kemoore baptist | Hope House

We helped start a school and we ended up being a part of the village—much like an adopted family.
We did not know anyone in MKL when we first came there in July, 2007. We said we wanted to help their village to put up a Day Care/Learning School for their young children, and they took us up in our offer. We witnessed how the people of the village worked (despite the rains) to make the school ready for their young ones.
Classes started on August 15 of the same year, with two teachers (who are from the village) trained in Hope House, and 24 students age ranging from three to six-year olds.
Having the Day Care is like taking care of a baby: we were not sure what we wanted to do but we were excited on the development that we see every time we come to the village. Despite the difficulty of maintaining the bamboo walls clean and having to bear with the steel-roof that makes the room either too hot (when it is sunny) or too noisy (when it is raining), we saw the enthusiasm in the teachers, children and their parents which provided the encouragement we needed to pray more and work harder on the curriculum and the week-by-week lessons we would want the kids to learn.
Before the school year ended in March, 2008, we were able to bring “Christmas” to MKL, befriend the parents of the children, as well as the leaders of the village, who raised enough funds for the Day Care’s reconstruction. Again, it was the village people who worked hard to turn our simple bamboo-school into a modest-looking concrete-school, with very nice ceiling and clean, nice walls.
During the three years that we worked with the Day Care, the people of the village had been very kind and accommodating. Whenever we come for a visit, we were usually greeted by friendly smiles, an invitation to dine in a house, and/or sleep in one of the village-owned guest houses. After this, we usually go back to Hope House (or even to Chiang Mai) with vegetables, flowers, coffee or rice, courtesy of the generous people of MKL.
This Buddhist-Animist village knew that we are Christians, but they welcomed us because they saw that we came to meet a need in their village. And as we meet that need, we were able to build relationships with them: relationships that enable us to talk with them, pray for them, and tell them about Jesus.
During our early days in MKL in 2007, we told them that we only plan to help them operate the Day Care for two years. Since they were ‘not yet ready’ to do it on their own last year, we re-committed for a one-year extension. Moreover, this extension became our opportunity to be more open in sharing about Jesus and the Bible. When teams from different countries/churches visit Hope House, we also bring them to MKL so that they may also see the people, pray for them, and share the Gospel to them. We believe that as the Lord’s word is sown in this village, their heart will be opened by God to hear, listen and understand the message of Jesus’ love and God’s plan of salvation for everyone who believes.
Early this year, we started doing ‘house church’ in the village. On Sundays when we can come, we talk with people the Lord leads to us and pray with them; we visit the children’s families and pray with them; we sing songs and pray with those who already confessed that they believe Jesus; we tell stories from the Bible and let the Holy Spirit speak to these people about their sins, their family problems, their beliefs.
We know that our time with helping them in the Day Care is done, but the task of leading them to the Lord is just starting.
During this year’s Graduation/Closing Ceremony, we were assured that we will always be welcome in MKL. They say that we are family. We pray that will not be long in becoming a reality: that we will all be a family in the Lord.