COVID TUESDAY  29 JULY 2021

Dear Everyone

Follow the food and we absolutely must keep slum education top priority alive well no matter what

We are family. No doubt. The Slum kids “ain’t dumb’ - even almost 50 years ago. “Sized-up” me, Fr. Joe & Sister Maria the first moment that we dared humbly  ‘tip-toe’ into the Slaughter house, sitting in the back of that noisy old rattle-trap Baht bus taxi pick-up – followed a truck loaded with squealing most unhappy pigs coming in from farms from the Provinces. We paid our normal three Baht Taxi fare. Immediately, mobbed by children crowding around. No fear of our new faces. Immediately took Sister by the hand, helping  her. The dogs didn’t even bark.  And they always bark. The children knew somehow. They knew. A couple of ‘busy-bodies’ came to ‘shoo’ the children away. But Sister said it was Okay. Let them stay. The children immediately saw that Sister Maria was the Holy one. She was there to help. Not to buy or sell them. Not to abuse. Somehow they ‘sensed’ Sister Maria loved them all and she didn’t even know their names. Didn’t matter. Didn’t need to. Sister Maria was their today and their tomorrow. Their future. The hope that deep in their hearts they had been looking for.  

Me?  They let me -tag along. Rather ignored me, silly looking man. Spoke Thai with a funny accent. Seemed harmless.   

First thing one of the little girls said to Sister. “Auntie, will you teach me to read and write my name?” My mommy – somebody ‘hurt her bad’ so she had to run away.  But she promised me she would come back soon as it was safe. My grannie gave me a nice name and I want to learn how to spell so I can write my name pretty for everyone to see. My little brother laughs at me, says I am dumb like a water buffalo.  

And Sister answered yes, but do you know your prayers and the girl started to recite the “Ave Maria”. Saying, Yes, my own grannie has taught me.  But you can be my ‘second grannie.’ and so it began. 

A week later, we, with the men, after they finished their nightly butchering the pigs; in the early morning - cleaned up an empty unused pig pen of course under the supervision of Sister Maria and the next morning after that school began.  

 

That was forty nine years ago. Sister Maria taught the little girl to write her name ‘pretty like.’ She went on the finish University with top Honors. Married, her own children ‘graduated’ – also learned to write their own names ‘pretty like’ from the Slaughter House kindergarten. She was so proud, wanted her family also to be able to say: ‘we graduated from Sister Maria’s Slaughter House Slum Kindergarten. A badge of honor. After all these years it still is. Sister Maris is strong and healthy at ninety years of age, and the children all call her ‘Sister Ancient Grannie.’  

But there’s always ‘something isn’t there.’ And now, it’s Covid 19. Beating up people. Not showing any honor or dignity. Smashing windows. Most awful: telling our children: you don’t count. No school. No Church. Staydumb. And now, more and more: go hungry. Wanting to destroy our family. Telling us we can’t go to school.

And we here at Mercy Centre. We’re ‘little guys’ not ‘’big shots’ in church or government or anywhere,  Maybe sometimes to our kids. Maybe, but we didn’t know what to do. So as we did 49 years ago, we asked Sister Maria, now at 90 years of age. And she said, even without blinking, together with that little girl she first taught to write her name ‘pretty like. 

FOLLOW THE FOOD – FOLLOW THE FOOD. WE MUST KEEP SLUM EDUCATION TOP PRIORITY ALIVE AND WELL. NO MATTER WHAT. BUT FIRST OFF FEED THE CHILDREN AND THEY SURELY WILL LEARN TO WRITE THEIR NAMES ‘PRETTY – LIKE’  ALONG THE WAY. THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE DOING AND THAT’S WHAT WE WANT YOU TO HELP OUR CHILDREN WITH TODAY FOLLOW THE FOOD AND FEED THE KIDS SO THEY CAN LEARN EACH DAY TO WRITE THEIR NAMES PRETTY LIKE  AS SISTER MARIA FIRST TAUGHT THEM 49 YEARS AGO. 

 

p.s.  and as you know, we are now daily feeding almost two thousand kindergarten age children each day in twenty three poor slums. Cooking the food in each of our own slum kids with nearly 350 elderly folks helping with the cooking and washing the pots and pans. You, our family reading this please truly do come and help cook and teach. If one of our 150 teachers gets sick for a day or so, her mom, that’s right, her mom needs to come and fill in for her for her sick time.  So please do come and cook and teach.

Finally.

If you have food & goods, you could bring them to Fr. Wirach at Holy Redeemer Church.  If you wish to donate, you can do the same, or donate directly to us here at Human Development Foundation.  We can give you a tax-exempt Receipt.  Again, thank you.  Fr. Joe

Fr. Jos. Maier  + 66 81 947 94 24  /  +66 81845 48 48  

Human Development Foundation (mercy centre) 

100/11 Kae-ha Klong Toey 4

Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110

Tel: +662 671 5313- email: director@mercycentre.org

www:mercycentre.org  

OR

Fr. Wirach – Pastor 66 81 803 4920

Holy Redeemer Church

123/15 Ruamrudi Lane 5, 

Witthayu Road, Pathum Wan District,

Bangkok 10330 

Love & Prayers & Respect to all during these difficult times to each of your in our family.  Fr. Joe