Hello Friends,

The rains continue to fall with force in Thailand. We are safe in an area that is on higher ground, but that is not true for many other people. The rivers have spilled their banks, sewers backed up, and the dams are at full capacity. Those that sit lowest – both geographically and socially are experiencing an added hardship to their tough lives.

We have been to our slum. The extreme amount of water has mixed with the garbage and sewage to create something that we have not experienced in the last years. So far everyone is okay and their homes are still standing. We just need to wait it out and hope that the rainy season comes to a close soon. We will get there this week to check on the children.

We continue to look for ways to help break the cycle of poverty in the slums. It's a fine line between helping and handing out. We are supporting the needs of the children. We purchase food and uniforms for school. When we are in the slum we bring a sense of play but we are also there to teach. It can be easy to get caught up in the sadness of their situation, but they look to us. They listen when we call them out on behavior that is not okay. We strive to instill a sense of love, laughter, and understanding in each child.

The 3L Foundation is committed to helping the children of the slums access the tools they need so they can also live on higher ground. I suppose higher ground is also a euphemism for a better way to live our lives. It's not about being more righteous or having higher morals, it's just a thought that we put in our minds each morning that will help guide us to a better day.

Ashley made copious amounts of chocolate chips last week. The kids in the village were euphoric as they devoured them with a cold glass of milk. To them that was a perfect day. A couple days later we did the same for our kids in the slum..it's never quite as organized as we would like,but they were equally excited as were all the adults. At count she had made close to 300 cookies. I enjoyed two.....

The week ended with more basket ball and base ball played. We even have the girls playing now which makes it even more fun. The traveling and reaching in has given way to some dribbling and better defensive skills.

Thank you for taking the time to read our thoughts. We appreciate your support. If you would like to be a part supporting our work and getting these children in the slums to "higher grounds" please click here and note "Breaking the Cycle" in the remarks section.

Hello friends.

Greetings from Thailand.

 

It was another warm welcoming from the children and staff. It was good for us to see the 3L Dining Sala still in good order and repair.  Even more rewarding is seeing our kids taking their meals in clean, safe and dry, beautiful space. Especially with the crazy rains we’ve had this past week!

 

 

About a month ago we lost one of our kids . Her name was Bo. She was beautiful and very caring. She had fought issues with her kidneys for many years, but on this last trip to the hospital for dialysis her body finally gave out . We hold her peace deep in our hearts.

 

We have used funds to purchase more beds for the youngest children. Most of them were sleeping on towels with dirty pillows and no pillow cases. They now enjoy and have much pride in their soft mattresses, clean pillows, fleece blankets and Garfield pillow cases. If you would like to help and support our efforts in supplying all the children with new bedding, click here.

We brought many more baseball gloves and balls this trip. Trying to share 4 gloves and 2 balls with the fifteen or so kids who were interested in learning to play was a challenge. We returned prepared. There was also a basketball hoop installed while we were away. Ashley is very excited about this. Each afternoon she gets gets many enthusiastic kids playing hard and enjoying the game. Next week she will work in dribbling skills and the pick and roll. For now though reaching in and traveling are very much accepted.

 

 

 

In building the dining sala last year we committed to a safe and clean place to eat and also good nutrition. During our previous visit we set up the funds and made our intention known that each meal was to consist of a protein, vegetables, and fruit for dessert.  We are pleased to see that this has been carried out every day. We will leave sufficient funds again upon our leaving this trip to ensure this continues.

 

3L began support of the Thepprasit slum last year. There were 2 little girls in particular that had parents who could not take care of them, so we set up a fund to pay a caregiver who also lives in the slum to make sure the girls had a safe place to sleep, better nutrition, and to get to school every day. She has continued to do a good job . Another child has also been put in her care. He is a sweet boy with parents that fell short just like the girls’.

 

We will be spending more time in the slum next week to assess the needs and bring some joy. 3L is also supporting efforts to help pay for school uniforms for the poorest of the poor kids in other slums so that they can also attend school. It’s the cycle of extreme poverty that we are helping others to break. Breaking The Cycle is a tenet by which we founded 3L. To offer a chance for the children living in these conditions the opportunity for a better future. They deserve to get on a bus each day and attend school. We are dedicated to  bringing them joy in the form of play and comfort, and that they know they are all loved no matter what.

