Ad Gentes

On Friday, November 17th, to explore possibilities for our future mission in Thailand, our Community headed north for its first experience outside of Bangkok. The following day we arrived in Chom Thong, a Community Center built and run by indigenous people, led and supported by Bro. Anurak of the St. Gabriel Brothers of Montfort.

The Project?s land belongs to the village, and a local Congregation of Sisters has been asked to build its formation house there and take care of girls from surrounding villages.

We were warmly welcomed and given the opportunity to mingle with the young volunteers and the Sisters and their candidates.

It was great to see them at work building their new house, just as our first Brothers did at the Hermitage.

A visit to an elderly missionary up in the mountains allowed us to see a different type of educational setup. On Sunday the 19th we were taken to Chiang Mai, the Capital of the North.

We were able to visit Schools and a community of Brothers, their Retreat House on the top of a hill overlooking the city, the Jesuit Retreat House, and some other projects, a ? also a few points of interest in the town. We met a good number of people, including a mixed group of Africans and Thais interested in projects for youth in the area.

On our return to Bangkok, we resumed our studies of the local language and found time to evaluate this first contact with one of the regions where we may be working in the future.

We thank God, our Superiors, and all those who helped us and made us feel at home wherever we went.

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From AMAF Newsletter ? November 2008