The Water Is Flowing!

Drilling the Well
Originally uploaded by Jim Sharvin.

Click on the photo to get to my photo page and see the latest uploaded photos from Thailand and Cambodia.

I have been back in the States for 10 days now, and the jetlag seems to be gone, which is a good thing. I think the longer you stay in a different time zone, the more permanently your body adjusts to it, and 7 weeks pretty much got to me!

Some good news to report for Asia's Hope: First, if you are trying to access the AH website, there is a problem, and someone will be working to correct it so access resumes.

Second, the new newsletter will be coming out in the next 10 days, and will feature information on our recent trip, including the miracle of the water well in Thailand.

Third, the Ohio Society of CPAs is doing a feature profile on me and my work with Asia's Hope in the September issue of our trade publication, which reaches almost 200,000 professionals!

Fourth, I was asked by the OSCPA's to speak at a seminar in Cincinnati on Aug. 13 on how professionals can learn to volunteer their time and skills in the communityand globally. Great opportunity to get more people involved in all aspects of volunteering!

I plan to keep this blog open, and would like to see some discussions concerning current issues, and how they impact each of us. In addition, I want to continue to bring you the current news from the children in Cambodia and Thailand.

So PLEASE, start commenting and speak out! It is a glorious day and the weekend should be perfect! Get outside and enjoy the weather!

Kids Pay For Well!

I am so happy to report that the new well in Thailand is operating perfectly! Even more exciting is the news that the children at the VBS at All Saints Lutheran Church in Worthington, OH presented me with a check at the closing program on Friday for $1300. That makes for a two-week total of $2300! Add to that the $1000 of matching funds I was able to secure from Thrivent Financial and we raised 100% of the cost of drilling the new well!

This past Thursday, I was able to visit two of the classrooms and found out how these kids went about raising the funds. Amazing how these kids "get it" when many of the adults just don't. They made a number of personal financial sacrifices because they were comitted to getting the orphanage a new well. Some of the kids contributed their birthday money, some their allowance and one young boy gave half of his savings account!

One little girl who attended the first week's session was so moved by the needs of the orphans of Asia's Hope, spent the weekend running a lemonade stand. She came back to VBS on Monday and contributed all of the $30 she raised!

These children know they can make a difference, and what a wonderful thing to learn this at such a young age. If the future of the world depends upon children like these at All Saints Lutheran Church, good things are sure to happen!

God Bless you and thanks to EVERYONE who has contributed to the orphans in SE Asia in any way! Stay tuned!

The Water Is Back In Thailand!

Thanks to everyone's efforts, especially the children attending this summer's VBS at All Saints Lutheran Church in Worthington, OH, a new permanent well has been drilled at the Asia's Hope orphanage in Chiangmai, Thailand!

Seems all the children took the inconvenience as an adventure, getting water trucked in and taking showers at another orphanage nearby (Brianna's House). Director Tutu Bee reports the children took great interest in watching the workers drill the well, and cheered when they struck water!

It has been such a blessing to see how loving children from one side of the world can make a direct impact in the lives of children half a world away!

On another positive note, I have made it home to Columbus, OH safe and sound, albeit weary! My 32 hours in 5 planes took me from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia then to Amsterdam and on to Berlin. My plane from Germany to New York was delayed, and I missed my connection to Columbus. 7 hours later, I finally landed in Columbus and was happy to see my son John at the airport. David arrived in Columbus yesterday and it was great to see 2 of the 3 boys. David is heading out to LA next week to see Mike, who dropped his cell phone in the pool and is out of contact until further notice!

Today, it is back to the office and back to work. I am refreshed and fulfilled and ready to serve my clients. What is next for me? Stay tuned!

I will keep updating this blog for news of all three orphanages, etc. Another content suggestions, please feel free to voice your comments!

I really miss all the orphans........................

Back From Thailand....Again!

New Friends in Thailand!
Originally uploaded by Jim Sharvin.

