HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

            For those who celebrate, happy Turkey Day! Christmas is looming, and Santa needs to get out and start shopping for the Horde. We now have 126 kids, not counting those in college and living in dorms. 57 of these have AIDS. We have AIDS infected 33 kids in our OUTREACH program. October was a really busy month, what with a three week first semester school vacation, and the arrival of the first of 60 volunteers from England. They work for the BUPA insurance company, and since the company is celebrating its 60 th year in business, they wanted to do something in honor of our Thai King's 60 years on the throne. We were fortunate to be chosen, because they repaired and refurnished the girls' kitchen and dining room at Viengkhuk, and each week they paint in various houses that need a new paint job. They will also donate three basketball/volleyball courts and playground equipment. They also gave money to redo 20 bathrooms. Some of those bathrooms were in dreadful shape. I had to tell the boys that if I found one more smashed sink, they'd be bathing in the pigsty.

            We took in three new kids who are infected with the AIDS virus. Two boys are 6 years old, and the girl is ten. One of the boys cried when he got here, for hours. I found out that he had been forced to beg in the Indochina market in Nongkhai (after his folks died) and he was badly beaten, regularly. The little girl is really sweet. She had no place to go or stay until nurses from a hospital picked her up and brought her here. One sad story: a little four year old girl from the Phonpisai area was to be taken by us, but we got word this morning that she had just died. The doctors refused to sign the girl to the provincial hospital, prior to going to the University hospital.

            Little Miss Bee returns to the University hospital in Khon Kaen to have her face fixed and her nostril whittled down a bit. Her first operation was to give her an eyelid; and the second was to give her a left nostril. She can now breathe through that nostril and her headaches have stopped, since it can now drain. Later she will have her mouth fixed. The Baby Hippo just returned to the Nongkhai hospital. Poor Miss Jo is there for 7 weeks now. But at least she is out of ICU, and back in her own private room. The Baby Buffalo is also hospitalized, with intestinal trouble.

            We had Mass in the Don Wai cemetery on Nov. 3 this year. We had a nice, big crowd, and our kids alone are a herd in themselves. We blessed the graves of all those buried there, including our four little people.

            Again, thank you so much for your kindness, generosity and concern for the wee ones. We accomplish what we can, thanks to generous people like you!

Father Mike

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