Video update on Aung Kyaw

Here’s a short video I made telling Aung Kyaw’s story in the last few weeks. I hope you enjoy it.

Into Burma

Hi all,

First of all, I want to thank you for taking interest in this part of my life and what God’s doing through me in Thailand and Burma.  It’s a little embarrassing that it took me so long to get this update out, and for that I am sorry.  I started this a while back, but finding the time to finish it has been tough lately.

If you gave financially towards my recent trip, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  All of the funds I was given went directly to the projects and people that I’m involved with in Thailand and Burma, and I will give more specific details below.  None of the money I received went towards my own travel expenses, and I feel beyond blessed that God has given me the provision to go back once again and am so grateful for all of you that helped my friends there and the projects that I am very passionate about.

Here is a quick update on the kids that I had learned about that needed extra help:

A few weeks before I left for Thailand I met a sweet lady named Angela who was in my Bible Study at church and she ended up giving me her son, JD’s, wheelchair to take with me and give to the young girl who was born with no legs.  JD was about to get a new wheelchair and the timing was just perfect.  I wasn’t sure how I would get it there but I did, and wasn’t charged any extra baggage fees as was expected!  The box I packed it in was absolutely destroyed by the time I got it to Mae Hong Son but the wheelchair was unharmed and I just recently received pictures from my friend who delivered it the rest of the way into Burma for me.  I’m sure this is going to make this little girl’s life a lot easier.

I was also trying to find some sort of shoe for a boy from Burma that was also born handicapped with legs that ended just above the knee cap.  I thought I had found an answer for him here but that ended up falling through and I went to Burma feeling a little sorry that I wouldn’t be able to bring him anything.  But through friends that I have in Thailand, and friends of theirs, I have found a clinic that is going to go into Burma, bring him back to Thailand, fit him with prosthetic legs, and then take him back home to his village in Burma.  If all goes well, this will happen in just a few weeks.  When I was in Burma, I was able to visit the boy, whose name is Aung Kyaw.  He is very sweet, and very smart; one of the top students in his class.  He has learned to write even though his hands are not fully formed and he can also play soccer and swim!  He has adapted very well but the bottom of his legs are very worn and sore without anything protecting them, so the prosthetic will surely help him immensely.  Below are a few pictures of my visit with him and I will share more pictures after he visits the clinic as soon as I get them.  Please pray for his voyage into Thailand, I know that he and his father are nervous about it.  Also, the boy and his family are Buddhist, so please pray that they will meet God through the people that are going to help him.  One of my former students is most likely going to help translate for them while they are in Chiang Mai, I’m praying that she will also have the opportunity to minister to them.

Highlights of My Recent Trip:

I had a whirlwind trip this time because I had a lot of places that I wanted to go, including into Burma for the first time.  The great thing was that I got to see so many friends that are now scattered all over the place but with flights that were often delayed, and sometimes cancelled, it was a little frustrating squeezing everything into two short weeks.  But I’m glad that I got to see so many people that I’ve missed, even if it were only for a few hours before I was off to the next destination.  I started and ended in Thailand and got to go back to the Bible School in time for graduation and had an awesome time reconnecting with my former students and a lot of friends in Nai Soi.  It really was like going home.  Twenty one students graduated this year and will now go on into various ministries, some back in their home villages and others traveling on to new places.  Quite a few are going to start working on translating hymnals into their native language and creating audio recordings of the Bible into their language.  A few are going to go on to seminaries in India, the Philippines, and Thailand. A portion of the money given to me went to a small gift for each as they begin their new adventures.

The most anticipated part of my trip was into Burma, and most specifically to the village Soe ta Sha which is where the church was constructed.  To read about that, go here.  My first morning in Karenni State was spent in Soe ta Sha, and it really was an amazing time.  When we pulled up, the car we were traveling in was immediately surrounded by familiar, and very excited, faces which were my students’ families and one of my students, Ku Reh.  In a lot of the villages I traveled to, I was the first foreigner to visit, which made me a spectacle to see, especially for the kids.  But here was different, they welcomed me like I was a long lost daughter, and I wish I could have spent a much longer time there.  This village is home to 9 families, all of whom are Christian, and is surrounded by Buddhism.  Even though I knew this before, it was really profound to realize the impact that this new church might have on this area and honestly, it was very encouraging to see the difference that you all have helped make by providing the support needed to build this important building.  When I arrived there was singing and laughter coming from the church and when we went in I saw that they were holding a vacation Bible school for kids in the area.  There were probably 50 – 75 kids, which are mostly from Buddhist families, being taught about Jesus and having an incredible time.  That was awesome to see, and I hope that the hair raises on your arm like it did on mine, even though you didn’t get to see it like I did.