 

When one child can leave the slum then others are sure to follow.

Thank you for following us and for your continued support.

 

If you would like to donate to the Thepprasit Slum effort and help these little girls and others like them, please click here and note “Breaking the Cycle”  in the remarks section.

 

Peace.

 

Pam, Ashley & Matt

 

Baseball spring training continues. I now have 2 jammed fingers and for some reason each day I take a line drive hit to the same spot on my right thigh. Otherwise the kids have taken to understanding fielding and keeping their eye on the ball ..or as is said in Thai: ‘ Hen bon’. Some of the kids have emerged having some good talent for the sport. It is unfortunate that the only place it’s being played in Thailand is in our motley village. Our two baseballs are shredded so the other day I bought some pink duct tape and I will try to repair as best as I can.

One of the ways to support the 3L foundation is to give a birthday to a child. We have a list of every child’s birthday and they are allowed to ask for one special thing. This can range from wanting an alarm clock to a pair of Nike soccer cleats. We give to every child. If we are not in Thailand when their birthday arrives they know we will celebrate upon our return. For this spring trip we have many to celebrate. For those who help us to continue this giving we are thankful. In their birthday bag contains their special gift, some new clothes, and their favorite candy. All the other kids gather around and sing happy birthday as that child is essentially king or queen for a few moments. It is some of the greatest joy that we experience here.

There is a school located in central Pattaya called the Fountain of Life. Each day children from the slums arrive to be fed, taught, and given a safe place to spend the day. We try to arrive there during the week by 3 pm as school let’s out so that we can see some of our kids that we help in the Thepprasit slum . We slide milk and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches into their hands so that they have full belies when they get home just in case there is no supper to eat.

The other day we had the honor to meet Sister Joan. She is the director of the school and has been involved with helping the poorest of the poor for many years. For those of you who ever make it here to spend time with us we will certainly introduce you to this amazing and kind woman.

We are realizing that most of our kids do not know how to swim. This fact however, does not prevent them from spending time in the water. The other day a couple kids jumped into the pond to try and find a piece of the radio controlled boat that flew off during it’s maiden voyage. The pond water is dark green from all the algae, water plants, and who knows what else. It’s about 13 feet at it’s deepest point.

We stood on the banks taking photos of the great search and I made some comment about what it would take for me to ever enter that water. Just then the soccer ball that Gang had tucked under his shirt to keep him afloat popped out. He immediately began to struggle to keep his head above water. All the other kids looked on in panic. Before I knew it, I saw Ashley launching into the pond to rescue him. Her instincts only allowed her to do whatever it took to save him. It was a somber few minutes afterward, everyone taking in what had just happened. Gang was scared and exhausted. He went to his room and slept. Ash went home to change and shower of the pond.

News traveled quickly about the near drowning, and Ashley became hero for the rest of the day

Yesterday the entire village as well as a dozen children from the slums gathered for a day hike into the cow pastures and woods.We were told it was a simple hour long walk to a nice spot for a picnic. Two and a half hours later we arrived to the cool cover of the largest willow tree I have ever seen but not before we crossed the same stream many times at different points, hunted for buried treasure and navigated some carefully crafted obstacles laid out by the staff the night before. I will also mention it was probably the hottest day since we arrived 2 weeks ago.I wasn’t sure if it was being enjoyed by the kids, but when it was all over they said they hoped they could do it again soon. The joy of children is something I learn from every day I am here.

Thanks for taking the time to read our words. We look forward to your continued support.
All donations go directly to supporting the Sala and our children.

It’s been a full week. We received the warmest greeting ever from the kids and staff. It looked something like this: hugs, kisses, smiles, and tears.

We hit the ground running! It was wonderful to see the Sala that 3L built with such love being used every day.

Baseball is the plan. Implementing it was the hope and prayer. We spent the first 3 days just catching and throwing. I taught them pop ups, fast pitches, and grounders. To see a child put on a baseball mitt for the first time was amazing. Most of them had a challenge understanding that the glove is worn on the catching hand, not the dominant throwing hand. Eventually we moved past the looks of confusion and spent many many many many hours each day throwing catching. Yesterday I introduced the baseball bat. Lots of wide-eyed “WOW!”‘s from the kids.

