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After arriving back in Chiang Mai, we both got sick from something we had eaten in Mae Sariang. We called it a "Thai Bug!" We only had 2 days to rest before we headed to Mae La refugee camp on the border. Rick was very ill and wasn't sure he could make the 6 hour bus ride to the border town and the trip into the camp, but he was determined he would go.
Even after 2 days of rest, the bus ride was not very comfortable and we were happy to finally make it to the border town of Mae Sot. I contacted our local contact and he picked us up and took us to the hotel where we would spend the night. He told us he would pick us up in the morning and once again we would go to the market and buy food before heading to Mae La camp.
We'd like to give a special thanks to the ladies from Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, Ridgecrest Baptist Church and Harvest Church who have blessed our children with dresses, shorts, caps and scarves and blankets. Many hours of love have gone into making each item. We were able to take 50 lbs. of clothing with us this year. Below are some photos of the wonderful gifts they donated.
In addition to taking in gifts from sponsors and food, we take in zipper bags filled with small gifts for the children that have been donated as part of our Zip the Blessings Outreach. These little bags are truly a blessing to the children who receive them and never fails to bring smiles of joy. Here is a photo of some the Zip Blessings we took with us into the camps this year.
One year we were able to take in a box full of blessings that we had received from children who were learning about missions in Vacation Bible School at a church in Mississippi. Each bag had a photograph included of the child who filled that bag so the children in the camps were able to see the face of a child who wanted to bless them.
If you are interested in participating in this outreach, you can Click Here to get ideas about what to include in your Zip the Blessings bags!