06/17/2026
It has been a very long time since I have posted about Father Poa’s children, due to multiple health problems I experienced this last year. And we lost our social media person so if anyone out there can volunteer some time to do our social media work, I would be so grateful.
But let me tell you about my last trip to Thailand… and how I spent your money!
I arrived and the children surrounded with hugs and tiny w**d flowers, and heartfelt welcomes shown in smiles so large faces could’ve broken. Boy, did I feel loved!
The children wanted to cling to me, walk with me, and see what next I would do to create entertainment for them. I guess I already have a reputation because even the little children were not afraid of me this time, but we’re eager to be swept up in my arms. Since I was post surgery on my abdomen, it was not a possibility to do much sweeping, but I did my best to crouch down and give kisses!
I brought with me my friends again, Popcorn and Noodle, who were also welcomed in the same fashion. Father Poa was beaming and so eager to show me all that he had done on the farm since I had last been there, which was a lot!
The farm had grown by a third in size, and was thriving. Father P had the children build him a sheltered structure and was now growing mushrooms! I was there I learned that every week he would go to buy more mushroom starts. This provided a lot of nutrients into the kids diets.
Noodles company (really Noodle,) donated extensive amounts of drip line materials, as well as the labor to install the drip lines throughout the farm. Because it had grown, we were 1/3 short in what was needed, but that said, drip lines are now watering the vast majority of the territory, because Father P had taken our idea and already added a few drip lines using small amounts of materials before we arrived.
The second thing we did was we raised enough money to buy them a refrigerator with shelves, like for a restaurant! The idea was to use it specifically for tofu because one of the problems with making tofu was that they had nowhere to store it. They only had two ancient refrigerators when I had last visited, and I could see they were overflowing with vegetables. This time, one of those refrigerators was broken, and there was a massive amount of rotting vegetables sitting throughout the kitchen areas, going to waste. They did not have the money to repair the refrigerator or to replace it, so our timing could not have been better, however, I doubt that refrigerator is being used for tofu exclusively, (as we had intended) because they were down one refrigerator now. So…guess what they need now…you got it …another refrigerator!
I cannot describe to you, the joy that I felt delivering the gifts from your hearts. You gave money and that’s what you saw but that is such a limited view of what you really gave. You gave these kids, hope. You gave these kids protein. You gave these kids joy. And in a literal sense, you gave them the following:
 -A large restaurant refrigerator
-A cast-iron industrial grade grinder
-Multiple trays and equipment in stainless steel used for making tofu
-A sack of soy beans to make the tofu!
And I donated two dinners we all made and ate…(but my pudding turned out poorly and my spaghetti was too bland.)
I must tell you about the magical day I spent in the kitchen with the entire group of children. (10 hours on my feet). The older teen boys that have some industrialized skills and engineering, figured out how to put the grinder together. At the same time, Father P had the younger children outdoors with him over the stove, roasting peanuts. Many of the girls that were teenagers, huddled in another part of the kitchen and were heating water and soaking the soy beans. The pr***en girls were all with me setting up all of the stainless steel, trays and equipment to make sure it was clean and ready to be used. The tiniest children were running around our ankles, trying to make us trip! The pre teen boys were cleaning and setting up tables, running errands, and so forth.
The first three hours was really spent doing all of these things and then testing the grinder. It took a while to figure out how to adjust it to the right grind. Once we did, however, we began with gusto! We passed the soy beans through a soak, and did the first grind. Out poured rich soy milk and crushed soy, which was then filtered through cheesecloth and squeezed. We set aside the soy milk and ran the meal through the grinder again, and then a third, and sometimes a fourth and even a fifth time.
The soy muck was to a bowl with the fixative that firms it up. Father P didn’t want to use the product I bought, opting instead to try it with vinegar, because that is more accessible to them, we did and we ended up with slightly vinegar tasting tofu! I think he agreed with me that it would be better to use the additive and now we will need to buy him some of that because he doesn’t know how to procure it. And he doesn’t have the money to procure it, but we will add this to our shopping list!
When we were done with all of the grinding, we had the following: the pulp which was baked in the oven on a thin sheet. This turned into soy flour, which we then ground up in a blender to make it a finer soy, and we added one part soy roasyed and blended soy pulp to three parts white flour, and baked a bread with it! We over cooked it and it was too salty, but that didnt stop us from devouring it!
The middle part of the draw, part we were really going for, was turned into tofu. And of course, all of the liquid was already soy milk. It didn’t need anything added to it to be delicious. I will tell you this: I have never drunk fresh soy milk before, and it is nothing like the soy milk you buy at the stores in America! It is sweet and delicious and creamy! I would like to make my own soy moving forward because this is incredible tasting stuff!
While the bed was baking, we ground up all of Father Pao’s peanuts. That night for dinner the children ate hot, toasted soy bread, dripping with homemade peanut butter and gulping down soy milk! Every child went to bed that night with a full belly and a giant grin on their face!
I can tell you this story and you can think that it is sweet, and it is sweet… So very, very sweet. Because this is a story about MAKING A DIFFERENCE. It is about giving, about DOING SOMETHING in this world that really matters and affects many people all at once, with the smallest of efforts. I think all of these things cost around $2500 but that $2500 changes this entire community’s@ need for protein.
When I visited, Father Powell had 50 children in his care this time, plus two elderly and weak seniors who had nowhere else to go, that he was caring for, plus the two women who assist him. That is 55 people counting himself under his care and before we came along, he virtually did all of this by himself.@
This is a story of Change. This is about being that Change. This is a story of love.
We are not done… Far from it. Father P would like to set up more ponds to create more snails and fish to feed the kids. And they need another refrigerator. And his truck must be 300 years old, and this is their only form of transportation!
There are five priests in this region that all need our help. They all have many children they are carrying and many of them have many more children than does Father Pao. We need to get back to work because doing this work is amazing FOR YOUR HEART.
Even $10 matters. But I’d rather have $100. Or $1000. Who do you know with deeper pockets than you that might be willing to help us out. One of the best ways that you can help me to help them is for you to ask others to give money and time.
Do you have an old car or boat or truck… or an old computer or rug you’re not using? Or collectibles gathering dust on your shelf that you could sell and donate the money to these kids? It doesn’t have to come out of your savings account…just open you mind and heart.
I want to buy the kids a bus or large used van. The way they travel now is so dangerous. Id like to get them another refrigerator and two ponds. How can we raise this money?
Here’s an idea! How many of you would like to visit the children of the Hill Tribes with me this year? How many of you would be willing to donate $500 or more to the children in order to be invited to come along? (This will not be towards expenses that you incur to come this would just be a donation outright, and you would have all of your travel cost on top of that.) That said, I do have inexpensive condos you can stay in and I can arrange all of our transportation, lodging, and also be a bit of a tour guide if you come for two and a half weeks! Who’s in? (You can’t even get this on a travel site at this price! And I’m an excellent twerk guide! LOL!)
And here’s another ask: I need the following things urgently:
*A social media volunteer
*An outreach coordinator volunteer.
*And I need all of you to help in ways you can whether it be donating time or giving money.
Everything you do matters. For them, you are Santa Clause!