OK folks, back from another trip to Thailand. This time to recharge my batteries and relax for a few days before heading home tomorrow. I found the most tranquil little island called Koh Sichang that most people have overlooked....but it was just what Dr. Sharvin ordered!

I am ready to leave and go home. As much as I love these countries and the people, I still need to get myself back home. From there, I can create a better perspective on how to serve these countries in the years to come. It is cool that we now have two natiopns to work with and yet the children are needing the SAME thing...our love.

Now what I want all of you readers out there to do is start thinking about making a personal journey over here. It is the only way to get the true understanding of the huge need over here. You also get the side benefit of feeling the enormous capacity these little kids have to love back!

The water well in Chiangmai will be completed tomorrow. The drilling equipmant was so heavy yesterday that they need to bring in steel plates for the trucks to drive across to keep from sinking into the ground. The directors are going to take photos of the drilling, so we should have some photos posted soon after I am back in columbus on July 20.

Be safe and God Bless!

More Photos From Thailand

Smile For The Camera!
Originally uploaded by Jim Sharvin.

I have received numerous email from the Team 2 members, all reporting their safe arrival in both the USA and Canada. For that I am both thankful and a bit envious. I am missing my boys alot, my friends and co-workers.

But I can report that I did go to Starbucks in Thailand! Pretty darn good approximation of the USA versions! They do try hard to be authentic over here. Sometimes they come close, and many times they are so off the mark that you don't know if you should laugh or just shake your head in disbelief! Especially in the area of music and American fashion.

Oh, and get this: The kids at the student centers in PP love to sing. And they sing with all their hearts. It's just, if they learn a song wrong from the start, it is almost impossible to correct. I spent 45 min. the other night trying to get them all to correctly pronounce the word "rescue." They can get the "res" and the "cue" parts ok separetely, but when they put them together, they invariably come out as "recuse." Then I spent another 20 minutes trying to get them to get the correct downbeat on the song "THIS is the day...." instead of "This IS the day...." But that is the beauty of working with these wonderful people here in Cambodia and Thailand!

Also, if you find I am repeating myself in these blogs, it is ok. I get 15 free passes to mess up and I sometimes can't remember if I said something to one of you in a private email or on a post here.

I am on a little fishing island SW of Bangkok called Ko Si Chang. Trying to beat this cold and cough before returning to Cambodia Sunday and heading home to the USA on Monday. More thoughts and photos to come.

Don't forget to click on the photos to go to my photo page and see the 12 new photos I posted!

Be safe and God Bless!

All Saints VBS Kids Making A Big Difference!

Greetings from Thailand, again! I am so happy to report that the VBS kids from All Saints Lutheran Church in Worthington, OH have already raised $957 in just the first three days of the two-week vacation bible school! It is just incredible to see what combined efforts can produce! Just think what a luxury it is back in the USA to think nothing of flushing the toilet, taking a long, long shower or just washing your hands is! Soon, the kids at the new orphanage will have access to water....just not the way we are used to consuming it! Next time you brush your teeth, try turning off the water until you need to rinse.......

Production drilling for the new permanent water well at the Asia's Hope orphanage in Chiangmai should begin on Friday. The gound is very rocky and most of the water is 100-200 meters deep, and they must use diamond bits to drill.

