Student Stories

Please take 5 minutes and watch this new video from the School of Promise. It highlights the stories of three of our students and some ways the Lord is working in their lives through the School of Promise.



I'm so thankful to be back after a great trip to the States. I'm blessed to be a part of these kids lives and thank God for how He is working in all of us. I'm glad to be home where we find a gecko in our sugar bottle, we drive down the road all breathing through one jacket to filter the terrible fumes, and where we shut my roommate's fiance in the bathroom with a flip-flop so he could kill a cockroach. Home sweet home. Seriously though, I am so happy to be back. I missed my kiddos, roommates, friends, and crazy life.

Romans 10:10

Because we are as grown-ups learning the importance of committing God's precious words to heart we hope to see our kids letting His words shape their hearts. Throughout this school year our kids have been learning the words that call them sinners and short of the standard of a holy God. They have learned that the punishment for that is death. Thankfully for us those aren't all the words. The next words speak of God's free gift which we could never earn or deserve. The words say that whoever calls on the wonderful name of the Lord, confesses Jesus as Lord and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the dead will recieve salvation. These words are life and truth and are spoken in Thai and English in our school and many languages across the world because they are meant for all people.
Hope you enjoy this video of two of my students reciting the most recent verse complete with hand motions. Notice the precious smile missing teeth, the fact that the word righteousness is super hard for a six year old who is just learning English and the Thai alphabet chart on the wall behind the girls.
May we all be as enthusiastic as these little ones when speaking the words of truth and hope.

Depraved Indifference

These are powerful words...life changing actually.

School of Promise Video

This is the fantastic new School of Promise promotion video. I hope it gives you a glimpse of the mission and vision of Hope International Schools and the School of Promise. I hope you enjoy seeing the beautiful faces of the students and hearing from some of the teachers.

Funny Story

After eating lunch at school everyone does their own dishes. Teaching responsibility: yes... making less work for our cook: yes... sanitary: maybe not. However, my girls often end up playing in the water more than they wash their dishes, such was the case today. I teasingly told one of my girls to "move it" because she was playing with bubbles and we were all waiting behind her to wash our dishes. Amy (the 2nd grade teacher) started singing, "I like to move it move it." My little first grader started singing "I like to move it move it" while bobbing her head. Too funny.

Thank You!

Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support. You are a part of bringing the hope of Jesus to these precious children! We would not be where we are without all of you. Please take one minute to watch this video...to see these beautiful children... and to pray for their futures.

(Click on the button on the far right with two arrows to see video in full screen.)

Visakha Bucha Day

Friday here was a school holiday and because we follow the Thai government schedule most of the holidays our school has are Buddhist related. Generally, we have no idea exactly what they mean or why we have a day off. This holiday however, was a little bit different. The holiday is Visakha Bucha Day which is a memorial to Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death. It is one of the most important holidays to the Buddhist people. During this holiday people are supposed to make merit (to try to cancel their bad deeds), give donations, mediate, give food to monks, and abstain from alcohol and immoral behavior.

A long held tradition in Chiang Mai during this holiday is a seven mile hike up to the temple perched on the mountain Doi Suthep. People walk up the mountain to make merit at the temple. Khruu Ooy offered to take us to the base of Doi Suthep so that we could walk up a little ways and observe this cultural experience. She said that they all hold candles as they climb in the night and that it is very pretty. As we got close to the base of the mountain it was packed with cars inching forward, people were covering the sidewalks. We joined the crowd of thousands walking the road. At times people were a bit spread out and other times we were squished into tight spots where we would all cram together to let a motorcycle fit through where there really was no space. Please keep in mind that it is hot season here, which makes being smashed against hundreds of other people a really unpleasant experience. During one of these times a "gutui" or a man who is now a woman commented to us in English "its hot" as he/she began fanning Amy.

Due to the recent political unrest there were many policemen and soldiers at several places along the way. At one point I was unnerved by a large group of young men in black shirts with white bandannas around their heads who were yelling loudly (people in Thailand are not generally loud). Khruu Ooy told us that they were from a nearby university. Apparently it is tradition for all the freshmen men from the several universities around Chiang Mai to dress alike and run and chant up the mountain.

At one point on the trek, at a particular curve in the road, many people were stopping and going up to a spirit house where a monk was chanting. This is the same spot that song taw drivers and any other Buddhist will wai as they drive up the mountain on any normal day. At about that same time there was a Buddha statue that was being transported up the mountain. Everyone who walked by waied the statue and bowed under it.

Really it was a sad thing for us to observe. One of my roommates commented on the fact that it is one thing to know that the huge majority of the people in this city are Buddhists, it is completely different to see those people all together in empty worship of a god who can not save. Please pray for the true "enlightenment" of Thailand. That they would see the light of Jesus and turn to Him.

I've included a video of a little bit of what we saw that night. I'm sorry it is not entirely clear. At the point we took this we had stopped on the side of the road and things were not as crowded as they had been. Here is just a little glimpse of the annual trek up Doi Suthep.