I ate lunch with everyone in the village and had a long meeting with them to discuss the children’s home project that we have started there.  Even though the building of the children’s home has begun, we have a long way to go.  This project has been mostly supported by me personally, and my bake sale money that I have made since last July.  Most of the money given to me for this trip also went towards this project.  I have always been super passionate about this project but I think in a lot of ways I have failed it.  Here is why.  I have come to realize that the greater purpose, or plan, that God had for me by sending me to teach in Thailand was to ultimately help the ministries that he is starting through the people I know there in their own country.  They are so capable of doing His work in their own land in their own language.  I think the only means to get me to that place was for me to really get to know them, trust them, and love them and from there become passionate about what God is doing through them. I’m not sure if this is making sense or not, but even if I’m not being very articulate, I have no doubt in my heart that this is what God wants from me.  You see, we are so blessed in this country, and we have the resources that will help them revive their nation and bring God to their people.  My friends and former students have the ambition, the passion, the excitement, and the willingness to do the work and we have the financial support they need.  And until now, to a large degree, I’ve failed at getting others involved in this opportunity to help the spread the love of OUR God to a lot of people who don’t know Him.  A lot of that is because it was hard for me to accept this new role, not being with them and instead being involved from such a distance.  And really, this is a much more difficult role for me, I hate asking for money and I’m easily discouraged doing it. But I’m praying that God will speak through me, to you, and that is all I’ll need.

So what is this children’s home all about?  I’m glad you asked!  This is actually two buildings going up, very near the church that went up, and will house boys and girls who will come from rather far away so that they can attend a nearby school that has just been built.  The village is just inside Shan State a place where most parents are desperate for their kids to get any amount of education but only about 4% of kids have access to it. The plan is to provide a Christian home to these kids, where they will learn about Jesus while living there, and attend the school nearby during the day.  The villagers were so excited for this possibility and their ambition was almost palpable.  It was the most encouraging experience for me to see their passion and realize that we are all on the same page and realize the potential that exists. My friend who traveled with me and translated for me during the meeting was so enlivened when she heard about their plan that she literally squealed with excitement before she translated it for me.  All of the kids who will come are Buddhist.  There is a lot riding on this.  To finish these homes (one for the girls, one for the boys) we still need about $5,000.  This seems like such a huge amount to me but I am believing God for it.  If this amount is raised in the next few weeks, the homes will be open in time for the school year that will begin in June.  After they are built, the kids will need to be supported (school supplies, school uniforms, and food) which at first will need to be supplied also but we are working on a plan to make the homes self-sufficient into the future.  However, those plans will take much more planning and some time to implement.  During the meeting, the idea of self-sufficiency was brought up by them, they asked me for ideas that they might be able to use.  I had a few, and after brainstorming with them, I’m confident that we will find a way.  It was awesome to hear that they were already thinking ahead and not wanting to rely on foreign support indefinitely.  If you want more details about any of this, please ask me and I will get more specific.  I cannot speak enough about how highly I think of these people in this village, my student Ku Reh is heading this project and most of you have heard me talk about him and his outstanding ambition and the fire that he has inside of him for God.  But I have a quick testimony to their goodness that happened right before I left them that day.  On the way to the village I was chatting with my friend (who also translated) and she asked me how things were going at home.  I told her that I was fine but was struggling a little financially because of problems I was having with my car and damage to my house from the harsh winter.  Later on and unbeknownst to me, during the meeting, she explained my problems to the villagers of So ta Sha.  I would never have done this because I know that my problems are miniscule to theirs, but she didn’t ask me, she just did it.  Right before I left, one of the villagers came to me with an envelope that contained an offering they had taken up for me to help me with my house and car.  It was equivalent to 25 USD, which is quite a substantial amount of money to them, and I was blown away.  Their love and generosity is something that is pretty rare, but it is a perfect example of Jesus’ teaching and if they are half the examples of Christ’s love to their Buddhist neighbors as they were to me then I can’t wait to go back and see the transformation that is about to take place in their little piece of jungle.  Burma is going through a huge transformation, and it is becoming easier for Christians to share their beliefs.  This is such a critical time to help them.

I was able to visit four other villages where many of my students are from and was able to visit with most of their families.  I met an old reverend who was in his late 80s and had been a traveling missionary for most of his life. He was so sweet and so humble and I wondered how many people he had led to Christ. He told me about attempts that were made on his life and how many times he was spared. I know his reward in heaven will be great and I was so blessed to have met him. I have so many great memories like this and if I share them all, this might turn into a book, so I will leave it at this for now.

