First Arrival in Nong Bua Lamphu, Northeast Thailand

One year later, March 1, 2000 the Brothers left Bangkok and arrived in Nong Bua Lamphu where Bishop George Phimphisan, CSsR had assigned the Brothers to work at Mother of Perpetual Help Center.

A few months before completing language studies the Brothers came to Nong Bua Lamphu to find a place of accommodation. With the help from the staff of
the Center a suitable small house with three bedrooms in the city village of Khiang Doi was found. The house needed a good cleaning and a some repairs along with a new paint job—this was arranged and done before arrival. The house though small was suitable for two persons and the monthly rent 4,000 baht (about USD 100).

Nong Bua Lamphu was formerly one of the Districts of the Udon Thani Province and in 1993 became an independent Province with six Districts of its own. The new Province was the least developed of the five Provinces within the Diocese. The only Catholic presence in Nong Bua Lamphu Province was Mother of Perpetual Help Center, which at that time was a simple rented house where the manager and his family lived on the upper floor, there was no Catholic Church and a priest from Udon Thani came to celebrate Mass at the Center once every four to six weeks with very little attendance.

Nong Bua Lamphu Province beside being the least developed of the Diocese was and still remains the poorest of all the Provinces in the Diocese due to little to no industry. The majority of the people are rice and subsistent farmers with little income. The area remains dry and arid with six to eight months of dry during the year making farming difficult. During the few months of rain it often floods—either too little or too much rain. Inspite of the difficulties for people to earn a good living, the family spirit and morale is high among the people in this Province in comparison to Provinces such as Bangkok and other larger Provinces. The level of education as well is not as high statistically according to reports gathered by the United Nations.

Because of the Poverty in this Province many of the young when completing school tend to leave the Province to find work either in Bangkok or neighboring countries where they are often exploited and return to Thailand jobless.