Who likes excellent news…..?
we all do right. so we have several pieces of the excellent news from Baan Nam Jai

Matched funds……..
First and not so important is that we reached our vehicle target and here it is I picked it up TODAY. Do you think it is pretty? I do…. there hasn’t been a prettier white car! 
Thank you to all who have given to this!

Secondly we have LOTS of babies now at Baan Nam Jai. As well as Non, who turned one on Jan 25th

Our accountant Kak, had a baby boy 5 months ago, she is back at work and he comes too.

Quan had a baby boy, Quinn…

And on the same day as Quan delivered …
Gaew, the most recent woman to join our family, a few months ago, also had a baby boy, Timothy. 

Our premmie twins whom we wrote about last newsletter have had their share of health issues. Mercy-Mai born, 1.4 kg, with a hole in her heart, has improved lots and even though her cardiologist said she still shows signs of a small hole, it has improved and she is healthy! Now at four months, she weighs 3.3 kgs. Faith-Min born 1.1kg has had serious health issues. Doctors suspected she would not survive the surgery they had scheduled for her, so asked a member of her birth family, as well as one of our staff to be present, when they told us of the seriousness of the surgery, warning that we should prepare ourselves for the worst. We sent out special emails and asked many to pray and she pulled through. We are eternally grateful again for another miracle baby. Her liver was biopsied and the result shown an inflammed liver but no nasty disease – no biliary atresia as was first thought. We believe this is a miracle. She now weighs 2.6kgs.

So you can see we are inundated with babies. Precious little lives!
Yes, we do need more staff, quite urgently actually.

We continue to pray and believe for house-parents for the girls house and we also need just some helping hands too. The labourers are few here at present, so I would be glad if you would pray that our numbers of staff/volunteers will increase. Yes! …. we are seeking people who are willing to come serve with us for a year or two or more….

Our Hospice….
We have set a date for the hospice official opening. Don’t have all the funds to complete it yet …. but in faith the date is set for Dec 14th. If you can come please do, you are welcome. Especially if you have had anything to do with this project; we would like you to know you are invited to come to celebrate with us on this date.

Thanks so much for remembering us, and for your loving care and support of us in so many ways.

Penny and team at Baan Nam Jai

Penelope Wilcox
P.O. Box 121 Bandu,
A. Muang
Chiang Rai 57100
Thailand
Phone – 66-818811198

Our twins have arrived……
Our twins arrived home from the hospital! Presently they are in the care of a couple on our staff who live near us. Thanks to Aub and Colleen, who are both medically trained and have committed to care for them until they become stronger and healthier

Matched funds……..
We have almost reached our target of the funds for our vehicle. Our goal was $20,734, we now have $16,594, so the total of what we need is ONLY $4,140. We are so close, it may seem a lot but we only started fund-raising for this vehicle in October last year, so in less than 4 months we have almost reached our goal.
If you would like to help us please email us! Here is a photo of Danielle, who has served with us this past year, along with Nui and Bam and the car we want to buy.

And a new mum….
Kaew, who joined our family several months ago, is due to give birth next month, please pray for her as she enters this new season in her life.

Our Hospice….
We are excited that our hospice building is coming close to completion, this year we working on “fitting it out” so we can open it officially towards the years end.

House-parents……

We are very excited to introduce our new staff who have filled the role of house-parents for our boys. Mitchel and Raelyn are already making a huge difference in the lives of our boys, bringing consistency and so much blessing to their lives. We thank the Lord for them. Would you please pray with us for them as they continue in this role? Please also pray for house-parents for the girls too.

Matched funds……..

Now that the boys’ home has house-parents we want them to be able to go places as a family and function as a family, so that means having the convenience of a vehicle to drive. The photo below shows Mitch and Raelyn’s current transportation. Baby Non was asleep when this photo was taken but we could have put him in the bike basket up front! We wouldn’t really go on the road like this but….. yes, we could use a vehicle for them to travel in. Baan Nam Jai does have two vehicles already but the demands are high with 16 children and 4 women, many errands to run, hospital visits, shopping trips and other needs in our ministry. We are really excited to have had an offer from a friend/business man in Canada to match any funds that are given specifically towards the purchase of a vehicle for the boys house.

