How many of you went to 6th grade camp? It was fun, but being so young I don't think I appreciated it as much as I would have, had it been a few years later. This is why I was so happy when I heard that some of the kids were going on a hiking and camping trip with their school! A class of our 13-14 year old kids went with their school to climb up a volcano and camp on the top rim. That is rad! We have mountains, they have volcanoes. Awesome! Some of the girls came to me and asked... 'do you have a sleeping bag? Flashlight? Jacket? Yes! You can take all of it! They were stoked, and we had sleeping mats for them. They were all set, ready and off for a fun adventure with their peers.
I know inside all of us God has wired a heart of adventure, to some of us it is an adventure of driving to a nice hotel, while others its camping in the wilderness without toilet paper... haha. Whatever adventure you crave, I know that you know the feeling of anticipation of embarking out to the known, yet unknown. I write this as a way to relate to how our kids felt before they left. You know that same excited feeling, and I hope that as you read this, you remember those times of journey in your own lives and simply smile.
Have a blessed day, and cheers to your next adventure :)
Richard
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
A little girl named Donut...
Its funny how God works...
He puts me in places to minister to people and play with kids. He brought me right to a small church in Koh Phangan, Thailand where I instantly became family.
After chatting with some of the local missionaries, the Thai pastor and his wife and some other locals, they invited me to share dinner with them. This was a blessing, it was the first thing I ate all day. God provided :)
We sat down and ate some home made Pad Thai in the open church building, with a roof and no walls. There was one child there, a sweet little girl named 'Donut'. I instantly fell in love with her, not only because of her name, but because she came right over to me, nestled her little head under my arm and gave about as big of a hug that a 4 year old girl can give. She had never seen me before but loved me like family. I found out that Donut was actually born in a prison, which is where her mother still is. She has been and is being raised by her Jesus lovin' grandma and is constantly surrounded by this small yet awesome family in the Lord. Tonight at church, when she saw me, she smiled so huge and then ran over to me and jumped, knowing I would catch her and pick her up. So, I caught her... haha! She wanted to hang out with me the whole time, whether it was sitting on my shoulders, lap or being held in my arms. It was a tremendous pleasure to simply laugh and smile with her, and try to share more of God's great love through quality time.
Another blessing is for the past three nights I have been invited back to the church for dinner and fellowship, as well as prayer and coffee in the morning. Its all part of God's faithful provision, and its such a blessing to be a part of this family in Christ for this short time.
There is no greater love than Jesus,
Richard
He puts me in places to minister to people and play with kids. He brought me right to a small church in Koh Phangan, Thailand where I instantly became family.
After chatting with some of the local missionaries, the Thai pastor and his wife and some other locals, they invited me to share dinner with them. This was a blessing, it was the first thing I ate all day. God provided :)
We sat down and ate some home made Pad Thai in the open church building, with a roof and no walls. There was one child there, a sweet little girl named 'Donut'. I instantly fell in love with her, not only because of her name, but because she came right over to me, nestled her little head under my arm and gave about as big of a hug that a 4 year old girl can give. She had never seen me before but loved me like family. I found out that Donut was actually born in a prison, which is where her mother still is. She has been and is being raised by her Jesus lovin' grandma and is constantly surrounded by this small yet awesome family in the Lord. Tonight at church, when she saw me, she smiled so huge and then ran over to me and jumped, knowing I would catch her and pick her up. So, I caught her... haha! She wanted to hang out with me the whole time, whether it was sitting on my shoulders, lap or being held in my arms. It was a tremendous pleasure to simply laugh and smile with her, and try to share more of God's great love through quality time.
Another blessing is for the past three nights I have been invited back to the church for dinner and fellowship, as well as prayer and coffee in the morning. Its all part of God's faithful provision, and its such a blessing to be a part of this family in Christ for this short time.
There is no greater love than Jesus,
Richard
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Visa Run
Being in Indonesia for more than two months, I need to leave to apply for a Social Visa so I can stay the next 4 months without any problems. So, now I am in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. While in this part of the world I have decided to take two weeks to tour South East Asia, to try and connect with churches and different orphanages in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, all the while sharing God's love and faithfulness wherever I go. Its a journey by faith, not sure how it will all work but it has already started out in a good way.
I am already missing the kids in Bali, but was very grateful to get a full nights sleep for the first time in two months.
