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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Make Your Year-end Gift Count

As we wrap up 2011, we know a lot of you out there are looking for the right place to invest your year-end tax-deductible gift. We would like you to consider investing that gift in The Sound of Hope. We’ve had a wildly successful year thanks to many generous donors. Our organization’s revenue has grown by 1,209% in 2011. That growth means a greater impact in the lives of hundreds of orphans and at-risk children around the world.

To be more specific, last year (in our first year of operation as a 501c3 organization) we were able to release $3,200.00 to care for our children overseas. This year, we released $100,667.57 to the Children’s Homes and Children’s Programs we are partnered with in Thailand, India, and Swaziland!

We are beyond excited to see this increase in giving. You see, we’ve spent 5 months of this year traveling to and living in 2 of the countries where we have partnerships - Thailand and India - and we have seen the needs of these children first hand. Our bottom line is simple - the more you give, the more we can do for these kids. More money means more children rescued from poverty, drug-trafficking, sex-trafficking, genocide, disease, and abuse. More funding means more children living in safe, loving homes - and more children with an opportunity for an education! 


We know that, as a donor, you want to see the greatest impact made with your year-end financial gift. By giving to The Sound of Hope, your gift will drastically impact many lives. I know this because we’ve put money in the hands of our local partners, and seen in person how they use that money. Our overseas partnerships are built on face-to-face relationships. So you can trust us with your sacrificial financial gift.

Right now we have 3 pressing needs:

1 - The Asha Mission Land Project - We need $36,000 for this project by mid-January, with another $180,000 by July.  The Asha Mission Children’s Home in Delhi, India is home to 33 children, but they only have 2 small bedrooms. Over half of the little boys and girls there must sleep on the cold, concrete floor every night. This Children’s Home needs to expand, and the best way to do that is to buy their own land and build a permanent home. Money given to this fund will go directly to purchase this land.

2 - The HOPE Fund - Money given to this fund will be disbursed evenly to the Children’s Homes and Children’s Programs we are partnered with in Swaziland, India, and Thailand. These funds are used for needs like food, clothing, rent, transportation, school fees, and medical care.

3 - The ADMIN Fund - In order to do this full-time work of fundraising, empowering and advocating for our kids around the world, we need funds to operate our organization. Donations given to the ADMIN Fund provide for our operational expenses, salaries, and travel expenses so that we can work around the clock for hundreds of children trapped in horrific poverty.

One thing we do well as an organization is bring you, the donor, face-to-face with the projects you support. During our trips overseas, we broadcast “real-time” video updates from the field. We believe it’s important for you to know the needs of the children and precisely how your contribution is being used.  Here is an example from a recent project in India.


We are anxious to get to Swaziland in 2012, so that we can share the stories and needs of the children in Nsoko - but we can’t do it without your help! Because donors like you have invested in The Sound of Hope ADMIN Fund we’ve been able to make many direct and intimate impacts around the world in 2011.

2011 PROJECTS ::

As you can see, we’ve had a very successful year!  But the truth is, we are only as successful as our donors are generous. So THANK YOU for giving and partnering with us this year. We hope you’ll continue to help us give HOPE to children around the world by giving a year-end gift today!

Click on your fund of choice to donate online (Asha Mission Land Fund - HOPE Fund - ADMIN Fund) or mail your tax-deductible donation to The Sound of Hope - PO Box 534 - Helena, AL - 35080.

Many thanks & Happy New Year!

Rusty & Ericka Jackson
Co - Founders
The Sound of Hope


ps - We have a lot of exciting projects planned for the coming year, including starting a Children’s Library in each of the homes we support, and starting a school in a slum in India. Please help us continue our work in 2012!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Videos GALORE!

Right now jet-lag is whipping my tail!

I've been up for FIVE HOURS, and it's only 830AM!

I'm posting this blog for all you folks who don't get on Facebook much. During our six weeks in India and Thailand, Ericka and I put together 12 videos. Below is each video starting from the first one to the last one. I realize if you are getting this blog post in your email, then you can't see the videos inside your email - you'll have to actually click on the Vimeo link, or visit my blog. Yes I know, it's inconvenient, BUT the videos are worth it. They are all short, so please enjoy!


Thursday, December 15, 2011

Success, and Upcoming Challenge

One of the things I was looking forward to the most on this trip was seeing our Thai partners and their NEW children's home. Back in January we started fundraising for this project - The Promised Land, and a couple months ago we/they bought the house! (You can read more about that HERE.) So this trip was our first chance to see it in person!

WOW! That's all I can say! We are SO honored to be a part of this project - and GRATEFUL! Banya and Rapee are people of such great character and honor, we'd couldn't be happier for them. They have a great vision to rescue and raise orphans and at-risk kids. We know they'll do great, and after 27 years of praying and believing - this is a HUGE victory for them!

AND, it's a HUGE victory for our organization, The Sound of Hope. Ericka and I have busted our butts this year and made a TON of sacrifices. So, it's wonderful to see the fruits of our labor! I can't tell you how good it feels to take on a HUGE project and see it finished!

HOWEVER, we did NOT do this alone - without our wonderful donors, we are useless. We had TONS of people give and sacrifice for this project, one BIG donor in particular. We are GRATEFUL for these people, because of THEIR sacrifice, Rapee and Pastor Banya are now LIVING their dream! How cool is that! THIS is what it's all about - empowering local people to fulfill their dreams to serve God and their communities.

Here's a TWO MINUTE video update we put together the other day.


But, I'm learning in this line of work you don't sit around patting yourself on the back. You get ready and gear up for the next big fundraising campaign.

And boy we got a BIG one coming up.

$200,000!

In SEVEN months!

And we need $36,000 by mid-January!

God showed up BIG TIME this past year in the Promised Land project, and we need Him to do it again this year.

We're making a big push to help our local Indian contacts buy a piece of land in New Delhi. The home the kids currently live in is too small. And the bottom line is this - if you really want to grow and expand, you need to own your own land and house - something that is not currently the case for our people at Asha Mission.


So, I'm asking you guys to sow into this by clicking HERE. Don't be intimidated by the total needed - any amount will help. We NEED you guys, because without you - our projects will not get off the ground.

We're only as successful as you are generous!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Catching you up...

