Topic: Dune
Overview
Dune is a woman in her mid thirties who we have come to minister to alongside Pastor Celebrate. She had a very traumatic childhood and is currently addicted to Meth. She has two children living with her, Film and Sophia. Pastor Celebrate and his church have been serving them since Spring 2020, mostly by bringing the kids to church and providing food for the family. Dune and her boyfriend are unemployed.
She first fled to a local community from an abusive boyfriend about two and half years ago. She was living in an abandoned shack where Pastor Celebrate discovered her trouble and Lisa first visited her (The Shack). We all visited her again to share the gospel with her in October 2022 (The Shack 2). Since then we have tried to organize a better long-term ministry strategy and we have seen some positive signs that things might be changing.
Please be in prayer for her, her boyfriend, and her children. We want to see all of them come to know and trust their savior and see His tranforming power save them from sin and death. The kids especially are in a very dangerous situation.
In February, 2023, it became clear that our team is not in able to help her at this time. As a result we have closed this topic for the time being.
Discontinuing Ministry with Dune
June 2, 2023 by Weston in Reports
We have decided to discontinue regular ministry with Dune and her family. There are a couple of reasons for this. The primary reason is that she lives far outside our team's target area (approximately 1 hour drive from our house, 1.5 hours from our teammates) and it has become clear over time that being meaningfully involved is impractical.
A second reason is that, frankly, we don't know how to help her. She is addicted to Meth and has a long history of trauma. She needs medical and psychiatric help and these are not things that we can help her with and she appears unwilling to seek help. There have been some good signs and some encouraging visits but it appears to us and to Pastor Celebrate, who has been our Thai partner in this work, that she is not ready to make changes in her life. This is very sad and it continues to have drastic consequences for her two children but that is the current reality.
The impact on the kids, Film and Sophia, has been our major concern. They live in a violent household and the necessities of life are not being provided by the adults in the home. Simply put, in an American context they are kids who would be immediately put into child protective services. I did ask Pastor Celebrate if it is possible to inform the authorities about the situation to see if they can help the kids but he said that is not possible and they wouldn't do anything. I am still considering if this is a step that we need to take apart from him. Please pray for this.
In the meantime, one of the ways that we have tried to help Film and Sophia has been to bring them to Pastor Celebrate's church on Sunday mornings. Over the years the church has done a lot to teach, encourage and love on the kids. Some months ago I stepped in to help in this regard also by picking them up on the way to church. This was a big encouragement to Pastor Celebrate who was usually the one picking them up in the early morning before church. I did this for about six weeks. During this period, however, Film stopped coming to church and only Sophia would come. And this unfortunately became an issue because I just cannot be alone in a car with a child. Fortunately, Pastor Celebrate understood this and released me from this responsibility.
With that mode of involvement gone it has become clear that this is not a ministry that we can further participate in. We will continue praying for them, however.
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Visit with Dune and Meeting with Pastor Celebrate
November 13, 2022 by Weston in Reports
Thank you all for praying for my meeting with Pastor Celebrate which took place this afternoon. We also paid a brief visit to Dune which proved encouraging.
Visit to Dune
One of the first things Celebrate said to me today was, "Dune was in very good spirits this morning when I went to pick up the kids for church. Sophia asked to go take a shower first. I almost fell over from amazement." In the past Sophia, and in fact the whole family, has rarely bathed. This was an interesting development.
After church, when we took the kids home, Dune was out front sweeping the porch with a worried look on her face. "Is everything all right?" we asked.
"I want to move over there and build a new house with some rooms." She pointing in the distance toward the original shack she fled to years ago where Lisa first met her. "What kind of a future will the kids have here?" she said looking around, dejectedly.
Unfortunately, Celebrate didn't ask her where these new feelings and concerns for her children came from, which I understood to be quite remarkable. In the past she has been almost completely disinterested in what her kids are doing, likely due to her drug addiction. But where did this change come from? How long has she had these feelings? What kind of future does she envision for Film and Sophia? These are the kinds of questions we should have asked to help us understand what has changed inside Dune's own heart and mind. But, unfortunately, Celebrate spend about 20 minutes talking about land titles, deeds and how complicated it would be for her to get permission to build on someone else's land. Dune got tired of this.
Thankfully at the end Celebrate told her that if it is her desire to move and build a new house for the kids to live in she should pray to God and ask for this. He is able to do anything. Her took her hand and we prayed right there for her, the kids and a new place to live. We left shortly thereafter.
Upon further reflection, I think Dune's change of behavior might have more than one explanation. Firstly, it is possible that God is stirring something in her heart but unfortunately we didn't ask her any further questions so what is happening in her heart is unknown for the time being. Secondly, is also possible that what she displayed was a very normal, motherly concern for her kids and doesn't necessarily mean there is any spiritual hunger yet. But what does require some explanation and further investigation is why she appeared so normal? Is she trying to get clean from Meth? Or is it possible she had just recently taken a hit and as a result feels more normal and energetic? If that is the explanation it would be no cause to be encouraged. I know nothing about this drug. If anyone has any ideas please let us know.