Some exciting news about the kids: A few of them are starting to become more forward focused, meaning, they are thinking about their futures and what the want to do, and not do. One of our boys, Marcus, has a great head on his shoulders. He is excellent at saving money and making money in creative ways. He bought his very poor family a little pig, which has now grown into a big pig and the family will be able to sell it and make some good money. This same boy is also getting asked by his piers why he does not have a girlfriend yet, and his wise response went something like this... "why do I need a girlfriend right now, they will take all of my money and besides, its not like I want to get married right now anyway." So, he is happily single and is really working on making a great future for himself, his sister and his family. Since his dad is out of the picture, being around older guys that love the Lord has really had a great impact on his life.
Regarding Loving Orphans Global: Our East Bali home project is almost complete. Now we are working on teaching English in the village with the kids from poor families. Its exciting to be making a difference in these cool kid's lives. We also used some of the money to buy the kids at our home some new shoes. They were all in need of a new pair, really in need. The next thing we are doing is sponsoring a child from the slums. Her name is Siti, she is a beautiful joyful little girl, even though she collects trash and plastics all day long. She is 10 years old with no education, so Loving Orphans Global is going to sponsor her and pay her school fees each year. We would also like to find a home for her, so please pray for wisdom on that.
Thank you all for your support in keeping me out here to serve, and thank you to those who have supported Loving Orphans Global. We are making a difference! Praise God!
Blessings. Isaiah 1:17.
I am already missing the kids in Bali, but was very grateful to get a full nights sleep for the first time in two months.
Some exciting news about the kids: A few of them are starting to become more forward focused, meaning, they are thinking about their futures and what the want to do, and not do. One of our boys, Marcus, has a great head on his shoulders. He is excellent at saving money and making money in creative ways. He bought his very poor family a little pig, which has now grown into a big pig and the family will be able to sell it and make some good money. This same boy is also getting asked by his piers why he does not have a girlfriend yet, and his wise response went something like this... "why do I need a girlfriend right now, they will take all of my money and besides, its not like I want to get married right now anyway." So, he is happily single and is really working on making a great future for himself, his sister and his family. Since his dad is out of the picture, being around older guys that love the Lord has really had a great impact on his life.
Regarding Loving Orphans Global: Our East Bali home project is almost complete. Now we are working on teaching English in the village with the kids from poor families. Its exciting to be making a difference in these cool kid's lives. We also used some of the money to buy the kids at our home some new shoes. They were all in need of a new pair, really in need. The next thing we are doing is sponsoring a child from the slums. Her name is Siti, she is a beautiful joyful little girl, even though she collects trash and plastics all day long. She is 10 years old with no education, so Loving Orphans Global is going to sponsor her and pay her school fees each year. We would also like to find a home for her, so please pray for wisdom on that.
Thank you all for your support in keeping me out here to serve, and thank you to those who have supported Loving Orphans Global. We are making a difference! Praise God!
Blessings. Isaiah 1:17.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
September season.
You all know I get to work with kids, this is why I set up this blog. There are so many things that happen throughout the day with these kids, lessons that God shows me through the silliness of children. I wish I had someone I could share them with during the moment that would write them down... basically, have my own personal recorder of special moments. Haha, this sounds a bit ridiculous, but I imagine as you read this you might be reflecting on some of those past moments in your life when you wish you had record of them.
Since I brought the skateboards out in July, the kids have absolutely been loving learning to skate. I tell you the truth, then start riding them when they wake up and all throughout the day they remind me that 'we' are going to the skate park at 5pm... its funny! I came home from being out at dinner the other night and the older boys were at the gas station down the street practicing tricks off of a big curb, and one of the boys borrowed a camera to get some cool pictures. Then I went with them to the skate park again, where they practiced their grinds and manuals. (For a definition of these tricks, please ask your local skater... haha)
I walked to the beach the other morning with four of the younger boys, we went to an area where there weren't to many people so they could run around and be crazy. They are really good at doing just that! It was low tide and there were little pools for the kids to lay in, and fast little crabs for them to chase around. They are learning so many life lessons, like, what sand feels like in their eyes and how to get it out with water instead of rubbing their eyes with sand fingers to alleviate the pain.
I just had two good friends arrive, and I went to pick them up at the Surf House from our church yesterday. When I was leaving our orphanage, the girls asked if my friends were 'boys or girls' and as soon as I said boys, they wanted to come. hahah!! SO, I brought them with me and they had an opportunity to swim in the pool at the surf house. They had no bathing suits so they went in all their clothes. They were talking and laughing, having a great time giggling as people walked by. Teenage girls are like Martians to me, how the heck does anyone understand them??