This is a guest post from my wife, Ericka. She does a great job of catching ya'll up from the past 10 days.

Sorry guys for the lack of blogs! My last update was on Thanksgiving in India, which means I'm way behind on all we've been up to overseas.To say things have been busy would be an understatement. Let me try to (quickly) catch you up!

Here are the highlights...

After our time at Asha Mission, and Asha House in Delhi - we headed to Kolkata for a few days to visit the third Children's Home we support - Asha Mission Kolkata (founded by the same people who founded Asha Mission Delhi). This is home to 15 little boys, and we loved spending time with them! While we were there we found out they were sleeping on the cement floor and getting sick from the cold weather (because they couldn't afford mattresses or warm blankets.) So we bought them all new pillows and thick blankets for the winter, and then (thanks to our awesome donors) we were able to raise the funds for new mattresses! Check out the video here...



Asha Mission - Kolkata from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

After 3 days with the kids in Kolkata, we finally took a much-needed day off. For some reason we didn't schedule any off-days between the 3 orphanages, brothel, and leper colony this trip, and we now know what a mistake that was! We would work all day at the Children's Homes, travel for hours in Indian traffic, and then come back to the hotel for 4 (or more) hours of video/blog/internet work before falling into bed around midnight or 1am. We were seriously worn out by this point (day 15 of the trip). We'll definitely do a better job of planning some rest into our next trip!

After our rest day we flew back to Delhi. I spent 2 days shopping for merchandise for The Sound of Hope, and let me tell you - that was an adventure all by itself! These ladies don't like to take "no" for an answer. At one point one saleswoman had me by one arm - Rusty had me by the other - and both were pulling as hard as they could! I felt like a human wishbone! (I seriously wish we had a pic of that - LOL!) But I am happy to report that we got some extremely beautiful handmade products that I know many of you are going to love! We're planning a big fundraising event for next November (in B'ham) where we'll be having a silent auction with these items - so keep an eye out to find out how you can be a part of it! 

Our last day in India was one of the busiest, but best days of our trip. We spent the day with Babu John - the founder of both Asha Mission Children's Homes. He shared so much with us about his vision for these homes, the children we care for, and also about the issues orphans and vulnerable children face in India. He also took us to visit the Chauma Slum, and what we saw broke our hearts. I'll be reposting my blog about our time there soon, but I'll go ahead and share our video now. You see, we've decided to plant a school in this slum, and we want YOU to be a part of it! 


Chauma Slum - Delhi, India from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

Donate Now

We said our goodbyes at Asha Mission (Delhi) later that night, and got some beautiful gifts from the children. We also got to celebrate 2 of the kids birthdays with them! It's tradition here for the staff to feed the kids all bites of the birthday cake (kind of like the bride & groom at a wedding in America). Of course, they also smash icing all over their faces and everyone has a good laugh!

Here's the birthday girl, Leel...


And the birthday boy, Ramlal!


We sure are going to miss these two (as well as all the other sweet little boys and girls at all 3 homes here!) India is a very difficult country to visit (it's really rough on your health), but being with the kids  makes it all worth it!

The next day, it was time to fly to Thailand! The plan was to have 3 days to rest in Pattaya, before heading back up to Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, our plan didn't really work out. Our first day in Pattaya ended up being the only day Rusty's 81 year old cousin Sam could visit with us, so we stayed awake for around 36 hours straight! (It sure was good to see him and our Thai friend Thida though!) After that we were just going to sleep in for 2 days and lay by the pool... but our health issues kind of ruined that. We think we both got parasites in India (I guess that's a risk when you are eating in brothels and leper colonies!) and had to take parasite meds for 3 days. Then, I had a serious allergic reaction to the bedding in the hotel (I think it was the detergent the sheets were washed in). I was pretty much covered in a red, itchy rash from head to toe for 4 days. Pretty miserable to say the least! I'm glad to report that after our parasite meds, lots of benadryl, and prescription strength steroid cream we are both feeling much better!

After our (itchy) days in Pattaya, we flew back up to Chiang Mai and immediately hit the road! No rest for the weary! We drove to Mae Sariang to visit the new Children's Home we bought a few months ago (video to come soon) and then headed to the refugee camp to visit the 19 kids at The Refuge for a Christmas party! It was SO good to see them all again. We were really encouraged to see how well they are doing and also to see the new home. We can't wait to share the details with you!

Until then though - here's a pic of some of our kids at The Refuge in their Christmas hats. We had so much fun together!


... and now you're all caught up! (Well, with the basics anyway!) We still have a LOT more stories, videos, and pics to share - so I promise to post more later. I can't believe how fast time is flying by! We only have 6 days left in Thailand, and we still have so much to do!

I'll end for now by saying a big THANK YOU to everyone who's been following our work on our personal blogs, vimeo, facebook, twitter, and The Sound of Hope blog. It has been so encouraging to get your comments and messages, and to see you reposting our videos and blogs! It's great to know you are here with us "in spirit"! We really couldn't do this work without you!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

BLESSED are the Poor

In just a few short verses Jesus spoke words that turned the world on its head.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

I've spent a lot of time reading over those verses the last few weeks. I guess that's a by product of who I've been hanging out with - prostitutes, lepers, the homeless, the abandoned, and the orphaned - people that have been forgotten by this world.

If we TRULY believe what Jesus says in the Bible, then these people - the "outcasts" - are called BLESSED by God himself.

And if that is TRULY the case, shouldn't we do everything in our power to invest in their lives.

My last morning in Delhi a few days ago was spent in a forgotten area of the city called the Chauma Slum. The people that live in this slum do trash for a living. What I mean is, they pick it, sort it, recycle it, sell it, eat it, wear it, and LIVE IN IT!

God calls these people BLESSED!

The children here are beautiful, yet they are living in such hopelessness.

I know we can't rescue every child - I wish we could. The three children's homes we support in India are all full of kids and short on space. However, the house dad at one of our homes has been coming down to the Chauma Slum twice a week for the last 6 months, building relationships and working to meet the NUMEROUS physical needs of the kids. He's also been giving simple oral lessons.

So, the day we were with him in the slum we started talking about doing a little more. Sharma says they want to build a simple structure ($175) and rent a small plot of land ($200) in the slum. If he could get that, then reaching and teaching up to 35 kids could happen.

