A Word from the President

Hello everyone,

This is a much awaited for update. Faa has struggled to finish it. Every time she came to the part having to do with her dad's passing, she broke down and couldn't continue. I told her to take her time and I would just pray. As you will see, though long, this is a heartfelt update. Faa has been through so much in the last couple of months, but I am encouraged that she is as strong as ever in her commitment to continue rescuing at risk children in SE Asia for the glory of God. As you will see below, tangible results are already being clearly observed as a result of the G.R.O.W. ministry in Thailand. We praise God for that. 

But we are daring to dream more and ask God for more. Our ministry is growing and some of us believe it is time for us to expand into Cambodia. Please pray for our Board to have wisdom to know how to proceed and to be guided by the Lord in all of our decisions.

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and investment in the lives of these little ones for whom we have become their earthly saviors. But most of all, thank you that it is because of you that we can introduce them to the REAL SAVIOR who died for their souls and lives again to give them hope.

I can't wait to see what God has in store for us next.

For the least of these,

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

G.R.O.W. President

Greetings from Faa

Dear Friends,

This is time for my update!! Since January my last update....I can't wait to tell you what and how God is working on with all my children and my life as we are learning and growing each day.

I have been having a great time with my children in the new home and we all love to be together. We pray for you and I am doing my best to take good care of them and to live and grow in life by knowing about Christ each day. We thank our Lord for His love and mercy to us. Our Lord is with us in every situation, even difficult situations, He always beside to comfort and lead His work.

The Children of G.R.O.W. Thailand

When I told my children that the Wooster Grace Team will be coming to Thailand and Cambodia, they got so excited and pray every night for safe trip because they heard about the weather (hard snow) on radio in the truck in the morning when I took them to school. Every morning they kept asking about how many airlines will be in Chiang Mai international airport and if one would bring the Wooster Grace Team to us.

In This Issue

Greetings from Faa

Tang's Miracle

School Break

Swing Set and Bicycles Can Change Kid's Personal Life

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Tang's Miracle

One of my children, Tang, she has a pure heart to pray to God everyday specially about her mother because she has had many problems in her life and she is not 100% in her thinking. She also was drinking a lot of alcohol. Her father not in Thailand and Tang knows how much her mother scared and feels lonely to take care of four children by herself.

The impact of this little girl's life is being felt in the whole village. They are trusting in God and are very proud of Tang's mother became change by the prayers and I believe in the life change of many through prayers. This experience has also reminded us that only God can change our heart and give us healing in His time. Now Tang's mother no longer sad and scared about everything in her life like she was before and had been for many years until she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. This is just what I have always dreamed God would do through our ministry. "Change a child, change a village, change the whole world."

School Break

My children were in the village for a week during school break. I really missed them when they gone and I am crying because I missed them so much.  I believe strongly that the foundation of family relationship is very important and I can see how God is working in my children's lives and their parents are relating to each other better and are learning how to take care of each other and their children.  

Trip to Cambodia

My trip to Cambodia in February was such a blessing by the love of sisters and brothers from Cambodia and the kids from Grace Place, Battambang. This was my second trip to Cambodia. I actually afraid to go because of the problem between Thailand and Cambodia at the border, but God is always good and I prayed and asked Him to help me to be strong in my heart. I had very good time learning more about the opportunities to rescue more children who are at risk. I learned more about the situation of the children who are living on the streets and have no food. All the stories made my heart brake and

I can see and feel the long hungry night that they wish would pass so fast so they can see the sunshine of a new day.

I pray to God that we can start new home in Cambodia by the name G.R.O.W. Cambodia it is hard to explain in writing what God has put in my heart and how He called me to do this work because my English not good, but I am doing the best I can. Words are not enough for me to express the deep love I feel for God and this work, but I know I cannot do by myself and I love to ask God by praying to Him. In the same way I would like to ask you to pray with me together for the possibility of rescuing more children in Cambodia. We have a wonderful family we have contacted and interacted with already who would be ready to start when we are ready but we need wisdom, resources and protection. Please pray with us!

Wooster Grace Team

This team always in my heart and became our super hero and my family. I have been welcomed and joined with many mission teams and all teams have been doing great things but this Team I don't like because I love it! For about two years now I have known and seen the mission trips from Wooster Grace Team. They work hard and have strong plans. This team is very busy every day, and is easy going, they love to help and love to eat any foods. I was so proud of this team - they ate rice every meal in Asia; it is not the same from where they from. This team did several projects in and around the G.R.O.W. house and we are very thankful.

I see how much God is using the Wooster Grace mission trips to bless us in Cambodia and Thailand. And they not only care for the children, they also care for each staff member.  (My dad used to tell me that if would like to see the children be good and good heath, have to take good care of father first because when the father is in good health he can take good care of his own children and everyone will be well enough).  This is very good thing to keep doing and I am so impressed and appreciate what this team has done so much.

I am much honored I can be around with Wooster Grace Team. Thank you very much for giving me opportunities to learn and grow by your love and mercy to the little person like me. The Wooster Grace Team I can call you that you are my family # 2 for my life J.

Swing Set and Bicycles can change kid's personal life 

What Amazing gifts for children someone provided to us. The first day all my children saw the swing set in G.R.O.W. home, they were so excited they sang songs and prayed to God. One of my children prayed to God. She said, "God, you are so far away from me and us, I never see how you look like but Pii Faa said God is big and living everywhere including in my heart; now I know that you so big because I see swing set very big and I am ready to play, Thank you very much Jesus!!" The children went directly to playground and forgot about eating, sleeping and doing school work. I let them play until had to bring them inside. They came but worried. They asked me if the stuff was still going to be there when they woke up the next day. Not strange question for children who have lost so much already and have so many things people have taken from them. This made me cry...