This is an example of how it works….. You give $25 (or whatever amount you wish), making sure it is designated to the “matched funds scheme”, and the matched funds scheme turns your gift into $50. Every gift is doubled by our Canadian friends! Can you please help us toward our goal of a vehicle for the boys home?

Baby Non is growing strong and healthy, at 10 months he is sitting alone and moving himself around, isn’t he gorgeous!

Twins……

We’ve not had twins at Baan Nam Jai before, but were contacted recently by our local hospital telling us of a 14 year old girl who was pregnant. Both her (the 14 year old) and her parents are HIV+, and several months ago they went to the hospital for an abortion. The hospital referred them to us and we said we’d be glad to help if they would not abort the pregnancy. They agreed and later found out she is carrying twin girls. These precious ones will be born by mid-December and will come into our care. While we believe it is the best scenario for family to stay together it does not seem possible in this case. Please would you remember us as we liaise with this family and assist them through this difficult transition.

And a new mum….

A couple of months ago we received a call for help regarding a lady who had recently discovered she was HIV+, pregnant and without any support, and since then she has joined our family and lives on our property in one of our cottages, her baby is due in February. Our family is growing and we need you to pray for us. Thank you for your partnership.

2012 Calendar….

Please let us know if you would like a 2012 calendar. We’ve been busy putting this together and are excited to get this to you. If you are able to sell some for us please email and let us know. Or if you’d like to buy multiple copies as Christmas gifts send us your order by email.

love from us all at Baan Nam Jai

The long school break that Thailand has during hot season is over and our kids are all back in school. Makes for a quieter daytime hours at Baan Nam Jai. We had some very fun times…….. attending 2 English camps, one at a local church and one at another children’s home nearby. …..opportunities to go swimming while the weather was nice here in Chiang Rai and are getting very good in the water. All of them have improved greatly on their swimming skills this year. They also split  into 2 groups to go to the beach to spend time with Paul and Penny before they all returned to Baan Nam Jai. That was so nice for them to spend time with Paul and Penny at the beach and get some good quality time in before school started back up again. …also a trip up to a village of one of our staff for a Thai barbecue, where they loved the more remote village life and the food! Also a few of the children were able to go back to the villages they came from to visit some extended family members, that was a blessing for them as well as us. They are growing up so fast and are such great spirited kids. We are so proud of each one of them. Please keep them in your prayers as they are back in school. Pray that they would be a blessing to the students as well as the teachers they spend their days with. Thank you to all of you for helping support us and our children! And thank you to all of you who help send our children and staff to the beach this year!

Staff Focus: G’No & Moi…. Moi writes….

This year is my 10th year working here at Baan Nam Jai and my husband, G’No has been here for 7 years. We have been praying about what change is coming. As I pray about it I feel like God keeps telling me to stay and continue working here and helping out with the moms that live here on the property as well as helping out with the medicine and hospital visits. As for G’No, he feels like God wants him to do more out in the community and in his village. He feels like he needs to prepare for the future of his family as well. So on the 30th of this month will be his last day here. He isn’t going to forget about Baan Nam Jai at all, and he is sure he will come to help out when we need him. He’s just heading out to do what God’s calling him to do. He is still praying about what this will look like. Please pray for him as well as us as a family as he takes this step of faith. Pray that God will always provide our needs.

Our family grows again……….

We welcomed baby ‘Non’ 4 months ago, he came as a newborn from hospital. His HIV+ mum unable to care for him. It’s been our delight to have a tiny baby again and certain older children are especially enjoying being helpful in caring for him.

After being in Oz for 8 months of chemo treatment for Penny. They are back in Chiang Rai again. Penny’s health more stable. We continue to pray for full restoration of her health.

Thank you to all of you for helping support us and our children! And thank you to all of you who help send our children and staff to the beach this year!

