Our story
22 years of following the Spirit, one step at a time.
When people meet Randy and Kathleen in an airport and ask what they do, the answer is short: God sent us to take care of His children in Thailand. Here is the longer version, and where you fit in it.
How it started
It started with $38 and a yes.
- Before
A coffee shop, a salon, a classroom
Kathleen ran two businesses in Loveland, Colorado, including a Christian coffee shop with Bible study every Tuesday. Randy taught school in Wyoming. A missions class at Good Shepherd changed the direction of everything.
- The trip
“Go to Thailand and don't plan anything.”
They landed in Bangkok at 11pm to find the hotel had no reservation. They thought they were headed to an orphanage in Chiang Mai. God took them to Chiang Rai instead.
- That week
The coffee shop sold in two days
They flew home on a Thursday. On Saturday a woman walked in and bought the coffee shop.
- 2004
A foundation with $38 in it
Kathleen spent two hours on hold trying to start a foundation, until she felt the Spirit tell her to hang up. That Sunday, Charlie Raider stopped them in the aisle at church and gave them his: Living Spirit Ministries. It had $38 in the bank.
- One year later
Ban Dek Yin Dee is built
The contractor built in stages, about 400,000 baht at a time. Before almost every payment the account was empty, and by the time it came due the money was there. Three stories, fifteen bedrooms, eight bathrooms.
- 2004 to today
Raising them as their own
Abandoned children, some just weeks old, came home to one mom and dad and stayed. Village kids went to school, then college. Graduates are nurses, secretaries and accountants now.
- Now
Handing it on
Nam and Pantene are preparing to lead, grown kids are joining the staff, and the home is ready to take in children again.
The people
A family, then a staff, now a next generation.
The kids Randy and Kathleen raised are coming back to raise the next ones. That is the whole plan.
- Board president
- Fred Hansen
- Treasurer
- Karen Markel
- Sending church
- Good Shepherd
- Founded
- 2004, Chiang Rai
Where your gift goes
Short path. Open books.
No big overhead, no middlemen. Your gift takes three steps to reach a child.
- 1
You give
Card, bank, Apple Pay or check. You get a tax receipt by email right away.
- 2
Living Spirit Ministries
A U.S. 501(c)(3) run by a volunteer board. It receives gifts and sends them to Thailand a few times a year.
- 3
Ban Dek Yin Dee
The Thai foundation that runs the home. Food, school, staff and the building, every baht accounted for.
- A giving statement every January for your taxes.
- Project gifts come back with photos and receipts.
- Randy and Kathleen put their own money in alongside yours.
- Change or cancel a monthly gift any time, in a few clicks.
Contact
Say hello. Ask anything.
Questions about giving, a church that wants to take on a project, or a note for the kids. It goes straight to the family and the board.
- Churches and small groups
- Adopt a whole project. We send the full budget first, then photos and receipts when it is done.
- Give by check
- Payable to Living Spirit Ministries. Mailing address coming soon; send us a note and we'll reply with it.
Not a bold experiment. A proven one.
22 years of the same faithfulness in the same direction. Join them for the next chapter.