Near tragedy at Ja Rurat

We arrived at church today, ready to head to Ja Rurat this afternoon and host the Christmas party, only to be greeted by the news that a fire had broken out the night before and consumed several homes. With the houses so tightly packed in Bangkok slums, any fire has the potential to be disastrous and deadly. Thankfully, this fire was extinguished after only five or six homes were totalled.

At first, the party was in real doubt, but after Vee and Thanee inspected the area, we determined we could and should go ahead with the party. In addition, we loaded up bags of rice and canned fish for the impacted families, and Immanuel sent money to help cover the cost of refilling the fifty or so fire extinguishers which had been used.

Actually, the fire gave us an opportunity to shine, as this group of Christians that folks had seen coming into the community all year, now was reaching out to them in a tangible, difference-making way. You could really feel the acceptance and appreciation of the adults in the community today.

Stairway to the pedestrian bridge just outside the Ja Rurat community. Tagged.