** The Heart of a Child ------------------------------------------------------------ ** By Ron Tiller ------------------------------------------------------------ Ron and Colleen Tiller’s ongoing ministry in Thailand. Ron is an active worker on the HopenetSA team and also visits Thailand. Another ‘senior’ who doesn’t stop in spite of health challenges. “For over 20 years, we’ve supported Thai orphans through Mercy International, witnessing transformed lives through Jesus—children once abandoned now thriving with hope, faith, love, and God’s enduring goodness.” In a departure from my usual, I am going to share some of the impact of the gospel on children in Thailand. For over 20 years now my wife and I have been going to Thailand, including living there for 2 years, in support of Mercy International which exists to give underprivileged and disadvantaged children, including orphans, a Life, a Hope, and a Future. The organisation was founded by a Queensland pastor 40 years ago and hundreds of children have been impacted over those years in 3 orphanages, or Children’s Villages, called Ban Meata (House of Mercy). We, and our team have just returned from Thailand, and we served by painting, teaching English in the attached schools, carrying over $12,000 donated by our home churches, over 40kgs of underwear, babywear, medicines and milk formula. But one of the most rewarding things was interacting with the children, building relationships and seeing the difference Jesus has made in their lives. And that is what I want to share – the stories of a few of the kids and young people, although there are dozens that could be told. I’ll start with Aileen. When we were at the Phetchabun orphanage, 2 days before we were due to travel to the next one in Phrae, we heard that they had a new baby who was to come to Phetchabun. Aileen’s mother was pregnant at 16 or 17 and her mother refused to have the baby come home with her, and although distraught, she had to leave the baby at the hospital. Aileen was born in the morning and by the afternoon was a Ban Meata Phrae. We arrived 2 days later, and Aileen went back to her new home when our mini vans returned. That baby girl, abandoned to a life of rejection and poverty, now has a Life, Hope and a Future. (Postscript: Since writing that, Aileen was in hospital last week with RSV, but has now returned home). Jeremiah 29:11 has proven to be so true for our babies, children and young people – and carers! God has plans for us, plans that will benefit us and not harm us. I was able to preach and teach at each the 3 orphanages where the song “The Goodness of God” is a very popular worship song. I spoke about how God has plans for each of us, that he loves us and is so good to us – “all my days I’ve been held in your hands”, “all my life you have been faithful and all my life you have been so, so good”. It’s been so true for our Thaid kids, and so true for each of us. I asked the kids at Phrae to pray for each other and remind each other of that, and it was so good to see them respond to that with some of the boys putting their arms around each other as they prayed (see picture). Whun has been our sponsored child from the age of 7. She is now 29, married, and with 2 children (Captain and Anda, our “grandchildren”!). She came to the orphanage at the age of 2 with her sister Why after their mother died of AIDS. She has grown into a wonderful Mum with a mature faith in God, despite the setback of becoming pregnant when she was 19, thus delaying her goal of becoming a teacher by about 8 years! She is now married to the father, is finally studying online to be a pre-school teacher, and testifies that God’s plan for her life is perfect, even though she messed up. She is involved, with some of her contemporaries at Ban Meata, in a Bible Study group which has a wonderful outreach and prayer ministry in the surrounding villages. More of Whun next. Cheewar(on the right with Whun and Why, a few years ago) also came to the Ban Meata orphanage when she was quite young. She left Ban Meata after graduating from university and pursuing a job. A few months ago, on a bus trip back from Bangkok, she suffered a stroke. She was just 30. She was unable to do anythingf or herself and remained in the hospital. We are so proud of Whun, who visited regularly, praying for her, encouraging her, and rallying her friends to help supply packages of nappies which the hospital needed for her. A few weeks ago, when Whun visited her, she said she wanted to die and couldn’t understand why God would allow this to happen to her. Whun answered her that whatever circumstances she faced, God loved her, and she played the above song (10,000 Reasons) referring to verse 3. Last Saturday (as I write) Cheewar died of a brain bleed, apparently quite peacefully, and with a full smile on her face even though for months she was only able to smile on one side of her face. We