Maranatha Christian School students Rachel and Emily share a meal with the Agape chidlren. By Chloe Prince
MARANATHA Christian School students experienced life in Thailand on their recent mission awareness tour.
Nineteen students and six adults from Maranatha Christian School and one student from Belgrave Heights Christian School headed to Chiang Mai for an 18-day visit.
“The students were a delight to take overseas, and developed an incredible team spirit and unity,” said tour staff member Graeme Smith.
While in Thailand students experienced elephant riding, bamboo rafting, trekking and eating traditional style while sitting on the floor.
They spent time working with several mission organisations.
Each traveller was partnered up with a buddy at the Agape Home, an orphanage for HIV/AIDS children. Time was spent organising sport and craft programs for the children.
Work was done at the McKean rehabilitation centre, a former leprosy hospital. Jobs included: painting and sanding internal and external floors and walls for some of the wards, guesthouses, handicapped patient cottages and their new funeral parlour.
“Considering that the temperature was in excess of 30 degrees most days, that the students worked for free and also provided the funds for the work materials was a commendable effort indeed,” Mr Smith said.
The tour also took in two other homes for children, one home that has taken in young girls rescued from slave labour and prostitution rackets, the other for girls and boys from at-risk situations.
Students also put together 500 survival bags to send to displaced Burmese people who are fleeing from villages, victimised by the Burmese army.
The mission awareness tours to Thailand have been taking place for the past eight years. Students raise their own funds for airfares.
