A repost from 3 March 2013 :
Bright and early the next day but thank God not at 3am, we headed out for our work immediately after a 7.30am breakfast. T1 was only too pleased to be pushed up her favourite Myanmar truck…..
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Another full day ahead, we brought out the boxes that we’d brought from Malaysia to deliver to the Children of Myanmar. In it were some clothes and LOTS of stationery and art supplies, sand art, girlie accessories, brand new underwear, and more stationery! Thank you all who donated to this cause!
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The MAD team, all bright and cheery….
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First stop. Here. Sacks filled with soil as steps.
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To buy rice for the Nanoo Monastery – 10 bags.
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Here, T1 and I learnt the Myanmar numbers in Myanmar writing. Our posh rice is their cheap rice, can you believe it?
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The money from donations being used for rice. Gosh, after one day in the heat and I’m all tanned already. Next trip – lots of sunblock and a hat!
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We bought 10 bags of rice, a few boxes of noodles, boxes of canned food and boxes of soap.
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Store lady packing in the canned food…..
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Once we arrived at the Monastery, the bigger boys all stood in a row ready to help carry the 25kg bags of rice into their home. I cannot even PUSH a 25kg bag of rice so I really wonder how these boys get by so strong without much protein at all.
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After unloading the rice, it was time to unload the boxes….
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It broke my heart that the stairway to the floor they sleep on now has a big hole! Soon, the stairs would just COLLAPSE!!!
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We offered the money to them for fixing the floor above where the kids sleep.
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This is the floor which has really deteriorated since our last trip. Shit, I didn’t even dare go into that area knowing how heavy I was. I could have just gone right DOWN to the floor below. Bad trips, man….the floor was all RICKETY!!!
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The alms that the monks had collected were all purely rice. On the odd ocassion, there was something other than rice. But mostly rice.
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And I know this because I walked around every single pot there was on that floor and it was mostly all rice. 99% all rice. That is what they eat everyday. Rice. Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner.
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I managed to catch the chef in the kitchen cooking some leftover meat that they had. 4 tiffing carriers of meat (as shown) to feed 230 kids. Who do you think gets the meat, you think?
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Thankfully, there was a huge pot of vegetable soup for the kids to eat with their rice……
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Whilst lunch was being heated up, I got down to business…..What the hell do you think I am doing???
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Having a bloody workout with the kids that completely flushed me, that’s what!
The smiles made it ALL WORTH WHILE!!!
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We committed to the kids that we loved them and that we had plans for them. We asked them to apply for scholarship with us in English. Submissions to come in by the end of April. This means they have a whole month to work on an English proposal. You could see on their faces that they really wanted to do this, yet the challenge of writing a proposal in English daunted them, but Eileen said she’d be there as usual, to help them with this. Bless her amazing heart.
After proposal submissions, depending on how much funds we can raise, we will send a few of these boys to pursue their dreams. We will start with extra English classes or whatever……we’ll see what their dreams are first.
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And after all that inspiring work, we almost left Eileen behind…..Quick, Eileen!!!
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Since the White Pagoda was nearby the monastery, we decided to make a 5 minute stop.
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The White Pagoda under renovation.
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After the White Pagoda stop, we headed off to buy rice and supplies for the Hosanna Home. Again 10 bags. It lasts them a month.
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T1 was reunited with her friends again……the same girls whom she exchanged addresses with 4 months ago, the same girls whom she loved so dearly……I love them too.
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T1 getting fanned by her Myanmar friends whilst she sat and watched TV with them whilst the adults chatted. Can you believe it? It was just so kind of them to fan her as it was really hot – 39 degrees Celsius, yo!
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After spending some time with them, we headed back. This is Sam, a representative of Friends of the Children of Myanmar, a British NGO.
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T1 was pooped after another long day out in scorching heat.
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Our day was far from over though! After sending the MAD bosses home, we went to Church as it was Palm Sunday! I never do Church in KL (for fear of God seeing too many sins) but since I was in Myanmar and since one of the MAD team was going, we decided to follow him. It was a service in Myanmar language. Duh.
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What a day of reflection it was for this little girl.
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If there is one random act of kindness that you would like to offer this month, please give some assistance to the Children of Myanmar. I am committed to building their lives till they can sustain themselves. Please help me help them.
Update 2017 – this job is now completed.
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For more stories on our journey with the Children of Myanmar:-
Our visit to Yangon Orphanage 1
Playing with the Children of Myanmar
Humbled by Sacrificial Love and Selfless Giving
The Children of Myanmar Need Your Help
Taking the Myanmar kids to watch Jason MRaz
Thank you for construction has begun!
Calling the Media to spread this please?
Dedicating our lives to the Children of Myanmar
Organising 2 Nations 1 Heart MAD Project Myanmar
Incredible Support for the Children of Myanmar
The Psychology of Giving – Children of Myanmar
So much progress after 4 months!!!
More help and inspiration for the Children of Myanmar
**************************************************************************Who is Mamapumpkin?
Mamapumpkin spent 7 years in London committing crimes to gain her Bartlett degree in Architecture. She then spent 7 years as a Stay At Home Mom raising her children as documented in this blog of over 15 years thereafter returning to the Corporate World stronger than ever as the Country Director of a British Multinational. She sets out to prove to all, that you can have anything and everything that you want; if you have that fire of desire burning within and the drive to work hard. Even better with much love.
Mamapumpkin has not only grown corporate businesses successfully in the past but has grown not one but TWO network marketing businesses in the notorious MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) industry, achieving success in under 2 years. She believes in the MLM business model but realises the DRASTIC PITFALLS and great stigma attached to it, understanding EXACTLY WHY the majority would shy away (or RUN for their lives) from ANY MLM business. But open your eyes and take time to understand it intellectually, remove your hang-ups, confirm your research, and you may just want to seize an opportunity. She did. And no, she never went about chasing people for sales. She had a sophisticated system work for her through technology and a smartphone.
She now impacts lives authentically with proven strategies amassed through the last decade of her own transformation offering online coaching programmes and always supports the underprivileged. She believes that we can all have a life of our own desires to enable real contribution into the world. But first, one needs to understand what this all means.
A beautiful life without limits.
If you wish to learn some tools to propel your life forward guaranteed, be brave enough to make contact as her life's purpose is to build people. She operates through a discovery call after which she will commit to helping you. Or not.
Most lose out on an opportunity because they are afraid they would be sold to, conned or whatever fear resides in their brain without even trying. And that's on them.
Mamapumpkin is a living testimony that women really can have a lot. Being financially and time free has enabled her to travel the world anytime, anywhere, doing anything, and she spends most of her days with her children, having fun, and supporting others wherever she can. Also having fun.
