No one should ever have to wave goodbye to perfect weather and beautiful beaches… Especially if they’re from Syracuse. Over the last week, Adrienne and I headed south to work at the Siam-Care office in Phang Nga (Pun-ga). The vast sand and low prices draw tourists from all parts of the world, but that hasn’t always been the case.

The southern coasts of Thailand were devastated four years ago by a fatal tsunami that took everything, including family, from 50,000 children. How could there have been absolutely NO warning? Visitors and locals experienced a tragedy few will ever fully understand, including me.

Siam-Care is one of the only organizations that still functions as an active support to the poverty-stricken and HIV/AIDS affected communities. Three women currently run the effort, and I had an amazing time getting to know them. I was in the office all day, everyday, so I’m still in desperate need of a tan! Krista – BEACH!

The photos in this post are pretty random, but a lot happens during one week!

I sincerely apologize to everyone in NY…

Sunset. 

 A home visit. This man’s hips and legs are basically useless, so he spends most days sleeping… on the ground.

This is his wife showing us the medication he takes three times a day. Not one packet is labeled with a name or dosage. Typical Thai-style…

This woman is 50 and spends everyday hunched over in the burning sun, separating recyclables from trash. She earns the equivalent of $0.02 for each kilo of garbage. Ahhhh…

 I met a fantastic family that makes a living harvesting mushrooms. 

The Siam-Care ladies earned an “Anytime” shoot with me! I think everyone deserves to feel beautiful and have pictures to remind them.

Lot’s of laughs… This is P’ Ne and she’s amazing! Pray a good man into her life; She needs to be loved on!

My little P’ M. Dress look familiar?   ; ) 

P’ Ying! They don’t speak too much English, but we still managed to have a blast!  

The blazing forest was our view at dinner one evening.

I discovered the best fruit on earth. No, really. It’s called Mankut and if I could describe it, I would. 

This photograph has a fantastic story behind it. First of all, it’s Pear’s dog’s name – woot woot! But to share my little fruit obsession with the world, I chopped this red ball in half with a butcher knife on my floor… and enjoyed a side of finger. With a delightful blood pattern on my dress, I ran down the street to buy whatever I could to disinfect and wrap it. Still pale and shaken, I walked back. A scent caught my interest and I noticed a man making crepe-like deserts. Bottles in hand and blotched with blood, I waited five minutes for a pastry – HOW GINA IS THAT?! The man stared in horror as he took my money. HA!

So yeah… Mankut. I’ll try to smuggle some home.

The response I’ve gotten from everyone has been amazing, but I get lots of emails with similar questions. Because keeping this updated takes up enough time, I’ll attempt to answer en masse.

Sooo, what are you doing?

Great question!  I’m here to share God’s love by serving others in every way I can. Siam-Care is where the party’s at! Its vision to serve underprivileged and HIV/AIDS-affected families in Thailand has made an overwhelming difference in so many individual’s lives and I’m blessed to be a part of it! The organization provides emotional, physical, spiritual, financial, and educational support to hundreds of families.

HIV/AIDS has escalated in poor communities for various reasons, but the lack of understanding is overwhelming. The government offers its citizens free AIDS medication, but without any knowledge of the disease or insight to government legislation… people’s lives are ruined and cut short unnecessarily. Communities, schools, and even some churches will shun and seclude infected children because they don’t understand how the disease is transmitted.

At the office, I’m currently tackling the annual report. I then move to a Web site update and developing new promotional materials. I’m involved in bits-and-pieces of everyone’s projects and join staff to meet with families and hold learning sessions. I’ve started teaching English to a couple people near my apartment. I’m trying to get involved in as many projects as I can, including prison work, the orphanage, and refugee camps.

Isn’t this stuff hard for you? How do you find strength?

“Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.”

– Philippians 4:10-13      (Thanks, Laurie)

It’s difficult because I KNOW how amazing life can be… and for so many, life is an uphill battle day after day. My heart aches for this country and those in it, but I’m not here to be upset. I’m here to share God’s JOY and HOPE! In that, I can experience some peace.

Why don’t more people comment on your blog?

