June 2020
June starts out as another miserable month, when everyone is suffering from the coronavirus; whether they are sick, have lost jobs and lack help for food and rent. So far, 8 of our children have returned; two of them are quite ill with TB. Both of them, one boy and one girl, are hospitalized. When they left us, they stopped taking their ARVs (AIDS blocking pills) and this is the result. The new TB medicine is expensive, too.
I am quite proud of the kids though. The boys are working hard on the farm while the girls tend to the little ones; sew and work in the big vegetable garden. All the kids who returned from the University or work programs had to be quarantined for 2 weeks. The University doctors in Khon Kaen still insist I stay in quarantine, but I do get out to check on repair and construction projects. I hurt my back exercising and I had to go to physical therapy for a couple weeks. It was nice to get out and see other people!
One of the kids returning is a young lady who was given to us by the provincial governor’s office because she was being molested by her father. The father finally got out of jail and traced his daughter to Sarnelli House. I then sent the girl to the Good Shepherds in Bangkok and she went to Nurses Training College, and came back to help us. She and her husband are now in quarantine.
Our Australian nurse, Kate, was having severe back pain. She had an MRI and found out that she has a cyst on her spinal cord, and may require surgery, which would be a complicated and dangerous operation. She finally decided to go to Australia for another opinion. She is in a two week quarantine in Sydney right now. So, we are thankful that our girl and her husband came back to help us out.
Word is out that school will resume in July. We are waiting to see what special details regarding Covid 19 will come out. I think that by then, the kids will be very happy to get back to school. But, as I mentioned, they have behaved very well and have been very responsible during this pandemic.
We are still in drought here. The monsoons should be here by now, but it is terribly hot, and storm clouds appear and move on, with little or no rain. This might be our second year with no rice harvest. With 150 kids to feed, plus 40 workers, this is not good.
Again, God bless you all, and please stay safe and healthy! We pray daily for all of our benefactors and friends!
Father Mike