Here's a look at what we saw that day. Will YOU help us plant a school in Chauma Slum? Will you invest in the lives of these GOD BLESSED people?

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Overwhelmed

"What have we gotten ourselves into?"

Ericka and I have asked this question MANY times over the past couple days. After visiting all three of our children's home here in India - we are OVERWHELMED!

Overwhelmed by the stories of abandoned and orphaned children. Overwhelmed and HUMBLED by the sacrifice of the men and women who care for these sweet kiddos.

And OVERWHELMED by the needs!

Our partners need more space, new homes, their own property, more money for school fees, clothes, books, food, beds, etc. These are ALL legitimate needs. How are we supposed to pick and choose between them??

You know, raising funds for these children back in states is one thing, BUT seeing it up close, spending time with the kids, seeing their smiles, hearing their stories - man, it just makes this whole thing so much more real.

All year I've been telling Ericka we gotta get to all three of our partnerships (Thailand, India and Swaziland) within the year if we want the Sound of Hope to be successful. (We're going to Africa in March)

But I'm realizing now the success of our organization has very little to do with this. I know now, after sitting with the people, holding the kids, and learning a about them - this trip was and is about commitment. How committed are we willing to be, now that we have seen?!

To whom much is given, much is required...

We have been given much in terms of information and knowledge, and not just in the form of statistics. BUT in REAL people. We've seen the mom who works in the brothel. We've seen the children who play right next to where men take their mothers for sex. We've seen the poverty and the horrible effects it has on children. We know the stories, and they will be forever with us.

Now, much is required of us - how do we respond?

The answer to that question is a bit overwhelming.

However, we know we are not in this alone! We know their are people out there willing to sacrifice their finances so that these children can have a CHANCE at a better life. We saw that last week when we raised $5000 in 20 HOURS for a specific need at Asha House!

This is just the beginning, that $5000 need pales in comparison to what we are about to roll out. I pray we see the same response. The need is OVERWHELMING, yet extremely important.

Will you help us meet it?

Monday, November 21, 2011

Red Light District - New Delhi

What I saw Sunday night in India was unimaginable.

I've been to "red-light" districts before, specifically in Thailand, BUT it was NOTHING like this. In Thailand, there's almost a "party" feel to it. Everything is pretty much out in the open. You've got lights, signs and women beckoning you to stop. You see terrible things - such as an old, pot-bellied man walking hand-in-hand with his two young prostitutes.

But that's just it - you SEE IT! It's everywhere - staring you right in the face like a HUGE, bright, neon sign. In Delhi, it's VERY different. It's what you DON'T see that is so horrific.

Sunday we took a drive down "G. B. Road" in Delhi. It's estimated this single road is home to 15,000 women - 15,000!

It's less than a mile long.

It's also home to some moms of our kids in the Asha Mission house. Their kids live in our homes so they don't have to grow up in a brothel. Unfortunately though as we saw that night, many children are not so lucky. They live just feet away from where there moms "make a living".

The red light district here is NOTHING like the ones I've visited in Thailand. As you can see in the video below - this road is dark. You hardly see any women out on the streets. If they did, they would get arrested. You see, prostitution is "illegal" in India. But if the women stay on the upper floors of these dreadful, run-down buildings, they can "work." They call out to the men on the road from behind iron bars. Actually, prostitution is LEGALLY "illegal" in India.

We were allowed to shoot video from the car, but we could not take our cameras inside. So I'll do my best to describe to you what I saw.

The building is concrete - that's it, very simple. You walk through a narrow doorway with a few women sitting beside it. Then you wind your way up concrete steps with concrete walls on each side of you. The stairwell is so narrow, two people walking side by side would not be possible. This particular building was 4 stories. So on each floor you could stop and take your pick of women. We went to the second floor and talked with a lady named Kamlal. Our Indian contact has been working and ministering on this road for years, so she felt comfortable around us. She showed us where she lives. A tiny room that is the size of a small closet. In it was her bed - for sleeping, not working, and everything else she owned.

Her "working" bed was not a bed at all. In fact, it was a separate room out on one of the balconies. Inside was a concrete slab. This is where men took her to have sex for $4.

This women is in her early 30's, and she's quite beautiful. This was somewhat shocking to me as most I saw that night were not. The hard life they live was written all over their faces and bodies. But Kamlal seemed to escape that fate - for now.

She works as a prostitute because he drunk, drug-addicted husband won't. She has no education or skills - so she sells the one thing she can for money.

We prayed with her, and Ericka sang Amazing Grace over her. Next thing I know, I look up and see four women around us listening. When we left, Kamlal hugged Ericka and wouldn't let go.

The whole time this is all going on I'm seeing kids running around, one of them is turning cartwheels on the cold damp concrete floor. Also customers are coming and going up and down the stairs.

We move to the third floor to see the mother we set out to find. She is a large women with a gregarious personality. She sits us down and offers us some soda. We tell her that her son is such a good boy, and that he is very handsome. You can see her pride in him. He's one of the fortunate kids - he doesn't have to grow up in this foul, damp place. He won't have to see strange men buy his mom every single night. He will have a chance to get an education. The kids living here - will not. In fact, many of the women cannot read.

She keeps promising our Indian contact she will leave this life once her other child is out of the brothel and settled in somewhere else. But so far she has not kept that promise. She has been living and working in the brothels for TEN YEARS!

These past two days have renewed our passion. Ericka and I always knew what we were working to protect the children from - but to see it, up-close, live and in person... it changes things. I left the red light district feeling helpless and foolish. There was nothing I could do to physically help or change these people's lives. However, we CAN fight for the next generation of Indian children. The homes The Sound of Hope supports are doing just that, they are giving these kids a chance - and that has me EXCITED! Because NO kid deserves to grow up in a brothel - NONE, NOT ONE!

We can't rescue and protect every child out there from the horrors of this world, BUT we can save some - isn't that worth sacrificing a little bit of our money, possessions and time?

Below is a video clip with Saji, our Indian contact - he does a great job of explaining life on G. B. road. The video is not the greatest quality because we had to keep the camera low and try not to be noticed.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Where, Why and What

The past two days have been unreal.

