I begin my journey home this afternoon with a flight to Bangkok. In a few hours I will be saying my goodbyes. Not very excited about that. But over the last week I’ve had some great times. Incredible food, magical conversations, and hilarious moments.
Over dinner last night my daughter asked what my single biggest impression was from the trip. I immediately said that seeing the The SOLD Project Resource Center in use was the highlight. Kids arrive here after school every day, riding their bikes down the dusty road that connects the school with the village, bringing a contagious laughter and joyous smiles. They are excited to be here.
In front of The SOLD Project Resource Center.
I’m sitting on the deck of the Resource Center as I type this. It’s Sunday morning, nobody else has awoke, and I’m enjoying the warmth of an early sun. The rice paddies are a dozen shades of green, the birds sing a variety of songs, and the tokay lizards scurry against the walls. Occasionally I hear a barking dog from the village across the fields, and I can see a scooter or two on a distant road.
This little building is a sanctuary. A place where kids and even parents can find peace. Oppressed by poverty, fearful of what might become of them, unsure of their place in life, but seeking something better, wiser, healthier … this little building is a small beacon of hope for all of them. Here evil does not enter, and sadness becomes just the first step in a journey toward healing.
It is also a home. My kids live here, in a small upstairs apartment. So it is a special place for me, a home that is always open, filled with people that I dearly love.
The prayer book that goes everywhere with me has an appropriate prayer of blessing for this small refuge. Sharing it now seemed like a nice way of saying goodbye.
May God give His blessing to the house that is here.
God bless the house from roof to floor,
from wall to wall,
from end to end,
from its foundation and in its covering.
In the strong name of the Triune God
all evil be banished,
all disturbance cease,
captive spirits freed,
God’s Spirit alone
dwell within these walls.
We call upon the Sacred Three
to save, shield and surround
this house, this home,
this day, this night,
and every night.