Thank you for your continued support of my mission. It may have seemed like I had fizzled out, and even I have felt that way at times, but I’m not done. If you would like to give to help with the children’s home in Soe ta Sha, please contact me. All donations can be given to the church where they will be tax deductible. If you have a church or group that you think I could share this ministry with who might be interested in getting involved, please get a hold of me. I would love to share.
Thanks again for your prayers, love and support.  I’m attaching a few of my favorite pictures from the trip, I hope you enjoy!
God bless,
Christine

Quick Update on Thoe Reh

Thank you everyone who prayed for Thoe Reh and have continued to and I’m sorry this update took a few days.  I was out of town and not able to access my blog.  He is doing great!  The surgery was more complicated than they had thought it would be and he was in rough shape for about 12 hours after but was moved out of intensive care within a few days and is now in a regular room.  The doctors believe they got everything out of his lungs that shouldn’t have been there but it is possible that it could come back, however, it usually doesn’t.  Praise God!  He really needs a break from disease and physical weakness and I believe healing is coming for him. 

Thanks again for your prayers for him, he knows that he is a popular guy on the other side of the world and I’m sure it encouraged him a lot to know that so many strangers were lifting him up. 

 

Have a great day!

Love

Christine

Prayers for Thoe Reh

Hi everyone (who hasn’t given up on reading my seemingly abandoned blog),
I apologize for not publishing a post in months, there is no excuse except for my busy schedule and trying to readjust to life in the States again. I have meant to make time over and over, and for one reason or another, it hasn’t happened. Today I’m writing with an urgent prayer request for one of my students. And after this post I promise to update on all the other important things I should have written about in the last few months very soon.

I wrote about Thoe Reh (pronounced Tho Ray)before, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis about a year ago and through a very good friend of the school’s we have been trying to get him the best medical attention that’s available in Northern Thailand. TB is usually a pretty treatable/manageable disease for someone Thoe Reh’s age but his case has proven to be rare and has caused him a lot of struggle for a while now. He has had small lumps on the underside of his chin since I’ve known him but we didn’t get him to a good hospital until he developed a massive lump on his neck which brought attention to other problems, mostly with his lungs. At the time the doctors did not want to perform surgery because of the risk involved and instead chose to treat him with medication. His medication ended on April 17th of this year and by April 20th he came down with a high fever and pain all over his body. He was then admitted to a poor hospital near the school and was treated with antibiotics and pain killers until our friend was able to get him to Chiang Mai a few days back. They have now decided that surgery is the only option for him to survive and it is scheduled for 9:30 AM Thai time, or 10:30 PM EST tonight. The doctors have expressed the seriousness of his condition and have explained that he might not live through the dangerous procedure. As he went to sleep tonight he had a temperature of 104 degrees and was very weak as he’s lost a lot of weight in the last few weeks. Although the doctors have expressed the possibility of a bad outcome, they do not know our God and the power He has to guide the surgeon’s hands and to heal Thoe Reh completely.

I am asking everyone who reads this to please be diligent in prayer for him today, tonight, and even the days to come. I have always expressed my amazement of my students and Thoe Reh is not different. Through his struggles he has always worn a smile even though he hasn’t had a lot of good days for a long, long time. Of all the Bible School students he has one of the most promising futures because of his ambition, unrelenting faith, leadership skills, and intelligence. After his diagnosis he missed a lot of class because of his doctor appointments and also because he was seperated from the other students because of the contageous quality of TB, and class was not the same without him. I tutored him in the evenings and that lifted his spirits as he was afraid of falling behind, though he was already way ahead of his peers and the attention was not really needed.

When I think of losing Thoe Reh, I think of his mother who hasn’t seen him in so long and the devestation she will feel if something bad happens. But I also think of the Karenni people that he will influence and touch with his life if he is able to live through this, his potential is great and I am praying for a miracle so that potential is fulfilled. He needs prayer, and I know that I have a lot of friends and family who won’t let me down with this request, and thank you for that. I will update as soon as I hear how the surgery went, and I am believing it will be a praise-filled report!
Thanks again.
Here’s a link to a video of Thoe Reh leading praise and worship, he’s really gifted.

Love,
Christine

election day post

Hi everybody!  Sorry it’s been a while, I’ve meant to write so many times but time just escaped me I guess.  Thanks for your understanding (assuming you are understanding).

I titled this one “Election Day Post” because I’m posting it on election day, but in no way will it be related to politics.  I would, however, like to add that I did vote about 11 days ago and although I would not be at all surprised if I find out it didn’t make it to my township hall in time, I have made the biggest effort I could.  And you should also get your American self to the polling station and do the same.  Do I need to lecture you on how some people have never had the opportunity because their country is run by a bunch of crazies who would prefer they weren’t alive and definitely won’t give them the privilege to vote?  I didn’t think so, so go vote.

I voted.  Here’s the proof.

I have been busy, and I’m sure you have too, and I hope you are doing great.  My students have been really healthy lately; we haven’t had a case of malaria in a while and Thoe Reh seems to be improving.  I wrote about him before, he is the one with the severe case of TB.  He’s not out of the woods yet, actually his doctors haven’t noticed a lot of change, but he says he feels much better and believes his body is healing.  Continued prayer for him would be really nice.

