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Activities
2007 | 2008
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"President of Legacy
and Wife Invited to Attend Royal Audience at
Grand Palace"
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King Bhumibol Adulyadej of
Thailand is the longest reigning monarch in
the world. He has been on the throne of the
Thai kingdom for over 60 years! This year,
numerous special celebrations were held
because the king turned 80 on December 5.
But by far the greatest was the Royal Grand
Audience held at the Chakri Throne Hall of
the Grand Palace in Bangkok. My wife Gloria
and I were sent an invitation from the king
to attend. Attending the Grand Audience is a
particular honor because only the highest
ranking government officials, army and
police officers; and ambassadors of foreign
countries are invited. |
Crowds line the streets
in the thousands awaiting the arrival of His Majesty King Bhumibol.
Legacy Foundation
Photo |
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Colorful uniform of
military officers.
Legacy Foundation
Photo |
People traveled from all
over the country to line the streets in
yellow shirts (the king’s color) to wait for
the king’s royal cavalcade. King Bhumibol is
highly revered in Thailand and for an
ordinary Thai person to even catch a glimpse
of the king is a once-in-a-lifetime
experience. Even with the special car pass
we had been given by the king’s secretariat,
we still were delayed as traffic started
jamming up because buses were parking on the
streets around the palace to disgorge the
thousands upon thousands of faithful
subjects.
I was required to dress in
formal white tie and tails for this
occasion. Gloria calls it my “Penguin Suit”.
She was dressed in a yellow Thai silk
traditional dress. We were ushered into the
formal garden area in front of the Chakri
Throne Hall by palace servants and then led
by the Chief of Protocol to sign the
official guest book. We were the first to
sign! |
| Later we went out to the formal gardens
to look around and take pictures. Government
officials, military and police officers
dressed in full-dress uniforms with medals
and decorations began arriving. The ladies
all wore either uniforms or full length
traditional Thai dresses. The ladies also
wore all their medals and ribbons. In
Thailand, different regiments of the army
wear different color uniforms. As more and
more arrived, the gardens in front of the
Chakri Throne Hall where the royal audience
would take place became a sea of bright red,
yellow, purple, green, blue and even pink!
The Prime Minister and other government
officials wore white, again with all their
medals and royal decorations. What a
colorful event. Gloria and I met royal
ladies in waiting, the former President of
the Senate, the Queen’s doctor, General Prem
Tinsulanonda, former Prime Minster and now
the President of the Privy Council (King’s
advisory council) , and many other
dignitaries and officials as they took their
assigned places before the king and queen
arrived. |
Leon and Gloria Sexton in
front of Chakri Throne Hall.
Legacy Foundation Photo |
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Government officials
gather to honor the King.
Legacy Foundation
Photo |
Around 10:30 AM the royal
anthem was played and the king, queen and
all the members of the royal family arrived
by motorcade. The king, queen and crown
prince came outside onto the balcony
overlooking the garden area. A special
throne had been set up on the balcony with
the royal garuda insignia on a flag draped
over the banister in front of him. Cannons
fired a 21 gun salute and officials gave
their congratulatory speeches. The king gave
his formal speech of gratitude to the
assembly and all of us shouted, “long live
the king” several times. |
| This all took only about an hour but it
was accompanied by much pageantry and royal
ceremony. It was all an incredible
opportunity to honor the king who has done
so much for so many years for his people.
Dr. Herbert W. Armstrong was a good friend
of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit and the
royal couple have never forgotten that
relationship. |
Palace guards line up to
receive the King.
Legacy Foundation
Photo |
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Fisheye view of assembled
dignitaries.
Courtesy, Bureau of
Royal Houshold |
Legacy Institute is blessed
to have the favor of the king and queen and
they look out for us as their guests in the
Kingdom of Thailand. It was a great honor to
join the many hundreds of thousands who
joined as one voice in shouting, “Long Live
the King!”
Leon Sexton
President, Legacy Institute |
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"Legacy
Foundation Gives Thanksgiving Treats to Local Chiang
Mai Orphans" |
Thanksgiving is an American
tradition where families come together with
parents and grandparents to eat a very large
traditional meal and give thanks for their
blessings.
At Legacy Foundation vocational training
center, most of the volunteer teachers come
from America and like to host a traditional
Thanksgiving meal for the Legacy trainees.
Last year (2006), Legacy Foundation decided
to do something different for Thanksgiving.
