Mission

Chiang Rai Christian Service Project

A few chickens, a school uniform, a bag of fish fingerlings, enough money to buy a secondhand weaving loom, a pair of shoes. Add to these things a huge amount of encouragement, friendship and a reflection of God’s love for people, and children orphaned by AIDS find new hope and a home.

Lyndal and the team at the Chiang Rai Christian Service Centre in Thailand know that orphaned children develop really well when members of their extended families are given just a little bit of help so that they can care for them. Sometimes it means enabling the children to attend school, sometimes it means enhancing the carer’s income so that they can provide for their family, through such projects as the Fish Project, the Pigs Project, the Buffalo Project and Vegetable Growing.

Rather than just caring for children orphaned by AIDS, Lyndal and the team put energy into preventing HIV infection. They do this through educational programs in Chiang Rai schools, running seminars for adults, training people to pass the message on to others, community events, helping to enhance government programs through consultancy, and much more.

Lyndal writes, “We also teach about ‘making life choices’, encouraging youth to make life-enhancing choices. We share that there is a Spirit who wants to be personally involved with them and help them to make good, beneficial choices.”

The CRCSC team also ministers regularly among prisoners in the Chiang Rai jail.

Lyndal has been doing excellent work with people affected by HIV/AIDS since 1992. Many children orphaned as a result of the illness are living in a secure, loving home as a result of the practical and supportive help given to extended family members by Lyndal and the Chiang Rai Christian Service Centre. How much better this is than placing the children in an orphanage!

Lyndal’s daughter Lukgade was born in 95, and became part of Lyndal’s family in 2002

Lyndal:

Has been working in Thailand for over 16 years, the last 10 years with Global Interaction Australia.
Has had a change in role at the Chiang Rai Christian Service Project. Her role as project manager has been taken over by a Thai.
Trying to find more funding for the project within Thailand, so that the Thai’s can become less reliant on foreigners and overseas money.
Single mum to her adopted Thai daughter Lukgade.

Lukgade:

13 years old
Home schooling through distance education for grades 8-10.
She is into Korean music and soapie stars.
Lukgade speaks 3 languages, Thai, English & Chinese.
She does ‘hip hop’ dance on Saturdays and church activities on Sundays.

Current Project - A New truck

The Chiang Rai Christian Service Centre (CRCSC) provides educational programs in schools, prisons, and communities, relating to HIV /AIDS and drug awareness. They also help facilitate for orphans to be able to stay in their local communities with extended family, rather than be placed into institutional facilities. This is done through income generating, help with schooling, and development projects with families and schools.

The CRCSC project is still in need of its own vehicle. In the past, the missionary working with the project (Lyndal Brunner with Global Interaction) has used her mission vehicle with the project, along with hiring local transport when needed.

A vehicle for the project would mean that staff would be able to visit families and children affected by HIV/AIDS more easily all year round, as well as making transporting speakers, staff and equipment into communities and schools easier. It would also help in the logistics of setting up income generating projects. Transporting fish, pigs or other livestock and equipment is certainly easier in your own pick-up truck!

A truck like this new costs around 700 000 Baht ($30 000 AUD, depending on the exchange rate).