I am at a Thai post office using the internet, but the pc's do not have a cd-rom installed, so I cannot upload any photos. I will keep trying to find one (another luxury we enjoy back home!) but it might have to wait until I get back to Cambodia on Sunday.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS: There are many Americans in Thailand....most headed south for the pure white beaches....but also a large mixture of other foreign travellers. The Bangkok airport is so totally not Port Columbus....even on a OSU-Michigan fotball game weekend!....... Thai food is very spicy hot, with smells that can turn your stomach, but not to fear, there are so many Western food outlets here, like Burger King, McDonald's, KFC, etc. Everything but Taco Bell, which is what I am currently craving...... Childrenjust love to play all over the world, and they don't know if they are poor or not. For Westerners visiting and trying to help them, we just want to help improve their lives so they don't ever feel poor.............. All the kids in both Thailand and Cambodia wear uniforms to school, which is a great equalizer and lessens the need to want so much in the way of fashion. I personally think it is a great thing, and wish the public schools in America could adopt some simple dress coded: you know, white or blue shirts shirts and dark pants. The kids here are really proud of their schol uniforms, as they usually are their best6 set of clothes they own. Even the university students all have uniforms..... imagine THAT at OSU??? EVERYONE wearing scarlet and gray?? Yikes! Maybe K-12 would be best.

The head and chest cold that Team 2 left for me has firmly established itself, trying to make me miserable, and doing a nice job of it! My ears will not pop from the flight, and itf it is like any other time I have flown with a cold, it will take three days for the pressure to equalize, just in time to fly back to Cambodia! I am looking forward to ending my trip with these four days in Thailand, on a little tiny fishing island SE of Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand. The name of it is Ko Si Chang. I need the clean air to heal my lungs, which are full of the dirt and grime of Phnom Penh. The stuff I have been coughing up the past few days reminds me of what the coal miners must go through working in the mines for so many years. Since you don't need a prescription for anything in Cambodia, it was very easy to buy an inhaler, which is helping. Please pray for my health! Thanks!

I'll be back in Columbus on July 20, the 36th anniversary of Niel Armstrong's first walk on the moon (a Purdue graduate, I might add!). I think I'll just make one giant leap off the plane and into bed!

God Bless and be safe!

Team 2 Packing Up....

Glenn Kelly- Olympic Athlete
Originally uploaded by Jim Sharvin.

Today is a day of relative rest for the team, as they head home to much anticipated hugs! I just wanted to be sure to get a few photos posted of the day in Thailand we took the kids to the pool. You will notice that Glenn Kelly had more energy in the pool than all the kids combined. He even tossed one kid in without thinking, when he noticed how well the boy sank! For the rest of the day, the poor boy fled the pool any time Glenn looked his way!

A group of the team is now at the Killing Fields. I did it last summer, and elected to stay and blog, phone my sons and do some shopping. The Killing Fields are a must to visit, but they are so totally shocking, that a repeat visit is not necessary. I am still haunted by my memories and photos from last summer. The epitomy of evil.

Seems I am the last one to catch the Cambodia Cold....in the middle of 94 degree heat, no less. I am trying to keep it from becoming the respitory infection I brought back last summer. Dr. John is feeding me a steady diet of meds.

I am happy to report that Pastor Dave is making a slight comeback with his health. His fever broke last night, and he could stand and walk unaided! He is even up eating his daily diet of only rice and toast.

My flight home is not until next week. I will stay behind and wrap up some things with the schools and orphanages. Plus, since it looks ilke we have a great start on raising the funds for the new permanent well, that will need coordinating as well.

Being sick, missing family and loved ones, I want to be on the plane home tomorrow. I would come back as soon as a month, but the body and spirit need a boost. It is amazing how much you can miss someone....it makes me think of our soldiers over in Europe, Iraq and around the world, and all the long-term missionaries. I don't know how they do it. To me two months is a long time, and to endure such separation for a year or more is hard for me to imagine.

But at least I can keep in some form of contact with all of you through this technology. Can you imagine what it would have been like as a soldier in any of the past wars....stuck in a trench is a foreign land....and your only connection to home is a worn photograph and a perfume-scented letter from your sweetie? Nope. What I am doing now is the direct benifit of the freedom they all fought for (and still are). I know this is a little sappy, but until you are in my shoes (sandals actually), it is easy to overlook. I guess that is another benefit of freedom.

OK....off to the market to find a few things to fill the last tiny spaces in my luggage....I am sure they will be essential items for life!

Be Safe! More soon!