The Lord bless you.
The Team at Home of the Open Heart

Our wonderful calendars are ready -  and they look great! Many of you have received calendars in previous years and again this year we will be sending out calendars to all our wonderful financial supporters for free!  But don’t despair – if you would like to order an extra calendar or even better order in bulk and sell the calendars to those in your church and home group on our behalf – then please send us an email and we will send them
on to you pronto!

All payments for the calendars need to be made through ARMS with an attached note specifying that the payment is for a calendar. Please do not forget to attach the note so that we can distinguish calendar payments from other support that we receive. Prices for the calendars are $10 each plus $3 postage.

News from Penny is that she remains in Australia and continues the chemotherapy treatment recommended by the oncologist in Adelaide. The first treatment has been completed and was pretty rough initially. As she improves she continues to encourage us from afar and has asked that you continue to pray for her. We have seen how God has continually sustained Penny throughout these last three years and we continue to believe for His miracle of healing – through all our prayers. Thank you for joining with us in lifting Penny up in prayer on a daily basis.

Dear family and friends,

The women and children living on our property are all well, as we continue on the journey of life together we find our days delightfully full. We are so grateful to God for His protection, for life and so many opportunities to share our lives with others.

Our 2 fundraising goals at present are:
1. To complete our hospice by end of 2010, we could have used this building several times this year, the need is great….. so we want to finish it soon if we can.

2. We are saving to a trip to the beach again, it is almost 2 years since we’ve taken the ‘family/kids’ away for a holiday, our goal is to go to the beach again next April/May, 2011.

We are excited that our community work is developing more and more. We have staff now going several times a week, into our local hospitals as well as visiting people affected by HIV in our area. Some highlights for us in our community work are taking food to people affected by HIV who are in great need in nearby villages and visiting and praying for the sick in our local hospitals.

Our visit to Mai’s grandparents

Also we’ve been asked to do English classes with medical staff at Chiang Rai’s main government hospital, we are excited to fulfil this a wonderful opportunity.

Last but not least…. we need to communicate this news about our tax deductibility status, please read the following carefully!

First, we would like to thank you all for your continued support.  Home of the Open Heart could not continue to make a difference in the lives of those who are affected by HIV in Northern Thailand without your support.  We are all deeply grateful for each and every one of our supporters and sponsors!

We would like to inform you of some changes to our financial status.  Starting the first of August 2010, Home of the Open Heart/Baan Nam Jai will no longer be eligible for tax deductibility in Australia.  Australia has strict guidelines to what is considered a tax deductible project.  In order to qualify for tax deductibility, a project must not offer welfare but instead offer ways for communities to assist themselves without the need of welfare.  Home of the Open Heart concentrates on the most vulnerable members of society, not just the orphan and the widow, but the orphan and widow who are affected by HIV.  This cross section of society has no community to assist them and therefore need welfare projects.  We are honored to be the project that assist those members of society.  For the communities that we can empower, we do so with our community team.  However, our community work is just one component of our overall objectives.  Therefore, not wanting to shift focuses we have decided to no longer seek tax deductibility.

For those who wish to continue support Home of the Open Heart/Baan Nam Jai, the change will not be significant.  ARMS will still administrate funds for us, so those Australian supporters will not have to pay any international fees.  Funds can be sent to ARMS like usual and ARMS will send a receipt.  However, you will no longer get a tax deductible receipt.  For those supporters outside of Australia, this change will not effect you at all.

We hope we can continue to count on your support of all of our projects.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.  General inquires about this change can be directed to office@baannamjai.org.  I am sorry for any inconvenience this change may cause you.

Bless you,

Penny

School Holidays and Songkran:  The beginning of May is upon us and the past few months have come and gone.  The children are all on school holidays as it is the end of the school year here in Thailand.  A few weeks back we had the Songkran holiday which is the water festival in Thailand.  During this time we gave the Thai Staff a week off.  The children enjoyed a week away from the routine at Baan Nam Jai staying with the rest of the international staff.  Wonderful times were had by everyone with water fights, outings to the pool, movies and meals together.

