Yesterday I (Amber) and the OMEGA team had the privilege of experiencing many firsts, many new places, and new people. The part that stands out the most to me was going to visit the Heavenly Home here in Mae Sot. The Heavenly Home is run by a Burmese couple in their late 40’s who love Jesus and feel a call to love on a multitude of children. Imagine Thailand supplies fresh Soy Milk to the home to help supplement the children’s diet, so our visit was to deliver milk.

About 75 faces were there to greet us; ages ranging from 1 – 22 years old. These children are all Burmese migrants or from other tribal groups in the area. AIDS continues to be an issue within the Burmese community and these kids are left without family as a result. The years of tribal fighting over the border inside Myanmar has also fractured families and left many with little or nothing.

I spent time walking around the home with the director and she shared with me how she does life. Wakes up at 5am to begin making rice for the day. She makes 5 giant pots of rice throughout the day to feed the kids – it’s the main staple of their diet. She then continues to help the little ones get dressed and fed while the older ones prepare for school. Each child has one drawer for their belongings, the older ones get two. Hooks line one wall full of school backpacks. Bed rolls and blankets are neatly folded and stacked on shelves in one of the rooms every morning and set up again every night. This woman is running a well oiled machine.

When I think about how much “work” two children are and how overwhelmed I can feel at times, I can only imagine the moments this woman has. She was so humble, full of joy, and clearly full of a deep love for the kids God has brought her in the absence of her own.