It's never too early to start planning that perfect gift for your loved ones! This year, consider purchasing something from Thailand that will benefit both my mission and the families who sell these items for a living. Order by September 15 to guarantee a Christmas delivery and your choice of color and style. I will be bringing a limited number of the items shown when I come in person, so if you want something, be safe and order now! Please email your order to me at hma.scripty@gmail.com, referencing the item number, color you want and how many of each item. Thank you for your support!
#1 Hmong village scene pillowcase $15
#2 Embroidered pillowcase $15
#3 Silky (but not real silk) small stripe elephant pillowcase $12
#4 Silky double stripe elephant pillowcase $12
#5 Silky large stripe elephant pillowcase
#6 Hand-made elephant drink coasters 4-pack for $12. Pick a color or mix and match!
#7 Over the shoulder Bohemian bag $12
#8 Dyed bamboo clutch with mango wood handles $10
#9 Woven bamboo clutch with mango wood handles $15 (handles not shown). Pick a color and be surprised by the design!
Here is a video describing what our foundation does in Thailand. It includes interviews with my boss, Boom, who is the director of HUG Project.
Looking back on my previous blog posts, I see that my writing has steadily decreased during my time to only a few posts a year. I think this is because in the beginning, everything was new and exciting, but as time goes on, it just becomes life. Also, most of the things that happen, I end up writing about in my newsletter, so there's not that much more to add in a blog post. Now that I am working with HUG Project, I get a lot less face time with the kids I work with and do a lot more on the admin side so there are fewer funny stories to share. Here are a few of the things I have done in the past month just to catch you up:
-There were four court cases in one week: a trafficker our multi-disciplinary team arrested back in January was arraigned and pleaded not guilty, another trafficker was on trial and two of our kids had to testify in court against him, two of our kids who were arrested for stealing a motorbike were sentenced to six and nine months in juvenile detention and training center, and finally the three boys involved in a homicide were sentenced to several years in juvenile detention and training center.
- I have been spending lots of quality time with one boy in particular, mainly since he has no other way to get to school or counseling. He is such a great kid, and is funny and opening up a lot. It has been a stressful month with him though, as he has been trying to overcome addictions and is starting to relapse. It's very difficult to see kids make such great progress and then just decide to stop and go back to bad decision making. We are all praying that he will turn things around and continue to make progress.
- There are a couple other boys who have been making poor life decisions for a while now, and it is so hard to see them throw away every opportunity they have been given to improve their lives and continue to live on the streets and do drugs. So many people believe in their ability to change their lives, but if they don't believe in themselves then nothing will change. Sometimes, I just want to shake them by the shoulders and say "participate in your own life! You could die tomorrow, and what will you leave behind?"
- I went on a mountain trip with our new Thai staff, Win, who happens to be married to one of my best Thai friends. We went up to see his family in a village about an hour away from the city. It's sooooo beautiful up in the mountains and the air is so fresh and clean. We were lucky that the rain that had been falling non-stop for 2 weeks straight let up long enough for us to hike up to the rice fields. I love going to the mountain farms because it always reminds me of growing up next to a field full of fruit and veggies and eating whatever we wanted. I came back with about 25 pounds of fruit that we had picked. Can't wait to go back!
-I have been to two weddings (one Akha and one Lahu) in the past month and two baby showers. Fun times all around.
-Stay tuned here for how you can order unique Thai Christmas gifts for your loved ones!