All my children are so happy to having the bicycle that was provided by gifts from people in U.S. This is the first time they each had their own bikes and all my children so excited about it. One of my older girls she said, "I never have my own gift anything until today and I am 10 years old." I am so happy for her. This girl totally hard life and I have to work hard with her more than other children, but when she got the pink bike, her personality became changed totally and it is all for good. Watching how happy my children were made me realize how much I love them and am so happy to have even a little part of their lives. I can't wait to see them growup and be used by God to lead others and teach others about God and Christ.

New Children to G.R.O .W. Home in Thailand

God led and answered our prayers by bringing us two new girls who have long stories all about sadness, the type no one ever would wish to have in their lives. One of my new girls, she is six years old, she was a street child roaming through Chiang Mai, trying to find food wherever she could. She was also the victim of the worst form of abuse twice already in her short life. I cannot go into details here to protect her integrity and future. The other girl is 8 and she came from a village in the high mountains, out of a family who works as indentured slaves to another tribe. She was recommended by a pastor in a local church there. 

Each year many children need help but for me I can bring to G.R.O.W. home just two for each time because of klimited resources and also because of the situation the children got into is so sad and devastating. All my children have needs that are specific and require special attention. Street children are a special case. To care for one street child is like caring for 10 "normal" children. Their background, their family situation, and all the stuff they have been through, the horror stories, the broken hearts, the souls destroyed, so much to worry about, so many demands on us who care for them. Street children in Thailand are like discarded trash, nobody cares, but thank God He cares and we care too.

All my children very happy to have two new girls in the G.R.O.W. home and by God's grace we have trained our children well so that they relate to each other in beautiful way. They help each other like brothers and sisters and they love having the new girls in the home. We are very serious in preparing them for this situation. Our house is a house of love but it is also organized, with order and schedule. We are preparing them for future, with God's helps

We need your prayers so we can love and help them. This is not easy for my staff and me but this is not difficult for our LORD because through Him all things will be possible.

My Dad's Passing

How difficult this time is for my family members. My father passed on March 8, 2011 and we all in the sadness time. Before my father passed I had a been very good time with him to talk and share about so many things. I never talked to him every day on the phone like I did this time. Each time I called my father he ended the conversation by saying, "Thank you very much; don't worry for your dad you have to do what God calling you to do first."

I spent time alone with my dad in the hospital when the Wooster Grace team was in Grace Place, Thailand, a home sponsored by Wooster Grace in Wiang Pa Pao, northern Thailand. I talked to Pastor Ivanildo about this and I drove by myself to the hospital where my dad was and got to spend a few precious hours with him. I was so happy I was able to see him. I had prayed to God asking him to allow me to spend time alone with my dad and somehow my step mother needed to go back to the village and I visited him during the same time she was not there. I talked to him and really opened my heart about so many things. My dad said since he got very sick he cannot have food much, and food in the hospital really different from the mountain. I was with my dad for his lunch time and the doctor and the nurse said, "Your dad in the last situation; the medicine can't help at all." I am just standing there in the wing. I understood what the doctor said and I knew I had to prepare my heart for what was coming. 

 We moved my dad to a different hospital. The hospital had hundreds of people in the same room. There you can see everything, smell of the medicine, blood, everything. This hospital reminded me of when I was a little girl when my mom used to go there. When Pastor Ivanildo, my kids, my sister and I went to see my dad again, he was totally different from when I had met him at the other hospital. My dad wanted to go back home that day. My stepmother and my older sister said, "He was waiting only for Faa to come and talk to the doctor for leaving and in the last time in this world he would like to hold Faa's hand." Next morning I went to the hospital, I met a doctor but he didn't release my dad to go back to the village. Finally, in the next day, I had a dream about my dad and I got a phone call from my brother and he told me that my dad passed away. Both my brother and my stepmother told me that in the last minute my dad asked about me and called my name. This is so special for me.

One of the most beautiful memories I treasure of my dad's passing is a song that a pastor wrote to honor my dad. Now the whole village where my dad lived sings it every night. The song says (translated from the Akha language):

"My last day on this earth

I'm going to the heaven

the place our Father provides

In this world where I live

There is too much pain and suffering in my life

But in heaven there is no more pain and suffering

In the place of God's kingdom

I will live peacefully and enjoy life

I will be joined with Jesus Christ

All the suffering will be gone

And everything will be bliss, inside God's arms

In His Kingdom there will be no more pain

And no one will suffer anymore

No more tears and no more troubles in the everlasting life

I will be with the King Jesus

Hallelujah, glory to Him!"

When I am weak from sorrow from not having my dad, I think of this song and this gives me comfort. Praise God He is with Jesus. Please pray for us!

Prayers Requests:

 1.     Pray for two of my new children (girls) everything new for them. Pray for the physical, emotional and spiritual health of my two new girls will get better.

 3.     Pray for the process to register the G.R.O.W. as a foundation in Thailand.

 4.     Pray for funds to buy a property for G.R.O.W. in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We have identified a piece of propery that would be idela for us. We need   about  $266,666 USA for 12 rai (The Thai equivalent of Hectare; one rai is a little over 4 acres). 

 5.     Pray for the board of G.R.O.W. We need wisdom from God to make good decisions.

 6.     Pray for my trip to USA in this year, hopefully in June.

 7.     Pray for my family members and me as we deal with the grief from losing my father.

We are all praying for you and we believe you pray for us too. Please visit our website at www.grow-worldwide.com for more info. We do appreciate your prayers and investment in our ministry.

For the sake of the Children,

Faa