Letter from Thailand - 1st March 2005

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When we left England for Thailand on the 30th October last year we could not have imagined what lay ahead of us. In some respects we are grateful that we decided to spend Christmas and New Year travelling along the East coast of Australia, but regret that we were not at hand to assist, not only our friends but also the numerous tourists that where on holiday when the disastrous tsunami struck on the 26th December 2004.

Our neighbour here in Thai Muang, Doctor Pamorn, (nick-name - Ta), gave his account quite graphically of those he assisted and treated in the local 30 bed hospital. It was so terribly shocking. It would appear that as he was the only Doctor who could speak a little English he was obviously in great demand, trying to ascertain the injuries that the people had suffered. This is one reason why we feel we should have been around, if only to assist in comforting the English speaking tourists that were victims of the tsunami. One thing now that will probably happen is that we will be invited to have informal chats (in English, I hasten to add, as our Thai is still very, very mediocre) with the Doctors and nurses at Thai Muang hospital in order to give the staff more confidence in speaking and understanding English. Many Thai people have been taught English during their time at school and university, but as they don't use it, especially within a non-tourist area such as Thai Muang, they quickly forget. So we are anxiously looking forward to hearing when our first get-together will be. We will keep you posted.

As you are already aware, Phuket Christian Centre, the church we attend here in Thailand, has been at the centre of helping the relief of people, not only on Phuket Island but also in the neighbouring province, Phang Nga where we live. Whilst Phuket was badly affected by the tsunami, much greater damage and loss of life occurred in Phang Nga, namely Khao Lak, a major tourist area and also Ban Learn Kern which is a local fishing community. Another devastated area was the Golden Buddha Island in which 50% of the island was totally flattened. Pastor Brian and Pastor Nok together with others from the church visited this island and even though it was a day after the tsunami there were still no crabs on the beach or birds in the sky. Those that survived belong to a tribe known as the Morgan Tribe, many of whom could not sleep after the event due to nightmares and a strong fear of what had happened. Apparently their Buddhist monk had told them that the tsunami came because of their sin. Pastor Brian managed to speak to these people and on that very day 80 Morgan tribes' people became Christians!!! Many also attend church in Phuket, but as this is a 2 hour car ride, not to mention the ferry crossing, it has now been agreed to build a church on the island!

We would at this stage thank all who contributed to the fund raising, which has been received with much delight by the members of the Phuket Christian Centre. Thank you all so very, very much. The first project is to rebuild a Primary School in Kamala, Phuket which was totally destroyed. The estimated cost to rebuild this school, not just rebuild like for like, but to provide them with a modern and well equipped school is 18 million Baht, approximately 257,000 Pounds. As of last Sunday we were informed that 15 million Baht was already available and in the bank, with a further 4.2 million Baht being sent from the U.K. next week. So the school is certainly going to be built.

Another project is to build an orphanage in Tukuapa, Phang Nga, which is around an hour's drive away from us in the opposite direction from Phuket. Negotiations are ongoing regarding the purchase of the land, and we feel confident that the Government of Thailand will assist in seeing this project through to fruition.

It has been truly amazing the work that has occurred since the 26th December, and we feel certain that this event has brought the World and its people to a great understanding for one another.

On a lighter note, we have always many little jobs to do around the house and garden and this year we decided to complete the steps that lead down from the terrace to the lawn. A good Thai friend of ours, who is married to the daughter of our nearest hardware shop, has helped us by organising all the materials from their shop together with the necessary labour to execute the works. To our surprise, on the first day, one young man arrived along with one young girl. It transpired that they were brother and sister from Burma. They are part of a crew that are working to construct a new building in the town for the owner of our nearest hardware shop. To end a long story short, the d id a brilliant job, worked so hard in the burning heat, and during their time with us we managed to take a few photographs of them at work and at rest. These photos we printed off for them and we were able to give them a copy when they finished their work. As you can imagine, they were so delighted at seeing themselves in the photo, and we feel sure that they will treasure them for some time to come.

It was quite amazing to have young women labouring, the first girl was only 15 years of age, and during the 6 days of work, the wife of the young lad (20 years old) also came to help. They are all so small and slim but can lift such heavy weights and work all day in such high temperatures. The man that organised this for us is named ` Geit Thai', probably spelt quite incorrectly, but you know what we mean. Anyway, he had his birthday on the 1st March, and when we asked him whether he was going to have a party, he replied No, I telephoned my mother to say 'thank you for making me born'. What a different outlook they have upon life! When we asked whether he received any presents he replied `I received a telephone call from my sister and from a friend to wish me happy birthday - that enough'. Once again it's wonderful to be brought down to earth at times like this. We have been very privileged to be able to help in some small way those that we love and know here in Thailand. One close friend whom we have known for 7 years, who used to live in Thai Muang (his mother still does) but for the past 6 years lived in Khao Lak, running a restaurant directly on the beach has suffered greatly. Mr Dang, lost his wife in the tsunami along with his nephew. One of his daughters also badly broke her leg. It's been so hard for this young man, and this is just one example of the many that we could recall that have suffered so dreadfully. But on a more cheerful note, Mr Dang is resolute in rebuilding his restaurant, commencing in April and being open in time for the next high season in November. We wish him and his wonderful family every success, they deserve it. Let's trust that the tourists, that they depend heavily upon for the livelihood, return at the end of this year to support these wonderful people.

This time away from you all has been so different for the past times for obvious reasons. The culture here is so very different and even now, particularly amongst the Chinese element of the Thai people, they find it very difficult to come to terms with what has past. They regrettably are very spiritual, not in the way Christians are, but have a great fear ghosts and find it hard to come to terms with reality and natural phenomena. It's a good job we have our Pastor Brian and Pastor Nok together with all the other Pastors and helpers to try and make a change to the inbred beliefs that are so very hard to change. There is so much to recall during our time out here from November through to April, and hopefully we will be able to share our times with you all upon our return, which this year will be slightly earlier than usual, being the 13th April.

Thank you all once again for the most generous donation you kindly sent to our church here in Thailand. We can assure you that 100% of all moneys sent is directly reaching those in need.

We look forward to seeing you all again towards the end of April. Keep warm and well.

God bless.

Dezree & Peter.

This article first appeared in the Ramsden Bellhouse Baptist Church Review - Spring 2005 Edition.