Invest in Grace

The Curse of Shame

Shame is perhaps the worst emotion known to humankind, capable of driving people to every form of self-destruction.  We all know how shame feels, and some know what it feels like to live with shame for years on end.

Many young Thai people from poor backgrounds, including those who end up in the sex industry, live with such shame.  They may be bright and talented but still grow up believing that they are not good for anything.  They may be ashamed of their poverty, their low education, or their family.  They may have had very wrong things done to them and are guilty of some pretty bad deeds as well as a result of acting out of their shame.

The Gift of Grace

Those who join The Well learn about becoming a new person because of Jesus.  We make it very clear that we do not require anyone to change his or her religion, but many find themselves loved in a way they have seldom if ever experienced, and we do explain that we are simply following Jesus’ example.  Most, therefore, receive Him with joy within a few weeks.  But that is just the beginning.  Letting go of a shame-based identity takes time, sometimes even years.

Your Part

You can actually help in that process by becoming a Grace Fund Sponsor who invests directly in a student, child or family enrolled in a training center under The Well.  Each center program involves part-time work and a financial stipend for each student, which comes from donations.  We do remind our students that this assistance ultimately comes from God, and we have found that when they understand that they are not charity cases, but that others consider them worthy long-term investments, it can help them in the process of letting go of shame.  As a sponsor you can communicate that message of value directly to someone enrolled in The Well.

How It Works

Your monthly gift to the Grace Fund will support the overall program of The Well, including student financial assistance.  We will assign to you one or more student(s) enrolled in the program, the child of a student, or a whole family, based on your preference.  The purpose is not to give your assigned student more benefit than others, but simply to make a personal connection between you and the student or child.  We will send photos (and we would like you to send us yours), periodic reports - including letters from your student, and provide an email address for you to email your student (for everyone's protection we monitor these emails--see our privacy policy).

The minimum commitment to become a sponsor is $20/month, and above that you may choose any amount.  To help you decide, here are the stipend amounts we provide at the current U.S.-Thailand exchange rate:

$30/month - a pre-school child at The Well or one child in a remote village
$60/month - the school-aged child of a student at The Well in Bangkok
$95/month - an adult student enrolled at The Well in Bangkok

These amounts go directly to the living expenses of that individual--they do not include any administrative or other program costs.  If possible, we would ask you to add a small amount to your commitment, perhaps five to ten dollars, to help with other expenses.

How to Invest

There are two ways to give:

By Mail

If you prefer to give by check (which does save us at least 2.5% in transaction fees), first please email us or use the online contact form to tell us your commitment and what type of individual(s) you would like to connect with.  Then send your check to the address below and note that it is for the Grace Fund.  You are welcome to send your gift monthly, quarterly or annually.

Servantworks
P.O. Box 4918
Wheaton, IL 60189

Online

If you prefer to give online, you may set up a recurring donation in our secure gateway.  Enter an amount in The Well fund (you may have to scroll down a bit), and select “Grace Fund” in the adjacent drop-down tab as shown here:

Select a recurring frequency and choose a payment method (credit card or electronic check), and enter your sponsorship preference in the Comments box at the bottom.

As soon as we receive your first gift we will inform you of your assigned student(s) and/or child(ren).  Because students do come and go, we cannot guarantee a duration for your sponsorship.  In the event that your sponsored student does leave, we will inform you in a timely manner and assign you to someone else.