New Orphanage in Thailand

New Orphanage in Thailand
Originally uploaded by Jim Sharvin.

WOW.....back in Cambodia from Thailand, and just had to share some GREAT news and photos. (Turns out NW Thailand is no better and possibly worse for internet connectivity!).

In my last post, I explained about our CRITICAL need to drill for water at the new orphanage. The old well on the site dried up after just the 3rd day the orphanage was open, leaving the 20 new children without water to drink, bathe or use the bathrooms. The next 40 new kids will be arriving over the next few weeks, and we need water! Problem is it costs $3000 to drill for a new one....plus there a host of other needs as this new venture of love gets moving full speed ahead (like a used pickup to transport the kids, and more cooking supplies...).

Anyhoo...I get to the internet cafe around the corner from our guesthouse, and there is an email from Lisa Brooks, the Children's Ministry Director at my church. She had just read my blog for the FIRST time, and offered to make the Asia's Hope well drilling the mission project for this summer's VBS, which starts TOMORROW! The kids will do various things over the next two weeks to raise funds, and with their pledge of $1000, maybe we can get some more people in the congregation and community to match them and we can get this well drilled SOON! I am not leaving SE Asia until I know we have raised enough to pay for the well.......

What a blessing....and all I can say is that God DOES answer prayer! We were all talking on the plane from Thailand tonight about how bummed we were that we had to leave without resolving how in the world we were going to get the well drilled. Then came Lisa's email.....

I am hoping we can convince the contractor to start drilling in the next day or so, with the promise to pay with funds soon to come..... cross your fingers and say a few prayers!

I am just totally wiped out, and need to get to bed.

London Update: David and John arrived home safely from London, and I am just waiting to connect with then via internet phone. I just need to hear their voices!

Be Safe and click on the photo to see the 7 NEW photos from Chiangmai, Thailand!

Everyone In the Pool!

There is something special about taking kids to the pool....and our orphans are no different! We had to go to the street market to buy all the new kids swimming suits. None of them had ever been in a swimming pool before.....they pretty much all sunk like rocks.....even the ones that weigh like 20 pounds! Bus you should have seen their smiles of joy! And you will....as soon as we get to Bangcock tomorrow and find a high-speed internet where we can upload photos.

We spent today in the details o the orphanage and tried to solve a pressing emergency. The water well at the new orhanage ran dry yesterday, and the kids are totally without water to bathe (the main reason we took them to the pool!), or flush with. We have had two companies come out to give drilling estimates for a new well and they range from$1500 to $3 or $4 thousand.....and that is in USD, not Thai baht! We are at somewhat of a loss, since we did not bring that much extra cash, and they don't take cc's! If you are sitting on the other side of this screen and have the answer, just let me know!

For the second year in a row, I have ended up at a new Asia's Hope orphanage just 3 days after the new kds arrived. And it is very very cool. Dave had warned us they would be shy......but just the opposite. And by tonight, they were all over us and missing us in advance! Can't wait to return soon

We did end up dedicating the new orphanage tonight, and the kids really understood what we were doing, and that made it all the better. More photos soon!

LONDON UPDATE: The boys and the rest of the Thomas Worthington HS kids arrived in Columbus safely, and I am looking forward to talking to them after I return to Cambodia tomorrow.

Speechless in Chiangmai, Thailand

Well.....not completely speechless, but for me to almost be at a loss for words to describe the new orphanage in Thailand says a lot for those who know me well! We arrived this afternoon (Friday) and went right out to the new orphanage and were greeted by 20 jubilant kids and one shy brand new orphan. We actually brought her to the orphanage for her first day.

These kids are simply fabulous, and the stories of their struggles that led them to this new home are equally mind-knumbing. One little girl was in aautomobile accident with 11 of her relatives last December. She was the only survivor! She was staying with her only living relative, her 21 year old sister, who just could not work full-time and take care of her. Her smile is like a laser beam!