Thoe Reh, feeling good!

A few weeks ago I was able to visit a friend’s orphanage about 7 hours south of where I live.  I was having a hard time making the time to go and didn’t want to lose any time that I had left with my own students since I’m leaving soon, but I am so glad I made the time and ultimately wished I had been able to stay longer.  Her kids are much younger than mine and it was fun getting to teach them a little bit of English and getting to play with them a lot.  The 70 plus kids are Karen and most of them have been through unthinkable circumstances yet they are some of the sweetest children I’ve ever met.  They are now surrounded by love, are given a good education, and have warm food in their bellies every day.  And oh how they love Jesus.  They really know how to worship.  As is common, a few of the kids really touched my heart, and I seriously think I would have considered taking them home if it were possible.  One of the boys who barely left my side the whole time I was there was blinded when a drunk teacher had crushed his head into a concrete wall.  Since he came to the orphanage his sight has been slowly coming back and I believe God will completely heal him over time, he is such a sweet boy with a really bright future.  Please pray for these kids and also for my friends, Zaida and Kelsey, and all of the adults who help take care of them.  They would probably say that they are blessed to be able to do it but they still need a lot of strength and wisdom to do what they do every day.  The orphanage is literally a stone’s throw away from Burma and was hit by Burmese shelling just last year so they really need a prayer for protection.  I posted some of the pictures I took at the orphanage onto facebook, you can view them here.

Alas, I am leaving my home-away-from-home very soon and I will be honest and say I’m more than a little anxious about it.  It is hard to explain, and something I don’t think you could understand unless you lived in such an utterly different culture than your own for a length of time, but it is more difficult to transition back than you might think.  Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.  It is a little embarrassing and might sound foolish but as AWFUL as it will be to say goodbye to my students, it’s a whole different kind of awful trying to adjust to the American lifestyle again.  I know that when I see the abundance that is so prevalent in our country I will always think of my friends here that have so little and really struggle for the basic essentials in life, and it is difficult to deal with those thoughts.  Thanks for your support in the next month.

Of course I will continue to help my friends here even after I get back home.  I am still supporting the construction of a church in Burma.  I have thankfully faced no problems getting the donated money converted into Kyat and then safely delivered to the right people in Burma and I have been blessed with friends who have given to something that I am passionate about.  Construction is almost complete.  I also support a youth pastor in Karenni State who is so ambitious and is energizing the young people in his village and the surrounding villages.  He has asked me to help him find a way to further his education also.  And then there are the 14 final year Bible School students who will graduate this March.  They will go for one last ministry trip into Burma after graduation before going their seperate ways.  Not all of them know what their futures hold but I will write about a few of their planned ministries later on.

Chatting with Eh Day and Htel Bu between classes.  I don’t know why I have such a goofy grin!

Since I am less than a month away from leaving I have found that I now have to make good on all the promises I’ve made to my students and I’m once again hating my procrastinating ways.  So for the last two nights I’ve been teaching a new line dance (they LOVE learning new dances and I’ve found line dancing is the only one I am capable of), I’ve bought the supplies to make hamburgers for everyone on Friday (an incredible treat for us), and I’m about to learn a Karenni Song that I must sing in front of everyone.  The last one also means I must learn how to actually sing and is something that they’ve been begging me to do since day one, and singing in front of everyone is almost a requirement with them, little do they know that it will be more like a punishment to listen to!  And don’t worry, you will never, ever, ever, have to listen to this because I will make sure that there are no recording devices permitted into the concert.  So, with all this busy-ness, I don’t know when I will post next.  But please be patient, I promise I’ll get to it.

As always, thanks a million for the love and prayers.

Christine

12 months in

Hello!

Hoping that everything is well with you, and thanks again for keeping up with me!  Can you believe it was a year ago already that I left for Thailand?  And since I said “one year in Thailand” you might be wondering why the hay I’m still in Thailand.  So I’ll tell you.  Because I didn’t feel like it was time for me to go yet.  And that’s why.  But I have booked my ticket home and that plane will be leaving in a little less than 3 months from now which gives me an even more profound ticking-clock feeling that I need to get these kids speaking English, pronto.  As I’m typing this, two of my students passed outside my room and yelled into the window, “teacher, paradise is a peach?  yes or no?”.  My job is to teach them the language, no one said that they had to make sense of what they were saying, right?  I’m still confused by their question but I answered no.  Anyway, back on topic, I have finally started to notice how well they are progressing (despite their confusion of paradise and fruit) and I have been so proud of them lately.

