September Updates

Dear Friends and Family,

The kids surprised Irene and I when we arrived!

Happy October! I cannot believe it has already been 3 weeks since I safely landed in Chiang Mai (praise the Lord!). I am so excited to share with you all everything that has already happened!

I have not officially begun teaching my own classes yet because the kids only had a few weeks of school left until their semester ended when I arrived. However, for the next semester, I will actually be teaching science classes such as biology, chemistry, and physics instead of English and math. P Danny (the kids call him Ajahn, which means teacher in Thai) is taking advantage of Izzie, Irene, and I because we're all pre-med volunteers haha.

In the meantime, I have been getting adjusted to the daily life at Mango House, exploring Chiang Mai, learning Thai, and lesson planning. I have also started to make such great connections with some of the kids and have already seen how God is working in their lives.

Cherry drew this picture of me! I have been so encouraged by her heart as she recently opened up to me and shared her story.

Tony here is a WARRIOR of Christ!! He recently broke his arm but that didn't stop him from continuing to be a light to others

A bracelet that Kitty made me :) She is quiet but loves to play!

Mai Mai is FULL of energy and joy!!! She got pink eye recently but she continued to just love life and those around her!

Kambu here has such a God-given character! She is silly and shy but still so warm-hearted

Two girls wanting a picture with the sunset at Mango House!

Here are some other things that have been going on:

A sickness spread through all of Mango House, including the kids, staff, and other volunteers.

Izzie and I during what the kids love to call "Medicine Time"

For over a week, the campus was hit with fevers, coughs, sore throats, and body aches. Izzie and I were actually two of the few who never got sick, so we were able to help manage all the prescriptions and provide medication for the kids throughout the week. Because I have not officially started teaching my own classes, I was also able to sub in for some of the sick teachers’ classes!

Izzie, Irene, and I took a trip to Vietnam to get our volunteer visas.

Recently, volunteers across Thailand have been having difficulties getting their visas because of regulation changes in the Thai government. After multiple failed attempts in Vietnam, our best course of action was to get a 60-day tourist visa instead. We also have the option to extend it an extra 30 days, so we will travel to the border or another country in order to get it renewed when the time comes. Fortunately, the extra funds I was able to raise through you all will now be allocated towards this new expense.

I started to get involved in their extracurricular clubs!

The weekends are when all the clubs happen! The kids rotate to a new club each semester, so when the new semester starts, I will begin teaching kids how to play the piano as a separate club. In the meantime, I have been enjoying helping out the other clubs that these kids partake in, such as International Food Club, where the kids find recipes from a new place around the world each week and practice making them!

Here are some pictures from the kitchen!

I celebrated my 23rd birthday!

At Mango House, we celebrate all the birthdays at the end of each month with a birthday party with brownies and ice cream! Here are some pictures of me pretending to blow out the candles LOL.

Personal Reflection When I first arrived, it was originally a difficult adjustment in the sense that everyone seemed to know exactly what their role was. They all had a consistent schedule and knew what they needed to do at all times. I realized that having uncertainties is normal but that I needed to remain faithful in that God will continue to reveal His will to me.

We are going through Ephesians as a part of our Sunday series. Ephesians 5:15-17 stuck out to me as a reminder on how I should be living.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

I am here to make the most of every opportunity I am graciously given. As I do my best to serve, I find comfort in knowing that God will give me the wisdom that I need to continue to share the Gospel and obey Him faithfully. I have spent time in prayer to determine God’s role for me now that I have arrived. It has helped me find peace and a greater understanding on sharing God’s love with His children here at Mango House.

Finally, I know that by always giving thanks for this opportunity to serve here and relying on this community of encouragement, God will continue to reveal more of His will to me.

And this community is truly a blessing. Everyone helps out at Mango House! The older kids help the younger ones, and even the younger ones take every opportunity they can to help out (see pics)! We help each other grow, build each other up, and learn more and more about our Creator everyday.

Prayer Requests

For October, two different missions teams from the US will be coming to help serve the kids while they are home from school. I will also be traveling to the Thai-Burma border, where we have a partnership with the ministry there. My current prayer requests are centered around this upcoming excitement:

1. To serve with a loving heart to the children at the Thai-Burma border who have not yet experienced the joy of worshipping our Lord and Savior.

2. For protection over the missions teams as that travel over here and that they bring joyous energy to help minister to the Mango House kids.

Me, Izzie, Pi Mai (Pi is a respectful way in Thai to acknowledge someone older than you. She is a full-time staff member who lives at MH), and Irene

Thanks again for reading and for all your support in this new but exciting time. I am working on getting better at taking pictures (and videos! I am attempting to put together some vlogs/day-in-the life content😄) so be on the lookout!

And as always, please feel free to reach out to me. :)

In Christ,

Bri