Dear Friends and Family,

This July 10-20, our family will be traveling along with a team from Faith Bible Church to Chiang Mai, Thailand to serve the K-12 students at the School of Promise.

What makes the School of Promise unique?

The School of Promise was formed to provide a way out for families and children who are caught in the challenging cycle of oppression and poverty and the realities of human trafficking. The School of Promise is committed to providing the means necessary to give these children an education that is not only Bible-centered, but one that excels in educational excellence.  It is through education that children will ultimately find gainful employment and a way out of their tragic situations.

In addition to physically rescuing children, the School of Promise is also foremost committed to their spiritual health and salvation. The school provides an opportunity to both show the love of Christ and teach the love of Christ to the children and their respective families. The loving community that the school provides is a wonderful example of both the Great Command to love one another and the Great Commission to make disciples.

As we serve at the school this summer, we will be planning and carrying out a week-long VBS camp for children 1st through 6th grade with the help of the older students from 7th through 12th grade – 170 students in total. The goal of the project is to help keep the children in school and expose students to the gospel in a fun way, while also encouraging the older students through daily interactions.

During our stay, we will also have opportunities to meet families in the villages to encourage, pray, and deepen the connections between the school and families.

We covet your prayers as we prepare for the trip and while we serve in what will be challenging conditions (heat, health, language, etc.). If you would like to be a part of our prayer team, please let us know by email at mike.l.kurtz@gmail.com or ly.kurtz@gmail.com.

If you would like to donate financially through the church (tax deductible), please visit www.fbcseattle.org/give/ or write a check to:

Faith Bible Church
128 18th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98122

Please make a note on your donations specifying where you would like the funds to be directed (e.g. SOP Kurtz).

Thank you for your love and support through the years. We appreciate you!

In God’s Love,

Mike, Ly, and Maili

ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF PROMISE

“Marnie was enrolled at the School of Promise by her foster parents. As a second grader, she is happy and excited to be in school, telling her foster mom that school is fun. Unfortunately, Marnie’s life has been challenging. Her birth mother tried selling her, which led to Marnie being placed in foster care. At her foster home, Marnie was enrolled in a nearby government school, but she was moved to School of Promise this month after it was discovered that her birth mom is trying to find her. The fear is that her birth mom will sell her if Marnie is found. Marnie’s foster mom is confident about the procedures and policies in place at School of Promise to keep students safe. It is a sad reality that children must sometimes be protected from their birth parents and dangers that seem unthinkable.”

The life of Marnie is one reason why the School of Promise (SOP) was started by Joel & Marvel Vander Kooi in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2010. Due to the challenges of poverty faced by many families, stories like this are all too common in Thailand and can lead to disturbing and desperate situations where young children are forced into sex trafficking. Currently, about half of the students at SOP are at risk of child trafficking or abuse, so by providing those students with free tuition, SOP gives them an excellent education that includes instruction in English as well as integrating the Bible into their curriculum.