Also, please check out this video clip, it gives a great example of life with the kids... running around with them and stuff. It is from Send Ministries, they had a team of 6 that came out for three weeks and I got to take them to some great places.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llB32Tb5GEA
Blessings and love,
Richard
P.s. Thank you all for your prayers and support, I cannot tell you how much of a blessing you all have been with words. Perhaps the smile on my face in the pictures and video will paint a picture of the joy I am afforded of, being here with the kids.
P.p.s. The journey the Lord took me on today :)
"I will be very glad to spend whatever I have, I'll even give myself for you. Do you love me less because I love you so much?" 2 Corinthians 12:15
When Paul talks about being 'spent' for Jesus, he is referring to giving all he has, even his entire life to see the kingdom of God grow. Jesus says in the 'Great Commission' to 'go and make disciples of all nations...' (Matthew 28:19), so, if Jesus says this, I should do it. But, Jesus also says in Luke 14:33 'unless you forsake all you have you cannot be my disciple...'. If then, He says I should go and make disciples of all nations, shouldn't I be one myself? Then, what does it mean for me to make and be a disciple- well, I think it means to let go of all I have, to live fully surrendered and gladly be 'spent' that His glorious kingdom may spread. I will be stoked if the actions of my life are a picture of being happily spent for Jesus.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Kids Surf Competition
Hey Guys,
Last weekend and this weekend the kids had surf contests. Last weekend only one of them made it to the quarter finals, but I am happy to say that today 3 of the kids made it to the semi-finals! So awesome! Also, one of our groms, Matius might get a Coca-Cola sponsorship which would be radical. Some of the kids today were riding some of the boards that were donated by Jimmy Patterson and Tim Crozier of Black Bird Surfboards. They loved the boards, and I think they surf better on them.
Also, I wanted to give a special thanks to Sector 9 skateboards for donating a handful of skateboards for the kids. The little dudes are wanting to skate everyday now, we go to the skate down the street and we went around town on the boards a few nights ago... just having fun with the young dudes and laughing a bunch.
We have a team here from Send Ministries, yesterday we went around and brought rice to poor families and had opportunities to pray with all the people we gave rice to. It was cool walking into the slums and bringing food, they were stoked! During this journey I twisted my ankle stepping off a curb and could not walk anymore, but don't worry, the Send Missions team quickly responded with prayer and now today I am still walking around, and was even able to surf for a short bit. There is a lot of swelling, but at least I can walk around normally, which is not normal... haha. Tomorrow I am going with the Send team up to North Bali for a week to help at another orphanage, then off to Ubud to play worship on the streets and simply share God's sweet sweet love, then over to East Bali to stay with a missionary couple and serve some really poor communities. Then I will head back to my orphanage while the team debriefs in Jimbaran, Bali. It should be a cool experience helping out in more places, I am looking forward to it.
Ibu Tina, at the home I help at, has already begun building a new place on the property in East Bali, this is going to be a home for farming, ministry and will also be able to house children. I just saw the progress of this place a few days ago and I was amazed, it looks great! So, since, Loving Orphans Global is a partner with her, I would like to reimburse some of the money that she has borrowed since this home will be housing kids in the future. Its cool to already have a project in place, one where some of the money we have raised will go to great use and we will soon see the fruits of the labor, praise the Lord!
Prayer requests: There has been some tremendous spiritual warfare with one of the boys in the home, if I began to explain it on here it would not even sound real. But, the name of Jesus is powerful and He will never fail.
I have this swollen right ankle and then an infected wound on my left foot.
One of our boys at the home, is having asthma issues and cannot do much right now since he cannot breath well.
Some of our girls are interested in boys now, and some of the boys they are 'talking' with are not to good, so please pray protection over them.
Tomorrow starts the 40 days of fasting for Muslims, and we have been praying for many Muslim families before hand. I have never lived in a Muslim country during a 40 day Muslim holiday, so I could definitely use wisdom :)
Bless the Lord O' my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Psalms 103:1
I hope your day is filled with joy,
Richard
Last weekend and this weekend the kids had surf contests. Last weekend only one of them made it to the quarter finals, but I am happy to say that today 3 of the kids made it to the semi-finals! So awesome! Also, one of our groms, Matius might get a Coca-Cola sponsorship which would be radical. Some of the kids today were riding some of the boards that were donated by Jimmy Patterson and Tim Crozier of Black Bird Surfboards. They loved the boards, and I think they surf better on them.