You tell me! Thanks to technology, I can track the hundreds of you that visit my site (not who you are, but how many there are). I usually receive a load of emails after I send out an update, but very few of you choose to actually comment on my blog.

You have wonderful things to say and I KNOW that others would benefit from hearing it, too! Please let me encourage you to leave comments. They make me feel warm and gooey inside and can potentially speak to others as well. Even a “cool” is appreciated (BOB)!

I’ll still respond to your posts via e-mail.

What should I be praying for?

Usually my emails will include specifics, but in general I’d appreciate prayer for strength and a continued passion to be here, focusing on God, NOT ME!!

How can I make a donation?

What outstanding people I have in my life! If at some point during my stay you read a story or feel led to support a specific cause, you can donate through paypal.

Our money holds a LOT of weight here, so what may seem like an insignificant sum is really a huge blessing!

Can I tell others or my church about what you’re doing?

Absolutely!!! It’s amazing to have people praying for me all over the place! If you’re interested in getting more involved, just let me know and I will provide you with anything I can!

What camera and editing software do you use?

I shoot with a Canon 40D and two lenses: 50mm 1.4 and 24-70mm 1.2… That’s it! I edit exclusively in Photoshop. Once I’m home, I’ll finally be able to upgrade… slim pickins for now!

A few of the lovely ladies I work with. They all think I’m nuts (rightfully so), but deep down, they love it…

I leave for the SOUTH tomorrow, so make sure to check back mid-week for pics of a beaaautious beach!! It’s not a vaca… we really have an office there… yay for leaving the city!

I scribbled the name of my second prisoner, Win Chit, as I restlessly waited on the steps. I knew entering Bangkok’s Klong Prem prison would be hard, but I didn’t expect this. Trying to paint a picture with words won’t do justice, but I’ll try.

We filled in the necessary paperwork, twice, and were summoned by an untranslatable and thunderous voice. After an initial frisking in security, crowds of individuals poured through the doors of a long, dirty room that stretched with benches below barred glass windows and a strip of metal to speak through. It’s quite chaotic at first glance. Only 25 minutes are allotted for visitation, so every second is invaluable for both the prisoner and his visitor. Once spotted, you frantically run to find an open spot to crouch and begin your conversation on HIGH. Everyone is yelling.

I saw Win. Twenty-five years old with a brilliant smile and radiant eyes. He has not heard from his family in six years and will not be released for another six. Win fled from Myanmar’s nauseating government and illegally entered Thailand (as many Burmese do). There was so much he wanted to talk about, but alas, his English was limited to a simple greeting. I could SEE the frustration through his entire body as he desperately tried to communicate with me. I drew pictures and asked questions using any body language I could. I banged on the window and found someone to translate a sentence for me: “Tell him to speak about anything. I just want to hear his voice.”

Win put his hands against the glass and I met them with mine. Surrounded by boisterous conversation and our foreheads pressed against the metal separating us, he began to sing to me. They were Burmese songs that cut through my heart. Win’s beautiful voice was the only voice I heard for the remainder of our time, and with a tear-stained face, I promised to write and come back.

In Thai prisons, the prisoners must pay for their own food and toiletries. If outsiders, like family, don’t make deposits… the prisoner has nothing. Win has no family, so thanks to the financial support I received in the States, WE were able to provide him with some financial help. He’s a Christian and I’m eager to begin sharing our passion for God through correspondence. As I learn more about Myanmar and meet its people, I’m utterly devastated by the situation. Please pray for the Burmese prisoners and refugees who are without anything and anyone.

Another prisoner from Ghana in his 60s hungrily shared his enthusiasm for God. He said he’d rather spend time with Jesus everyday in prison than be without Him and set free… I’ve never met a man wholly devoted with that kind of reverence and pure JOY.

ONE prison alone in Bangkok holds 900 convicts on death row. Most of the sentences are drug-related, because here, involvement with drugs is considered worse than murder.

Some prisoners will not receive a phone call, letter, or visit for years. IF YOU ARE WILLING TO BECOME A PEN-PAL to one, please let me know and I can provide you with a name, background information, and an address.

I will never forget today.