My time at Agape Childrens Home is feeling more and  more like my own home. I feel so at peace just loving these kids up and helping them feel like they are belonged and loved. I remind myself everyday of this wonderful opportunity that God has given me to take care of His children.

We have had new little babies come in because their mom died or they were left at a hospital because the mom was too poor to keep the baby...doesnt that make you so sad?

My time is flying by so fast and it really is sad to think of leaving my little kids. I cant imagine not knowing what new thing they learned to say or what crazy new trick they came up with to be mischieveous.

They really have changed my life and made me so grateful for the life God had given me...a family that loved and wanted me and a home to feel safe at. I also have felt that it is so much more rewarding to give up my time for someone else than to fill my time doing what I want to do. I just hope I can continue to remember all the things I have learned here. I really dont want to say goodbye!

my cuties...

making cakes with the older girls....

my lovely girls I work with...

zipping through the jungle.....

keep praying for these lovely children that they may feel Gods love.

May you feel Gods love today!

miss you all...

 Missing my American Roomies

There is so much to tell everyone and so much going on that I could sit here for hours and tell you all about it. I cant believe that next month will be a year since I have been here. It really doesnt seem that long ago but so much has happened since then.

I know that I have not written in awhile and I dont have much time now, but I will find sometime to update more what is going on in my life here.

It really is home here and the children feel like family to me. I could sit and chat with them all day and enjoy their goofiness that makes me laugh all the time. They can act so grownup and smart and yet have their moments that make me chuckle and make me wonder who taught them that...hehe!

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my wonderful michelle and christine who I loved having around to enjoy every moment with. I couldnt have had a better experience with friends then I did here. We could sit for hours and talk about our cutie pies. From their hugging times to their missing the potty times to their chatting times and our times when we want to sit and hold them for hours times.

I will tell you more things about my kids later, but I have some pics of me and my dearies together. It seems weird without them here, but Im looking forward to living with all new friends and enjoying their style. The house is quite filling up fast. So there is many great times to come. I look forward to the times God will further Bless me with! I still havent made my date home yet, because its too hard to know when I would have to say goodbye.

I love it here!

after shift...we just had to unwind!

sportin our purple shirts still...

one of our last dates together...on the River Cruise...

overlooking ChiangMai city and reliving our experiences together

enjoying new roomies and giving them their first tuk tuk ride...

he is always giving the peace sign......(notice michelle in the background )

I have tons more for you to enjoy but youll just have to wait till next time.

come visit these lovelies

you wont be able to leave either

kitung khun

 If only I could describe all my times here in Thailand to you on a page, but Im afraid thats impossible.

I would love if each one of you could step over here and see one of these children smile when you give them a hug, or have one of  them run to you hoping for some love and attention, or sit in your lap for some cuddles or see them lift their hands and close their eyes while singing to God, or watch them say their little prayers to God hoping for a mae and pa. Even when Im covered with colored pudding, playdough, coco, flour, water, dirt and bugers, I still look forward to the next experience I can have with the kids to show them the love that everybody needs.

Time is flying by so fast that they already look so much older then when I first came here. The four oldest ones in our group (ages 5 years old) have headed off to the big school, so its seems so differant to see them going their own way when they get home from school. We had a BIG graduating party for them, so now they feel like they are big stuff.

We have given a new boy a home whose mom had died and his brother had come to live with us too. He is adjusting slowing for it is hard for him because he speaks a differant language also. It is special receiving new ones into the family and giving them a home. Of course it means more kids and more patience, but God has been a big help in pouring out His love to them.

We are also given the privilege to work with the older kids now( ages 6 to 16), so that is exciting to take time out for the older kids that need so much love and attention too. Its funs just to hang out with them and they appreciate anything, even when I cant communicate to well with them yet. I wish so many times that I could understand what they are saying and be able to respond. But its fun using Tinglish...thai and english.

Its also great to communicate with the Thai nannies, for they have such hard lives also. It has been fun getting to know them and they enjoy having someone to talk with too.

My roommates are still wonderful, encouraging people to have around. It is sad that 2 of them are leaving at the end of June and also our Supervisors are leaving for awhile. So that leaves Me, Michelle, and Christine alone for like 2 weeks.  But then we will be getting new volunteers so that is great to know.

Enjoy these little delights~

dress up days ...oh boy.. little boys in dresses....

trying to take group photos....

mischievous friends....

hot hot days....

hanging with the older kids....they got ahold of the camera....

the kids always enjoy a bike ride....

my wonderful Thai teacher and her husband taking me out for dinner and sightseeing....

my lovely roommates.....we have been having some time in between shifts to hang out...so we went to the Kings Palace....what a fun day....the palace is named...Phuping Palace....lovely name...hehe

the beautiful sunset at 6am...biking to work....

well I hope again that you enjoyed the kids and could see a little of my days....

God has been continuing to bless me by seeing these children grow, and seeing people become christians and I just feel God has become so very real to me then ever before. He has created such beautiful scenes and all kinds of people that show His amazing abilities and His love to see us enjoy it all...He wants His children to be happy and to feel His love! In return I want to be able to give back the love to others!