Also, I wanted to give a special thanks to Sector 9 skateboards for donating a handful of skateboards for the kids. The little dudes are wanting to skate everyday now, we go to the skate down the street and we went around town on the boards a few nights ago... just having fun with the young dudes and laughing a bunch.
We have a team here from Send Ministries, yesterday we went around and brought rice to poor families and had opportunities to pray with all the people we gave rice to. It was cool walking into the slums and bringing food, they were stoked! During this journey I twisted my ankle stepping off a curb and could not walk anymore, but don't worry, the Send Missions team quickly responded with prayer and now today I am still walking around, and was even able to surf for a short bit. There is a lot of swelling, but at least I can walk around normally, which is not normal... haha. Tomorrow I am going with the Send team up to North Bali for a week to help at another orphanage, then off to Ubud to play worship on the streets and simply share God's sweet sweet love, then over to East Bali to stay with a missionary couple and serve some really poor communities. Then I will head back to my orphanage while the team debriefs in Jimbaran, Bali. It should be a cool experience helping out in more places, I am looking forward to it.
Ibu Tina, at the home I help at, has already begun building a new place on the property in East Bali, this is going to be a home for farming, ministry and will also be able to house children. I just saw the progress of this place a few days ago and I was amazed, it looks great! So, since, Loving Orphans Global is a partner with her, I would like to reimburse some of the money that she has borrowed since this home will be housing kids in the future. Its cool to already have a project in place, one where some of the money we have raised will go to great use and we will soon see the fruits of the labor, praise the Lord!
Prayer requests: There has been some tremendous spiritual warfare with one of the boys in the home, if I began to explain it on here it would not even sound real. But, the name of Jesus is powerful and He will never fail.
I have this swollen right ankle and then an infected wound on my left foot.
One of our boys at the home, is having asthma issues and cannot do much right now since he cannot breath well.
Some of our girls are interested in boys now, and some of the boys they are 'talking' with are not to good, so please pray protection over them.
Tomorrow starts the 40 days of fasting for Muslims, and we have been praying for many Muslim families before hand. I have never lived in a Muslim country during a 40 day Muslim holiday, so I could definitely use wisdom :)
Bless the Lord O' my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Psalms 103:1
I hope your day is filled with joy,
Richard
Monday, July 25, 2011
Bali Chapter Two
Warm greetings,
Indeed, as it is summertime the warmth is felt both here and there. Thank you all for being a part of this journey with me. 3.5 weeks ago I was extremely blessed when a dear brother in the Lord bought me a round trip ticket back to Bali. So, I am here again, enjoying the shelter of my room during the beautiful thunder storm outside, hearing the shouts and laughs of the kids as they splash through the puddles outside while completely and utterly content with what God is doing in life.
I got back on Wednesday the 20th, and hit the ground running. The kids were super excited to see me walking down the driveway and I was greeted with some of the most amazing hugs on this side of the equator. Each day has been pretty full between taking the kids skateboarding, to their surf competitions to catch some 10-12ft swell, church, short English lessons and evening discipleship with the boys. It is no longer just me as the only man here, but now I am one of three which makes things a lot more manageable. The two other guys are Jason, who has been working with the kids for a while and just got back from his long honeymoon, and Dustin, who was referred to me by a mutual friend. He ended up coming out here to help and now he will be staying probably until next year. What a blessing! They are both great guys to be serving the kids with.
Many of the kids are in new schools now, having stepped up a grade. Its fun to see them grow up, to see them mature (slowly) as my parents probably felt the same way about me. haha. All of the kids are in good health. The infants are now walking, the toddlers are now talking and there is a tremendous amount of joy here. Tina, the house mother has started a project on East Bali, so she often times gets away to go oversee the work over there. Our new non-profit organization, Loving Orphans Global, would like to help Tina pay back the building loans she took out for this East Bali project. Once we get this one squared away we will probably head over to Papua to get that project going. This is so exciting! Oh, and this reminds me, there is an orphanage in East Timor that is going under due to lack of support, so we are going to be taking in about five of the children, and another home here in Bali will be taking about 20-25 new kids. Please pray for this process as we desire the transition to be as seamless as possible for the kids. We do not know how old the kids are that we will be getting, but we know God already has it all sorted out. He is faithful and good, always.
This fall, in November, one of our boys here at our home in Bali is going to get ear surgery to help remove massive amounts of scar tissue, and then hopefully he will be able to hear! That is something to keep in prayer as well. The money for this surgery was donated specifically for this cause through the Asian Pacific Children's Fund. How amazing!