During the holidays the staff and children also had a day out to ‘Chiang Rai Beach’, the local river.  We swam together and played in the sand.  We all got excited when we found a baby turtle on the river bank.  We ended our lovely time by sharing a meal under the shade, laughing and talking together.

The children will be on holidays until around the middle of May and so we are preparing for that transition once again.  We have all been extra busy helping support the children and each other over these school holidays.

Hospice News and Amsterdam team: We would like to inform you that for many reasons we will now be calling the hospice the ‘medical facility’.

After Songkran we had a team from YWAM Amsterdam come to help us paint inside our medical facility along with a few other jobs.  They were a great help and encouragement to us.  While they were here we joined with them in a time of prayer.  We dedicated the building to God’s purposes, believing that at the right time God will bring those along to us who need help.  We also prayed that God would keep showing us how He wants us to bring hope in our community, in the surrounding villages and for the women who will come to live here.  Our desire is that this facility would be a place of hope and peace. We pray that God’s love would be tangible in this place.

So it is with hope in our hearts that we press on and wait for the final completion of this medical facility. It is very exciting for us to see the building so close to completion, as this project has been many years coming. The upper level is completed apart from adding a kitchenette , but it is tiled, power in, plumbing is done. now we just need to do the same in the downstairs rooms.
God is a Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows… God sets the lonely in families…  Psalm 68:5-6

We cannot do without your partnership! Some of our Thai staff (who work so hard and play key roles in helping us function) have had supporters ‘drop off’ in recent months, for various reasons these supporters are no longer able to send monthly support amounts. If you are able to give $35 per month to one of our Thai staff please write to me at penny@baannamjai.org and I can introduce you to the easiest way for you to support one of our staff so they can continue to be a part of our team. Gifts can be tax deductible.

Our website has been updated recently, so if you haven’t looked for a while, please take a moment to go to www.baannamjai.org
As you stand with us in support and prayer…. you encourage us! Thank you!

We are so grateful for your partnership and your prayers, thanks for believing in what we do and for sharing our passion for those affected by HIV/AIDS in Thailand.

God bless you!
Love from us all here at Home of the Open Heart/Baan Nam Jai

We have two really exciting pieces of news to share with you.

We have welcomed new baby Alex to our family this past month.

Photo of Alex 9 days old

Alex’s mum came to live with us from Pattaya, needing help to escape the lure of the sex industry three months ago. Our prayer is that she will settle here and love being part of our family, as she mothers her baby boy, Alex and that she will be content to leave her past life behind to start afresh. We need wisdom as we seek to help her with this adjustment.

Other exciting news is the progress that has been made in the past month on our hospice. With a team of workers from Adelaide, Australia we made huge progress, I will let the photo’s tell the story.

Our goal is to have the roof completed by end of November with the help of some Thai labourers. Then we need an electrician, plumber and tiler to help in the new year. It’s exciting seeing this project of many years coming near to completion. I personally would love to see the facility operational by this time next year. It’s a shame we need it but sadly it is true that many people in our area are dying of AIDS each day. We want to offer a place of peace and hope for people in their final stages of AIDS.

Our 2010 calendar is back from the printers, if you’d like one we’d be glad to supply that, as we’d love to sell all our calendars, they make a great Christmas gift at $10. Let us know if you’d like one, click reply on this email and order one or more, we will add postage cost and let you know how to pay, depending on which country you are from.

I also want to include a poem written by a nurse on our staff, for Mai, one of our little HIV+ girls.

