Clothing Drive!

We are so excited for our upcoming departure to Thailand!  Our team is now complete at 3 members - myself, Jen and Andrew Rinella.  Andrew is a close friend of the family who also traveled to Guatemala with us last year.  Our airfare has been purchased and we are anxiously awaiting the details on our schedule of activities we will be doing in Thailand!

In preparation for our trip, we are gathering resources we can take with us to the children and staff of the Remember Nhu homes. I was able to have lunch with Laurie Ralston (her husband, Carl, is the founder of RNhu) and Nhu yesterday and they gave me 3 suitcases packed full of blankets made by a woman in Portland for distribution to the children, plus we can take up to 3 additional suitcases with us.  One great need they shared RNhu currently has is for additional clothing items. They are preparing for the opening of 3 more children's homes (2 boys & 1 girls) in Myanmar later this year so they are pooling the resources of all the other homes in SE Asia to accommodate for their growing family and additional donations will ensure that every child is given clothing that fits them well!

Here's how you can help!  You can bring new/gently used clothing by our store, Maupin's Stoves & Spas in The Dalles, drop them by Hood River Alliance Church, or contact me to coordinate. The clothing could be either gender from size child 8 to extra small adult. The clothing should not be revealing or have the "child friendly" skulls or ghost like images as these are culturally offensive. Shirts, both thin long sleeve and short sleeve, hoodies, girls capris or leggings or basketball/to the knee type of shorts for boys. Jeans and non elastic waist items, even petites, will be too big for these children so the elastic type waist work best.  If you would like too help cover the checked baggage fees of $25 per bag and to purchase additional clothing items with any additional funds raised, contact me or donate online (please designate "RNhu Thailand Clothing" or "Bonham Trip - Clothing" in memo line if donating via Hood River Alliance Church).  All donations must be made by Sunday June 21st, as we will need time to pack all these items before our departure Saturday June 27th.

THREE NEW HOMES

OPENING SOON!!!

Help clothe all these little bodies!

We thank you for all your support and prayers as our trip approaches!  Without the love and encouragement from each of you, this journey would not happen.

Lori

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."  Isaiah 1:17

When One Door Closes....Look For Another Door!

It's now been over two weeks since the news came out of Kenya of an attack on Christians at a University.  Eleven days ago, the elders of our church decided that it was not advisable for our youth trip to enter Kenya due to the unrest and threats of additional attacks.  Initially devastated, our family began to pray and consider what this meant for Jen and I.  I didn't not believe our journey was over--we felt no less called to served than when we began.  And so the next phase of our trip now begins:

Journey to Kenya Thailand!  Yes, God is opening doors and we are ever so grateful!  After to speaking with our family, pastors, and Carl Ralston (founder of RNhu) while he was on a visit to our church, Jennifer and I have decided to serve Remember Nhu in Thailand.  There may be 2-3 more members to our team, or it may be just the 2 of us--that part of the plan is still unfolding.  I am sure, however, that our plans to serve these children is still very much alive, and for that I am grateful!

Our travel dates are still (approx) June 29th-July10th, only now we will be headed to one of Remember Nhu's homes near Chiang Mai, Thailand. While there we will do whatever is needed of us, such as working on a construction project, assisting with crafts, help children learning English, helping the houseparents/helpers, and gardening or some other type of work that will improve the lives of the children. Besides visiting with the RNhu children and eating meals with them, we will have the opportunity to attend cultural events to understand life in Thailand better, like visiting an elephant camp, a hill tribe village, a cultural dinner, shopping at the Sunday night market, or a visit to a Buddhist Temple.

Please pray with us as I am working to coordinate our new travel plans on an expedited timeline.  Please, also, continue to pray for those in Kenya affected by the horrible tragedy there, and for the safety of our Kenyan brothers and sisters in Christ.  We so appreciate the support of our friends and family as we continue on our journey.

