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!
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.
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