Christmas present to the Poor
21 December 2020
Dear all
This coming Monday (today being Wednesday) we will open first day of school in the construction site school on Soi 24 off Sukhumvit Road. We expect about twenty kids to attend. No building, two monster size umbrellas against the rays of the sun. The camp leadership have ‘borrowed us’ a non-descript Rickey all weather table & a toilet. We ourselves brought two used 50 Baht mats for the kids to sit on, to cover over the dirt on the ground sitting under the shade of the umbrellas & one chair for the teacher. No cheap TV publicity. None of that stuff and the kids say: I want to learn how to write my name.
Hey everybody. This is our style. This is a Mercy Slum Construction Site Kindergarten School. – sitting on the ground, outside, under an umbrella – terribly exciting, & at the same time, no non-sense learning to read & write.
The teaching is real. Tell everyone you meet – because this is Our Christmas Present to the Poor & you. This is what we have to give you. Please be humble and accept it. This is what we are.
And no police to apprehend anyone – we wouldn’t let them dare touch you trying to help our kids nor would they themselves dare to examine anyone for proper documents. Why? Because everyone wants to help these ‘dead-end – no place to go kids.’ Our kids. Your kids. The Municipality usually looks the other way, says ‘good luck.’
All of you join us – this is true & real stuff - a Christmas present to a bunch of construction site scraggly Cambodian, Burmese, Lao, Thai kids, construction site worker kids. All of you reading this: come and earn a place at the table – come and sit on the mat with us under the umbrella. But you must ask the kids permission first. Again Merry Christmas
Prayers,
Fr Joe
This coming Monday (today being Wednesday) we will open first day of school in the construction site school on Soi 24 off Sukhumvit Road. We expect about twenty kids to attend. No building, two monster size umbrellas against the rays of the sun. The camp leadership have ‘borrowed us’ a non-descript Rickey all weather table & a toilet. We ourselves brought two used 50 Baht mats for the kids to sit on, to cover over the dirt on the ground sitting under the shade of the umbrellas & one chair for the teacher. No cheap TV publicity. None of that stuff and the kids say: I want to learn how to write my name.
Hey everybody. This is our style. This is a Mercy Slum Construction Site Kindergarten School. – sitting on the ground, outside, under an umbrella – terribly exciting, & at the same time, no non-sense learning to read & write.
The teaching is real. Tell everyone you meet – because this is Our Christmas Present to the Poor & you. This is what we have to give you. Please be humble and accept it. This is what we are.
And no police to apprehend anyone – we wouldn’t let them dare touch you trying to help our kids nor would they themselves dare to examine anyone for proper documents. Why? Because everyone wants to help these ‘dead-end – no place to go kids.’ Our kids. Your kids. The Municipality usually looks the other way, says ‘good luck.’
All of you join us – this is true & real stuff - a Christmas present to a bunch of construction site scraggly Cambodian, Burmese, Lao, Thai kids, construction site worker kids. All of you reading this: come and earn a place at the table – come and sit on the mat with us under the umbrella. But you must ask the kids permission first. Again Merry Christmas
Prayers,
Fr Joe