We celebrated “Teachers’ Day” yesterday, a tradition that the other foreign teacher introduced them to and I was so humbled at their sincere thanks and appreciation for what I and the other teachers are doing for them.  I am truly uncomfortable when it comes to things like that, I don’t enjoy the attention and honestly feel like they are doing something much bigger with their lives than I will ever do and am just grateful that I get to help them in a small way as they do these big things.  But it was very sweet that they wanted to thank us in such a way.  They orchestrated a program in the church by themselves and almost every speech that they gave was given in at least two languages, and English was one of them.

our high maintenance monkey, Lee Myar

As I was sitting at the front of the church with the other teachers I was reflecting on what has changed in the last year and what brought me here.  Of course their English has improved but also I believe I have improved as a person, and it’s because of them.  They have taught me so many things that I don’t know if I would have learned if I hadn’t come here and lived with them.  The biggest pleasure I have gotten has been from getting to know them and all of their individual personalities that I have grown to love.  As I looked at each of them I really thought about each one of them and how special each one is to me and in what way they are unique.  They deserve the best and I pray that one day, soon, they will be given the same freedom that I’ve known my whole life.  I have faith they will, Burma is changing (albeit, very slowly), and I think that they will be a big part of the change in their country.  I’m so excited to see what they do.  I really believe that God put a love for a place that I’ve never been and a love for a people who I didn’t know in my heart so I could do what I’m doing to help them, because without that love I wouldn’t be able to do it, in that there’s no doubt.

Ku Reh

I had a really long chat with Ku Reh a few nights ago (if you don’t remember him, you can read about him here) and he told me that he didn’t know why I had to leave.  I dreaded telling my students of my departure day, and after I did I got a very silent response with many sad faces staring at me which led me to feel like I had just let them all down.  I know I haven’t but that’s how I felt.  Anyway, in his classic Ku Reh, imperfect-English-way he asked me why I was leaving and if I’m not happy here.  Sigh.  It is nearly impossible to explain to them all the reasons why I have to go and why I can’t stay so I simply said that I am out of money, which is very plain and simple and also the truth.  I know my students think I’m rich, and I guess if you compare me and them it would certainly appear that I am, so I gave up a long time ago in trying to explain how even though it looks like I’m rich, in my country, I’m not.   To them that doesn’t compute, so I choose to not even discuss it.  I was pretty surprised when Ku Reh didn’t argue with my explanation, instead he simply told me that he will call his father in Burma and ask him for money so I can stay.  This is probably the sweetest gesture anyone has ever made for me, and I was left speechless.  I know he can’t really call his father, his family doesn’t have a phone.  But I was deeply humbled by the offer and am amused, and at the same time embarrassed, every time I imagine the conversation of him asking his very poor father for money to give to his American teacher.  Ku Reh’s like the younger brother I never had (my real ones are older) and it is going to be a sad, sad day in a few short months when I have to say goodbye not knowing when or if I’ll see him again.  Don’t know how I will do it.

That’s all for now, I better get back to work before the next few months flies by like the first 12 did!

love and thanks,

Christine

uplifted

Hi!

Things are going good here and I hope they are with you as well.  I’m going to randomly add a few pictures I’ve taken recently to this post, I hope you enjoy them.

This is Rose May taking notes during the sermon last Sunday.

I think I mentioned before how busy I’ve been, and that’s still true.  I have a bit of an urgent feeling to work as hard as possible to make my students as proficient in English as I can before I leave.  And as that time is creeping closer, the sense of urgency is becoming greater.  I don’t know when I’m leaving yet, in a little less than a month I have been here for a year and it really doesn’t seem like it’s been that long but I really hope that my students are evidence of my time spent here.  Most of you know this, but for those of you who might not, the Bible school where I am teaching cannot afford to pay a foreigner to come and teach English so the only way they get one is if one volunteers.  I am the first to volunteer for such a long and continuous period of time and after I leave there is not a replacement lined up to come and help them with their English as a full-time teacher.  They don’t seek someone to fill this position, without being able to pay someone, they would never do that.  All of the other teachers, except one other foreign missionary who teaches Theology, are Karenni or Karen teachers who are paid 1,000 baht a month (about 30 USD) who have received an education from Burma.  Our school gets quite a few foreign (Western) visitors, most of which are short-term missionaries on a mission trip with a team.  Since I came in September of 2011 I can think of about six groups that have visited (I didn’t keep track but this is my estimation).  Each of these groups came, some taught or preached and all worshiped alongside the students.  There havent’ been short-term mission groups that come to teach English and I would assume that isn’t really any short-term mission group’s goal but of course they speak English while they are here and that in itself helps the students to learn.  But for them to really learn it and to be fluent in it they need someone who stays a while.  For example, I spent nearly a month on pronouns alone (with vocabulary mixed in), it cannot be expected that they would learn and speak this crazy hard language in a short period of time.  And even if they had missionaries constantly coming and replacing one another, to pick up where the last left off and then to make progress I would assume would be very difficult.  My situation was unique and I realize that even if most people did want to come and do what I’m doing, they wouldn’t be able to.  Children and other obligations usually prevent that.  So my point is that they might not get this chance to learn English like they are now again and so I’m feeling a little pressure to get the job done.  That being said, I do see the progress, and there have been more and more moments when I hear them say something voluntarily and correctly in English and those moments have become incredibly uplifting and bright spots in my day.

