Chiang Kham, Thailand

This is Sayan and Siriporn Kusavadee. They moved to Chiang Kham, Thailand in 1989 because they felt that God had told them that He had work for them to do there (even in several dreams), but they didn't know what it was. Sayan took a pastor position at a small church paying $48 a month. Opposite their house and church, Siriporn would notice men walking down the street with younger girls, often returning without them. When Siriporn asked around, she was stunned to learn that their street was where people would go to find prositutes. She and Sayan also learned that girls were being sold into prostitution. Many were"prepared" in Chiang Kham and then sent to other parts of Thailand or other countries to be prostitutes. The girls were often taken against their will through coercion. Or poverty-stricken families would sell teenage daughters into the sex industry out of desperation so that they could afford to support their other children. Sayan and Siriporn's hearts broke as they learned the tragic details.


Wanting to do something, they decided to take a few girls into their home who they knew were at risk of ending up on the streets. They started by taking 5 girls into their family from local hill tribes whose families could not support them. They took them into their home and cared for them. Today, their "Home of Blessing" Ministry cares for 120 girls, ages 8-18, and has cared for over 500 girls in the last 19 years.


The girls usually come to Home of Blessing just after they complete 6th grade, because that's when free government schooling ends for girls in Thailand. That's when they are most at risk of being sold into prosititution. Sayan and Siriporn work with the chiefs of local hill tribes to find out which girls are most at risk so they can take them in before it's too late.

All the girls we met were amazing. They radiate joy and the feeling of a tight-knit family that is inspiring. They rise at 5:00 am to pray and worship each weekday before school. We would wake up to their singing and it was like hearing a chorus of angels at the beginning of each day. And when they pray together, they really pray together... with every girl parying their own prayers out loud at the same time. They prayed for each other, for their families and villages, for food and a plentiful rice harvest, and for us!


When they all pray out loud together, you can sense their faith that God will answer their prayers. Our prayers seemed feeble in comparison. And they tell story after story of how God has provided for them. Like the time a German who had visited 3 years earlier contacted them to tell them that Home of Blessing had been on his heart and that he raised enough money so they could build a new dormitory for the girls.

In the week we were there, we got to know several of the girls, especially since many of them spoke some English. We taught English, played sports with them (they are fearsome soccer, volleyball, and ping pong competitors!), and tried to show them that we cared about them. All the girls we met had a deep faith in God and were constantly trying to put their beliefs into action. Like one of the discussion groups we saw... after reading about forgiveness, they were asked to forgive those who had wronged them. We saw many of the girls sobbing and, at first, thought we were just seeing an emotional group of girls. Then we remembered just how much they were being asked to forgive, especially if their parents were considering selling them into prostitution.



We also got to meet Jeff and Eleanor, a newly married couple from the U.S. who decided to spend the first two years of their marriage doing mission work. They are investing their lives to teach English and love the girls at Home of Blessing. Like Sayan and Siriporn, they were completely welcoming to us and even let us help them teach their English classes. Their dedication to serve the girls for at least 2 years was inspiring to us.


One of the highlights was getting to help harvest the rice. We were there for the one time of the year when they cut, bundle, gather, and thresh rice from their own fields (which provides 6 months supply for the girls). Everyone was very patient with us as we learned how to bundle, tie, and gather rice sheaves. And while it was fun for us to harvest for a couple days (at about half their efficiency), it would be back-breaking work to grow and harvest rice year-round.


At the end of the week, we were sad to leave our new friends. Sayan, Siriporn, Jeff, Eleanor, and all the girls had been such gracious hosts (including the most delicious Thai food we've ever had from Siriporn's kitchen!). When they all prayed for us on Sunday before we left, it was like being surrounded by angelic voices who were aksing God to take care of us. We will never forget it.


If you would like to support Home of Blessing, you can send tax-deductible donations to:

International Prayer Ministries, Inc.
615 Knollwood Circle SE
Conyers, GA 30094-4422
For: Home of Blessing in Chiang Kham, Thailand (Sayan Kusavadee)

One additional note to our Thailand story:

We flew from Bangkok to New Zealand on November 24. One day later, on November 25th, government opposition forces took over the Bangkok International Airport and shut it down, stranding over 100,000 travelers. As of December 4, the airport is still shut down and Thailand is in a state of political turmoil. The Constitutional Court has dissolved the government due to electoral fraud and banished the prime minister from politics for 5 years. Wow! We think the girls at Home of Blessing have a special place in God's heart because we know firsthand that their prayers of protection for us worked!

- Steve