Agape meaning: Used in the "love chapter" in 1 Corinthians 13 describing the love of the Father. This love is unconditional and supernatural, unlike any other love.
Could there be a more adequate or fitting name for such an organization?
This organization was started 35 years ago by a woman named Avis Rideout and her husband Roy Rideout. This facilities mission is to take in orphaned children that are HIV positive that have lost their parent or parents to AID's already. The reasoning behind the generational curse of this disease takes many forms but all forms leave these beautiful and innocent children completely helpless. Whether it was that their mother was born into a lifestyle of sex trade and acquired AID's in the process, or that the mother was a victim of rape or even that their Grand-parents had the disease and it has simply been passed generation to generation.
Mrs. Avis assumed the missionary position and status when she accepted the call to move to Chang Mai, Thailand to open this facility. The hardest part for us humans who want to give into the flesh daily, is to give up a life of materialism and ease and move outside of our comfort zones to accept the calling.
Sadly, Mr. and Mrs. Avis have seen many lives lost and had to endure heartache. As we know this disease does not offer much Hope. The first couple of years there was a struggle to get medication for HIV positive children from the U.S to Chang Mai Thailand. 61 children were lost in the process. 61 beautiful children grew into sickly teenagers, young adults and sometimes if lucky adults but did not see past a young age.
Agape now has the medication for HIV patients but it is only given in adult sized portions. The children are given half the amount and this was something the nurses on staff had to play with and this causes vomiting and such.
The children are JUST like any other children but in my opinion more beautiful and shine unlike any other children in the World.
There are only 6 children that are not HIV positive and they are mixed in with the rest of the children. This teaches the children that we are all alike and loved unconditionally by God. Jesus died for all NOT some!
The children go to school at the orphanage for pre-school and Kindergarten and then they are able to go to the public school system. This is WONDERFUL for the children because they do not have to feel like aliens!
On the weekends activities are set up and adventures are taken:)
We had the privilege to be able to come in and hear about the mission, meet the beautiful lights of the World and spend quality time with them. We were able to teach some English to the upper and lower age groups in their classrooms. We had a diva day and brought makeup for the girls and we played games with all the boys. It was such a blessing for ME!
You hear stories about such things but until you are in a classroom teaching and playing games with the children it is different, it becomes real. You start to forget that there is a difference when teaching because they smile, laugh and love the same way as any child without HIV. But when a child runs out the door holding his mouth and vomits due to his medication and being active in the review game your world starts running in slow motion and you have to snap yourself into perspective and continue to teach the rest of the class. To star and stop the class would make the child feel alienated and embarrassed.
The baby room, OH I loved the baby and toddler rooms! You could eat them up, I wanted to take them all with me! But unlike some places, Agape is full of Godly, loving staff from all over the World. They commit 6months to a year, or like one family I met 4 and a half years, to moving to Chang Mai and volunteering as classroom workers and nanny's.
We thought we had met all the babies until the last day we were visiting the nursery. A new tiny baby was there! I asked where he had been and they informed me he had been in the hospital the past week or so extremely ill and was just released. All I wanted to do was rap him in my arms and love on him until I had no more love to give. BUT right then and there I thought to myself, If I want to do that and I do not even know him (Holy Spirit within us causes us to feel and react in certain ways) How much more does GOD his creator, Jesus Christ who died for him want to do that? God’s love is not only unconditional (Agape) but it cannot be compared to any other love on Earth!
Join with me in Prayer for these beautiful souls and lights of the World. That they will have a long, joyous life and the medication will help but that a miracle will do the rest.
I am not sure why the format was messed up under the pictures. I am new at this haha
ReplyDelete