A glimpse into the lives of our advocates and urban refugees in Bangkok, Thailand.
Blood, Sweat, and Teddy Bears
This post is from Amber, an Australian who has been in Thailand for the past few months as part of the Xealot program. While she was in Bangkok, she met the families at the Safe House, and befriended them. She also happens to be a personal trainer, so she took the initiative to use this gift to help the families. Here is her story. I first met the families in early February when they invited us to a birthday dinner. I was welcomed as though I was a long-lost family member. The warm hugs, kind hearted hospitality and love won me over right...
read moreMaking A $100 Wedding Amazing
This latest post is from Jade Dols, our Community Development Coordinator. She is doing incredible work in Bangkok, and has been the driving force behind our exciting recent developments. You should check out some of her incredible stories at: www.jadedols.com I swore I’d never do it again. Sure, the last wedding I planned was beautiful, fun, and a massive blessing for Moon and Rish. But that all came at a cost: My sanity. After the couple finally said their “I do’s,” I felt like I needed an uninterrupted, week-long, nap, perhaps...
read moreConnecting Kids Across the Globe
From our Executive Director, Chris Woodruff: Back in December, I had the privilege of visiting a local school in DC to share about the situation for urban refugees in Bangkok, and what Life Raft is trying to do to help them. The kids really engaged, and felt a sense of outrage about what is happening. Beyond that though, they were really interested of the lives of the kids we are working with, and were eager to find ways they could help. A few weeks after my first visit, I told them about the little school we had started in Bangkok. The kids...
read moreAbout My Family
Note: This is another post in a series of posts from the oldest daughter in one of the families we’re supporting. You can see her previous post here: http://liferaftinternational.org/blog/my-first-night-in-my-new-home. Her story is a testament to the tireless work of her family’s advocates, Dwight and Sam. Dwight and Sam, together with supporters in the States, have made things possible for this family that are unheard of for refugees in Thailand. – We are 4 members in our family. My mum is 36 years old. She is really...
read moreNearing the End of the Journey!
I met Wallace this summer in Bangkok when I was visiting an English club. In our first conversation, he invited me to his home to meet his family. Wallace is just a good guy– kind and generous. While more shy, his wife’s witty sense of humor made me feel right at home. Their three kids were the best, though; They are a curious, energetic bunch: so eager to play and learn! They even spoke better English than their parents! In Pakistan, Wallace had run an auto body repair shop, but he and his family had to flee to Thailand when they...
read moreHouse of Peace
Life in Bangkok for urban refugees is marked by chaos. Whatever sense of community and friendship that refugees felt in their home country disappears. Their ability to communicate is crippled. They rarely know if they will have enough money for basic necessities. Families often go days without food. They frequently are kicked out of apartments because they cannot pay the rent on time each month. And that’s without even mentioning the most glowering menace hanging over their heads: In Thailand, immigration police are the hunters....
read moreMy First Night in My New Home…..
Check out a work from one of the children of a family we’ve been supporting: I have finished all my housework and I come into my new room. When I enter the room my heart starts to talk with me. I have freedom to let out my feelings now. I can cry, I can laugh and no-one can see. I sat on the bed near to the window. I see the sky. I am reminded of my old room because it’s very difficult to stay in 1 room with 4 people. I feel like I have got everything back that I lost in these past 3 years in Thailand. The light from the moon and the...
read moreMoving Day
As I sat in the taxi with tears in my eyes I reflected on what this move meant to the family and how much they meant to me. Saturday 1st September 2012, by Samantha, a Life Raft advocate in Thailand. As I sat in the taxi with tears in my eyes I reflected on what this move meant to the family and how much they meant to me. We were all very happy, although we were probably more nervously excited at what lay ahead from this day on. There were 5 of us in a taxi on our way to a new home and the promise of a new life; Mum, daughter, 2 family...
read moreBeginning the Journey to Freedom
Over the past few months, one of our advocates has been working with a family of Christians from Pakistan. Lead by the father, Pastor Bill, this family was able to escape intense persecution in Pakistan. However, since they escaped, they have faced a barrage of trials in Bangkok. They don’t speak Thai or English very well. They have had to survive on a minimal amount of food, and they live in doubt of if they’ll have enough money to pay the rent. Recently however, that all seems inconsequential. While they were sleeping in their...
read moreThoughts from Thailand
God is just straight-up at work in Thailand. I remember over a year ago, my primary hope was for God to raise up people in Thailand with compassion for refugees. That’s been answered. People across Bangkok are rising up, and doing everything they can to stand with urban refugees. My trip had so many highlights, I’m hesitant to point to just a few specific ones, for fear of diminishing the significance of the others. The best way I can think to describe it is 3 weeks just chock full of divine appointments. I can’t count the...
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