Kim works with a team of indigenous leaders to manage a multi-faceted response to the needs of tribal peoples: HIV/AIDS prevention education, care for those who are HIV+ (including the House of Love for women and children affected by AIDS), ministry to people with disabilities, youth ministry and education and economic development work among migrants in locations spanning from traditional villages to urban slums. Kim carries out her ministry in relationship with the Thailand Karen Baptist Convention. 

She writes – Greetings from Chiang Mai!  I wanted to thank you all for your prayers and financial support during these uncertain times.  You are a blessing to us each time you join in praying or giving–we are grateful!  I also wanted to share some bright news as well!  We have 2 new university graduates from our House of Blessing(HOB) daycare.  While they won’t actually have a graduation ceremony because of the coronavirus lockdown and social distancing–we are still over the top rejoicing in God’s faithfulness with Teera, who has graduated in with a degree in engineering and a minor in English and Kunsuda,  who  has graduated with a BS in law.  Besides the hard work of these students–we also praise God for our House of Blessing teachers who have kept in touch, encouraged them and provided scholarships when necessary.  

When we started the House of Blessing back in 2001, we did not have the goal of having our preschoolers graduate from college–we simply wanted to have a safe place for them while their parents worked.  Our teachers have done an amazing job over the years of providing not only academic skills to help each student succeed (and about 94% of our students continue in school after graduating from the HOB), but also provided a safe environment with Christian values that have shaped each young student.  We have had the chance to speak into parents’ lives as well, teaching them about health issues like HIV AIDS, but also teaching them about children’s rights, and how to have good, strong families.  In our years of serving the slum communities of Chiang Mai, God has blessed so many!  Thank you! 

Other praises and prayer requests: 

• We praise God that all of our House of Love family has continued in good health.  We would ask for continued prayer for them, and also for wisdom for the staff as we start looking at what the start up of school might look like in July.  We are grateful we will have the personnel for helping with homeschooling, if that is what is needed, but we would need to buy extra computers or devices (our students are in many grade levels at 8 different schools). 
• Please also continue to be praying for all of our House of Blessing students, who would normally be starting back to school this month (but school is out of session until at least July 1)  Our students all live in densely populated slums with little hope of being able to socially distance or self-quarantine themselves, putting them at risk for contracting the COVID-19.  These children are also used to have a healthy hot lunch when they come to school, so we are trying to make sure our families have rice and other food as the parents are unable to work right now. 
• Can you also be praying for the  health of our children at the CDPD project?  Having disabilities, these children are often more medically fragile, and we would appreciate prayers for their health and safety. We also are sharing rice and other food with our CDPD families.  Some (like the students who are blind) board at their schools, and so receive 3 meals a day there, but with no school, families are finding that feeding teenagers can put a strain on their food budgets! 

Times continue to be uncertain, so please be praying for my plans for the next months as well.  Thank you!  Your ministry of prayer is so needed and appreciated!