Meeting with Pastor Celebrate
After leaving the house Celebrate and I drove back to the church and sat down to discuss the questions I sent him last week. I was quite disappointed in Celebrate's feedback. He had almost no ideas and nothing to say. I reframed my questions a couple times and circled back to little things he said and asked him to elaborate and slowly I understood that he really didn't have any thoughts for me.
Eventually, we agreed that I would start getting involved with the family by picking up the kids and taking them to church on every other Sunday. This was clearly a felt need for Pastor Celebrate who is sixty years old and would appreciate the help shuttling the kids. I thanked him for his time and left him to rest.
I drove home feeling a bit discouraged and alone. How could he really have no thoughts or ideas? How can it be that all we can do is pray and wait for a miracle? Is it not clear that something needs to insert itself into the situation to meet needs, show grace and love, and teach them the truth about God and themselves? But how can we do that with this specific family?
Clearly, further prayer and thought is needed. In the meantime, I will see what transpires picking up the kids and taking them to church.
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Searching for a Ministry Strategy with Dune
November 9, 2022 by Weston in Pray
Please pray for me this week as I have been wrestling through how the work might progress with Dune and her children, Film and Sophia. Pastor Celebrate and everyone else, myself included, seem to be at a complete loss as to what the goals might be and how progress might be made.
I have spent some time praying through these things and I have come away with these questions which I believe might be key in guiding us forward.
Questions for Pastor Celebrate
- What are the physical needs of the family that we might be able to help meet?
- What are the needs of Film and Sophia, of all kinds, that we could help meet?
- If I went to visit the family regularly, do you see a way that I could gradually teach them more about God? How might that work? Is there an open door now? If not, how could we see that door open? I believe if they are willing to receive regular teaching this could really change everything as they are transformed by the truth.
- Do you think it is possible to find a regular opportunity to lay hands on and pray for Dune?
- If I went to visit the family by myself, do you see any dangers that I need to be aware of?
I have sent these questions to Pastor Celebrate and have arranged to meet with him in the afternoon on Sunday the 13th of November to discuss these questions and plan a strategy forward.
Please pray that God would bless our meeting and new clarity would emerge as to how to help Dune move forward in her relationship with the Lord and recovery from drug addiction. Please pray also for her kids, Film and Sophia, that the Lord would protect them and bring them into a relationship with Him also.
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The Shack 2
October 19, 2022 by Lisa in Reports
It’s been almost 2.5 years since I visited รำไพ. Her nickname is ตุ่น (Dune). Wes and I visited with Pastor Celebrate on Tuesday October 18, 2022. I remember being impressed with her desire to keep her kids with her and not give them to the center in KK. Having visited this time, I realize that her reluctance to give them up seem more for her own sake than theirs.
We arrived late to Pastor Celebrate’s church due to road work. He was waiting to pray and hear some of our devotional thoughts from today. We headed out in his inherited truck. He told us M’s have a lot of things. He was critical of the amount of gas that the truck required but agreed that it’s a more comfortable ride than what he had.
He stopped by and honked at any and all he knew. He collected some funds from a nearby neighbor. When asked what that was for, he said he’s the head of a farmer’s association here. He told us about the kids of Dune. Her oldest boy is away at work. He should be in 7th grade now but he is working in Bangkok. Later we heard that he sent 900 baht home once since he’s been away. Her middle child, a son in fifth grade, is very resourceful. His name is Film. He showed us the grasshoppers he caught recently and even managed to get one while we were there visiting. That will be his dinner. The youngest is name Sophia. She is quick witted and goes to church every Sunday. When neighbors asked wryly if she has become a Christian, she smiles and say, “All I know is I am not a Buddhist.”
Pastor Celebrate picks Film and Sophia up every Sunday to go to church where he leads worship and preaches for a dozen members. Pastor Celebrate has been praying for a partner/a team to work with. He says, “because when two or more gather, there He will be.” We are hesitant to commit because it’s an hour ride just to get to his house.
When we reached our destination, I was surprised that the family no longer lived in the shack. Pastor Celebrate said that they live in her boyfriend’s house. Where we parked, I saw a neat house to the left and right. As we walked through, passing the water buffalo barn, I saw another shack. Pastor Celebrate asked if anyone was home and when no one answered, he peeped into the shack. The boyfriend came out. Pastor Celebrate had told us that he spoke nicely and is pretty good to them. He might hit the kids sometimes because they’re bad but he’s really helped them out.
