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Ten years ago.

A Christian journalist interviewed me before I returned to Thailand. I asked her to not use certain terminology in her article that could flag unwanted attention. She didn’t understand the risks and wrote a nice piece for her predominantly Christian audience. But, when the article went online, I was on a plane headed back to start DtonNaam. When I arrived August 9, 2009 to Bangkok, “chatrooms” had started online about me, about the transgendered sex workers I wanted to help, about the program we wanted to start. The men online wrote cruel, dirty and violent thoughts. They attempted to tear me to shreds and to find the location of our building so they could harass the ladyboys. That happened the weekend I arrived back in Bangkok, the weekend a Thai couple and I had been dreaming, prepping and preparing to start something that had never been done previously…

It’s been ten years and I still can never imagine or prepare adequately for the hits, challenges, difficulties that come throughout the seasons. There’s definitely been moments when we did not think we would be able to continue with a certain program, or make it financially, or be able to recover from a betrayal, staff burn-out, or experiencing a students’ lying and stealing, but most of all, seeing students’ bodies shut down with diseases.

The truth is, none of us are invincible. The Dton Naam team has been phenomenal yet bear the scars too. To Nuch and Golf, the Thai Founders that were my best friends and family for the first few years. The program, legal paperwork, building, vision would never have taken off without them. To Beka, that persevered through a really difficult under-staffed season and wore as many hats as I did by helping run the café, to teaching classes, doing admin, social work, endured students’ brokenness and still loved them fiercely, etc. She became my second family (the Thai founders moved on). To Cara and Fon, their deep investment, care and time turned the café/bakery job site vision into an actual business. I can still picture Cara’s little jig while she made yummy things. To Katy, an absolute ray of sunshine, an incredible partner and “Assistant Director.” We so needed her professionalism, determination and passion in the team and need more like her in the near future. To Sarah, our youngest manager, who took the café/bakery business into a sustainable and profitable, cozy café where students’ acting out became less and their passion to hone skills grew. To Chompuu, who bravely decided to help us interview transgendered working in the bars and on the streets and what she saw and heard changed her career direction. She entered the messiness of abuse, addictions, homelessness and disease and still sees the individual as a beautiful image bearer of God. There’s been so many more that were vital to our team: Aom, John, Kristi, Bpoo, Josh, Boom… Our summer volunteers and interns have been amazing too and so thankful for all of their lives investing in DtonNaam.

But, there’s one more that has been there for the last ten years, working alone in her house in the US (for free). Kenna, a friend from college, was there from Dton Naam’s birth, praying, planning, and keeping records as seasons in Bangkok ebbed and flowed. We went from a team of three in 2009 to now a team of ten, having two students to ten students at any one time too. Sometimes, I struggle to keep up with the daily transactions here, but Kenna has been a solid rock, trustworthy book-keeper, in processing donor’s gifts, filing reports, taxes, and being an active Board Member… Even when I had moments of grief or despair, wanting to quit or not sure how to move forward, Kenna has been the calm, wise friend that I knew was praying and I could count on to give both a business and a spiritual perspective to any situation that arose. She has supported us for a decade, even when the Bangkok team didn’t think to support her in return. To Kenna, you do not like to be in the spotlight, but friend, you are simply incredible and no one realizes how you held this Foundation and café together for ten years.

Ten years!