I am sure God is praising over you for all that you do for others!

well i hope to hear how all my dear friends are doing...I wish you an amazing day!

The time has come and has actually passed....

for me to let u know what is going on in my Thailand life.....

HEAT

SONGKRAN FESTIVAL

WATERFIGHTS

NO AIRCON

ADOPTIONS

SHAKES ....many shakes

HEAT

BIKE RIDES

CUTE KIDS

did I say HEAT

FANS

LOVE

HAPPINESS

SAYING GOODBYES

CAMBODIA

PICKUP TRUCK RIDES

HUGS

WATER

too many things to list.....why dont i start out with some pics and then go from there.....

this is that charming little boy from the last photos that was very thin and sad.....

now you cant take the smile away from him....

even though his dear mommy has just passed away recently......

the kids always look forward to the shopping tio......its fun spoiling them.....

the girl that never stops smiling =)

can you spot the rainbow?

eating the good ole thai black jelly.....not too sure about it...hehe......

my friend Dtai had me over night at her house again...

and we ate all night and all morning and afternoon...

i thought i was going to explode...

especially having a Italian meal of spaghetti for breakfast......

the dear little girl in the middle has a grandma that came to pick her up at Agape take her home again....

she will be missed...but its special that she is able to go back to her family...

such a cutie...

this is dear Avis.....the mom of Agape.....giving her last hugs..

the grandma and brother are the ones on the left who came to take her back home......

the nannies on the right raised her ever since she was little at Agape.....

it was very hard for Avis to give the charmin girl up tooo...it was hard for all of us....

some of the very sweet nannies to work with......

heres a flower to you ....to make you want to come and visit....

the yummy morgata.....you never know what your eating over the cooking fire.....

drinking the bomb of shakes.........

talk about wild haircuts.....mohawks and hearts and shapes...crazy

And of course Songkran is the best time of year......its hard to describe how cool it is..

you just drive down the road and throw water at anyone.....

so by the time I got to work I was drenched with water....

but it feels great since its like 100 degrees.

then we piled on trucks and went out in the city and its like your underwater the whole time. 

Buckets of water are constantly thrown out at you and your truck can only move slowly since you are crowded between rows of other vehicles....

So it was 3 days of water fighting!

 I really wish i had pics to show you the craziness, but its kinda hard to take pics of course with water everywhere.

and of course we had to get Songkran shirts......

trying to dry off....

praise the Lord.......

I wish I could tell you about my wonderful trip to Cambodia with Michelle,

 but there is just so much to tell about.

It truly was a blessing to me and it opened up my eyes to a bigger picture of this needy earth.

And it really made me think about what I should be doing to help.

little kids begging....

cute kids at an orphanage in Cambodia.....

sending out joops to all my little kiddos...

well i could talk all day and all night about all my special adventures......

but at least I can give you a little sight of this special place in my heart!

take care and pray for these little ones.....

  `Mae Dionne ruk khun mak mak` -` Mom Dionne loves you very much`

 the words I love to say to these little kiddos everyday

~I wanted to show you some of the new charming faces added to the Agape Home~

this little cutie was so fragile but he had the most beautiful eyes and smile....he is active now and so happy. He use to sit at his mothers side and take care of her for she is very sickly. He had to be such a big boy. Now Agape has taken his mom into their care and they support his dad and little brother. You will never see such a big smile from a little child as you would from him now.

oops..this little boy is loosing his britches....he just loves when you are around to play with him..but the other kids like to pick on him cause he is so little. but he is really 3. he can throw his little tempers too....such a cutie tutie.

that is all for the new faces.....

now here are some everyday pics of the kids.....

can you get any cuter? the 3 little monkeys.....

`dek dek gin cow`.....getting the kids to eat their rice and chicken before bed for their snack...

dancing~~

making valentine cards....

hugs~~

 This is one of my friends here and she is such a sweetie. She is one of the nurses at Agape. She had me come spend the night at her house and made me eat some very interesting food... every part of a pig....but then they topped it off with a little birthday cake for me....very generous people. Her whole family is Buddhist, so she stands alone as being a Christian. So she really wants me to pray for her. she is a brave lady.

she and her sis can talk English...so that was nice to be able to understand and speak....

ooh yummy...i get to eat octopus.....

heres my chicky housemates right now....we are dressed up for valentines awhile back as you can tell......we spend many days talking about our kiddos and then just laughing our heads off at some of the crazy and sweet and bad things they do....we have our days when we think we cant get through it...but we encourage each other on and make each day count. we have less workers right now and our supervisors will be taking off for their own babies....so we keep telling each other we can do it!

hanging out in our cool purple shirts on shift.....we have just as much fun as the kids.....

well i love sharing my experience over here with you.....i really wish you all could come join in and see this wonderful childrens home and experience the joys of Thailand also! I am now here half of what I said I would be. The time is just going way too fast!

I hope you are all well and happy and that many good things will come your way! If you feel the need to visit, I would gladly show you around. you would get many hugs from the kiddos i am sure!

love again..........Dionne