A few of my students and me after church service a few weeks ago.

I also realize I have put myself in such a tough place.  I miss home every day and really long for the easier way of life that is the American dream that we live, with my family just a few miles down the road, my dog on my couch, and all the major appliances one could own under my roof.  Really, I might hug my dryer when I get back (and my water heater, my microwave, my stove, my dishwasher, my washing machine, my car, my bathroom…).  But I can’t imagine saying goodbye to my students and I don’t know how I’ll have the strength to do that when the time comes.  They have suggested that I instead live somewhere in between so that I can be closer to them and visit them still and visit home too.  I’m not really thinking that’s the best plan, because for one thing, half way is approximately in the neighborhood of the middle of the Pacific Ocean but also for the obvious reason that I would not be in either place that I love and it would not be any easier to visit either place.  But their sentiment was cute and I really don’t think they realize how big the world is so it’s not their fault that it wasn’t a good idea.  But seriously, I’m not sure I can prepare myself for what is ahead.

Shay Moe helping Ku Reh with his homework.

I wanted to post an update tonight because one of my students is going through a really terrible dilemma and I wanted to ask for prayer.  But instead I’ve decided not to publish all the details right now as she told me tonight that I’m the only one that knows everything about her situation and she wants it to stay that way for now.  So instead, I’ll ask you to please remember all of my students in your prayers.  Sometimes their circumstances are so frustrating to me because it is so senseless and my heart breaks over and over when they have to go through what they do.   Even after living here and being around this situation for a year it still hits me sometimes as to how bad it can really be for them and how unfair it seems to be.  It’s easy to forget when they are always smiling, always praising God, and are always so thankful for what they’ve got.  It isn’t for me to understand why they are here and going through this while I am given opportunities unimaginable to them and a life filled with freedom and few difficulties.  Instead, it is for me to help them in any way that I can, and at least I know I’m doing that.

They play “football” everyday, check out those kicks!

Every Wednesday night the students hold worship service in English.  Naturally I look forward to this since I can understand it, whereas every Sunday morning I’m fighting to stay awake through a Karenni service.  Tonight one of my students preached about our call as Christians to help the poor people and to help our neighbors.  He said that when we help those who are in need then we are helping Jesus and he quoted the scripture that we have all heard before to prove it.  He then shared an experience he had before he came to the Bible school.  There was a poor family from his village and his family tried to help them as much as they could because they had so little but he really didn’t understand how bad their situation was until he went and saw the old grandmother who was very sick.  He had never been in their house before this time but during this visit he noticed that they had no belongings, the very ill grandmother didn’t even have a pillow to lay her head on.  After that he said he knew God was teaching him that he needed to do as much as he could to help those who had less than him.  He brought the woman food and shortly after his visit she died and he had often thought about her and how he wished he could have done more for her.  This is pretty straight forward and I’m sure all of you have heard this message many times before.  But have you ever heard it preached BY a poor person?  My students have very little, many of them have nothing.  When I give them 100 baht ($3) for the month to buy soap and necessities, they jump up and down with excitement.  But they all give offering every Wednesday and Sunday, and I know if they meet anyone who needs help they will do all that they can, given what they have, to help them.  I was really uplifted after church tonight, but I realized it was mostly because my student’s English was really good, I had helped him practice his pronunciation and even typed out the sermon for him and he did not disappoint.  But it was hours after he had finished that I really thought about his message and it was then that I was really uplifted.  Jesus didn’t say to look at others who have less and be thankful for all you have, he said to help them.  And I’m pretty sure that old woman got a glimpse of Jesus through my student before she passed away when he brought her food that day.

Matthew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it now and probably many more times, I really wish you could meet my students and really get to know them.  They aren’t perfect, I would never say that, but they sure have taught me a lot and they could probably do the same for you.

As always, thanks for your prayers and support.

Love

Christine

Thoe Reh

P.S. Please continue to pray for Thoe Reh and his doctors, his medical problems are still not solved and unfortunately we still don’t know how much danger he might be in.  We will find out more next week but when I talked to him tonight he sounded pretty worried and he hasn’t been his normal cheerful self for quite some time.  I told him many people are praying for him, don’t make me out to be a liar. 🙂

teaching is rough.