Celebrate then took a broom and swept the front porch area and asked for two mats to be brought out. He then opened the door of the shack and commented, “this is a house of someone who’s too busy to clean. Come and take a look.” We felt embarrassed for them and us and did not want to look in. I gave the boyfriend some snacks that we brought for them. He handed it off to Dune who immediately went to a corner of the shack, out of view to rummage.
We sat out to talk to the boyfriend for a bit. Celebrate and him spoke in Isaan, gathering news about the family. They were recently in a motorbike accident, heading straight while a car turned in front of them. Dune and he were unconscious but Sophia was ok. The car paid for their damages. He talked about how Film sometimes goes off for a day or two and doesn’t come home. He is hanging out with his friends and he needs to be fetched. Right now Sophia is with her friend Cartoon. We encouraged Dune to come out to chat. She eventually came out. The first thing I noticed was that she has a buddhist necklace on with a showy amulet. I don’t recall her wearing that before.
As I tried to encourage her to share and talk about her life, I had a vague sense of deja vu. This feeling of talking to her was similar to when I talked to Rosanna (the daughter of a Burmese refugee family whom we worked with at Faith Bible). A youth pastor had visited her when she was not feeling well and she attempted to throw herself off the balcony of their second story apartment. The youth pastor believed that she was possessed. Since I had a relationship with her, I asked to speak with her before they go forward with any plans of exorcism. Rosanna did not display any signs of possession that day. Her voice was her own and she didn’t attempt to jump. Yet, I had a feeling that I was talking to a shell of her.
Dune eventually started opening up and she shared about her first pregnancy where she lost the child. She was 14/15 years old, living with her grandma while her parents were away at work. They would come back if she got into trouble but otherwise she was on her own. She lost her child when it was 5 1/2 months old. It was unclear if it was an accident or an abortion. She seem still shaken about it. She recalled it as the time she “threw her child away”. Apparently, her boyfriend have never heard this story.
Dune went on to talk about her life as she smokes what she calls “her medicine”. Her cigarettes helps relieve stress. She recalls all the sheets of papers in the corridor of her life which taught her as much about life as school. She then refers to us as sheets of paper but of a different sort. And we cannot mix sand of different sorts especially if there was her blood in it. We were wondering if maybe we were missing out on some Thai idioms or stories that would give more clarity to what she was saying. It was Pastor Celebrate who asked her to speak more plainly. When she repeated what she had to say, Pastor Celebrate looked at her boyfriend and he confessed that he doesn’t know what she is talking about. She talks like this about twice a week and most of the time is when she is alone.
Just at that time, the granny who lived in the neat house on the left stopped by. ยายตุ๋ย is a drug addict, currently on medication for psychosis (if she doesn’t take them, she just wanders off endlessly), and she has no teeth. She was very difficult to decipher but also brought a lot of comic relief. She was obsessed with Wes and my chubby arms. She called Dune crazy. When asked by Pastor Celebrate, what the difference between Dune’s crazy and her psychosis was, she answered, “I’m under treatment”.
Pastor Celebrate tried to share with granny about the good news of Jesus. She says she wants it but she keeps getting distracted by Wes’s good looks or sleepiness because she nodded off once. ยายตุ๋ย’s drug addiction came as a result of working in a chicken slaughterhouse. The people in charge would give medicine to help workers work harder and longer. This is the second time I’ve heard this this week and it breaks my heart. Our staff worker’s brother got addicted to drugs when he was working to cut down sugar cane as a teenager.
Pastor Celebrate invited us to share our stories with them on how we knew God. I had shared that when I was born, I was illegal in China because I was the third daughter and my mom wanted me drowned. And it could only have been the grace of God that I am still here today. Dune started crying and she looked so embarrassed to be crying. It angers me so much that Buddhism teaches people to despise the emotions that make them human. As we were leaving, Pastor Celebrate later shared that today Dune was easier to understand than the last time because she didn’t talk about the visions she has had.
As we left Pastor Celebrate’s church, Wes and I both felt so overwhelmed by the needs of this family. When we came back to our town and I see my motley crew of kids entering the office: a boy addicted to gaming, 2 know-it-all girls, 2 boys with LD and a boy who just moved here from Laos, I felt so relieved. I just want to hold them and not let them grow up because I’m afraid of what their society has for them.
This morning I am encouraged by a verse that came to mind as I thought about all that Dune’s family needed: food, shelter, security, a psychologist, a doctor, a drug rehab specialist, the list can go on. It dawned on me that what I was desiring for them is the church. And Jesus promised that He will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail.
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The Shack
April 26, 2020 by Lisa in Reports
"The shack" is close to the main road in Sahatsakan, just a km from the dinosaur park. The streets are clean and lined with solar powered street lamps. You can enter the shack through a small dirt road. Pastor Celebrate told us later that he had to machete his truck through yesterday in order to bring a new door for the house.
