Saving 50 children from substance-abuse cycle

 PROJECT/PROGRAM UPDATE:    

• Activities of this month: This month,we held an activity for children in the project.  
• Teaching a lesson of Elijah and the Widow from the Superbook curriculum, season 4, episode 8. 
• Inviting a teacher counsellor from Pai Wittayakarn School to provide knowledge to the children about planning for further education. 
• Having a discussion and conducting a focus group with children about “electronic cigarette” 
• Ministry results:The children have learned about the benefits of obedience and the consequences of disobedience, from the Superbook, season 4, episode 8.  

The children have an opportunity to plan their further education and understand and understand the steps involved in applying for educational scholarships from various organizations, including the Student Loan Fund and the Equitable Education Fund. They also learned and researched independently about electronic cigarettes, their toxicity, and the dangers associated with them.  

• Changes seen: Thank God for the children gained a better understanding of the importance of listening, they are now able to analyze and contemplate the benefits and consequences of obedience and disobedience. 
• Messages given:Na Mai said, “thank God for the Saturday School Project that gave me the opportunity to trainand overcome my shyness, I became more confident in speaking up and expressing myself. I am grateful to God that I am now in part of the moderator team to take care of and lead various activities for the younger children.  

   Significant Life Change Story/Testimony  

Hello,mynickname is Yui,and Iam15yearsold.I live with my mother, she is 42, and my father, he is 45. My parents work as general employees, my father likes to drink alcohol, when he is intoxicated, he often argues with my mother, and sometimes I feel frustrated, but also, I feel sorry for my mother. Recently, my father's drinking has become more excessive, I try to talk to him, asking him to quit drinking, but he always has other excuses. I am concerned about my father's health, and I don't want to see him drunk, therefore, now I pray every day, hoping that God will help my father quit drinking and bless him with strength and good health, as well as provide my mother with support and good health. Currently, our main income comes from my mother alone, she works tirelessly every day, and takes care of everything. I wish my mother could take a break sometimes and go out to enjoy a meal, I try my best to help with house chores to lighten her burden, and focus on my studies, aiming to be a good child so that my mother doesn't have to worry about me. I am glad that my mother allows me to go to the Saturday School, even though other children around my age usually work part-time jobs during the weekend. My mother said it's okay, and encouraged me to go to the church to get to know other people and learn about living a good life, she wanted me to focus on my studies so that I won't face the same difficulties she has. I am currently in Grade 9 and have been in a moderator team for 3 years. Being in a moderator team taught me many valuable lessons, besides the responsibility of working with younger children, I learned the importance of patience, empathy, observation, and providing encouragement. Sometimes, younger children came to me with their problems, and I had to offer them advice, in some cases, I discussed matters with the Coordinator, and in others, I sought guidance from senior moderator.Being in the moderator team allowed me to learn many things, but the most significant was the opportunity to develop leadership skills and work collaboratively with others. From a timid girl who didn't speak much, now I gain more confidence, able to think more comprehensively, and I also have to live my life as a good example for the younger children. I am grateful to God, thankful to the Light Shine Center, and appreciative of the Operation Blessing staff who have helped me grow from a child who couldn't do much into someone who has had the opportunity to learn and develop. Today, I am so proud to have the responsibility of caring for nearly 20 younger children in the community who come to the church and the Saturday School.  

Links:

• Missions of Operation Blessing Foundation(Thai)

• Activities of this month: This month, we held an activity for children in the project. Teaching a lesson about Easter from Superbook, season 1, episode 110, The Last Supper, and episode111, Rise from the Dead."

          Organizing an activity to summarize the lesson in 2022, in which children and parents participate in expressing their                opinions and holding a parents' network meetingon Saturday, March 4th.

• Ministry results: The children have learned about humility in serving one another and have been able to recite verses from Philippians 2:1-2. They have also summarized the lessons from the Saturday School in 2022 into one set of knowledge.
• Changes seen: Thank God for the moderators, who have lives that are blessings and being models for learning, which inspires children and provides them with a good example for living.

• Messages given: Thank God for allowing me to see the lives and examples of the moderators, especially Kay and Lala. They are an inspiration for me to focus on learning and have a bright future.

          -Organize activities such as a movie screening during Easter and invite the moderators and their families to join.

          -Held a mathematics camp for children with teachers from the Pai’s Department of Non-Formal Education.

      Significance Change Story

           Hello, I am 13 years old, and my nickname is Faku but my friends call me Sun. I have been joining the Saturday School since I was in grade 1, and now I am in grade 11. I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to be a member of our Saturday School and also the church. There are 4 people in my family: me, my dad, my mom, and my younger brother. My dad is 32 years old, my mom is 31 years old . My father works as a general employee, he has been addicted to drugs for many years since I could remember. Our main income and expenses come from my mother alone and she is very tired. I often saw my parents argue, especially on the days when my father asked for money for drugs and my mother couldn't give it to him, he always hurt her.Over the past year, my father had been experiencing hallucinations,sometimes he was talking alone, and he rarely left the house to work. He used drugs that he bought from nearby places and used them at home, he occasionally went to the forest to find things to sell and came back every 4-5 days, and sometimes he earned money, but other times he came back with nothing. My mother used to work as a general employee just like my father, because we didn't own any land. Last year, when I entered grade 10, my mother started selling sushi in the market every evening, and I went to help her, her sushi was delicious and clean, therefore she had more customer, and had some regular customers.I also got to practice speaking English with foreign customers who came to buy sushi.After my mother started selling sushi,our family's income increased, however, my mother was a bit more tired because she sold sushi from evening until 9 p.m. every day, and she stayed at home to prepare sushi and take care of my younger brother during the day. My mother still doesn't believe in God, but she often asked me to pray for her when she's feeling uneasy, and she taught me not to miss any activities at the Saeng-Aroon center and to never miss going to church. She urged me to concentrate and learn from my peers and teachers because attending the Saturday School and going to church would help me think correctly and God would bless me to grow in his way. Today, I thank God that my family now has enough income to support ourselves. I would like you to pray for my father that he will be able to quit his addiction, I really want him to be able to quit it, so that our family will be much happier.

Links:

• Missions of CBN Thailand