“For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.” – Deuteronomy 15:11
When God open doors of opportunity for you to serve and care for others, jump for joy! With a steadfast spirit believe that He will equip you through it. This was evident in our recent mission trip to Tak Province during the Songkran break. Armed with the burning desire to reach out, share God’s love, and serve, we journeyed twelve hours to reach our mission site.
Sunshine Orchard Learning Center is located on the border of Thailand and Myanmar and is dedicated to ministering to the needs of the Karen children and youth through education. American missionaries, Paul and Lena Adams and their children, have committed their lives to serving the abandoned, neglected, orphaned, and underprivileged through a collection of Bible studies, education, medical relief, and rural village outreach projects, notwithstanding the imminent danger of war and risk of malaria. The Karen Outreach Ministry supported by the Jesus for Asia program services migrants, stateless people, internally displaced, refugees, children at risk, and basically anyone in need.
We were in great awe at how faith has carried through this ministry while Mr. Paul was sharing the humble beginning and challenges of Sunshine Orchard during a moonlit night worship. How God has transformed pain into joy, and stateless individuals into a community of Seventh-day Adventist believers. We were deeply inspired by the courage and faith of these students – especially when we discovered that some even desire to be future missionaries and ministers.
We cemented pathways; painted classrooms, benches, and tables; and dug a pit for their toilet over the six days that we were there, but none of these came close to their desire to serve their fellow refugees, and most importantly God.
At the crack of dawn, the students hiked up to the chapel overlooking the picturesque Dawna Range to open their day with praise and worship and return at dusk to close in the same manner. They found Jesus at Sunshine Orchard through the generosity and compassion of those who devoted their lives to establishing and sustaining it.
“We literally picked babies on the mountain. Newly-born babies suffering from various infections. We rushed them to the hospital for medical care, shared our homes, meals, and even our names so they can escape from this dark part of their lives. Through all these challenges, God has been there – always been there,” shared Mr. Paul Adams. “Faith has been our strength. God has done amazing things to us, and He continues to do so even up to today,” a soft-spoken Mr. Paul stopping midsentence to collect his thoughts and almost dropping tears stated further.
The missionaries at Sunshine Orchard mirror what Jesus has done. They walked, dined, ministered, healed, taught, and yes, crossed borders too, to help those in need. Sunshine Orchard needs your prayers and financial support to sustain what sheer faith has built to give these children a name, dignity, and family. To see how you can be of help, visit their website at http://www.karenoutreach.org.
Try changing someone else’s life through service and yours will be changed too. They need you.
Backstory: I was supposed to be in an exchange learning at TPSY in Hongkong but when God directs our path, who are we to go against.
[ BACKSTORY ] 