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June 2016

Many things have been going on at Sarnelli House. After ten weeks of holidays, the children returned to school in the middle of May. We have 156 children at the moment and only 11 of them stay home because they are too small to go to school.  So organising the school week is a big task and the house mothers do great work in making sure everything is in order. We are going to take two more children. One of them is a 8 month old boy born from a young mother with HIV. Her boyfriend left her. She has another 14 year old daughter with HIV, and she would like to find work in Khonkaen. She wants us to take care of the baby for one year so that she can find a job and settle herself and her daughter. She promises to come and take the baby back when she can. Right now the baby is still sick. We asked her to take care of him until he is healthy and then we will take him in. The mother is only 32 years old. I hope she can get what she wishes with her job and her future. Another boy is 14 years old. He has recently lost both father and mother. No relatives would take care of him. The Welfare department of Nongkhai asked us to be his guardian and support his expenses. We are happy to help him. He has been sent to study at the Ratchapracha School in Pon Pi Sai, and will stay there. He will come and stay with us during school breaks. We have not seen him yet but will meet him in October when school closes.

Everyone is healthy. Besides studying we have some activities for the children on the weekends. Some older girls are training in our bakery. Some of the children are learning music. We have Sr Dominic, an Infant Jesus sister, from Khonkaen to help out with the bakery and music once a month. I take the boys and younger girls to play football and badminton. They love the games and it keeps them fit and healthy.

It is approaching rice planting season. We have planted the baby rice already, and will start planting properly in two weeks’ time. All the kids will help out on the weekends and the staff, including house mothers and office staff, will do it almost every day. There are very committed to the Sarnelli House cause. It is hard work but very important. We have enough land that we can produce rice to feed all the children all year round, as long as nature is kind to us.

Fr Mike Shea is visiting USA to do some fundraising and visit his relatives and donors for two months. We keep praying for him and for him to find good donations to support the children. He will come back on July 28. While he is home, Fr Mike will attend this year’s Ceboride - an annual cycle in Wisconsin to raise money for Sarnelli House. All of the children and staff are aware of this event and we pray for all riders, donors and organisers. We have Fr Anuwat Asairat (Fr Kee) to help us at Sarnelli House and with parish work. This is a big help because Fr Mike and I are taking care of the orphanage and 4 parishes. He has been here for 2 months now and doing a great job.

Thank you very much once again for all of your generous support. I ask the children to pray for their benefactors every Saturday mass. May God bless and protect all of you and your loved ones! 

Fr Ole

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