I am already reserving one to bring home sometime! Choosing one or all will be the hard part!

Chiangmai is nestled in the mountains in far northwest Thailand, just next to the border of Myanmar (Burma). These kids all come from various hill tribes that the director has been ministering to for the past 30 years. Today, they all sang and danced their traditional tribal tunes, and the girls were all dressed in their traditional colorful costumes. Very colorful photos to follow in tomorrow's post.

Glenn Kelly, from Montreal, has done a superhuman job of getting these new kids sponsored and the bamboo huts constructed. Glenn is like the twin brother I never had, and we are having a blast, eh? Wait 'till you see the photos.....that should bring you back to read these posts!

Tomorrow we are taking the girls for their first trip ever to a swimming pool....after we go out and purchase swimsuits! We are learning much from the director of the "sister-orphanage" Brianna's House, just 5 min. away, and housing all girls from hill tribes. The same directors of that orphanage are running the Asia's Hope orphanage. The girls there have been resident for a few years already, and act like the big sisters to our new orphanage! Way cool! Brianna's House was built by a family from Atlanta who lost their daughter in an auto accident in 1998. She had a passion for Asian orphans, and her dream was to one day adopt an orphan from Asia. Well, now she has a family to keep watch over from heaven!

LONDON UPDATE: The airport in London is running, but slow, so the boys should be able to depart from London. I just received an email that said the boys and the group from Thomas Worthington HS were staying just 3 blocks from one of the blasts. God's shield was surely strong yesterday..... Again, please pray for their safe return.

More soon.......

My Sons Are Safe in London

I just learned of the terrorist bombings in London. David and John are still in London with their tour group, and everyone is safe. They were still at their hotel and had not left for their day of sightseeing. Please pray for their safe return, along with all 100 people in their group.

I am at the Phnom Penh airport getting ready to fly to Thailand. More as we travel to the new orphanage.

Be safe, everyone!

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Tonight we said goodby to the kids at the Battambang orphanage.....after all the fun, there were rivers of tears. There is so much love inside these kids and they give it so completely. Like I said earlier, these kids keep drawing me back to this forsaken country. It was hard for all the first-timers to leave, but I have to say it is harder to leave them a second time. To have all these little angels hug you and cry with you and have them tell you they love you just fills your heart completely.

We had a blast (literally) tonight. I bought some fireworks at the market, and put on a big show at the orphanage. They love every minute of it....cheering and clapping....so we not only celebrated July 4th (a day late)...but also a little for Canada Day....but mostly just for the kids to enjoy. Now I have set a standard that I will have to not only match in Phnom Penh, but exceed next summer!

Wish us luck in the morning as we try to make it to Siem Reap. 8 of us are making the trip, but a big bridge is out and the big buses can't make it. I was told a smaller bus will take us to the bridge where a semi wrecked, then we get out and cross on foot to the other side, where another bus is supposed to be waiting to take us the rest of the way to Siem Reap. We will be back in Phnom Penh on Thursday afternoon.

That's all for now.....start planning youir mission trip to Cambodia with me for the summer of 2006!

Dr. Pain From Montreal

Dr. Pain From Montreal
Originally uploaded by Jim Sharvin.

Click on photo to access the rest of my photos from Cambodia.

Click On Photo For More Cambodia Pics!!

Click On Photo For More Cambodia Pics!!
Originally uploaded by Jim Sharvin.

Dr. Pain

I don't do well with dentistry....I have no problems with actual dentists, but the actual practice of it is like pulling teeth...oh wait, it really is! Today in Battambang, we ran half of the orphans through our makeshift dental clinic. Grace Bretheren Church let us setup shop in their outreach building, which was a great help. Almost without a single peep, these kids endured numerous tooth extractions and after 20 min. of post-op TLC, were back to playing and coloring. I am such a dental baby....I would be up in my hotel room moaning still!

