Agape Home's Response

Agape Home first opened on May 3, 1996 in direct response to the AIDS epidemic. They seek to incarnate Christ's love to the poorest and most vulnerable members of Thai society, infants with or at risk of HIV/AIDS. They seek to decrease the incidence of abandonment of infants at risk for HIV/AIDS and encourage responsible foster care by relatives and local communities by demonstrating the efficacy of compassion to make HIV/AIDS an opportunity to enhance the quality of life rather than an excuse to despair.
Since its opening, they have cared for 91 children. Many of the children, relatives, workers of the Agape Home, and nurses/doctors who treat the children have come to know the Lord because of the faithful, selfless witness demonstrated in the lives and love of Agape caregivers and staff.
Currently, Agape Home is packed to capacity at 28 children. They are in the process of building a new complex which will serve 100 children. The new facilities including a medical unit, office, toddlers & babies units, pool and school.
The new site is located 15 miles outside of the city of Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand. The 4-acre lot is in the midst of a farming community, surrounded by a beautiful rice paddy field and within view of Doi Suthep, the mountain that sits on the city's skyline. The site provides easy access to hospitals and other facilities.
Consequently, Apostolic Team Ministries (ATM) is planning a 2-week trip to Thailand to assist Agape Home in building its house of love. A team of Christians with trades or construction experience/aptitude is needed to assist in the construction of the new facilities.


Building project update May 25, 2000.
The Agape Home building project is moving ahead at a steady pace. With the anticipation of the upcoming rainy season, a high priority has been to complete the foundation for the Double Accommodation Unit, the second major building to be constructed. As of yesterday afternoon, the concrete was being poured around the footers (footings in Australia!)) in half of the last section of foundation. We are having another dry day today, and as I write this, the workers are pouring concrete in the second half. With that, all the sides of the foundation will be in place, and the major digging is finished in time for the onset of the serious rains. Congratulations to Dominik and the building crew for accomplishing this difficult task.
We feel very blessed with the way in which the project is proceeding. The first major building, the Mother and Baby Unit, is up and looks beautiful. The red-tiled roof and teak wood trim is now visible from quite a distance as you drive up to the property, and gives the vision an anchor. Over the next several weeks, the remainder of the finishing work (installation of ceilings, plumbing fixtures, windows, painting) will take place as the rain will force the workers to move indoors.
The laundry and gray water storage area are also complete, and await the installation of a concrete pad over the top to finish that area. Also proceeding nicely has been the installation of the first tanks and the pipes of the wastewater system. There are sufficient tanks in place now to handle the wastewater treatment that will be generated when we move on to the property. The system can be easily extended as the need arises.
As the ground is being dug for building foundations, that soil is being reclaimed for grading the property. Although not sufficient in quantity for the entire task, it helps cut down what must be purchased and hauled to the site. We now have drainage rock, sub and topsoil in place over approximately 40 % of the site. Correct grading will support the landscaping plan, and provide the slope required for the efficient operation of the wastewater system. Enough soil and rock has been installed to allow us to begin initial plantings. At this point, we are planting fruit trees primarily as these will help with surface water drainage, and will help maintain soil integrity. They also look pretty! As you look across the property, you can also see the first outline of the roadway that will eventually wind through the property as its edges have now been marked and fill dirt is being placed.
There is lots of activity at the site, and regular visits by the Agape children help liven things up! Dominik installed some turf, water pools, and a few shade trees in a corner of the property so that we can bring the children out for playtime and to watch the progress of the building of their new home. They love their visits to the site, and much excited chatter can be heard about all the big equipment and other fun things to see.
Please continue to pray with us for the building project. We would ask your prayers particularly for Dominik as he bears an enormous amount of responsibility for the project, for the good health and safety of all the workers on the site, and that God will bless us with the provision of resources needed to keep working. Our funds are dwindling, and prayer for this is greatly appreciated.