Lori

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Within the last couple weeks, there have been both ups and downs.  We have seen our Kenya Team add several members, while losing a couple.  We secured our itinerary, only to then hear about the devastating attack on Christians at a Kenyan university a couple days later.  What a ride we are on, but thankfully, God is our rock upon which our hope is in his steadfast hands.

There are now 15 members on our team.  We are thrilled to have the additional help and are excited to get to know each other better as we prepare for what the Lord has in store for us.  We also have had a couple members bow out, which saddens us a bit that they will not be joining us, but understand that not everyone is called in the same ways, at the same times.  I cannot wait to see what lies ahead!

Tina announced our itinerary for flights.  We are to leave Monday June 29th, arriving in Nairobi the following day, and will then leave Nairobi on Thursday July 9th, returning to PDX July 10th.  It makes our plans so much more 'real' to have actual flight times!  Also very eye opening to see that it will take us over 20 hours flight time each direction.  I'll need to be thinking of ways to kill time for sure!

We were also very saddened to hear of the terrorist attack on Christians at the Garissa University College in Kenya.  150 people were killed and many more injured in an attack where Al-Shabaab militants singled out their targets, releasing Muslims and killing non-Muslims, beginning with those attending a Christian morning prayer service.  While this information certainly raises our awareness to any other events in the area, the attack was near the Somolian border where there there has been a history of conflict, far from where our destination is.  We would appreciate your prayers not only that no further attacks occur and that the Kenyan military is able to further secure the area, but that God's will for our plans will be made clear.  We have been aware from the beginning that if the political climate were to change dramatically in Kenya, that our trip could be cancelled for our safety, but are obviously hoping this is not necessary.

The last thing I will leave you with today is a vision of the children we are planning to serve in Kenya.  These are photos shared by the Remember Nhu organization from a trip Nhu took to visit the children's home in Kitale.  We can't wait!!!

Potatoes & Practices

This weekend our Kenya group had two exciting activities.  First was a Potato Bake Fundraiser at church prior to the annual congregational meeting.  The group put out quite a spread on the potato bar and topped it off with a yummy dessert bar.  The kids all chipped in to prep, serve and clean, and in the end we brought in about $2000.  What a blessing!

Tiffany, Sophie & Jen Frosting Cupcakes

The second activity of the day was an informal Q & A with some missionaries who serve in Africa.  The couple we met with is an American woman, who was born and raised in Newberg, OR, and her Kenyan husband.  They are currently residing in Tanzania, but as both have resided in Kenya, they are very familiar with local customs and practices there.

This gave us a great opportunity to find out what clothing we will be expected to wear, what food we will most likely be eating, and how to interact with the Kenyans.  We learned how interactions between men and woman are very different from what we experience in the west.  Our ideas of modesty are different in many ways.  We also discovered vast differences in very practical aspects of life, like our chances of experiencing squat toilets, no toilet paper, bathing from a bucket, and more.  Oh what an adventure this will be!!! Stay tuned for more...  :)

Docs, Shots and More

Hello 2015!  As we enter this new year, Jen and I are continuing our preparations for the journey to Kenya.  These preparations include meeting team meetings, double checking documentation, and researching what the CDC recommendations are for foreign-bound US travelers.

Currently, our team meets once a month to get to know one another, plan for our trip and discuss things like fund raisers and building a mission support team.  There are currently about 15 of us going, with a little flex in that number still as our dates are not yet set and there are a few nervous parents not sure about sending their child off to Africa (it's a pretty big deal!).  It is so very important for us to have a strong prayer group backing each of us and to make sure our own walk with the Lord is focused and on track!  This is where YOU come in!  We would love to know we can count on you to be praying for us and the rest of our team even before we leave!  "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps" Proverbs 16:9

We are looking forward to some special meetings coming up that include sitting down with missionaries to discuss Kenyan culture and what we can expect while in Kenya.  Very excited to hear what they have to say so we can begin visualizing and hopefully gain a better understanding of what we need to prepare for!