Instead of having a big |
Legacy trainee Lal Beka
talkes with orphans. |
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Orphans enjoy one cone
while waiting in line for another. |
Thanksgiving dinner, we decided to take
the money we would have spent on the meal
and use it to provide a special treat for
local orphans. It was so successful last
year that we decided to do it again this
year. The orphanage that was chosen was a
nearby boy’s orphanage with over 300
orphans. Legacy staff brought a large
container of ice cream and cartons of
cookies. After dinner that day, Legacy
trainees passed out ice cream and cookies to
all the orphans. There was enough for many
to come back two and three times. |
| We even had some left over
for the Legacy staff and trainees! This
kind of program teaches our trainees the way
of GIVE. Rather than feed themselves on
turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes, they
sacrificed and gave to others less
fortunate. The experience was even more
emotional for our Legacy trainees because
they come from poor hill tribe families and
over half have lost parents to war and
disease. One young girl trainee burst into
tears at seeing so many parentless children.
Many of the children there had lost
parents to drugs, disease, prison and some
were even abandoned. They are |
Legacy trainee Chate(r)
passes out ice cream. |
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Thai orphans happily
devour ice cream and cookies. |
provided food, clothing and an education
by the Thai government. We spoke with the
staff there and discovered that many had
volunteered their time to take care of the
orphans. It was clear that they really cared
and it was not just a job that they had to
do. They do what they can to provide warmth
and role models to the parentless children. We
have decided to make this an annual Legacy
program every Thanksgiving. It is rewarding
to give to the unfortunate, especially when
they are children who are at the mercy of
unkind circumstances. It also makes us more
thankful for our own families and the
blessings God has given us. |
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"Sixty
Years Leading by Example" |
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On June 9, 2007, Legacy
Foundation President Leon Sexton and his
wife Gloria were given a special honor. They
were invited to attend the ceremonies
marking the 60th anniversary of King
Bhumibol Adulyadej’s accession to the throne
of the Kingdom of Thailand. |
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King Bhumibol and Queen
Sirikit greet cheering crowds.
Thailand Public
Relations Department |
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Following are comments by Legacy President
Sexton:
“The ceremony was held at the Ananta Samakom
Throne Hall located at the Royal Plaza in
Bangkok. The dress was formal so I was
required to wear a white tie and tails
tuxedo and Gloria wore a long Thai-style
formal dress.”
King Bhumibol is the longest reigning
monarch in the world. In recent history,
only two have reigned longer than 60 years;
Queen Victoria of England and Emperor
Hirohito of Japan. Kings, queens, princes,
emirs, and sultans from all over the world
came to Bangkok to honor the king. The guest
list included Emperor Akihito, Sultan
Bolkiah of Brunai, King Abdullah of Jordan,
the King and Queen of Sweden, Queen Sophia
of Spain, Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince
Andrew the Duke of York, and many more. Over
25 monarchies or their royal representatives
gathered for the festivities held in the
Grand Palace and the Ananta Samakom Throne
Hall in Bangkok from June 9-14. Leon and
Gloria Sexton were invited by the king to
attend the June 9 anniversary ceremony.
“On June 9, we joined government officials,
Royal Guards, military brass, and all the
elite of Thailand, dressed in full dress
uniforms of many colors with decorations and
medals, at the throne hall. We were seated
inside. From our seats we could see what was
happening outside on special monitors the
palace had set up. It was a spectacle
unprecedented in Thailand’s history.
“We looked on a sea of yellow (the king’s
special color)!
“It is estimated that over 1 million people,
all dressed in yellow, had gathered in the
Royal Plaza in front of the gate to the
palace grounds. There were so many that they
were backed up far down the avenue leading
to the great square. Many had waited all
night, sleeping on the sidewalk or in the
square, saving a place to share in the great
occasion.
“The royal anthem heralded the arrival of
the king and queen and all the members of
the royal family. After performing
ceremonies to mark the event, the king and
queen went to the balcony to appear before
the people. Meanwhile all of us inside the
throne hall were escorted outside to line up
below them on the audience lawn.
“First Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn gave an
address honoring the king. Then the Prime
Minister, President of the Senate and the
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court all gave
speeches. This was followed by a 21 gun
salute and the playing of the King’s Anthem.
“Then King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave his
anniversary speech. Standing on the lawn
below the king we could see that he was
obviously moved. He said that he was
overwhelmed by the outpouring of honor given
him by the people. Then he went on to
admonish them to pursue moral conduct and
service to others.”