One of the big reasons Ericka and I came to India was to get a better understanding of WHERE our kids come from, WHY are they in our homes, and WHAT are we trying to protect them from exactly?

Oh of course we always "knew" the answers right?

The kids come from poverty. They are in the homes because their parents can't care for them. The kids need a place to get an education so they can have a chance to break out of the cycle of poverty.

Sure, those are the quick and easy answers.

But it goes much deeper...

Four kids at our Asha Mission home in Delhi come from one of the nearby leper colonies. A lot of times leper parents send their kids away because there is no future in the colony. All they can hope to become is a beggar. You can forget getting any type of education. Lepers are the lowest of the low. So, OUT OF LOVE these parents turned their kids over to the care of Asha Mission. Now, they see their children maybe once per year.

Well... the other day, we snapped some photos of their adorable kids at our home, got 'em printed off and took them to the parents. As you can imagine, the moms were so excited to get a recent photo of their little men:)

You know, to SAY some of our kids come from leper colonies is one thing, even to SAY their parents are just trying to make a better life for them is another.

But to SEE a leper colony, to SEE people living out their days in a small wooden box, to SEE what exactly it IS the parents are trying to spare their kids from - is an entirely different thing.


Tomorrow I'll tell you about our trip down to the Red-Light district here in Delhi. Yet another place our kids come from...

Friday, November 18, 2011

India, I might love YOU

I'm giving India another shot.

You see, back when I was here in 2008 - it wasn't the best experience. After a year of travel on the World Race, and a recent "held at gunpoint" experience in South Africa, my patience had worn thin.

Let me tell you, PATIENCE is a MUST in this country.

But, this go-around I'm seeing India with fresh eyes. I'm taking the time to understand the people, their personalities and the things that make them very unique.

I'm also falling in love with our sweet kiddos at Asha Mission. I'm truly honored to be working on their behalf. These kids deserve the very best this life can offer.

Here's a little video we put together that sums up our first day at the house.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Hey everyone, I wanted to pass along a brief video update we just put together here in India. We'll have more stories in the weeks to come!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Success in the Chaos

It's been an INSANE year - traveling, weddings, moving, etc - lots of transition!

But in the middle of all the CRAZINESS, we've seen God show up BIG in our organization, The Sound of Hope.

Here's just a FEW of the highlights ::

INDIA

* We were able to provide winter uniforms for the kids in two of the orphanages we support. Why is this a big deal? Because, without those uniforms the kids could NOT go to school. One of the things we STRONGLY believe in as an organization is making sure the children get an education.

*Secondly, we met all the medical needs for 2 sweet little girls who are dependent on this medicine for their survival. For more on that story, click here.

SWAZILAND

* Nsoko is the poorest area in this country, which makes it the perfect place to invest in a community garden project. This is HUGE because not only will it benefit our carepoints and give the children some variety in their meals, but it'll benefit the people of the Nsoko community as well. We love this project because it promotes self-sustainability, something we strongly support. You can read more on this here.

THAILAND

* First, we were able to raise the funds needed to bring 13 new kids into The Refuge, a children's home in a refugee camp along the Thai/Burma border. The 13 kids came DIRECTLY out of the violence in Burma. Now they have a safe place to live, receive an education, and be exposed to a godly couple who run the home. More than words, Hebrew, and his wife Sernagay, LIVE out the Gospel - and that speaks loudly to the kids around them.

* Secondly, if you've been following our journey this year then you know we've been trying to raise a TON of money to build a children's home in Northern Thailand. This project is called the Promised Land. The plan here is to rescue and care for children who are potential sex-trafficking victims, plus provide a safe place for kids coming out of the violence in Burma. 

I'm VERY happy to report that we have recently purchased a home that will be used for those purposes! This became official just a few weeks ago. We're excited - our partners are excited, and we can't wait to see the impact this home will have in the area. 

For more on this story go to our Sound of Hope website.

God is VERY good!

Let me be clear - He absolutely showed up in a HUGE way for us this year. In turn, we've been able to pass the blessing along to those who need it the most.

I'm seeing more and more that we are simply a channel, a funnel of HIS blessing! I LOVE it - it's all about stewarding God's resources!

We leave in a matter of days for another international trip. This time we're going to India, and then we'll swing back through Thailand. If you think about it, please be in prayer about this journey. Pray for God to be glorified and for us to be a blessing to the people we serve.

Lastly, I want to say THANK YOU! Thank you to all the people who have supported us and continue to do so. These are your successes as well. They would NOT have been possible without YOU! So lets celebrate them together.

God bless!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The HOPE In Burma

As Ericka and I get closer to heading back to Thailand in a couple of weeks I'm reminded of the amazing people we serve - the Karen. The Karen are the largest ethnic minority group in Burma and parts of Northern Thailand. For decades they have been persecuted, tortured and murdered by a military dictatorship bent on forcing ALL ethnic minority groups out of Burma.

Yet, despite their plight and place in the country of Burma - the Karen people remain faithful to God and HIS Words, even to the point of PRAYING FOR THOSE THAT KILL THEM.

SAY WHAT??!

I get it, that is RIDICULOUS! Why PRAY for people who KILL your husbands, RAPE your wives, and ENSLAVE your children??? 

I mean, REALLY - that part in the Bible where Jesus says, "pray for your enemies", certainly He can't be serious! After all, that's not a today word for us!

Or is it?

The Karen people take a full month out of each year to do just that! And to me THAT'S THE STORY IN BURMA! Not the mounting death toll, the gruesome images or the horrifying tales. Yes, those stories are important, and they should be told. BUT it's the HOPE these people have in the middle of such terrible tragedy that makes us take notice.

That's what sets this story apart - HOPE found in such darkness. The kind of HOPE that only comes from God.

Below is a short clip from an interview I did earlier this year with Free Burma Ranger founder Dave Eubank. He's been running relief missions to displaced people, particularly the Karen for the last 14 years.


Thursday, October 20, 2011

10 Years Sober and Counting...

I've been looking forward to THIS day for 10 years!

In fact... I was told about this particular day exactly 10 years ago on October 20, 2001.

You see, I'm 36 now, but for 10 years of my life from the age of 16 to 26 I drank.