One major undertaking for me has been getting caught up my immunizations.  While Jen had to get one injection particular to our destination, for yellow fever, and will need to take malarial meds when we depart, she was caught up on all other vaccinations because of her school requirements.  I, on the other hand, was fairly out of date on many vaccinations.  I can happily say that I now have received 5 out of the 6 shots I need prior to departure!  (Did I mention I HATE needles?!?!)  Just one more in May and then I will also get a prescription for the oral malarial pills Jen and I both have to take during and after our time in Kenya.  Whew!

Jen's Yellow Fever Vaccination

Me - That Yellow Fever Shot STINGS!

Please be praying over the following concerns:

• A spirit of peace and confidence in those who are part of and considering joining our team
• Wisdom for our leaders, Tina and Emily, as they begin laying the groundwork for our trip, including dates and agendas
• Finances for our team members, as we do not want money to be a hindrance to those God is calling
• For the children and adults we will be serving in Kenya, that their hearts are as prepared for us as we hope ours are for them
• Details, details, details!  Pray that we would not overlook important items and that issues of travel documents and vaccinations are completed without any hiccups

Thank you for your encouragement, prayer, and support as we undertake this mission!

Our Mission

Dear Family & Friends,

About 5 years ago, our family heard a testimony that changed us.  Carl Ralston, founder of Remember Nhu, and his adopted daughter, Nhu, visited our church to tell us about their organization, and to share Nhu's story.  As a young Cambodian girl, Nhu had come to learn the love and hope of Jesus from a teacher at her school, but was then tragically subjected to the worst treatment this world has to offer.  Nhu was being raised by her grandmother and they were extremely poor.  When the debts became too great, her Buddhist grandmother made the decision, partly due to her anger of Nhu's acceptance of Jesus, to sell her to a man for the weekend to pay the debts.  Nhu was 14, and it would not be the last time she was forced to sell her body before she was able to find a way out.  Her story broke my heart, but her story has also inspired hope and has literally rescued hundreds because her story led to the formation of Remember Nhu.  This is a nonprofit organization which seeks to rescue at risk children before they are ever sold into the sex trade, by placing them in loving children's homes where their innocence is protected and they are cared for and educated to become healthy young adults to break the cycle of poverty that allows the child sex trade to thrive. (Hear Nhu share her story here)

We made the decision to support Remember Nhu with our finances that day, and over the next several years we've had the opportunity to support Remember Nhu in other ways, including supporting several short term missions teams and individuals.  We recently we learned of an opportunity for Jennifer and I to serve in a more personal way.  Our church is focusing their support of Remember Nhu by becoming sponsors of 2 new children's homes (1 boys', 1 girls') in Kenya, and is sending a team of high schoolers there this summer to work with them.  Jennifer and I have signed up to go with this team.

The dates of the trip are not yet finalized, but we know it will be the end of June/beginning of July for approximately 10 days, and involve some construction work and whatever else Remember Nhu needs when the time comes.  The trip will cost $3000 a piece, plus the cost of immunizations and visas. Our team will be doing several fundraisers over the next 7 months, and we plan to set aside any remaining funds from our personal finances.  As with the previous mission trip we took to Guatemala last spring, we believe it to be important that we commit to financing much of this trip ourselves, but also feel should not let pride stop us from asking others to partner with us on this journey.  If you feel led to give financially, you can do so via Hood River Alliance Church, be sure to designate "Kenya Youth Trip - Bonhams".  We greatly appreciate any financial support you may choose to give, but seek your support of prayers and encouragement above all else.

Over the next several months, Jennifer and I will each share with you, in our own words, why we feel called to this short term mission trip, as well as share more information with you about the trip, our team, Kenya and Remember Nhu.  We invite you to experience with us and are excited to share our journey with you.

Lori & Jen Bonham