Sanki’s birthday we celebrated on 2/16.

Sanki turned 16 years old. He is very smart and has incredible memory and he is a very fast learner. Has interest in learning more about computers and how they are built. He’s very athletic, loves to play soccer(football) and also to play the guitar. He’s one of the main guitar players who leads the Sunday service in playing the songs.

So we decided to make him a card that would represent him or his hobby, so we made a birthday card in shape of a guitar. Children were all excited to sign the card and wish Sanki many blessings. We were glad that he loved the gift and took it to his room. (we hope it will bring him many good memories years later after we leave Thailand)

Also Staya decided to bake some cookies for his birthday, which was something new to them, because Thai people do not bake and there are VERY little of baked sweets in this country. They are just not used to it yet. It’s something from the West, but it seems like it’s growing and becoming more popular. Same with baked bread…Thai people just don’t eat or bake bread. Just rice.

Aron (Raimund’s youngest son), decided to help Staya make cookies and helped her set up their huge steel oven that wasn’t used in ages, and when they had opened the door a RAT ran out from there. Since this oven wasn’t used, rats decided to make it their home and made a nest in there.

After they cleaned out the oven and hooked up a gas tank to it, Staya placed cookies to cook, and made Sanki sit by the oven and to check on cookies to make sure they don’t burn. (It was a very funny sight so we took a picture of it) Sanki…siting on his birthday on a chair by the oven, guarding his birthday cookies and playing the guitar.   :P

And since it was afternoon (the hottest part of the day), we decided to play some games and get a little wet. So we filled balloons with water and played a game where children had to toss water balloons to each other from a distance till they all broke.

Then we decided to have them all take up lots of water balloons and just throw at Sanki, where he could try to dodge while standing on one spot. He was so concentrated on the flying water balloons that he didn’t see me sneak behind him and soak him by dumping a full tub of water on him.  :P  We all had a great laugh, and so did he. It turned out to be a very fun and memorable day.

Took a group photo.

Also played some games. One of them is when the curtain drops and each side has to pronounce the name of the person sitting opposite, and whoever says it first, wins.

Of course had some Thai ice cream (cubes). Very delicious!

“Ee”

This Monday 2/25 we had no school due to Buddha day holiday. But this was also Jo-ey’s Birthday. (Everyone just calls him: “E”). E turned 20 years old. He is from a poor farmer’s family, but he is VERY reliable person and a super hard worker here at Avoda. He is one of the main boys here who gets everything done. One of the main drivers of Avoda, (takes children & our girls to school in the morning, then goes and brings them home when school is over, then drives couple times a week to Burmese camps and brings the children to Sunday school and evening English school, then takes them back, then drove us around on weekends to stores and markets, also works at their factory and comes home very late only when the job is done). We are so thankful that E has a very big heart and he never complains.

He doesn’t know much English, but he is still learning.  :)

And it’s fun going out to town with him and when he does not understand we communicate with gestures and signs and sounds.  :P  (seems to be an international language)

We decided to make him a card that will reflect on what he does here the most: DRIVE

So we drew him a card of his car that he always uses to drive kids around. And children just LOVE to drive with E, so whenever he drives somewhere, his truck is always just full of children in the back (which we tried to show on the card) He really loved the car together with the new soccer ball that we gifted him (because he too just loves to play football).

We ask that you pray for two of these boys: Sanki & “E”, so they would grow closer to God (especially Sanki) and grow up to be great leaders in Avoda where they could serve as role models for other guys (which is VERY much needed here!)

And played some games.