This evening

Thanks so much for all your prayers...I am so much better. I was able to eat at my favorite Mexican restaurant tonight - on the mild side, but still - wow! I would not have thought that possible yesterday.

It's late by orphanage standards right now (almost 10pm) but I wanted to hop back on and tell you about what happened after we ate. Dave (the director of Asia's Hope) was taking us home, and we had to drive through an area that is somewhat of a "red light" district. Outside all the bars, you can see woman after woman on stools waiting for foreign men to pick them up. It is incredibly sad.

But in the middle of all of that is an organization that is reaching out to these women and their children. They have a drop-in center where the children can have a safe place to go. And working at the center is a Thai women named Fa.

I met Fa this summer while I was here. She is in her mid 20s and is from an Akha Hill Tribe village that is about 4-5 hours up the mountain from here . She is the 12th child in her family, and after her mother died when she was little, she was sent to an orphanage. When she turned 18, she was forced to leave...with only 200 Baht that she had saved up (about $6.50). Can you even imagine being out on your own with nothing and nowhere to go?

She is an amazing young woman, though. Her tremendous faith in God is evident when you hear her speak about how He provided a place for her to live and for her to go to the university. She is so passionate about the children she serves at the drop-in center...many of whom are children of the women caught up in the night life, and many of whom have been abused. This place is beautifully decorated, has computers, and toys - and feels loving and safe the moment you walk in.

On the way home, we talked about how many of the women that we saw were Hill Tribe woman. The average age of marriage for a Hill Tribe girl is probably around 14. Because they are not considered citizens, they cannot get an education beyond what is offered in the village, so their futures are limited. Girls are preyed upon in the villages, and once they get into that situation, it's terribly hard to get out.

A couple of things came to mind...one is that, again, I am so thankful for these orphanages that the girls here do not have to be faced with that kind of life. Also, once these kids turn 18, they are NOT just forced out on their own. The goal is to see them through college or a trade school, to support them to know how to negotiate life outside the orphanage, and to counsel them on how to make life decisions. I see these kids here, and I can't imagine dropping one of them with $6.50 in the middle of the city. The thought of it breaks my heart. Tonight was a good reminder of what I am doing here. Again, I can't thank you enough for your support.

The other is that I see the faith that Fa has. She had (and has) no choice but to pray to God for daily provisions and continue to take steps of faith. And He has never let her down. Oh, but that I could have that kind of faith.