When Dew and I arrived, we were 30 minutes ahead of our scheduled appointment with Pastor Celebrate but he told us that we can go visit with her first. She came to the door with knitted brows when Dew called out, “มีใครอยู่บ่” ("Is anyone home?")
When we introduced ourselves as friends of Pastor Celebrate, she smiled showing a pleasant face. Dew invited herself inside and looked around examining all that she had and lacked. Then told her to quit smoking. Dune said she’s stressed. Finally, Dew concluded that she is only lacking a mosquito net. We then brought in the bags of clothes, plastic dishes, sticky rice and mosquito net that we had prepared for her.
I asked her if we should put up the net but she said she will do it by herself, tying her waist length hair up as she spoke. Dew informed her that I’m a foreign teacher, “she’s not Thai.” Dune gave me a smile and said, “she speaks Thai so clearly.” Obviously not clear enough because she had trouble understanding me twice to which Dew concluded to be the problem of my accent.
I asked her how old she was. She said she was born in 2531 (Buddhist year), making her 31/32 now. We asked how old her kids were and her two older boys are in P4 and P2 while her youngest daughter is in kindergarten. This is the village where she grew up. The father of her kids is from Korat but she is no longer with him. Instead she has a new husband in her own village. But he does not treat her kids well so she left his house and moved into a shack at the edge of the village which once belonged to a blind grandmother. However, she has allowed him to visit when the kids are at school.
I also asked her if she can grow vegetables and she smiled and said yes. Dew asked, “where are you going to get water for gardening?” Surely, water would be cheaper than having to buy food. There’s also a dam less than half a kilometer away. Dew thinks that cutting down some of the surrounding forest to build a daybed outside would be a better use of Wes’s time (assuming that Wes would be building a wicking bed). At the very least, she wouldn’t have to be stuck in her house being depressed.
We took a look outside to where her water was kept in two large clay urns. There wasn’t much water left in there. When we asked how she gets the water out, she pretended to jump. Her bathroom was only half finished meaning the squatty potty is only half covered by a 3 walls. Dew complained about having no place to sit when Dune got a tarp from her house to put on the ground. She then closed the opening of the bathroom with a makeshift tarped wall so we didn’t have to look at it as we sat outside.
Dew asked questions about how she makes a living to where she gets her food and water. She answered them as politely as possible but when Dew asked about clothes for her kids to go to school (inquiring whether she has bought them uniforms) she cried and went back into her house.
While she was crying inside, I whispered to Dew that maybe she is asking too many questions but Dew replied that this is the only way we’ll know how to help her. Dune is not working and she attributes it to her health but also because she has never had to work before, having a husband to take care of her. She believes she has Hep B but is unwilling to go get diagnose because she is afraid. Her kids go eat the leftovers from the monks at the temple and bring her some. Some days she said she would have her kids beg in the village for money.
Fortunately, Pastor Celebrate and his wife arrived not long after she went back home crying. Pastor Celebrate explained that the day he saw someone living in this shack he had been praying to God, asking God to show him what the next steps of his ministry should be, and he felt like Dune was God’s way of answering him. Pastor Celebrate knew that nobody should be living in the shack because the blind grandma that lives here is in the hospital and has not been here for years.
As he walked up the dirt path to the shack, a little girl ran up to him and asked, “Grandpa, who are you looking for? The old grandma who lives here is dead.” He then met Dune and heard her story. He encouraged her to continue living here until the grandma comes and kicks her out (which he doesn’t think will happen). Dune said that she had asked around and the people in the village thought it’d be ok for her to stay here too. Since then, Pastor Celebrate has brought in a door for her, as well as rice and water. Christian brothers and sisters have also brought in clothing for them by hearing about this on Pastor Celebrate’s facebook page.
Dune says that when people come visit, she is shy, doesn't want to impose on people and doesn’t have much to say. She also turned down Pastor Celebrate’s offer to enroll the kids in a boarding school program in another province where her kids would go to school and live in a home but the parents would live somewhere else while the foundation would help them find jobs. We do not know why she turned it down. She did not share any of her thoughts. Pastor Celebrate was also kind enough not to ask.
Before we left, I gave some money to Pastor Celebrate to help find someone to fill up their water urns and anything else they may need. Pastor Celebrate also told us that the village head had requested that people visit them once in a while so that they will learn to live on their own and not on the charity of others.
While Dew and I were driving back, she asked me if I smelled urine in the house and I said no. I have a terrible sense of smell (which is great for house visitation work). She was not amused by my comment. While Dew is a little aggressive for my taste in the way she “helps”, she really does have a heart to provide for this lady. She wants to go back tomorrow to bring her a steamer basket for the sticky rice that she has given because she realized that she didn’t have one. I told her that we must respect the village head’s wishes and probably wait at least a week. They have already lived in that shack for over a month without a door, they could probably wait on a steamer basket.
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