I will touch back with you all in about two weeks as I get settled in and back into the routine of being around a lot of kids... all the time. :)
Blessings and love,
Richard
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
So blessed!!!
A quick update!
First of all, I love being back in San Diego, but I cannot wait to get back to the kids in Bali at the Yayasan Permata Bali Children's Home! My heart is yearning to just be with the kids, to mentor and disciple them, to pick them up, hold them, and watch them grow. The opportunity to be out there supported by so many friends and family in not only a blessing in my life, but in the staff and kids life at the home. Thank you all again, those who are standing with me in this journey to love God and His children.
Over and over again, I have been seeing God do some incredible things. He has provided automobiles, work, a cell phone, a place to stay, a community to plug into, and has answered so many specific prayers. He really does hear us, He really does love us, and He really does want the best for us.
I have about 6 weeks left in the states, this time back has been new, fresh, and full of God's abundant joy. Things have not always worked out the way 'I' wanted them to, but in the end, I have seen the faithfulness of God to work all things out for good, to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
I hired a great creative director, named Chad Willkie, of Encinitas, CA, to brand our new orphanage building non-profit organization called Loving Orphans Global. Wehtahnah Tucker, of Cardiff, CA, has so graciously helped, using her skills as an attorney getting the paper work put together. So, we are a 501C3 in pending. Now companies can donate to us, and we will be able to issue them tax write offs. This is great news! If you know of any companies that might want to donate to building a new orphanage, please send me an email, lovingorphans@gmail.com.
1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Blessings,
Richard
First of all, I love being back in San Diego, but I cannot wait to get back to the kids in Bali at the Yayasan Permata Bali Children's Home! My heart is yearning to just be with the kids, to mentor and disciple them, to pick them up, hold them, and watch them grow. The opportunity to be out there supported by so many friends and family in not only a blessing in my life, but in the staff and kids life at the home. Thank you all again, those who are standing with me in this journey to love God and His children.
Over and over again, I have been seeing God do some incredible things. He has provided automobiles, work, a cell phone, a place to stay, a community to plug into, and has answered so many specific prayers. He really does hear us, He really does love us, and He really does want the best for us.
I have about 6 weeks left in the states, this time back has been new, fresh, and full of God's abundant joy. Things have not always worked out the way 'I' wanted them to, but in the end, I have seen the faithfulness of God to work all things out for good, to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
I hired a great creative director, named Chad Willkie, of Encinitas, CA, to brand our new orphanage building non-profit organization called Loving Orphans Global. Wehtahnah Tucker, of Cardiff, CA, has so graciously helped, using her skills as an attorney getting the paper work put together. So, we are a 501C3 in pending. Now companies can donate to us, and we will be able to issue them tax write offs. This is great news! If you know of any companies that might want to donate to building a new orphanage, please send me an email, lovingorphans@gmail.com.
1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Blessings,
Richard
Left to right: Maria, Linda, Santi and Ayu. These girls are between 12-14 years old.
They have so much joy and are incredible singers! They shine the love of Jesus :)
This is Christian, he is adorable! His smile lights up any room. He used trash to make a bandanna,
very clever little dude.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Kids growing up
I feel like I have seen a lot of growth in the babies. They are becoming more vocal, eating more, moving around more and becoming better at balancing. It is amazing to see this, I feel honored to watch them grow and it a privilege to be able to hold them daily. Yesterday, I strapped baby Joshua to my chest with a baby-sling-holder-thing, and took him and one of the toddlers, Kevin, for a walk. All of the Indonesian people that saw me were confused, haha. A police officer asked me "you father?" I replied, "Saya om", which means, I am the uncle. He smiled and we continued our walk. We were walking to the mechanic to check the status on my scooter repair, when half way their, it suddenly started pouring down big heavy rain drops. I picked Kevin up, we ran across the street and sat underneath the roof of a little Hindu temple. Joshua was fast asleep, snuggled up tightly to my chest, while I sang Kevin a fun song. Kevin was very shy when I first got here, now, he only wants to be with either me, or one of the other staff named Esther. When I walk upstairs to where Kevin spends most of the day, he alway runs up to me, yelling "OM" and hugs my legs. Its awesome! Anyway, back to the rain storm, while singing to Kevin, I began praying that the rain would stop so we could get home because I did not want the kids to get sick. Lo and behold, after praying for a couple minutes, the rain stopped and the sun came out! Praise God! We were able to finish our walk to the mechanic, where we found the bike disassembled and not ready to pick up. We headed back home, and the whole time Kevin wanted to hold my hand. I would lift him over some of the big puddles..."1...2...3.... wooo hooo" He loved it! We made it back home without any rain, so it turned out to be a great afternoon walk amidst a tropical downpour.
