Elise and Jon Fletcher live in a slum community in Thailand where they are sharing Jesus with their neighbours through daily life. This reflection invites us to pay attention to what Jesus is saying to us through the people and places around us.

Elise and Jon Fletcher live in Khlong Toei, Thailand’s biggest slum community, where 100,000 people are living in material poverty, unaware of their God-given worth.

Elise and Jon have immersed themselves in the life of this vibrant community and share Jesus’ love for people living on the margins through everyday life. They turn up and show up for people living and working alongside them.

Elise writes:

When we first moved to Thailand, we inherited a collection of odd plates. They were perfectly functional, if slightly garish, but we made do. After a year or so we found ourselves feeling homesick in IKEA and caved in to buying a matching set – plain blue, not plastic!

Once we were more settled into the community, we began to receive gifts of food. If a neighbour was cooking something good, they would bring over a plateful so we could enjoy it too! Though we didn’t dare compete with samples of our Thai cooking, we soon learned who appreciated our occasional baked offerings! One thing niggled. People didn’t return the plates… and they seemed shifty when I returned theirs! I bought a stack of paper plates to get around this problem and let the donated plates stack up by the front door for neighbours to take back if they wanted them. We still had eight of the 12 matching plates so all was well…

Then, one day I handed a plate back to a friend who feigned shock that it was empty… it was a lightbulb moment as I realised where I had been going wrong. I had underestimated the reciprocal nature of community life. Not that people wanted anything in return, but that it was natural to give out of whatever we had, whether that be a few bananas from a bunch or the excess rice that would go to waste. This could be an everyday thing, not just a grand gesture when we baked brownies.

A few weeks ago, I commented on the delicious smell of a soup cooking in a clay pot outside the home of a new neighbour. We hadn’t talked before but I learned that she had moved here from the countryside to cook and clean for two grown-up sons. As I drove away, I suspected I’d be tasting that soup later in the day. Sure enough, my new neighbour appeared at the door with a bowl later that morning. She wasn’t home when I returned it filled it with lamyan fruit so I left it on her outdoor cabinet.

That bowl has moved back and forth every few days (changing colour occasionally, as I’ve learned that the specific plate is not what matters!) Though we’ve not exchanged many words, my new neighbour and I have bonded over shared food. As I passed her house the other day she had a suitcase packed and told me that she is going to care for her sister who is very sick. Every time I see her plate in our cupboard, I am reminded to pray.

We are now down to four matching plates that get used most days. But they are mixed in with ten or so randoms, which I’ve learned is exactly how it should be; we are right back where we started! As plates circulate between houses, I’m reminded of how much we need others and how diversity makes life richer. Though there are certainly members of our community excluded from the circle of reciprocity, by participating we can help to expand its scope and reach.

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The post Passing plates in Thailand appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

In the heart of a slum community in Bangkok, mission partners Elise and Jon are walking alongside families to break the cycles of poverty, proving that those pushed to the margins are at the very centre of God’s story.

by Elise and Jon Fletcher in Thailand

We have been living in Khlong Toei, Bangkok’s biggest slum community, since 2014. Living alongside people like Praew,* we help to run the Keeping Families Together (KFT) programme – an 18-month programme designed to strengthen families to prevent separation. We support families with income generation training, education opportunities and health access, helping adults to improve the lives of children in their care. 

Praew, 48, moved to the slum community one year ago when her husband died of a stroke and she was unable to pay rent and provide for her 12-year-old daughter. The only option was to move in with her adult daughter and family who rent a single room. Praew quickly found herself caring for three grandchildren whilst suffering from chronic ill health. The only income in the home was from selling drugs and life was highly chaotic.

When our KFT caseworker first visited, Praew was feeling overwhelmed. None of the grandchildren were attending school and the bureaucracy involved in arranging a school transfer for her daughter was too much. We were able to negotiate with the local Catholic school to waive fees and accept all four children immediately. With weekly home visiting, we’ve slowly seen Praew come out of her shell. She’s been able to articulate some dreams and commit to working towards small goals.