I mean, I REALLY drank. In fact, for ten straight years not a weekend went by that I didn't drink - heavily! The way I saw it was who wanted to drink just A beer - when you can drink 30! 

I was an addict. I knew it, and I didn't care. You see, most of the time everything was just fine. I'd go out drink, drive, hang out with friends, party - the whole shot and it'd turn out just fine. However, about 10% of the time things would get WAY out of hand!

Crazy, insane behavior, minor in possession of alcohol tickets (2), public intoxication, flipping a truck end-over-end, DWI's - yes plural - I got two back-to-back in 1997. These a just a FEW of the examples.

BUT - I could deal with this tiny 10%, because for me the other 90% was SO worth it.

However, as the years went by, the 10% started to grow. By the time I finished college, I'd say about 20% of the time things would go DREADFULLY wrong! Again, ALWAYS by my doing. I'd get drunk and make some horribly foolish decisions, and then suffer for it.

By the time the fall of 2001 rolled around the 20% CRAP was making the 80% good times no longer worth it.

October 20, 2001 - just one day after some pretty bad stuff went down that ended a relationship for me - I sat on my front porch with one of my best friends. He said to me, "You know Rusty, this drinking thing is killing you. You really need to do something about it."

I had heard statements like that THOUSANDS of times from friends and family. But of course I never listened. For whatever reason - on this night I listened.

After Chris left, I continued to think about what he said. Then two, very simple thoughts came into my mind. I'm convinced these thoughts came directly from God. I felt like He said, "You're 26 years old and you're still the same punk you were when you were 17 - you haven't changed a bit." And secondly, He said, "You're 26 right now, and you've been drinking for 10 years - look at the wreckage you've caused over the last decade. Now image being 36 and looking back on 10 more years of drinking. Think what your life would look like."

I knew what my life would look like - adultery, divorce, DWI's, prison, or worse - DEATH.

Then God followed with this, "Imagine being 36 and looking back on 10 years of sobriety. Which do you think is the better option?"

These were very simple thoughts - thoughts that had never crossed my mind before. And for some reason they made all the sense in the world.

That night I hit my knees and prayed a very simple prayer.

"God take this from me. I don't want it anymore."

And just like that - the obsession to drink was GONE! Instantly.

Today, I celebrate that 10 years of sobriety God spoke about a decade ago.

It's here. I made it.

Without a doubt God is THE reason I am sober. It's the greatest gift He has ever given me. Because without it, none of the other gifts I've been given would be in my life.

Ten years later I'm married to a wonderful woman. I have much better relationships with friends and family. I co-founded an international ministry that is making a real impact in India, Thailand and Swaziland. (In fact, we've got some great news coming up in a few days - so check back on our website) I've also had many other accomplishments and successes that never would have happened if I was still drinking.

God was right, 10 years of sobriety looks GREAT compared to the alternative I was faced with on that fateful night - exactly 10 years ago today.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Friday Thoughts... The Goodness of God

Lately I've been thinking a lot about God's goodness. I'm so grateful God's goodness is not dependent on how I feel. I'm thankful his goodness and character are not tied to my circumstances. In fact, I'm glad his goodness is not tied to ANY circumstances.

Imagine if it was. Think about it, we're rolling along in life enjoying success after success - God must be good right?! Then one day - BAM! IT hits the fan, life gets hard - as it inevitably does - and then we think, why is God no longer good? What a rollercoaster ride! I see why people choose to be athiests. I mean, why go through life trying to work through that mind-bender when the easier thing to do would be not even believe in the first place.

Lets face it - THIS IS THE QUESTION - IS GOD GOOD?

I mean really, how can God be good in the kind of world we live in. A world full of suffering, death, pain, etc. Where is the goodness in that?

That's the hang-up - the whole suffering thing.

I read a lot of techie-type message boards. (Geeky I know) Either way, sometimes I find myself in the political/religion forums. It's very interesting to see the many points of view about God, Jesus and his followers. It's good reading. I constantly see where people write sarcastically about how Christians will always say "God's goodness/loving Father" and so forth. They laugh and mock statements like this because they seem ridiculous. They question why would a loving God allow a 14 year-old girl to be sold into sex-slavery and raped many times a day for years.

I get it. It's a valid question.

So how can I say God is good?

How can you?

Or would you?

I just don't understand. And there it is.

I don't understand.

I mean, how can the created understand the creator? What if we knew that on the other side of this reality we call life was something so amazing, so wonderful, so comforting and Holy that we cannot wrap our minds around it. Maybe after death there is a PEACE so great that makes leaving this world of suffering worth it. Maybe eternity really is real, and our time on earth is just a fraction of a fraction of a second in the grand scheme of things. None of us know for sure.

We can chose to have faith and believe there is a greater purpose, a plan to redeem the suffering and pain. We can also choose to believe that the trials and hard times are meant to create a deeper character and strength we can call on in the future. The hard times grow us in ways the good ones never do.

OR, we can choose to believe that all this is random - luck, a coincidence. Suffering sucks and there really is no point, we are alone and there is no "greater" purpose in it. No one is looking over us, no greater being has a vested interest in us. We're just here for our 70, 80 maybe 90 years - and that's it.

I look at the story of John Walsh, the guy from America's Most Wanted. His son Adam was kidnapped and beheaded in 1981. Through this horrible, horrible experience John vowed that no other family should have to go through what his did.

The pain, the suffering and the anger did not destroy him. Walsh went on to create and host a show that has been responsible for putting THOUSANDS of sick people behind bars. No telling how many lives Walsh is responsible for saving.

For me personally, I choose to believe God is good - that he has a plan, and even though I don't always get to understand his plan - He's still good. My faith in his goodness gives me hope - it gives me strength to keep moving forward when IT hits the fan.

I leave you with this scene from Signs with Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix.

Gibson's character to Phoenix ::

People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance. I'm sure the people in group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation is a fifty-fifty. Could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own. And that fills them with fear. Yeah, there are those people. But there's a whole lot of people in group number one. When they see those fourteen lights, they're looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever's going to happen, there will be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope. See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences? 

Thoughts?

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Miracles Happen (Part 2) :: Everything Changes

Part 2 :: A continuation of Ericka's blog post I shared here yesterday.
 
