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August 2008: Looking for the Lost Ones - A Center with Heart in Northern Thailand |
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 They know every heart-wrenching story. And they refuse no one their loving outreach, embracing all. “We take in every girl who comes to us, every girl we find in need,” says Sister Anurak Chiayaphuek. She and others in her religious community, the Good Shepherd Sisters, operate a center for girls in Chian Rai in northern Thailand. “God loves all and we should as well,” Sister Anurak says.
These Thai Sisters opened their first center in Bangkok in 1996; the home in Chiang Rai is the fourth such location. In all, more than 450 girls have been helped in the past dozen years.
 Some of the girls have lost parents through illness or violence, while others have been rescued from human trafficking and slavery. There are some living at the center from families devastated by drugs, suicide, and general poverty.
“We try to raise their dignity, their self-image,” Sister Anurak explains. “We look for the lost ones. We hold out for them the image of Jesus as the ‘Good Shepherd’ Who always searched for the lost ones.”
In addition to offering the teenagers a loving home, the Sisters teach them how to use computers, how to sew and other skills. The young women make hand-crafted items to sell, and maintain a little garden as well, growing produce for the local market.
Every Saturday, the Sisters pray the Rosary with the girls, and they regularly study the Bible. There is Mass at the center every Friday. Many are not Catholic, but the opportunity to learn more about the faith is provided.
 The Sisters also go into the villages near the center, running outreach programs for HIV/AIDS. Most importantly they teach about trafficking. “This way they will know when the danger comes,” Sister Anurak observes, “and they can protect themselves.”
After leaving the center, many girls return to visit the Sisters. Some even help with the village visits. “They are transformed,” Sister Anurak says. “They have dignity."
Her work at Good Shepherd Center fulfills a lifelong yearning for Sister Anurak. “In my heart was always a calling to live with the poor and to serve them,” she explains. She recalls her feelings as her friends married and started families. “My heart wanted more,” she says. “I became a Sister to give God’s love to everyone.”
 My family numbers in the hundreds now,” she adds. “Now my heart overflows with gratitude for this privilege to serve the Lord.”
Story and photos courtesty of MISSION Magazine, Spring-Summer 2008 issue.
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