This is such a neglected country....John and Louie spent a day just trying to locate fuses that fit the equipment...then the old, old autoclave equipment started to malfunction. Then the road to the orphanage was a virtual quagmire of mud...we nearly got stuck or went off the road several times. Here is hoping God decides to spread some sunshine tomorrow and dry up the roads!

I know now it's these kids at the Battambang orphanage that are the reason I am back in this country. The ones in PP are just as deserving, but there is some extra doses of specialness heaped upon the kids up here. Maybe it is the fact they have been together as a family for 3 years that adds something....maybe it is the way they care for each other....maybe it is the way they love each other....can there be degrees of pure love?? Someone please email me the answer!

(There are two skietters trying to drain some of my blood...I need to strike first, since this is the area of highest risk for malaria).............. I won!

Today, I essentially played with the kids while they were waiting at the dental clinic, then at the orphanage after dinner.....They call Meestah Jeem Mr. Fun! I guess it is still easy for me to act like a kid around kids...even though I turn 49 Wed.! Yikes.,...the average lifespan in Cambodia is something like 56....I would be a wise old grandfather here by now! Well...maybe not!

I already know it will just tear my heart when I have to leave these precious children on Wed. morning. All I can do to give you some insight is share their photos and some stories when I retun. My birthday present to myself is going to be a promise to return again next year..... I can't just turn my back on them.....heck, over here, I can make my 401K last maybe 50 years at these exchange rates!

Vana vana...enough enough! I need to get some sleep. Please pray for the continued health of our team...we are doing much better than Team 2 did. You may not know each child here, but through the toys and clothes we bought with your donations, they know your love exists for them. Pray for political stability and the end of the excessive corruption here....it is truly hindering the Combodian's chances of securing a place in the world marketplaces.

I'll post photos when I can!

Happy July 4th America.....you and every American are truly blessed...beyond many of your wildest imaginations!

Sunday in Battambang

Hey everyone...Happy July 4th weekend! We are finally up in NW Cambodia in Battambang after a 6-hr, ride in our faithful old van! The internet is PAINFULLY slow up here and I just spent 45 minutes uploading a photo that I somehow just lost...Grrrrrrrrrrr. Maybe when we get to the temples at Angkor Wat on Wed. the connections will be faster. I will keep trying though!

Well, my last post was just before our "campout" at the PP orphanage. What a riot! The kids (all 100) could not believe that 4 of us actually wanted to sleep over. The floor was quite hard, indeed, but the smiles were soft! The temples and restaurants blared chants and Khumei music ALL NIGHT long. I think I maybe got 30 min. sleep. the roosters started crowing at 3:00 am and I finally gave up and went for a walk. By 5:00 am all the kids were awake and ready for the water park.

It was so much fun seeing the joy in their eyes at the park. Everyone wanted our attention to float, slide, jump and just hang out. They have no idea what chlorine is and we are all wondering what things will start to grow on us in a few days!

Time to hit the food...we are staying in a hotel here with an attached restaurant. They even have ice cream sundaes!!

I could bring them all home...and just holding one for 15 min. would convince you of the same. The way they all look out for each other is amazing. After seeing so much poverty in PP and in the villages, our orphans live better than most families here. Good things are happening!

More soon.................

Happy Canada Day!

Had to say that for the benefit of the 4 Canadians with us......

In Cambodia, you not only need a Plan B, but a C, D & E. Somehow, all 50 of the orphans and the staff from Battambang showed up this morning on a chartered bus...billed to Asia's Hope. The kids were all set to hit the waterpark. Great, except they were a week early! So we have over 100 kids at the PP orphanage, and now we are going to the water park tomorrow!

You have no idea how much energy 100+ kids can generate!

Tonight, 4 of us are going back to sleep over, which should be quite the experience!

Meestah Jeem is meeting his match, but they are such wonderful kids, that it makes everything not a problem!

More photos and stories tomorrow after we return from the water park!