This is Kevin, I will get another picture of him smiling because its really cute!
This is Kevin, I will get another picture of him smiling because its really cute!
This is Joshua and I in one of our spots. When he is crying, I bring him to the window sill to catch a peaceful breeze, he usually stops crying pretty fast and then just soaks in the peacefulness. This day, he fell asleep :)
T
Friday, February 25, 2011
The cutest kids...
Let me tell you about some of the younger children here. We have four kids age two and under. One girl and three boys. The baby girl is named Jewel, she was born in May 30th 2010, and two hours after birth was dropped off here at the orphanage. She has such a precious face, and loves to be held. Her cry is so unique, and she usually lets us hear it when she is not being held. I have the privilege of being able to hold her each day, to walk around the small street with her, and sing her songs of how much she is loved by God and how beautiful she is. I know she understands me, because she smiles a lot. She is a very content little girl, as someone dear to me expressed, her name suits her well because she is such a treasure.
The baby is Joshua, his mother was doing drugs while pregnant with him. She stayed at the orphanage for 2 months trying to stay off drugs before delivering him. Once he was born, she hi-tailed it out of here and left baby Joshua to Tina, the house mother. He is an energetic little dude, and he crawls around everywhere, so we always need to have our eyes on him. I was just trying to coax him into walking towards me the other day. No luck, but I know he will be walking soon. He loves sticking his tongue out and making sounds... which I think is normal for most boys, haha. Both Joshua and Jewel have some wheezing in their lungs, we are keeping them well nourished, and praying that they both get better soon.
Samuel is about 19 months, he cry's and pouts a lot. I just try to always be smiling when I am around him, and sometimes it is contagious. When the kids are playing with toys, he wants to take them all so he swoops in to grab them, but we say no, and then he gets a little smack on the wrist. He has a very loud cry, especially when he does not get his way. It is amazing that children don't need to be taught to be selfish, it is just human nature. I think it is a very hard thing to grow out of, thinking about this just gave me a good laugh. When Samuel is in a good mood, he is really fun, and he can be pretty funny. I am still trying to figure him out though, haha. The oldest of the littlest ones is Kevin, I think he is almost two. He is Tina's nephew. I am not sure why she is raising him, but I know we pray for her family often so whatever the situation is, Kevin is better off here. He is a fun kid, he has a great little laugh and giggles a lot. Just don't take a toy from him and he will be happy throughout the day. Today when I got back from checking out some property with Tina and some of the older boys, Kevin ran up to my legs, grabbed them and gave me a big hug. I hugged him back, and then he let go, and gave me another big hug! If I had a tank to treasure chest to hold all of these precious moments in, it would be full already.
Thank you all for your support in keeping me here, and for your prayers of safety and health.
Blessings,
Richard Lawson
Psalms 16:11
The top photo is Jewel in the stroller on the beach.
The bottom photo is Timmy, Christian, Kevin and Samuel all getting ready to play at the beach. So cute eh?!
The baby is Joshua, his mother was doing drugs while pregnant with him. She stayed at the orphanage for 2 months trying to stay off drugs before delivering him. Once he was born, she hi-tailed it out of here and left baby Joshua to Tina, the house mother. He is an energetic little dude, and he crawls around everywhere, so we always need to have our eyes on him. I was just trying to coax him into walking towards me the other day. No luck, but I know he will be walking soon. He loves sticking his tongue out and making sounds... which I think is normal for most boys, haha. Both Joshua and Jewel have some wheezing in their lungs, we are keeping them well nourished, and praying that they both get better soon.
Samuel is about 19 months, he cry's and pouts a lot. I just try to always be smiling when I am around him, and sometimes it is contagious. When the kids are playing with toys, he wants to take them all so he swoops in to grab them, but we say no, and then he gets a little smack on the wrist. He has a very loud cry, especially when he does not get his way. It is amazing that children don't need to be taught to be selfish, it is just human nature. I think it is a very hard thing to grow out of, thinking about this just gave me a good laugh. When Samuel is in a good mood, he is really fun, and he can be pretty funny. I am still trying to figure him out though, haha. The oldest of the littlest ones is Kevin, I think he is almost two. He is Tina's nephew. I am not sure why she is raising him, but I know we pray for her family often so whatever the situation is, Kevin is better off here. He is a fun kid, he has a great little laugh and giggles a lot. Just don't take a toy from him and he will be happy throughout the day. Today when I got back from checking out some property with Tina and some of the older boys, Kevin ran up to my legs, grabbed them and gave me a big hug. I hugged him back, and then he let go, and gave me another big hug! If I had a tank to treasure chest to hold all of these precious moments in, it would be full already.