Difficulty is the very atmosphere of miracle - it is miracle in its first stage. 
If it is to be a great miracle, the condition is not difficulty but impossibility.
L.B. Cowman - Streams in the Desert


Yesterday, I left us in quite a predicament. I shared with you how we (my husband and I) were struggling with the fact that we were always traveling, and how unhealthy and difficult it was for us relationally. I told you how we needed to move - but couldn't afford to. We knew the best thing for us, and our non-profit, would be to relocate to the South, but it just seemed impossible!

The truth is... we probably should have quit. We were on course to make only $20,000 this year. TOTAL. For the two of us together! It seemed ridiculous. Both of us have college degrees and fantastic resumes after all! My husband is an award winning news and sports anchor who used to work for the top TV station in Arkansas. If he just went and got a "real job" - then all our financial worries would be over!

But we couldn't quit. When a friend of mine asked me why we couldn't quit, I told her the honest truth. The children we care for overseas in Thailand, Swaziland, and India need us. Sure, we could walk away from this and quit making all these ridiculous sacrifices.... we could live very comfortable lives. But those kids can't quit poverty. They can't quit the sex industry. They can't quit AIDS. They don't get to stop suffering just because they choose to.

And neither would we. We wouldn't quit because they couldn't quit. We wouldn't give up this work - caring for these kids, empowering them, educating them, and equipping them to QUIT POVERTY - to break OUT of the cycle of poverty and disease and lack of opportunities - we wouldn't give up until their lives were changed! We talked about it together as a couple and we made some decisions. We knew that with only $20,000 of income, within a few months we would not even have enough money to put food on the table and pay the bills anymore. But we told God - we would give it our all. We would go "all in" - and we would take The Sound of Hope as far as we could take it for the kids. And when we didn't have a cent left, then we would quit and get "real jobs". OR - He could show up, and we would continue the work.

It sounds crazy when I see it typed out like that. Who in their right minds would make that kind of deal with God?! But it didn't seem crazy at the time. And honestly, it wasn't some kind of ultimatum for the Creator of the Universe. I have known, from the very first moment we started The Sound of Hope, that it was God's dream.... and I have known, deep down, in the depths of my being, that it would succeed. In every moment of sacrifice, when it would be easier to quit - I knew I could never live with myself if I did. This is what I was meant to do - and I would not be disobedient... no matter the cost. Even if things seemed impossible.

But then, everything changed.

Suddenly, 4 of our monthly supporters decided to double their monthly support. One by one - without our request - they contacted me to let me know they wanted to give more. Then, 3 new people contacted us wanting to support our administrative needs (which help pay our salary). Momentum was building!

And then, last week, an incredibly large donation was made to The Sound of Hope. A donation that changed everything. A donation that renewed our faith, and renewed the hope of our partners overseas. A donation that would save lives in Thailand, and India, and Swaziland.

Because of this donation, we were able to get two of our little girls in India to the specialists they needed to see.

Because of this donation, two un-usable vehicles that the staff in Swaziland needs to get food to the carepoints, and to get the sick to the hospital, are going to be repaired.

Because of this donation, a community garden is going to be built in Swaziland, where the most poverty-stricken people can grow healthy food to sustain their families. And the best part is, the food will be shared with the orphans and vulnerable children who desperately need more than just rice and beans.

Because of this donation, 60% of The Promised Land Project has been funded, and we are so much closer to beginning construction. This Children's Home is going to protect little girls from being sold into sex slavery, and little boys from becoming child soldiers. Because of this donation, they will get to keep their innocence.

And, because of this donation - and because of all our monthly donors continuing to give - and because of those new donors, and the donors who doubled their monthly giving...

We are going to be able to MOVE!!!! 

We will still be on a tight budget, and (as always) we are still dependent on God to provide. But - with this drastic change in our income, we will actually be able to pay rent (above $300 a month) and can begin looking for a home in Birmingham, AL!!!

And of course, when we move down South we will be in a much better place for us, for our family, and for our business.... so - we won't be quitting any time soon! It is quite evident that God has BIG PLANS for us and for The Sound of Hope! He is a good God, and He will care for His children. That is a FACT. We need not fear the economy, for He promises that -

In times of disaster they will not wither; 
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. 
- Psalms 37:19

And we are living proof of that!

God gets ALL the GLORY for what has happened this month, and I can say with some certainty that He is not done yet! I know He is going to continue to provide - we just have to continue being obedient. I can't wait to see what He will do next!


Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, 
according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory 
in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
- Ephesians 3:20-21

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*If any of you reading live in the Birmingham, AL area and know of a home that might be available for rent,  please contact me at erickabennett (at) gmail (dot) com. I'd be glad to tell you specifically what we're looking for and what our budget is. We would love any connections or advice you might have!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Miracles Happen (Part 1) :: Life on the Fringes

Ericka wrote this blog and posted it over on her site. She does such a great job of explaining what we've been through recently that I wanted to post it on this blog so you guys can check it out. God is VERY good and He's been at work BIG TIME! 

We've traveled a lot since we got married. Living far away from family means a lot of trips home, and when our supporters/donors are down South, it means even more trips for work. Add in the fact that our work takes us overseas too, and it's easy to understand why we travel a lot. But this year - it's been worse than ever. We've been home, living in our house, sleeping in our own bed, for 4 weeks today. That's the longest we've been anywhere all year.

Since Christmas, we have been "on the go". We started the year by traveling back to Michigan from the South (where we'd been for the holidays). Then we were off to Thailand (where we traveled continually for the full 3 and 1/2 months we were there), back to Michigan for 2 weeks, to Alabama for a family wedding, over to the Grand Cayman Islands for a family wedding, back to Alabama for work, back to Michigan, back to Alabama for my grandfather's 80th birthday, to Georgia for work, to Mississippi for work, to Arkansas for work, to Tennessee for work, and then back again to Michigan.

Are you tired yet?

Well, listen to this. I have not been able to actually unpack and put away our suitcases since Christmas 2010... that is, not until about the 2nd week of July.