Good evening all,

I am really embarrassed that this is the first time I’m posting an update since I’ve been back at the school. Please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeease forgive me.  Being home was great; very relaxing even though I worked (not as much as my brother would have liked but I fit in as much of that as I could, I think).  The wedding was beautiful and you can’t beat Michigan in the summertime so all around it was pretty good.  I was able to see so many people who encouraged me and fueled me with a little more ambition to come back with, and that was just what I needed and when I needed it.  I was able to participate in Vacation Bible School while home and that was an unbelievable experience, so glad the timing worked out.  I talked to about 120 kids every day for just a few minutes, explaining what a missionary is and how they can help people, etc.  The offering for the week was sent back with me to go towards food for my students and I was humbled when they told me it totaled almost $600.  On the last day of VBS we were able to connect via Skype with my students, this was a complete surprise for the Michigan kids and when they turned to see my students smiling at them on the projector I think you could have heard a pin drop in the church.  They were in shock and I know this because it’s not often that 120 kids (ages 3ish to 12ish) altogether become silent.  It was cool.

As expected, time flew while home and I was back in Nai Soi before I knew it.  Soggy season is in full swing, but it is by far the most beautiful, breath-taking time of year, in my opinion.  It’s just that with the gorgeous, luscious jungle that we get to see every day we also have to deal with mud and slippery roads that turn to rivers in the blink of an eye.  Oh, and snakes, lots of snakes.  They seem to delight in the sogginess.  It’s like when it rains at home and the worms come out to play on the pavement, only these are way bigger than worms and sometimes they carry poison.  Ugh.

Teaching is going well, and as I said, I returned with renewed ambition that I absolutely needed to be able to tackle the 22 new students whose English is so low I really had no idea how to even begin.  Well, I began with a lot of charades, and a lot of drawings to explain what I am trying to say.  In fact, I had to learn Karenni for “say” because when I would tell the class, “say good morning””, they would respond with “say good morning”.  I just had to laugh.  Because if I didn’t, I would cry.  Or beat my head against the wall.

So now we have 61 students total and at lunch time I teach five Karenni teachers, so basically my day is packed and that is one reason why I haven’t given a lot of time to my blog.  Again, my apologies if you’ve been looking for an update.  We have a beautiful new classroom building (see picture below) that we began teaching in yesterday, under one roof we have four classrooms and we no longer have to use the old kitchen and church for class.  This was a HUGE blessing to our school, and the friends that made it possible have helped us in so many ways when we have needed help.  They also purchased bunk beds for the boys’ and girls’ dorms which was something we were in desperate need of when we received the new students.  Some of the girls were sharing sleeping mats and many didn’t have mattresses; they were really crammed together but the beds have given them a lot of space.  I am still buying as much food as I can because we have begun to realize just how detrimental their food situation has been to the health of the students.  When I returned we had a student who we have known had something wrong with him become even sicker.  We were finally able to get him good care and found that his situation was very critical, and without help he would not have lived much longer.  Thank God for a friend who was willing to risk a lot to get him to a good hospital and then be relentless in getting him what we all deserve, indiscriminate care from skilled doctors, even if he didn’t have any papers saying who he was and where he was from.  In talking with him and the doctors we have come to find out that he had lost a significant amount of weight in the last few years and that was likely contributive to his condition being so bad, he was not physically strong and wasn’t able to fight off disease as well as if he had been healthier.  Please continue to remember him in prayer (his name is Thoe Reh, pronounced Thow Ray) as he is still not recovered.  So many people have asked me about Eh Say also, she is doing great, she is still on crutches but in another month she will go back to the doctor where we are hopeful they will tell her that the crutches can go.  Even though she was not able to have the surgery that would have meant a better chance at a full recovery it is looking like she will not be crippled in any way.

While I was home I received some financial support for the church I am trying to help raise money for in Burma for the construction of their building (go here to read about that).  It is not fully funded yet but we are getting close.  The support I received lately is being sent in next week along with an instrument for a pastor who had asked for help with his ministry as well.  Praying that everything gets there safely and without any problems for the ones making the delivery.

I’ve tried a few new approaches to getting this English language into my students’ heads.  One thing that I’ve noticed is that they are not equipped with effective study skills and I am being a lot more persistent (read, annoying) in regards to that.  I basically go to their respective dorms at night and make them study with me by using flashcards and quizzing them.  They have study hours at the end of the day, and trust me, they study… but I just wasn’t convinced (based on quiz scores) that the studying was doing any good.  My approach, although annoying to some of them and funny to others, is working!  Their quiz scores have really improved, and mostly for the ones who were really struggling.  I’m sure this paragraph was astoundingly boring for you to read, but I had to brag a little, it has made me feel like all the sacrifice (from everyone at home who are patiently waiting my return) is worth it.  I have the same group of students who come to my room every evening for extra help with their English, but now they are all getting the extra help (whether they wanted it or not!).

