." And they mean it. We're so excited to work alongside the amazing people we have met so far. Transformational Community Development is all about empowering the people in impoverished remote villages, to lift themselves out of poverty through sustainable means.  Yes it is possible and not as hard as you might think...or maybe much harder than you might think! But it is happening, lives and communities are changing! 

And we're so thankful for the people partnering with us and investing in this work. We have 69% of our monthly support pledged at this point (keep checking back as I've been keeping the sidebar updated). We're still hopeful that we might return to Chiang Mai January 15, but it's looking less likely. When we think about it realistically, February 15 is looking to be more feasible from a human perspective. Still we know anything is possible. 

So far our experience with Global Hope Network is limited to a couple of trips but here is a picture of some of the amazing people we get to work alongside of. 

Below is what public transport looks like in a village Josh went to last year for a GHNI training. 

And here are some of the community members who went through GHNI's training program in that village with their trainers. 

Life as a Bystander in a Country in Turmoil

We are on the eve of a controversial election here in Thailand.  If you have been following the political scene in this country for the last decade (or perhaps century) you know that this is nothing new.  Nineteen coups since becoming a constitutional monarchy.  For most Americans, the idea of a coup is quite foreign.  A U.S. President has never been forcefully removed from office (assassination aside...) and replaced by another, un-elected official.  Here, it happens once or twice every ten years.  The last iteration was in 2006, when Thaksin Shinawatra was removed from office by the military, and charged with corruption.  He is still living in exile, but his sister is now the current Prime Minister.

The current crisis still revolves around the class feud that led to the 2006 coup.  Thaksin built his political machine around policies that beneftted rural areas, gaining him large amounts of support among the poorer regions of the country.  The middle class and urban elite in Bangkok resented his policies, as they bore the brunt of the financial burden.   He also represented a threatening shift in the traditional power base.  I'm not going to go into more detail regarding the past seven years.  There is plenty of information out there about the aftermath of the coup, and the events that have brought us to the current standoff.  The recent protests were sparked by an attempted amnesty bill, which would have forgiven criminal charges against every politician in the last eight years, Thaksin included.  It was a seemingly blatant attempt to allow Thaksin's return, and his political opponents were infuriated, sparking months of protests in the streets.  The opposition party resigned, crippling the government and effectively forcing the current Prime Minister to resign or call new elections.

So here we are...the election is tomorrow and the two sides are growing increasingly violent.  The anti-government protesters are blockading polling sites in an attempt to sabotage the election.  If they can prevent enough people from voting, there may not be the quorum of elected officials needed to form a new government.  The pro-government forces wish to exercise their right to vote, and keep the current government in power.  Gun skirmishes and bombings are being reported in Bangkok regularly.

As foreigners, we obviously have no vote.  We are also legally barred from participating in any political activity.  I can sympathize with both sides to a limited extent.  The protesters feel that the current government is ruining their country by spending billions of borrowed baht on policies they feel exist only to cement their grasp on power.  They also feel powerless to stop the political machine that has seemingly "purchased" millions of votes with government funds.  On the other side, if we were in the United States I could not imagine supporting a group that was trying to sabotage a democratic election.  Mostly though, it seems that this is a power struggle at the highest levels and in the end, none of the players really care about the people that are affected.

Today we celebrated Hailey's 1st birthday with many of our close friends here.  It was a lot of fun, even if baby birthday parties are short lived.  One by one, we watched as parents made their exodus with wailing children as the sugar overload and skipped naps took their toll.  Later, after our children graciously napped, we went to mall where we found a huge Hot Wheels track, live ponies walking around in an indoor pen, and an empty stage with blaring music for Colby to dance on.  It was a really fun day.  Near the end of our time at the mall, I wondered what tomorrow would bring.  I never had thoughts like that before we moved here.  Most of the time, back home, it is easy to take normalcy for granted.  Things certainly do change, but it tends to happen at a slower pace.  We really don't know if this current crisis will be resolved peacefully.  We have heard talk of moving the government to Chiang Mai, splitting the country in two.  Some journalists have hinted at the prospect of civil war, but I think it is mostly fear-mongering.  It seems that a vast majority of the population wants nothing to do with the violence.  At the same time, reconciliation seems a long ways off.

There are many more things I want to say here, but I feel they are best left unsaid.  What it all boils down to, for me, is the human condition.  The Bible says that we are all fallen, and without the redeeming work of Christ in our hearts, we will remain this way.  Our fallen nature manifests itself in various ways, and to me, that is the center of the current struggle here.  Greed, corruption, pride, and fear...driving a country to the brink for what reason?  No good ones come to mind.

All that to say, please join us in lifting up Thailand.