When we came home from our last trip, (July 3rd), I counted up a few figures from our year. According to my estimates (ie - what I can remember) here is a glimpse of what life has been like for us in 2011:


  • From January 1, 2011 to July 3, 2011 - there were 184 days. Of those 184 days, we only slept in our bed 39 nights.
  • During those 6+ months, we slept on 26 different beds, 2 air mattresses, and spent 1 night on the ground in a tent in Thailand.
  • The longest we were any one place at one time was 16 days.
  • We have spent time in at least 25 different cities, 9 states, and 5 countries. 
  • We logged over 20,000 airmiles - which equals around 50 hours in planes. To put that into perspective, that's over 6 (8 hour) workdays.
  • We spent over 150 hours traveling by car. To put that into perspective, that's almost 19 (8 hour) workdays. And I should add, that "regular time" in the car (trips to the grocery store, etc) were not counted. The trips that were counted were only those that were an hour or longer at one time.

As you can imagine, we are tired. But - more than being tired... we are lonely.

With this kind of lifestyle, there is no way for us to have healthy relationships with anyone but each other. We don't really belong anywhere. We aren't really missed anywhere.....because we aren't in one place long enough to leave a void when we are gone. We don't have regular communication with anyone - because we aren't a regular part of anyone's life. And keeping up long-distance relationships, when all you have is long-distance relationships, is pretty much impossible.

It's no one's fault really. When we are down South we are only there long enough to meet a friend for a quick lunch or a coffee break. That's hardly time to have a heart to heart or really catch up with anyone. When we are in Michigan we're only here for a few weeks... and that's hardly enough time to get settled back into a routine - much less become a regular part of other people's lives.

It's a terrible reality, and it's been wearing on us a lot this year. We seem to be living our life on the fringes of everyone else's..... never in one place long enough to plant roots.... unable to find that sense of belonging. We've become "drifters" of some sort, and that's just not what we were made to be. The lack of relationship has not been good - not for our emotional health, not for our marriage (after all, I need girlfriends! and my husband needs guy friends! All of our relational needs are not met by each other.), and not for our spiritual lives (I'm a firm believer that we need to walk through life in community with other people, and we have definitely not had any of that lately).

We knew there was a problem.... but, how could we fix it? The logical reasoning was simple - if we were spending half of our time traveling down South for work and for family, then it would make sense for us to relocate! If we'd just move down South, then half of our travel time would disappear! We'd be able to have a "home base" in the area where all our donors, supporters, and personal networks were located, and as an added bonus, we would also be closer to our families. After all - we'd moved to Michigan for Rusty to work in The World Race office, and not only was he no longer employed with The World Race - but that office had closed and all our coworkers had moved away!

But here is where we hit our dead end. Since we started a non-profit in one of the worst economic recessions in history.... and since we live in an area of Michigan with 30% unemployment.... our finances were lacking. The place we live now (a 3 bedroom house) only costs us $300 a month in rent (totally a "God thing"!) and with our current income we could not afford any more than that. Moving seemed impossible.

Unless....

One of two things had to happen. Either - #1 - God had to provide a free or cheap house ($300 or less per month) for us to rent down South. - OR -  #2 - We needed some seriously large donations to start coming into our non-profit The Sound of Hope.

But both of those options sound crazy..... right?

Friday, July 15, 2011

Are you WILLING

I wrote this in my journal exactly 5 years ago ::

"I think now more than ever I'm ready to do God's good work. I'm so stuck in a rut, a pattern of nothingness. Something needs to change. I still have so many struggles, but I believe I'm getting a glimpse - a taste of my purpose. I want to live for God. I am not satisfied with anything. I now realize my job will never make me happy, make me full. It is only a platform to do God's good work. I'm scared and I'm lazy, but God give me the strength to pray for strength, if that makes any sense. I feel this in my heart - it's coming. I need faith. I need hope....I'm nearly 31, I don't want to waste anymore time.

I'm so bored. My life is so empty, it's stale, very, very stale. My life is lifeless, uneventful and not fulfilled. There's so much that needs to be done is this world. God give me the strength. I need more, not just strength, but more love, more willingness to help, give, teach, inspire, lead. This world is wrapping up! God get me in the good fight! I'm sick of the routine! I'm sick of the normal, it's killing me. Break the chains God!"

At that point in my life I was living in Little Rock, Arkansas working as a television news reporter for the local ABC affiliate. 

I can't believe it's been FIVE years! If someone would have told me what I'd be doing today - just 5 years later - I would have LAUGHED IN THEIR FACE!

The last half-decade has been the most transformational period of time for me - EVER! I've traveled around the world twice, moved up to Michigan, got married to an amazing woman, together we started our own organization, and most recently we lived in Thailand. 

All of these life-changing and incredible events happened because I was WILLING. I was willing to say YES to God even when that made absolutely NO SENSE! Oh, and just so there is no confusion - this is NOT about me. It's about what GOD can do when we have a YES in our spirit - when we are WILLING!

I'm more than grateful for that YES in my spirit. Because of it, I have an amazing wife. My life is much more rich and full than it was before Ericka. 

Because WE (Ericka and I) said YES, God has used our obedience to bless HUNDREDS out in the nations. Last year was hard as hell, but we believed God called us to start our own organization - The Sound of Hope. We had NO MONEY, plus we didn't have the first idea about how to run a non-profit, BUT we were WILLING. We were WILLING to be obedient - no matter the cost.

Now, a year later, we're seeing momentum build! I am convinced more than ever God will bless THOUSANDS and impact many nations through The Sound of Hope.

It's amazing what can happen when you're willing to say YES! Yes, to unknown possibilities. YES, to promises you aren't quite sure are real. YES, to HIM - whatever that may look like.

Again, I write this not to glorify ME, but to encourage YOU to follow your God-given dreams! If you feel like He is calling you out of your comfort zone into something that makes no sense - go for it!

HE is faithful - I'm living proof.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Final Promised Land Update - Home in Michigan

We're back in Michigan!

Ericka and I got in yesterday afternoon after a LONG flight home.

I wanted to show you our final Promised Land Update. Below is the blog Ericka posted on our Sound of Hope website.

Okay, so it’s not the FINAL update for this projects (because they are not finished yet), but it is the last one for our time in Thailand! I can’t believe the day has come for us to head back to America. In just a few hours we will board a plane to begin the long journey home. When we arrived in Thailand in January, 100 days seemed like such a long time… but in reality it has flown by! We are so sad to leave our friends and partners here, and can’t wait until our next trip to this beautiful country!

