Breanna’s House of Joy was established four years ago about 10 minutes outside of the second largest city in Thailand, Chiang Mai.  It’s blue-roof peeks over jungle and rice fields and house nearly 50 girls.  These young girls find refuge at this orphanage because they have been identified as girls that are at great risk for human trafficking into the Thailand’s rampant sex industry.  These girls either have no parents, are unwanted by their families, or come from extreme poverty.  They receive a quality education, safe housing, and teaching about Jesus and His wild love for each of them. 

In the Heart of  a Child. Breanna’s House is a picture of  the beauty arising from the ashes.  Several years ago, literally halfway around the worldfrom the Thai jungle  in the mountains of the USA, a twelve-year-old girl was killed tragically in a car accident.  This young girl, Breanna, had a tender heart for Asian orphans, and her parents founded Breanna’s House of Joy in her honor.  Today, nearly 50 dark-skinned girls giggle and play under a plaque that bears Breanna’s name and smile.

The Plaque Remembering Breanna at the Orphanage

L - R: Betty (Lu's wife), Ryan (supporter from the States), Matt (future co-director), Pastor Lu (current director)

 

 Details.  Currently, the girls are cared for practically by five nationals.  These adults are Christians who serve with humility and love the girls greatly.  The direction for the orphanage on site will be overseen by Pastor Lu, a Burmese pastor actively involved in working with the refugees in Myanmar, and Matt Parker, an American moving to Thailand in 2010 with his family.  There is a guest house on site which can sleep up to 15 individuals, and the orphanage itself is nestled in the jungle about 20 minutes outside of the bustling city of Chiang Mai.

The Future.  We have several projects on hand for Breanna’s House of Joy.  We would like to develop a trade skill for the girls, so that they can each be equipped with the necessary tools to successfully break the cycle of poverty.  Transitional housing also needs to be developed as a way to integrate the girls safely into their own culture after they graduate from the orphanage at 18.  Another task at hand is the development of a secondary and sustainable source of incomefor the orphanage.  In order to maintain and grow, Breanna’s House needs more than just the donations of generous people.  The first project up will be the creation of a fish pond on the existing property, which will serve as both a food and an income source.  As always, the grounds need to be maintained and improved.  And, of course, the girls need to be loved and encouraged.