Deep Eyes

Deep Eyes. They tell a story.
A past no longer talked about
Of sickness, of abuse, of desperate searching for more,
Of hunger, of pain.
Deep eyes. They tell a story
The disease has its grip. A curse, a sin
Passed down from generation and held within.
At times it lies dormant but always shows its power,
The control it has on an unwilling body.
Deep eyes. They tell a story.
Lost within, the hurt, the pain, the confusion.
Yet helpless? …..NEVER!
To give up would be the end
There must be more…….
Deep eyes.
They tell a story.
Holding onto hope. Hope of a body made new.
No more pain. No wore suffering. No more tears.
Where does this hope come from?
Something much bigger.
Deep eyes. They tell a story
Look up! Where doe your help come from?
Your help comes form the Lord!
The Maker of heaven and earth!
For Mai Girl
By Crystal Sutton

Photo of Mai taken by Crystal

Bernie’s Bike Ride…. A fundraiser worth supporting. An Aussie guy named Bernie is in USA right now riding his bicycle from New York through to San Francisco on America’s “northern discovery trail” (google it, if your interested to know more). It is a 8,000 km ride which he will complete over the next 4 months. His purpose is to raise awareness of and raise funds for two projects;  one in Cambodia and the other, our own project in Chiang Rai. If you want more info please e-mail office@baannamjai,org. I have an electronic brochure I can send you. Will you partner with Bernie, to encourage him on by sponsoring his ride? His goal is to get 1000 people to pledge $100!   He also thought that if just 100 people would commit to getting 10 others (colleagues, friends, relatives, whoever) to commit to give $100 for his ride, his ride would be more than worth it. Will you be one of these people? You can help!

Here’s how. You can email me (penny@baannamjai.org) and let me know you’ll be one of the 100 who will commit to finding 10 others to give the $100. OR you can just go online now and be one of the 1000 people who give $100.

So here’s how to give… go to Australian Relief and Mercy Services (ARMS) website
www.arms.org.au on the left hand side, green menu bar, find where it says “Donations”, click on that. On the next page find small yellow letters ‘secure site’, click on that. Fill in your details, then at donation information, select “International Projects” then “Bernie’s Bike Ride HOOH” then you’re all finished! Thank you very much for supporting us and for encouraging Bernie! Your gift in this way is tax-deductible.

Please can you also email Bernie and let him know you’ve given or just to encourage him on his ride. He will check his emails some nights at the end of his day of riding and be encouraged to continue on if he knows the pledges/funds are flooding in. bkscan24@yahoo.com.au

We are going to use the funds to complete our medical assisted facility/hospice which is currently about half finished and a team from Adelaide are coming in Sept/Oct this year to volunteer their time and expertise to complete the job. These photo’s are of the progress so far. It is very exciting for me to see this project of many years coming near completion. Better still will be when I see it serving people in need.

Penny for all the team here at Baan Nam Jai.

The school year in Thailand is from May through March. This week, all our children are completing their end of year exams and will be on their long ‘hot season/summer’ break for 2 months from this weekend.

We are planning lots of fun activities for the children’s school break. Last year we went to the beach, do you remember? Many of you gave so generously so we could go on that special trip! We had so much fun, the kids still talk about it. This year we are staying around Chiang Rai but don’t feel sorry for us…….we are going to have fun at home, plus visiting the local swimming pool some days, as well as doing a couple of ‘day trips’ here & there. The kids are looking forward to a trip to the zoo in Chiang Mai. Maybe next year we’ll look forward to the beach again.

Mai’s depleted immune system has caused her to struggle health-wise of late and she has not managed to keep the ‘bugs’ away. She had a short stay in hospital with pneumonia one month ago and is currently ‘fighting’ a bout of bronchitis. Please pray for her health. She still manages a smile, isn’t she gorgeous! In fact, many of our children and staff have struggled somewhat with their health of late, so we need extra prayer in that area.

Our mums have begun making crocheted handbags and purses to sell (their latest income generation project), so if you are interested in purchasing one, they are taking orders. You can ‘special order’ the size, colour and shape (either oval/round or square). Email your order to: quan@baannamjai.org  we will need to add a small amount for postage, depending on where you live but the handbags are very cheap. Quan will let you know the cost when you order, as it depends on size.

Thanks for remembering us, we hope you enjoy the photos in our newsletter. Please do keep remembering to pray for Penny’s health, that her cancer would go away for good! Plus if you could pray for the new mums and children that will join our family this year, as now that we have completed more buildings, we are ready to take in more mums and children.

Blessings to you all and thanks for your prayers,
Penny and all the team here at Baan Nam Jai