Our time here has been amazing, and thanks to your generosity we’ve gotten so much accomplished for our projects here. $1,500 was donated to The Refuge to build a new Boy’s Dormitory (with a cement floor and tin roof – instead of the dirt floor and bamboo roof that they had) and another $1,500 was donated to support 10 new children coming out of the violence in Burma and into this Children’s Home.  We also had an incredible time doing Art Therapy with these refugee children, and left them with new art supplies to use in the future. Their lives will be forever changed because of these gifts, and we are so thrilled to have played a part in it!

The Promised Land Project is now in full swing, thanks to over $8,000 that has been donated in the past 3 months. It looks completely different than when we first arrived – and our partners couldn’t be more excited! Since our last blog, the money was donated to build two gates at each entrance of the land. Check out the video below for a full overview of all the changes that have happened in the past 100 days.

 

To give specifically to The Promised Land Project, CLICK HERE.


Of course, if you’d like to donate to all of our projects in India, Swaziland, and Thailand (including The Promised Land Project and The Refuge) you can give your gift on our main donation site or by mail, and the money will be split evenly between each country we work in.

A big THANK YOU to all of you who have been a part of this project, and those of you who support The Sound of Hope through your one-time gifts and monthly pledges. We are so grateful to have you as partners in this work! We could not do it without you!

Until next time…. Suwadee Kha & Khap Khun Kha!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Saying Goodbye - More than Imagined

I miss it already - Chiang Mai.

And I haven't even left the country yet. I can't imagine how I'll feel when I get back to the US.

Unfortunately though, this season is coming to a close, quickly!

The past week or so has been NUTS! Here's a quick look back:

Exactly a week ago today, Ericka and I celebrated our 2-year anniversary by attending Hebrew and Shernaagay's wedding in Mae Sariang. Hebrew overseas the children's home we support in the refugee camp. Click HERE and HERE for more info on The Refuge. He is a Thai citizen, but he gave up those rights to live in the camp so he could take care of the Karen kids who are running from persecution in Burma. You see Hebrew is Karen people, but he happened to be born in Thailand. So he doesn't have to be here in the camp, BUT he CHOOSES to be. He chooses to lay down his rights as a Thai citizen so that he can serve others in need.

He's a Philippians 2 man! (Remember, God gave up his rights as God and became a poor, ole boy born into complete poverty in a remote corner of the Roman Empire.)

Hebrew's new bride Shernaagay, is Karen too, BUT she was born in Burma. She lives in Thailand now legally. However, her mom and dad are still in Burma. They walked SEVEN DAYS through the jungle and the threat of the Burmese army to be at their daughter's wedding. SEVEN DAYS!!!

Ericka and I were HONORED to be there. In fact, Ericka got the privilege of doing Shernaagay's hair and make-up! Ericka also made Shernaagay's rose crown.

As you can see my wife did a fantastic job!





Here's a quick little video of the two walking out after being pronounced husband and wife.


The next day we said good-bye to Pastor Ban Ya and his wife Rapee. It was so good to see them again, and it was an honor to be able to funnel THOUSANDS of dollars in to their ministry project over the last three months. These are great people, and they'll make great "moms and dads" to the kids they will take in once their children's home is finished.

Pastor and Rapee doing what they do best - HAVING FUN!
That night we packed up our tiny condo in Chiang Mai and the next day we left for Pattaya. BUT not before a good-bye breakfast with Ray, Candace and Mark. I can't begin to tell ya'll how good it's been to be able to spend the last three months with these people. Ray and I met in 2007 on my first World Race, and there has always been a connection between the two of us. He, his wife Candace and their daughter Maile are good folks. They are the ones doing the hard work of living this thing out cross-culturally. They will be life-long friends and partners!


It was also great to be with Mark. Mark and I did the World Race together back in 2008. He fell in love with the Wards and Karen people too. He now lives and serves full-time in this country. It's been a pleasure watching him walk into the call God has placed on his life. It's good stuff.

I will miss all these people terribly. I already do.


After breakfast we jumped in our SWEET twin turbo diesel Mercedes Benz and took off! Yes, that's right - our BENZ:) Well, not technically, my cousin Sam called me one day and said, "I want you to come down to Pattaya and pick up my Benz. It's like a caged tiger - it's just not happy unless it's going 140kph."

OBVIOUSLY, I couldn't let him down:) So this is what I've been driving for the last month of my trip here. This thing is AWESOME!!!! It ANNIHILATES the road - absolutely chews it up! And it does all this while getting close to 40 miles per gallon!! Diesel is the way to go, especially here in Thailand where it's actually cheaper because the government subsidizes it. Either way, I'm in deep mourning over the fact I have to go back to the US and drive our ten-year old used cars:(




We finished off this insanely crazy and busy week - well, really a crazy and busy 3 months - with 3 days of rest at Koh Samet.

This place was a huge blessing and gift from our Thai friend Thida. Check out this view. Ericka and I literally crashed out for 3 days, barely finding time to eat, and hang out by the beach.



So now here we are back in Pattaya spending our last three days working, packing and hanging out with my cousin Sam.

I cannot believe we will be back in Michigan on Thursday!

God has blessed us and our ministry partners so much on this trip. I'm afraid when I get home and look back on it, it won't feel real - it'll feel more like a dream. It's just been that kind of trip - abundantly more than I ever could have imagined - EVER!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask for or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..." -Esphesians 3:20

Yep, sounds about right.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Songkran

This past week the Thais celebrated their new year. It's called Songkran, and it's nothing like our tiny little one night party we have in the US. These people blow it OUT for 3 straight days, and in places like Chiang Mai (where I live) the celebration can last 6 days.

But it's HOW they celebrate this holiday that makes it so unique. Below is a description taken from Wikipedia:

"The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns (sometimes mixed with mentholated talc), or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. This, however, was not always the main activity of this festival. Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends, neighbors, and monks.
     The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles."

Have a look for yourself. The first part of this video was taken right outside of our condo. So it was pretty tame, but downtown Chiang Mai was complete insanity!!