were quite close to Cheewar, and my wife tried to visit her a week before she died but went in the morning when the visiting hours were in the afternoon! She was able to speak to her on the phone and prayed with her. We believe her faith was restored – she had eternal Life, a realised hope and a future in the presence of Jesus. Praise God. Somo, from a very young age, came to Khon Kaen Ban Meata, where we cared for babies who were HIV+. At the time, children with HIV were commonly abandoned, born of mothers who died from AIDS, and not expected to reach their teenage years. With the love and care they received, and with the government-provided anti-viral medications, in 25 years we only lost 3 children who are remembered with photos on the wall of the babies’ house. Somo, (on the right) with such a strong faith in God is as healthy as she looks (she will need to take her medications for the rest of her life), has studied for her qualifications in accountancy and is now managing the finances for KhonKaen Ban Meata. God is blessing her mightily. This year I followed up on some of the boys who grew up with Somo and have left to find work. 4 of them have died because they gave up on their medications, probably because there is still some stigma attached to HIV, and they were embarrassed to admit they have it. Praise God for Somo, living under the grace of God and with a promised life, hope, and future. My last one is a little girl called Donut. She was being cared for by her father, but they lived in fairly extreme poverty, he had a poorly paid job in a piggery, finding it very difficult to look after her, and he was taking her to the piggery each day. She came to Phetchabun Ban Meata’s attention, and we offered to take her. After talking to her, Glom (PBN's manager)said she could come with her straight away, or she could go home to get her things. She said she would come straight away because she didn't have anything else. She was dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of shorts that had no seat in them. “But that's OK”, she said, “my undies are good.” Then she added the strangest thing – “I think the heavens have opened for me,” she said. We are not sure where those words came from because as far as we know she has no Christian background. Prophetic? It looks like it’s because she has a new future, and we pray that as she comes under the ministry of the gospel that the Holy Spirit will speak into her life and she will indeed have a Life and a Hope and a Future with an eternal emphasis. You will have guessed that I came back from this visit encouraged, blessed, giving thanks and praising God for his endless grace, and understanding again that he indeed has plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, and to give us life and a hope. And what a joy it was to sing with those kids, “all my life you have been faithful, all my life you have been so, so good”. And each of us can say, “with every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God.” ** Save the lives of babies from late-term abortion ------------------------------------------------------------ Last Friday, Sarah Game MLC launched a bill in SA which would stop the abortion of healthy, viable babies after 23 weeks right up to birth. Ever since abortion up to birth was introduced in July 2022 in SA, 79 healthy babies have been brutally killed through the injection of poison into the heart. We urgently need your help in ensuring this bill passes. Join us on Wednesday the 17th of September at 5:30pm on the Parliament Steps of SA to support this bill and make sure it passes. ** Christian Manifesto ------------------------------------------------------------ Ian (HNSA team) has signed a document along with some other SA pastors that pastors and churches are answerable to their Lord. Governments are verging into legislation that contradicts the commands of God. If you are a pastor please add your signature. Download the Manifesto (https://mcusercontent.com/59ba24b26a2b3251ddb030a94/files/7575affb-59ec-645c-f916-2316911b9eb7/A_CHRISTIAN_MANIFESTO_RE_ORDERED.docx) ** Church and State Conference is coming to Adelaide, Oct 11 ------------------------------------------------------------ The unifying theme for CAS conferences in 2025 is “Pulpits Aflame”. We believe God is saying to the Church in Australia that our preaching has been too timid, too apologetic, too focused on controlling outcomes instead of obedience to our historic mandate. Prayer Webiner for this and March State election on September 23. More Info Here (https://www.churchandstate.com.au/adelaide-25/)) I hope these testimonies encourage your faith in our Lord God. If you would like to honour Him by sharing your testimony please send in to the email address below. It may be how you first were found by Jesus or a significant event whereby you learned more of His powerful gospel and goodness to you. Ian, Ed.
