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by Brandi Martindale Illustrations by Ray Braun Too Sick A two year old baby girl is checked by a doctor. He says that she has a disease called AIDS and that he can't heal her. She has diarrhea, an infection and her stomach sticks out because her liver is too big. The doctors and workers at this government-run orphanage in Bangkok, Thailand are too afraid to touch her. They don't want to catch her disease. Listening to God But one volunteer worker is not afraid of catching this baby's disease. Avis Rideout felt that God was calling her to love this baby girl. She came home one day and told her family that she wanted to bring her home. Avis always says "If God speaks you better listen. And if he doesn't then stand still and wait for Him to." That's just what Avis did. She brought the little girl home and Avis and her husband, Roy, named her Nikki. A Place of Love Today Nikki is a happy 9 year old who loves to laugh and play, wear bright colors and sing about Jesus. Since Avis and Roy listened to God and adopted Nikki, God has led them to have a place where sick children from these orphanages in Bangkok can go to be loved and cared for. In Chaing Mai, Thailand is a place called Agape Home. Agape is another word for Love. Many children have come to live at Agape Home where they can be part of a family. How it All Started One day during Sunday school, when Avis was only six years old, she knew she was supposed to be a missionary. She even remembers that it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon when the tears began to roll down her cheeks. When she was 14, God told her that she would have her own orphanage. And now at 54 she does. God told Avis to leave her home in Canada to go to Thailand to be a missionary for a year and a half. Then she came back to Canada for Bible College where she met her husband Roy. After they got married, they moved to Thailand to be missionaries. They worked with churches, they worked in refugee camp, they also worked with the poor and the sick people who needed to hear about Jesus. They worked wherever God led them. One day, after 18 years of living in Thailand, God led Avis to volunteer at an orphanage...  Now that you've read the first chapter -- take our Missions Quiz to see how well you remember it.Next chapter: find out what happens at the orphanage. home | Kids | Stories | Go | Give | Pray | About Us | Contact Us | Privacy
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