Thank you all for your support in keeping me here, and for your prayers of safety and health.
Blessings,
Richard Lawson
Psalms 16:11
The top photo is Jewel in the stroller on the beach.
The bottom photo is Timmy, Christian, Kevin and Samuel all getting ready to play at the beach. So cute eh?!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Bali Update #2
Grace and Peace to my Friends and Family,
More and more I am realizing the great need for me to be here, the need for a man to be present for all of the boys to learn from. The women here, Mother Tina and her sister Esther, and two other ladies Erna and Seni are so busy helping the younger children that the adolescent boys are often just on there own. They don't mind, it just means they can get away with more. Haha, I had to chuckle because if I put myself in their shoes, I would be the same. All they want to do it play surf, play soccer, listen to music, play music and eat and sleep. Yet again, all of these are awesome things, but the need for discipline and boundaries is great, so again, it is such a blessing to be here, for the orphanage staff, for the boys and for me.
They are not bad kids by any means, in fact, they are more behaved then most. They are usually up around 5-5:30am for a devotional, then they do their chores, make breakfast and get ready for school. Their school goes from 7:30-12:30 then they are done. It is 6 days a week. I am glad I didn't go to school 6 days a week, but I am totally jealous that they are done at 12:30. Here is some good news, they are all getting good grades! Hopefully they will learn to speak more English while I am here...haha :)
They are brothers from different mothers. I am now a big brother, and it is such a honor.
Thank you again for your prayer and support, me being here would not be possible without all yall!
I pray you are abundantly blessed.
God's blessings,
Richard Lawson
Top picture: An Australian man named Lindsey is here with his wife to spend some time with the kids as well. We took them on a little surf trip on Sunday. We checked the first spot and this photo captures the walk back to the truck.
Bottom picture: Some of the boys getting ready for our surf session. Offshore winds, clear water and small surf... haha, oh well. We all had fun, and the dudes seem to have fun no matter what.
More and more I am realizing the great need for me to be here, the need for a man to be present for all of the boys to learn from. The women here, Mother Tina and her sister Esther, and two other ladies Erna and Seni are so busy helping the younger children that the adolescent boys are often just on there own. They don't mind, it just means they can get away with more. Haha, I had to chuckle because if I put myself in their shoes, I would be the same. All they want to do it play surf, play soccer, listen to music, play music and eat and sleep. Yet again, all of these are awesome things, but the need for discipline and boundaries is great, so again, it is such a blessing to be here, for the orphanage staff, for the boys and for me.
They are not bad kids by any means, in fact, they are more behaved then most. They are usually up around 5-5:30am for a devotional, then they do their chores, make breakfast and get ready for school. Their school goes from 7:30-12:30 then they are done. It is 6 days a week. I am glad I didn't go to school 6 days a week, but I am totally jealous that they are done at 12:30. Here is some good news, they are all getting good grades! Hopefully they will learn to speak more English while I am here...haha :)
They are brothers from different mothers. I am now a big brother, and it is such a honor.
Thank you again for your prayer and support, me being here would not be possible without all yall!
I pray you are abundantly blessed.
God's blessings,
Richard Lawson
Top picture: An Australian man named Lindsey is here with his wife to spend some time with the kids as well. We took them on a little surf trip on Sunday. We checked the first spot and this photo captures the walk back to the truck.
Bottom picture: Some of the boys getting ready for our surf session. Offshore winds, clear water and small surf... haha, oh well. We all had fun, and the dudes seem to have fun no matter what.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Bali bound, to safe and sound!
What a blessing to be here. Thank you so much for your support, I would not be able to be here without you all.
Thank you to Wehtahna Tucker and the kids at Kids for Peace, for the awesome peace packs! And thank you to the San Diego Soccers for the soccer balls and shirts. Thank you to Blue Water Tackle in Solana Beach for the fishing line for kites and thank you to Progression Surf for the kids clothes and toys! To those who are supporting financially, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I was able to give the house mother some money yesterday, and today she was able to take three of the infants to the clinic for medicine for their fevers! So awesome! :)
At Yayasan Permata: Ibu Tina, the house mother has taken in some infants that require a lot of attention. I walked in when I arrived yesterday, and she was very happy to see me again. Some of the kids remembered me from 4.5 years ago, and they all think my beard is funny! They swat at it, grab it and try to hide toys in it... ok, they have not really tried to hide toys, yet anyway.
