March 1, 2008

We woke up early this morning and rode in the back of the pick up truck with the boys to Mercy. They were very excited as we were going to go to Safari Park for the day! The whole day was paid for by a company known as Eclipse. From the clothes the children were wearing, to the buses that picked them up, the book bags they all got with a lunch as well as admission to the park and all the shows was covered. Thank you Eclipse!
Misty and I went to help chaperone the children, and what an amazing experience this was. So many things brought a smile to my face today. I do not think we would have had the same experience if we went on our own. Seeing the looks on the children's faces as they fed the giraffes or fed parrots out of their hands was priceless. I think I took more pictures of the children's reactions to the shows and animals than the shows and animals itself. The children were also using their English by pointing to the animals and saying the name in English. I went with a group of children on the jungle cruise and they screamed the whole way. Even though my ears were ringing coming out of the tunnel, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
Today was another remarkable opportunity to see how close Mercy actually is. We already saw a glimpse of this after the death of Nitaya's mother, but today we were able to see a different side of it. All of the children watched out for each other and made sure that everyone was happy and safe, whether it was holding someone's hand, calling someone's name as we were moving on or sharing a lunch because their peer already ate theirs in the morning.
Fok lost the straw to his juice so I gave him mine. After thanking me and using it, he cleaned it off for a good two minutes on his shirt and gave it back to me. haha. Also on the bus on the way home many of the children feel asleep. One of the youngest boys was in the front of us the bus sitting a caring young girl. After he fell asleep she pulled a kleenex out of her book bag and put it under his chin . Then she went on to check to make sure the air conditioning on the bus that was above him was at the perfect setting and temperature to help him sleep. Just watching her care for him put a smile on my face. I wish all children had these characteristics.
I have been doing a lot of thinking today. While we were driving in our air conditioned coaches through the streets of Klong Toey to get to the highway I saw many young children standing and watching from their homes. These children are lucky in the sense that they have one or two people take care for them and love then unconditionally. However, they are not 'poor enough' to fit the criteria for Mercy. Yes, living at home with a family is much better than living a life where you don't have this, but these children miss out too. I just wonder what the neighborhood thinks of things that they Mercy does. Yes, Mercy does do outreach projects such as the milk run, and offers a loan for mothers, but what about these children who do not have such opportunities? So many children fall through the cracks, not only here but in Canada as well. I wish there was a way this could be different.