Below are a few excerpts of His Majesty’s
speech:
“…firstly we should be compassionate to each
other in our thoughts, speech and actions in
order to achieve progress. Secondly, we must
come to the aid of each other and work for
the mutual well-being of ourselves, others
and the nation as a whole. Thirdly, everyone
should think and act with honesty while
staying true to the rules and respecting
equality. Fourthly, as everyone strives to
ensure their thoughts and views conform to
righteousness and remain steadfast to
reason, their minds and conduct must be in
tandem with virtuous resolve. If this is
achieved, there can be no doubt Thailand
will stand proud and tall forever.
“I urge everyone in this congregation and
Thais from all walks of life to cherish and
firmly uphold righteousness and moral
integrity. This dedication to moral security
should be undertaken without interruption,
so the country can live on with happiness,
now and in the future….”(emphasis writer’s
throughout)
After the king’s speech, he was joined on
the balcony by his wife, Her Majesty Queen
Sirikit. Once again the royal anthem was
played and all joined in choruses of “Song
Pracharoen” (“Long Live the King”).
Here are some more of Legacy President’s
comments:
“All this time we could hear hundreds of
thousands of voices outside the gates
shouting in waves of emotion as they too
joined in wishing King Bhumibol a long life.
Palace people all around us were in tears as
they honored their king. We too, could not
keep from shedding tears as we experienced
the outpouring of love and honor as the king
waved to the crowds.
This was a great honor for Gloria and me. We
greatly appreciate the kindness of His
Majesty the King to graciously invite us to
attend. It was an once-in-a-lifetime
experience”
Why do the Thai people love and revere their
king?
What is it about him that causes so much
love, honor and poured out emotion by people
of Thailand from all walks of life?
What is it about this king and queen that
bring the kings and princes of this world to
Thailand to honor them so greatly on this
occasion?
Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, as the
longest reigning monarch among the guests,
he spoke on behalf of all the royal guests
at the royal banquet on Wednesday, June 14.
Sultan Bolkiah toasted King Bhumibol with
these words,
“In recognizing all these accomplishments
some accounts of your reign have accorded
you the title, ‘The Great’. We can all
understand why. “But for us who have come to
honor you here, a simpler title expresses
our feeling. It is a dear and very special
title. You are Our Friend and Our Most
Respected Colleague. You inspire us all and
we, Your Majesty’s peers and admirers, honor
you most deeply for this.”
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Leon and Gloria Sexton in
formal dress for ceremony.
Legacy Foundation
Photo |
In every home or business in
Thailand, you will find a picture of King
Bhumibol hanging in a place of honor. The
honor and respect shown for this monarch is
unique to Thailand. It is found in no other
nation and with no other leader on earth.
Why? What makes this king any different than
any other king or prime minister or
president? It is simple - righteous
character.
The King and Queen of Thailand actually LIVE
their lives according to what Jesus the
Christ taught in Mark 9:35:
"If anyone desires to be first, he shall be
last of all and servant of all.”
Over the last 60 years, Their Majesties
have served the people of Thailand with all
their hearts and with all their might. It
would take volumes to record all the good
works and personal sacrifice that has been
done by this king and queen. No one has been
left out. They have traveled the length and
breadth of the kingdom; even high into the
mountains by horseback and on foot when
there were no roads, to visit the poor and
underprivileged and find solutions for their
problems. |
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King Bhumibol has initiated over 3000 royal
projects all over the country to help and
serve his people. The people know that he
loves them and sincerely cares for their
welfare. He and his wife the Queen live
blameless lives and set examples of
righteous conduct for their people and for
leaders in the rest of the world. Does that
make them perfect? Of course not! They are
human beings like the rest of us. But they
strive to set the highest standard of
righteous leadership.
Dr. Herbert W. Armstrong used to say that
there are no better examples of righteous
leadership in the world today than King
Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit. And he was
right. That is why the royal houses of this
world came to honor them.
Quoting Leon Sexton: “The King and Queen of
Thailand have shown us much favor over the
years. Last year Her Majesty Queen Sirikit
sent 2 young Karen students to study at the
Legacy Institute Training Center in Chiang
Mai, Thailand. We are honored that she would
do so. We will do our best to train them to
become leaders who serve their people.”
____________________
1. NKJV
2. Founder and Chairman of Ambassador
College and Ambassador Foundation. He died
in 1986 at the age of 93 |
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Update! |
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01/12/08 - Activities page
update!
11/20/07 - Cultural
Information page completed... for now...
11/15/07 - There are still a
few pages which are under maintenance but will be up for viewing
as soon as possible.
11/05/07
- This is the newest site featuring loads of information on
Legacy Foundation.
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