Families join the KFT programme for a period of 18 months. Every situation is different but the families are supported to do their own work to improve long term outcomes for their children. Progress is often slow but support from caseworkers and peers can make all the difference. We cover nine modules, the first focuses on the importance of attachment and belonging. Soon we will move to a module on ‘child protection’; knowing the risks and how to guard against abuse is crucial. Most adult participants carry their own trauma related to abuse, so breaking the cycle is key. 

We alternate between monthly training days and family fun days – we recently went to the beach! For many of the kids, it was their first experience of the sea. It was a privilege to see families enjoying time together in nature, away from daily concerns. Playing, eating yummy food and swimming in crystal clear water.

Change doesn’t happen overnight

The children in Praew’s care are now attending school irregularly and their KFT caseworker is working closely with them to incentivise attendance and change habits. There are many pressures working against the very poorest families. Even in slum communities, hierarchy pushes people to the edges. 

In a few months, the KFT families will learn to track income and outgoings. They will work on business and debt repayment plans, and will receive income generation grants to begin working towards financial stability. Praew is a good cook and she hopes to set up a food stall outside her house. It is easy to recognise the image of God in Praew as she comforts a child or sweeps the small home. Our prayer is that she comes to recognise this innate worth in herself and impart that to her family and wider community. 

God at the edges 

Our God consistently upholds the cause of the marginalised, even entering into the physical life of the poor through the person of Jesus Christ. Those seemingly pushed to the edges are actually at the centre of God’s story. As Gustavo Gutiérrez writes, “the preferential option for the poor is not optional; it is rooted in God’s gratuitous love.” That Praew is blessed and bears God’s favour, is a truth that stands regardless of her own profession of faith. 

We hope that one day she will know Jesus as friend and liberator but for now, God is here in the joys and the sorrows, the crowding and the daily injustices of slum life. God does not turn his face from human sin and suffering waiting for us to change, but dwells in our midst – Emmanuel, God with us.

*Name changed to protect privacy

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The post Breaking the cycle of poverty in Bangkok appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Here in Bangkok, Thailand, we have some great opportunities to serve families. Our local setting is the wonderful Khlong Toei slum community where our family has lived for 10 years.

by Elise and Jon Fletcher in Thailand

With the help of Thai case workers and a local church, we run a Keeping Families Together (KFT) programme to support and equip overwhelmed adults to improve the lives of children in their care.

The current cohort of families are smashing their goals in areas such as budgeting, positive parenting and healthy living. The family fun days and training sessions are great, with weekly home visits allowing us to go deeper in applying family strengthening principles. We are super grateful to journey with these families who have so much to teach us about resilience.

Aunty Song was in crisis when a community leader nominated her for the KFT programme. She had recently taken on the care of her niece, Manao, alongside her own children, providing refuge from an abusive home in a different province. There was a clear bond between them and a desire to make the situation work, but nobody had counted on Aunty Song losing her cleaning job and falling behind on rent. With no qualifications and no savings, an extra mouth to feed and school costs for the new term now seemed an impossible burden.

Aunty Song’s first thought was to approach a big foundation in the slum community, known for its resources. She had to swallow her pride but she was determined to provide for Manao and shield her from worry. “She’ll be better off with us,” said the officer. “She can go to one of our residential schools outside Bangkok and eat three meals a day. Think of the education she’ll get and the opportunities… just sign here.”

It was so matter of fact. Aunty Song felt shame turning down this offer. It was “help” but not the help she wanted or needed. She knew family ties were the one thing Manao had and should be protected at all costs.

Now, approaching completion of the 18-month KFT programme, Aunty Song’s laundry business is thriving and Manao is settled in a local school. They have a new puppy and there is plenty of laughter in their little home. They are exploring faith in a small house church that meets on Fridays. Though their problems haven’t disappeared and slum life is far from easy, they are well connected and equipped for future crises.

Speaking about her experience in the programme, Aunty Song said: “The money [a small income generation grant] gave us a boost, but mostly the KFT team helped me to find strength in myself and my community that I didn’t know was there.”

Poverty is the biggest factor for placing children in institutions worldwide. In Thailand there are over 120,000 children in orphanages and it is estimated that 90 per cent of them have living parents. There are active orphanage recruiters in some areas, with overseas funding of unregistered orphanages reliant on keeping numbers high. Adults in situations like Aunty Song are finding they have little choice but to hand over the care of their children to “experts”. The risks of attachment disorders, developmental delay and abuse in these settings are not widely acknowledged.

