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Blog posts : "Stories Stories_archive"

New initiatives

  • BraceLove 

In 2016, friends of Sarnelli House, Weena and Khun B Plus, had an idea. Both had been to Nongkhai on numerous occasions to help the children of Sarnelli House. They invited Khun Rudee, one of Thailand’s top modern jewellery de…

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Chocolates in heaven

A spiritual reflection from one of our recent volunteers

I was awakened in my room by the tolling of the Don Wai Village church bell around four in the morning. It was a sign that someone from the village had recently died. Indeed, I received …

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Outreach construction projects

In 2017 the Outreach program, which runs the milk project, the school scholarship project and the food delivery project, also repaired and constructed dwellings for underprivileged people. One such repair job was for a grandmother and her 13 year…

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The Viengkhuk problem

In April of 1999, Fr. Mike had taken in three orphaned children, but where to put them? A local lady who had been cleaning his house and doing his laundry, asked him if he would like to buy her little wooden house for 80,000 baht (about $2,750). …

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December farm update

Work continues on the farm, with the hay now baled for the cattle herd and the new land on the 12 rai plot being cleared to create fruit gardens. The older boys show the younger teenagers how to clear and fertilise the land, just as they were sho…

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Maths camp

Sarnelli House is spending a lot of time (and money!) on the education of our children. By and large, the grades are creeping upwards as the children get more support from house mothers and volunteers and more encouragement from Brother Keng and …

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Latest rice news...

The rice is all nearly harvested by now. There will be one final day out in the fields for the staff and the older children. Once the rice is taken in, there are many steps before it reaches the kitchens of the houses. 

The ri…

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The rice harvesting has begun!

After what seemed like endless rain, the wind has turned and the temperature has gradually, but noticeably, inched downwards. The roads have slowly dried out over the last few weeks and most importantly, the rice stalks have begun to droop and ha…

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Sports day

The holidays have come to an end and the children have by now all returned to their kindergarten, grade school, high schools or vocational colleges. Before the new term began, Sarnelli House held a sports day for all of the children. Each child w…

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Another busy weekend!

The holidays are entering their final week and the activities continue here in Don Wai village. Saturday was a typically busy and fun day for the children of Sarnelli House. The previous week had seen lots and lots of badminton being played as each…

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Some photos from this year's Cebo Ride

Some images from this year's Cebo Ride, which took place in July. The riders dealt with some awful weather and we are enormously grateful for their persistence, generosity and spirit. The money raised by all riders and their friends is very impor…

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A visit from an old friend

Fr. Leo Travis C.Ss.R came for a visit from Bangkok with his brother and friend from the USA in September. Fr Travis lives and works at Ruam Rudee International School in Bangkok, a school run by the Redemptorist Fathers of Thailand. He has been …

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A new mural for Sarnelli House

It's the start of the school holidays and a mural has been completed already. Thanks to the artistic talent of Br. Wing, from the Philippines, who painstakingly designed the mural and received lots of help from the kids and volunteers who coloure…

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Farewell Lara

Goodbye Lara !

Our long term volunteer from APO Germany (www.apo-tackenberg.de), left us in July to go back to the world and start her new life as a university student. APO has been supporting Sarnelli House and Fr Mike from the beginning of S…

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Rice Planting 2017

It is now August and the rice has been planted successfully for another year. The teenagers were out every weekend on Saturday planting from morning until afternoon over a 6 week period. Lunch was bought in to the fields – sticky rice, fried chic…

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Early Childhood Development Volunteers

Thanks to our great volunteers from France who came to do their 10 week internship at House of Hope this year. This was the first time we had a contracted agreement to take students studying an early childhood degree come to Sarnelli House for th…

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Christmas bazaar at Gersheim Comprehensive School Germany


Angels & Co

This year we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our famous and very popular Christmas bazaar. Ten years ago this day was established to raise money for Sarnelli House, because word had reached our ears that Father Mike Shea needed mo…

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Rice Harvesting

Up in the North East of Thailand despite the rainy season arriving late and causing a significant  reduction in rice planting this year, most of the fields that were planted have  turned from lush emerald green to golden brown and the rice is rip…

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Keeping the Teeth Clean

In the school holidays this October, four volunteers bravely faced the Sarnelli House kids at 6.30 am, armed with their toothbrushes and toothpaste and new tooth brush and toothpaste sets for the children. The plan was to check out how the kids c…

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Hiew

Hiew is a 15 year old boy who was previously living with his mother and occasionally staying with a friend in Khon Kaen when he had to visit his doctor. Hiew’s father died of AIDS and his mother and Hiew are living with HIV/AIDS. About 1 year ago…

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20 blog posts