Oregon Students Commit to Ongoing Support for Thai Kids

One of many groups of people that could prey on Thai children are traffickers who deceive, detain and sell them to brothel owners. One Oregon group is making a difference.

All photos courtesy: Christian High School

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Just days after Westside Christian High School wrapped up another school year, 21 students and a handful of adults boarded a plane headed for Thailand.

Equipped with duffel bags filled with children's clothing they had collected from fellow students, the group set out for a 3-week trip to Grace Ministries in the rural town of Krasang, Thailand. Grace Ministries is a home for children who are at high risk of being exploited in Thailand's sex industry.

The teens come from extreme poverty, have been abandoned or are orphans, making them targets for exploitation. One of many groups of people that could prey on children like this are traffickers who deceive, detain and sell children to brothel owners. This trip is part of an ongoing effort by Westside students to actively make a difference in an area of the world that turns its head to the exploitation of women and the poor.

"This is a real problem in Thailand," stated Andy Sears, principal at Westside Christian High School.

"An estimated fourteen percent of their Gross Domestic Product is attributed to the sex industry. This translates to over a million young women being raped for profit on a daily basis." This three-week trip was not a one-time experience. Westside sent a team to Thailand a year ago. When they returned, they told the story of Grace Ministries and generated enough financial support to help build a new building for 30 more children and the ongoing operating costs to support them.

Westside students now own the responsibility and blessing of raising funds to support and expand these activities. A group of the students who recently returned from Thailand are determined to keep the commitment strong.

"We've decided to form a Thai club that is dedicated to three purposes," said Margaret Hanscom.

"We intend to continue our relationship with these children in Thailand through letters and emails to the director of Grace Ministries.

Second, we have taken on the responsibility of finding sponsors for the new children in the program. And third, we want to put a plan in motion to create the sense of community we all felt at Grace Ministries here in Portland." "Westside will continue to take students over to Thailand every year," said Sears. "The value in going and visiting is not just in the bond we forge when we visit, but also in the promise that we will be back. The club the students are forming will help strengthen the promise from Westside Christian High School."

Background on the Trip to Thailand

The first couple days were spent in Bangkok visiting some local organizations providing services to combat social injustices. One of these ministries, The Well, rescues women from prostitution and teaches them occupational skills they can use to earn money.

"I was initially a little nervous about talking to these women," stated Jordan Nelson, incoming Westside senior. "They have led such a different life than we have. Once we started having a conversation, however, all the barriers came down." The brief stay in Bangkok was followed by a long train ride to Krasang, the hometown of Grace Ministries, a home for children who are at high risk of being exploited in Thailand's sex industry.

The teens come from extreme poverty, have been abandoned or are orphans, making them targets for exploitation. One of many groups of people that could prey on children like this are traffickers who deceive, detain and sell children to brothel owners. Grace Ministries provides the children with a safe and loving home, as well as an education all the way through college.

The staff at Grace Ministries believes that the young people in their care will become leaders and change agents in their country, making Thailand a safer place for children. "It was incredible to see all these girls who had been rescued," said Diane Moore, executive director for Healthy Families International, who had joined Westside students for the trip.

"One girl's parents had already negotiated the "deal", the price being set just hours before Grace Ministries intervened and opened their doors to her. She gratefully ran through them."

"One of the goals at Grace Ministries," stated Felicia Wallberg, Administrative Assistant at Westside, "is to bring kids in and build up their self esteem so they can discover who God intends them to be." While in Krasang, the Westside team lived with the Grace Ministries kids and walked in their shoes for nearly 3 weeks. "The kids there are incredibly disciplined," said Paige Landsem, incoming Westside senior.

"They get up every morning at 5:30 without alarms or prodding. After a half hour of devotions, they do morning chores without having to be told. Then they head into town for school."

The Westside students attended the public school with the Grace Ministries kids and had the opportunity to teach English in the classroom. After school the kids return to Grace Ministries and do more chores in preparation for dinner. "When dinner was over no one needed to tell them to get their homework done," added Karly McGill, Westside junior.

"They are so efficient and content. We learned so much from the attitude they consistently displayed and the real sense of community around us. It would be great to mirror that feeling of community here in Portland." More information about sponsoring a child from Grace Ministries can be obtained from the web at westsideoutside.org.