We have 2 property’s, one is called ‘LakeView’, the other is called ‘MountainView’. Both are within the same village. The lakeview property is already paid for, money given a couple of years ago. However this property was not fenced & we are currently in the process of fencing this, it should be finished in about a month. Fencing property is EXTREMELY important in Thailand, otherwise it is ‘everyman’s land’, whoever wishes to use it!

The mountain view property is where we have our babies homes, there are 4 homes already on this property & we do want to buy this. We are trying to raise funds to buy this property, valued at $110,000AUD, ($70,000USD) it is a large block, on a slope, beautiful view of the mountains, an acre in size. God’s country…

We have a rent-to-buy agreement with the owner as she wants to sell. A year ago we signed this contract, & the owner then gave us 2 years to raise the funds needed for the purchase, so this is our goal.The property is currently half developed with the 4 houses & the other half of the property is pineapple plantation but is large enough to build at least another 4 houses, plus an administration block.

We used most of the Bike for Babies money to build an outdoor covered play area, (doubles as car/bike parking too) plus we in the process of purchasing play equipment for this area. But we had more left over from the Bike for Babies monies to put into the fencing of our Lakeview property.

The Lakeview Property (where the fencing should be finished by the end of July 2003) is where we are also beginning foundations of our first house, following a recent $10,000 donation from a couple in Australia. This home will be 2 storey & will double as housing for our Thai staff (top storey)& be our first mother/child respite care home (lower level). We should be able to finish this house with 2 more similar donations! It is VERY exciting to be able to begin.

We have enough money now to finish the fence & begin the home. We are so excited to see this happening & wish you were here to experience it with us, please keep checking our website for updated photo’s as building progresses especially over the next month.

We have had numbers of requests where we are asked to care for both mother who is sick with AIDS, & the baby. The mum of course, does not want to give up her little one, most often the father has died already & they need the support & care when she is sick. When she is able, she wants to be able to care for her little one & herself. Of course it would break her heart to have to ‘give her baby up’ because she cannot care for him/her. So we are delighted that soon we might have a place to care for mother & baby together & provide the support they need.

In September this year, we have a nurse coming to join our team from the UK who will be able to assist us with this area of the ministry.

Our staff are:

Jim & Leanne (couple from Oz) currently studying language & helping with our work, but they have a long-term commitment to our Home of the Open Heart.

Our Thai staff are volunteers & need to raise their own support, as you know we try to assist them with this.

Quan a single Thai lady – admin & nanny (she needs 7 more people to partner with her, she needs 10 people pledge her $32 a mth) (pictured here with baby Hope) Tdai & Jumnong – nanny & grounds, oversees building projects. (they need 15 people @$32 per mth & currently have 11 on their team, so need 4 more)

It is very exciting to be a part of this & to see the foundation that was laid in our first 4 year term here, being built on now in our second term. We are just wanting to see this work grow in God’s time, not ours, so wanting to be patient to wait for him to lead us in the direction He wants. We continue to live on the edge & trust Him to show us His way, in His time as He provides.

Below is a photo of Nui, our newest baby. Her mother & father are both HIV+, they lived separately in a slum in Pattaya. Nui was left to wander the slum with no one to care for her, her mum’s work is in prostitution in Pattaya, her lifestyle & the hours she works left no time for the care of her little one. She came to us referred thorough YWAM’s ministry to prostitutes in Pattaya called “Tamar Ministries”.

Nui took some time to be nursed to health & considerable time to settle with us, but now as you can see by this photo she is a changed girl. Her last blood tests (before she came to us) showed her as HIV+, we will wait & have her tested in a few months, giving her body more time to heal & make the adjustments! We welcome her to Home of the Open Heart! She is 15 months old.

If you have the opportunity, come visit, you are welcome!
In the meantime…
Pray for us, we need it.

Blessings to you,
Penny