Project Report
| Apr 3, 2024
Helping Strengthen Families Before They Fracture
By Jen Dao | Strategic Development & Foreign Partnerships Crd.
“Priscilla” , one of our nursery students, has young adult parents who have endured significant struggles; neither received warmth or encouragement as children. Both were raised by grandparents and other relatives rather than by their own parents. Both had a deep desire to build a strong, warm family. Soon after their younger son, “James”, was born, they gave him to his grandmother to raise in another Thai province. Soon after James’s first birthday, he returned home and began coming to HOS’s nursery, where our Joy, one of our teachers, began caring for him. Joy grew in love for James and his whole family. About a month later, James’s father was involved in an extramarital affair which caused significant marital conflict. The couple considered divorce. James’s mother shared her pain and struggles with Joy and our other nursery staff. We began praying for reconciliation between the parents. James was sent back to live with his grandmother as a result of these family difficulties.
Just before our Christmas outreach, we received the wonderful news that Priscilla and James’s parents had reconciled and are living together again. James has returned to living with his family as well,and is a regular student at our nursery. It has been a tremendous joy and blessing to our team to see God’s healing, redemptive work in this sweet family.
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Dec 13, 2023
Single mother Fran transitioned to the community
By Susan Staples | Women's trainer and reporting coordinator
![Fran and her children]()
Fran and her children
Fran had lived at Home of the Swallow for almost 2 years. She just transitioned from HOS back into the community last month. She and her two children first came to HOS because her husband was addicted to drugs and was threatening to kill both her and the two children. Over the time that Fran has lived here, she’s grown in many different areas. Her first few months here were spent recovering from trauma and spending time with her son, aged 2 and daughter, aged 4.
Over the time that Fran has lived here at HOS, she’s grown in many different areas. She says that she's not the same person that she was when she first came here. She has experienced a lot of healing over the time that she's been here. She's also now able to deal with the needs of her children rather than simply focusing on her own needs. She's matured a lot and has learned how to better deal with her emotions. Fran says she’s proud of herself for coming to this point in her life without giving up and for being able to take care of herself and her children - a far cry from where she was when she came to HOS.
Throughout the time she’s been at HOS, she’s taken sewing lessons and is now able to teach other women. She works part time teaching sewing at another NGO here in Chiang Mai. She now has a full time job working as a security guard at a local Thai company Her children still attend the nursery at HOS, and we are here to help her in any way we can.
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Aug 24, 2023
Walking side by side with vulnerable women
By Susan Staples | Women's trainer and reporting coordinator
![Eileen and her daughter]()
Eileen and her daughter
When Eileen* first came to us two years ago she was pregnant, scared and alone. She was young and uneducated and had no way of supporting herself or her unborn baby, so her goal was to give birth, then leave the baby in a government run orphanage and move to Bangkok to find a job.
As Eileen lived in the community of the Home of the Swallow women and staff, she heard for the first time that God loves her and has a wonderful future and hope for her. As the months progressed and she grew in her faith, Eileen also grew in practical parenting skills that she had never been taught or seen modeled. Slowly, she began to consider that perhaps she really could be a mother and raise her baby.
But her story, like so many of the women that come to HOS, has many twists and turns. As the time to give birth drew near, fear of being a single parent and the immense task of parenting overpowered Eileen and she decided to give the baby up to the children’s home. Then she changed her mind again. Over several months, Eileen changed her mind many times, but through it all, our HOS staff continued to love her, encourage her and support her however we could.
In the end, Eileen has decided to keep her daughter and has successfully transitioned back into the community! The power of the Gospel and the love of Christian community have made it possible for women like Eileen to break strongholds of fear and sin that have gripped them for a lifetime.
*Name changed to protect her identity.
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