“I want to be the person who mixes the cement.”
“I want to be a brick layer.”
“I want to be dish washer”
These do not seem like normal dreams for children to have, but these are the words that we have heard out of the mouths of some of the children that we minister to. We believe that each one of them are precious little seeds just waiting to grow into something special that can be used for a wonderful purpose. But for a seed to grow it needs love and care. It needs water and nourishment.
We spend time in the primary schools in Ratchaburi that everyone else seems to have forgotten about. Many schools in Thailand offer free schooling, but at these particular schools, there are barely any unexpected costs. One of the schools even offers free haircuts and dental and health check ups for the students as the parents of these children can’t afford to take them outside of school time. At one of the schools that we spend time in, they only have 2 teachers. The students separate into Grades 1-3 and Grades 4-6 and all have to study at the same time, with the same teachers.
We teach them English. But more importantly we teach them about God and His truths - truths that perhaps they will never hear anywhere else. They learn about how God loves them and about how each one of them is special. They learn how to pray.
Many of these students will never study beyond Grade 6 and most will not finish high school. Some of them go to high school, but cannot keep up with the students who have come from schools with more teachers and better equipment. Our hope for them though is that they will dream… and that as they do they will remember the truths that we have begun to sow into their lives. That one day they will remember and that they will not give up on their dreams no matter how hard it may seem to reach them. Ultimately though, our hope is that they will grow into adults that will choose to love Jesus with all of their hearts for all the days of their lives.
There are 18 children of school-going age in our children’s church. All of them are aware that their families can only keep them in school for a certain number of years and that their time as children is limited. Most of the community ,after graduating from Grade 6, begin to work on the construction site where their parents work in order to help lighten the family’s financial load.
We have a dream for these eighteen children. We dream to see them study as high as they can – not so that they can receive a certificate at the end of it, but so that they can have the right to remain children while they still are – to broaden their worldview and encourage them to dream of things bigger than their small community here in Ratchaburi.
We have spent months talking to the families and encouraging the parents to allow the children to remain in school. Some of their mindsets are beginning to change – and we have taken another step this month to help the parents to allow the children to stay in school. We have begun a sponsorship program for the children.
It only costs US$30 per month to keep one of these children in school – but it is an amount that most of the families in this community cannot afford. We hope to be able to help these families to keep these eighteen children in school for as long as they wish to continue their studies. If you would like help us by sponsoring one of these children, you can do so online at the Online Donations page or email us to find out more.
YWAM Ratchaburi
Noiy & Bronwyn Prommathat
Niran Hills Village
145/485 Moo 8
Dontago Muang
Ratchaburi 70000
Thailand
+66-81-382-4438