We believe that God places children in families; all children deserve families and institutionalised care should be a last resort. Families should be empowered to care for their own children. Poverty is complex and multifaceted but it should never be the deciding factor in separating a child from their family.

The KFT project enables our team to get alongside a handful of vulnerable families in Khlong Toei and see the balance of power shifted at grassroots level. Making a difference for a few always has value, but systemic change is needed to redirect resources from institutions to strengthening families.

Jon works with the government pressure group Alternative Care Thailand (ACT) to advocate for reform in the Thai care system. Among other things, ACT is partnering with the government on a pilot project to safely rehome and reintegrate children from a large orphanage. It is slow work but results are promising. One teenager returning to his village after a decade in care said, “If you had helped our parents initially, we could have stayed with them instead of growing up in an orphanage.”

Seeing children become aware of their rights is what fires our determination to work for justice and demonstrate God’s deep care for the disempowered.

We are so thankful for your prayers and support enabling us to be present and engaged here. Change is possible and there are many signs of God’s kingdom coming. May you be encouraged to champion the needs of marginalised people in your setting and be blessed in walking alongside those others may overlook.

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The post The right help at the right time appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

For the Bangkok slum community of Khlong Toei, home to mission partners Elise and Jon Fletcher, the recent earthquake was a mild interruption to the day. The aftershocks came as shudders of horror at what others had suffered.

by Elise Fletcher

It’s not often that living in a slum community can be claimed as an advantage but during last Friday’s earthquake I can honestly say that I was in the best possible place! The houses in our community are intentionally lightweight, built on concrete stilts over swampy water and clay. They might not look much but they withstand a lot.

When the house began to sway, I assumed it was a train passing or heavy cargo being loaded at the nearby port; a daily sensation. When it gained momentum, I went outside along with a handful of other neighbours who were at home during the day. We watched the swinging overhead wires and hanging plants, aware by now that we were witnessing an earthquake. Then we all went back inside either to get on with the day or turn on the news.

It wasn’t until I received phone calls from my husband and son that I became aware of the chaos outside my low-rise cocoon. My husband, Jon, was visiting a hospital where all the patients were being wheeled out into the street, newborns included. Our children had been on the 5th floor of their school building and felt the tremors more drastically. They evacuated onto the playing field and spent an anxious afternoon dehydrating in the sun.

Leaving the community to collect the kids, I found that traffic was at a standstill, with all expressways and the skytrain closed. Damaged office and condo buildings were all awaiting inspection, people lining the pavements and spilling into the roads. I was very grateful to be weaving on a motorbike as some parents took all evening to reach the school.

The aftershocks have come as shudders of horror on hearing the news about loss of life in our own city and damage on a vast scale in neighbouring war-torn Myanmar. Lord have mercy.

As my perspective has gradually expanded from my own limited experience of the event, I have needed to adjust my understanding. What was felt as a minor interruption to my day brought devastation elsewhere. A few days on, I spoke to an elderly neighbour who had remained so insulated that she had not given the tremors much thought! I’m not sure that she actually believed my account of the damage beyond our community… it probably sounded far fetched.

In processing all this, I’ve been challenged about my attitude towards suffering that is outside my own sphere of experience. The familiar everyday problems right in front of me can deafen me to the plight of others whose story needs to be heard. That is not to belittle the suffering closer to home but to own that it is part of a much bigger picture with emanating ripples.

We are seeing the impact of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ thinking with the withdrawal of USAID from frontlines around the world. Indifference has consequences! The scale of acquiescence on this matter suggests a level of blinkered thinking that has dulled human empathy. When we refuse to expand our experience of the world by listening deeply to the accounts of others, by seeing the horrors that are happening on our watch, we get stuck in small thinking; our own little earthquakes.

If our worldview and beliefs are not moving us towards more compassion, more inclusion, more loving action in the world, then maybe they need to expand! I don’t aspire to be ‘unshakeable’ anymore! Instead I invite the pain and injustice in the world to shake me out of my self-serving certainties and reform me for the integrated life that I am made for. May we love others with the breadth and vulnerability modelled by Jesus… with a love that absorbs pain and transforms it into new life.

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The post First person: aftershocks of Myanmar earthquake appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).