A couple of the infants, Jewel, Joshua, Samuel and Yaya have a cough and fever, so they have been crying a lot. I held a little boy named Joshua for over an hour yesterday, and I think he was whimpering the whole time, with slight pauses in between feeding him some milk and giving him a pacifier. As soon as I handed him back to Tina, he stopped whimpering. I laughed when that happened. It is such a joy to be here, a joy to help and it is so fun loving and playing with the kids.
I have taken a handful of boys surfing two days in a row, and they are very grateful for the ride. These little dude are great surfers!
My responsibilities starting on Monday: I get to teach a couple of the under developed boys English and then we get to do an activity. Most of the other kids are in school, so I will be schooling the remaining ones. How awesome! As you can imagine, having so many children running around, a place can get rather messy, so I also get to help clean up after meals, which is a pleasure. When needed I will be the 'tickle monster' and chase the kids around, and also, if they want to go flying, I get to pick them up :)
Ok, I will be back on in a week or two with more updates!
May God fill you with overflowing joy,
Richard E. Lawson
Psalms 16:11
Thank you to Wehtahna Tucker and the kids at Kids for Peace, for the awesome peace packs! And thank you to the San Diego Soccers for the soccer balls and shirts. Thank you to Blue Water Tackle in Solana Beach for the fishing line for kites and thank you to Progression Surf for the kids clothes and toys! To those who are supporting financially, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I was able to give the house mother some money yesterday, and today she was able to take three of the infants to the clinic for medicine for their fevers! So awesome! :)
At Yayasan Permata: Ibu Tina, the house mother has taken in some infants that require a lot of attention. I walked in when I arrived yesterday, and she was very happy to see me again. Some of the kids remembered me from 4.5 years ago, and they all think my beard is funny! They swat at it, grab it and try to hide toys in it... ok, they have not really tried to hide toys, yet anyway.
A couple of the infants, Jewel, Joshua, Samuel and Yaya have a cough and fever, so they have been crying a lot. I held a little boy named Joshua for over an hour yesterday, and I think he was whimpering the whole time, with slight pauses in between feeding him some milk and giving him a pacifier. As soon as I handed him back to Tina, he stopped whimpering. I laughed when that happened. It is such a joy to be here, a joy to help and it is so fun loving and playing with the kids.
I have taken a handful of boys surfing two days in a row, and they are very grateful for the ride. These little dude are great surfers!
My responsibilities starting on Monday: I get to teach a couple of the under developed boys English and then we get to do an activity. Most of the other kids are in school, so I will be schooling the remaining ones. How awesome! As you can imagine, having so many children running around, a place can get rather messy, so I also get to help clean up after meals, which is a pleasure. When needed I will be the 'tickle monster' and chase the kids around, and also, if they want to go flying, I get to pick them up :)
Ok, I will be back on in a week or two with more updates!
May God fill you with overflowing joy,
Richard E. Lawson
Psalms 16:11
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Thank you Coast News Group in Encinitas!
Here is the article that was published by the Coast News out of Leucadia, CA. Awesome, I think this makes me a 'published author'... how cool.
"To our Awesome Encinitas Community"
http://thecoastnews.com/pages/guest_editorial
"To our Awesome Encinitas Community"
http://thecoastnews.com/pages/guest_editorial
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Thanks to Progression Surf for your support!
They also have a full rack of gently used boards at great prices, so if your looking for a newer shred stick or a clean cruiser, check them out. They are in Leucadia, in the southwest corner lot of Vulcan and 101.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Lets rescue more children from the streets...
The idea came to print out some shirts that could be sold to raise funds to purchase more property for a small orphanage in Bali. I, Richard, was there for a month in 2006, and that experience taught me a lot, and revealed how much of a need there is for rescue and intervention. The children's home, Yaysan Permata, in Bali, Indonesia can hold about 30 kids, however there are thousands still out on the streets that are being abused, exploited and finding themselves hopeless.
With 100% of the proceeds of this shirt going into a building fund, we hope to raise enough money to purchase more property, whether it is a house, an old resort, or apartment building. We would like to give more kids a chance of hope, and the ability to dream again.
This shirts sell for $25.00. Each shirt cost about $8.00 to make, so with each shirt sold, $17.00 goes into the children's building fund.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)