We spent the day batting and again catching and fielding for many many many hours. I emerged from the day as the sun began to set with a bruised thigh and severely jammed middle finger. I am hoping at this point that I do not need to have my ring cut off to allow for the swelling.

My wound licking will have to be short because they return from school in 3 hours and I need to be ready to do it all again. Where’s my assistant coach ?

Animals are born and eventually they die. Some die too soon and if one of our kids happens to find a suffering bird for instance laying on the ground, they take it upon themselves to be the great savior or comforter for the being’s final hours.

Just before I emerged with the baseball bat from the office, I had to attend a funeral procession and burial of said bird. A group of us marched solemnly out to the garden. We dug a small hole and placed the bird in. A older girl by the name of Dak had us all put our hands in the prayer position as she spoke the final words that would accompany the bird to heaven.

The day ended with a delicious dinner and a special dessert of homemade chocolate chip cookies that Ashley lovingly baked all day in the hot kitchen. I mean HOT. Of course cookies are not complete without cold milk, so we made sure we had plenty on hand. They were devoured within minutes of being placed on their tables.

We will return to the slums this week. We will also try to focus our ideas as to what our next project here will be. We have some ideas, but nothing concrete. As always though we would love any support that you can give so that we can continue to support the dining Sala and make sure there is always enough food to eat for 50 people three meals each day. We could not do this work so thoroughly without your help.

Peace
Pam & Ashley

Pam and Ashley are back in Thailand! While I continue to recover from some health issues, I remain back here in as Mission Control-Ohio for their adventures. The dining sala is done and Pam and Ashley are really looking forward to getting there to see it now in use as a daily temple of nourishment and fellowship. As I began finalizing this entry, Ashley texted me that she and Pam made it safely to Thailand and they are pretty exhausted, yet enthusiastic to wake up after a refreshing night’s sleep to head to Pattaya and visit the kids.

The completion of the dining sala has given us many gifts in return. The satisfaction of knowing we set out to do what we intended to do is one. Seeing a safe, beautiful and spiritually inspiring place for the kids to eat and gather is yet another. And while the sala’s operation and upkeep is something that will continue to be a priority with 3L Foundation, the sala has given us other gifts. One is that it has established a foundation for us in Thailand for future endeavors. As a symbol of realized commitment and an embodiment of love, we can now begin to look beyond our first steps to see what is over the next horizon.

While the dining sala began to come to fruition this last year, seeds of possibility, need and calling were planted in us all. Two little girls who were resigned to a live of struggle and decay in the slums came to our attention on the last trip. While little could be done for them at the time, Pam and Ashley have been making arrangements and attempts to help these children even while we are away from them back in the U.S. As they grow, more possibilities can be explored and that is just what Pam and Ashley will be doing this time around. Spending time at the slums is important to us. While the slum is a dark place in spirit, the efforts of love can not be overcome by the relentless decay of discouragement. Pam and Ashley will be working with these little girls and those who care about them as well as others in the slums to find ways to help begin to break the cycle of poverty and neglect that seem to perpetuate there. The slums are an embodiment of the energy and spirit radiating from each illusion that each soul sees as deserved and inescapable.

This trip, we will all be doing our part to understand the situation intimately and begin to find ways to give people a way to escape a future of no future. We can help those who are capable and wanting a better way. In essence, we are trying to be of service to those who are wanting in their hearts to escape a life of nothing less than slavery, be their master drugs, the sex trade, ignorance, or other demons. All come from wounds that have yet to be healed. 3L’s mission is to let those we find in darkness know:

That they Learn how priceless and cherished they are;

That they Laugh in joy and fellowship despite the decay that surrounds them;

That they fear no risk of Love, given or received.

With these things, we work to create an environment where these things will happen in many lives. We hope you will continue to follow along with this adventure as well as we show you what we learn, what we see, where our hearts take us and what our next calling in Thailand will be. More to come soon. Thank so much for your involvement.