Relevant -- Thank you for your prayerful and financial support of Safe Haven Orphanage! God is truly using your sacrificial generosity and prayers to make a huge impact in the lives of the children and staff at Safe Haven…and beyond! Check out this month’s update…

March Trip Recap

Last month, a team of 5 from Relevant – Debi Jaeke, Laura Malsam, Natalie Meeske, Kristin Nelson, and I – had the awesome opportunity to visit the Safe Haven Orphanage! On previous trips, Tasanee had shared with us her and the children’s desire for additional English lessons, beyond what the kids have in school. God provided an awesome team of skilled educators to be a part of this trip, who willingly used their spring breaks to travel to the Thai/Burma border!

Team with Tasanee (Left to right: Kristin, Debi, Laura, Kelly, Natalie)

Throughout the week we were there, we were able to teach the kids English and provide English learning resources - illustrated Thai-to-English word books, flashcards for numbers, letters, and colors, books on CD, and even a CD/Bluetooth stereo system - that the children and staff at Safe Haven will be able to use in the months and years to come to continue their learning. The children were eager to learn! We had a blast teaching and singing songs, including the days of the weeks, months of the years, and colors, and the kids’ attention was glued to us throughout our lesson times. It was so neat to see the children sharing what they learned with one another and watch the older children teach the younger ones.

Below are some pictures from our time teaching...

One special moment for me occurred on the last day we were at Safe Haven. I went to the “school room” to organize some supplies after we had finished lessons for the day, expecting no one to be there. Instead, I found a group of young boys playing one of the English learning games together, reviewing what we’d taught them, speaking in English to each other, and the older ones in the bunch teaching the younger ones. This moment showed me how God multiplies our efforts…we shared knowledge and skills He has given us and the kids used their newfound knowledge to pass it on and equip their brothers and sisters. What a neat opportunity to see some of the early fruits of our efforts, as described in John 15:16, play out! “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

Some of the boys playing an English game on their own!!

Looking back on this trip, my third to Safe Haven, it’s so exciting and awe-inspiring to see what a beautiful relationship God has created between Relevant Community Church and Safe Haven Orphanage. By doing our part to care for orphans and widows through monthly financial support of Safe Haven, God is tangibly and very evidently at work at Safe Haven and the Thai/Burma border. Prior to Relevant’s support of Safe Haven, the orphanage’s budget was very tight and providing even for the basic needs of the children, such as food, clothing, shelter, necessary medical care, and educational opportunities, was difficult. The quality of life at Safe Haven is so much better now! Safe Haven’s overall infrastructure is improved, visible in the updated buildings, stable energy, a new stage, and new drinking water tanks, and they’re able to access and afford medical care when the kids and staff need it. And most importantly, the children, who once were merely fighting to survive, have begun to DREAM of what "could be”…of their future. You have played a huge part in making these things possible…thank you for financial generosity and prayers for the Safe Haven Orphanage over the years!! We had the privilege of attending this young lady's 6th grade graduation. She'll be moving on to middle school (grades 7-9) at the local village school next year! Congratulations, graduate!

A Note from Tasanee We also received this note from Tasanee that we wanted to pass along to you…

Dear Relevant Community Church,

I would like to thank you for sending another team to Safe Haven to take care of and support the Safe Haven Orphanage.

Relevant Community Church has faithfully brought teams to Safe Haven year after year and given support to the children. Your lovely care, donations, and support helps Safe Haven Orphanage children and provides for improvements with our buildings, and it also allows us to help out other children who need help with urgent and basic needs. Over the years, we have received your support and Relevant Community Church is now helping beyond the orphanage, enabling us to reach out to the children and families who need help in our community as well.

Thanks to your support, I am able to raise all the children in the orphanage with confidence that they are receiving nutritional food, care, and proper school education now and in the future. Your support helps ensure that all the children grow up strong, healthy, and well-prepared for their futures.

We are very grateful that we can work together with Relevant Community Church to take care not only of the children living at Safe Haven Orphanage, but also children in our neighboring community. We look forward to working together with Relevant for many years to meet the needs of children at Safe Haven and our local community for many more years to come. Your support helps the children under my care at Safe Haven, as well as children outside the orphanage who need help as well. This makes me very happy, and I hope it makes you happy to know that your support helps so many people.

I know that you love me and the children so much. “Beloved, if God loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4:11)

May God bless you and guide you all.

Warm regards,Tasanee Keereepraneed

Prayer Requests

Pray for…

The children at Safe Haven…for their health, safety, protection, growth, futures, and that each child will put their faith in Jesus and grow in relationship with Him. For a refreshing “summer break” (late March-May), that they may enjoy time being together, and that God will keep them healthy in this very hot season in Thailand.
Tasanee…for God’s protection over her and provision for her each day as she cares for all of the kids and carries the leadership responsibilities of directing the orphanage.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)