With my first year students I have been working on basic vocabulary (obviously can’t start with a lot of grammar when they don’t know “good morning”).  So we’ve done vocabulary with time (telling time, months, days, date, etc.),  food, important questions and answers (how old are you, where are you from, etc.), and this week we are working on family vocabulary.  Now, this is a touchy one, which I knew, but also important.  So I dread it, I dreaded teaching it to my other students and I was dreading it this time too.  Most of them have one or more immediate family members who have died, many from unnatural causes, and so of course it’s tough to try to discuss this topic knowing and feeling like I’m walking on eggshells.  I knew one student in particular’s younger sister had drowned a month ago, they had emailed me while I was home with this tragic news and told me that she could not go back for the funeral.  So of course I’m making sure to not ask any sibling-related question to her, so instead I ask a question about her mother.  Well, her mom died too.  And so did her dad.  She is the only one left in her family.  I don’t think I can explain how I felt, but you might be able to imagine.  I wanted to cry, even though she wasn’t, thankfully.  That was the end of question-asking for the day and the next day I introduced a generic family for them to answer questions about (how many sisters, cousins, aunts…).  Why, oh why, hadn’t I thought of that before?!  Seriously, teaching is rough.

Thanks for reading, I’ll try to let you know I’m alive more often.  As always, thanks for the prayers and the notes of encouragement.

love

Christine

before I go

I’m leaving Thailand today and headed back home for a little more than a month, for a bit of a break and also to celebrate my oldest brother’s wedding in June.  He’s my last sibling to walk down the aisle and I couldn’t miss it, and I’m really looking forward to seeing so many family and friends in the next little while.  The timing isn’t perfect for our school year at the Bible school, the new school year begins the first week of June, but I will join them again at the end of June to begin English classes for the new school year.  In the meantime, the students will have a visiting teacher, Mike, who will work with them a little bit on English while I’m away.

There are a lot of new students that have arrived in the last few months, twelve girls and six boys with even more expected in the days to come, and I was able to begin teaching them and getting to know them before leaving.  That gave me a renewal of ambition and enthusiasm that I needed, to see their eagerness to learn and their own ambition to start their education in theological studies was a refreshing sight and helped me to forget some of the hardships that I had been dealing with recently.  I was also really impressed with their pronunciation of English words, even though they understand very little as far as the meaning of those words, they obviously have had some training in English-speaking while in Burma, which is outstanding.  Click here to see a short video of another teacher at the school, Luther, teaching the new first-year students an English worship song.  One of the most common pronunciation mistakes our students make is dropping the last sound of some English words, so the word rejoice turns into rejoy and the word always turns into alway.  They weren’t perfect during this song, but they were close, and I was really happy with it.  Also, Luther has a new blog up that he will use to update those who are supporting him, if you want to read about him and his ministry, click here.

I also created a video of the final-year students who traveled throughout Burma during the months of March and April.  I had many discussions with them about their travels and their ministry that they were doing, just between me and them, and I wanted to create something that my friends at home could watch so you could also hear from them, in their words, about what they were doing.  I cannot express enough my respect and awe of these students, they are really doing something that most people I know in the States could or would never do.  This trip was a short mission but a taste of what their lives will hopefully turn into, and what most of them want to do after studying at the Bible School.  Most of them want to travel back into Burma where they will spread the Gospel to their own people, in their own language, and in doing so will be much more effective than any foreign missionary could hope to be.  Obviously, the native people of Burma are much more likely to listen to and take to heart what someone who looks like them, talks like them, and lives like them says.  The students have given up a lot to come to the school, and most of them have traveled a long time and in dangerous conditions to get here, and they come with the purpose of learning more about the Bible and how to share it with others because they have a passion for it.  They have all (except one) completed the Burmese equivalent to a high school education and are now here for a more specific education geared towards what they want to do.  Whether that be to lead a church of their own, travel as a missionary, create a Christian orphanage, teach or even just to go back and share the Word of God with their own village, they all have a plan for their future based on their education at the Bible School.  And the teachers at the school are very good about encouraging the passion that the students have while giving them solid principles to help them effectively minister.

Click here to watch the video of the ten, final-year students discussing their trip into Burma.  The ten students are Eh Day, Rose May, Ka Paw Htoo, April, Stella, Htel Bu, Hten Paw, Ku Reh, Eh Moung, and Nga Mar.  During their travels they also helped out some of the poorest of the people that they encountered.  Of course, Burma has a lot of problems, and most of the problems discussed are the injustices created by the military government that dictates the country, mostly in terms of the violence that they create.  But poverty in Burma is widespread and is a direct result of the government’s policies as well.  While visiting different villages, they gave shoes, soap, notebooks and clothes to some people that they met and then also put on a program every night that included skits, music, dancing, preaching, and prayer.  As Hten Paw describes in the video, there are many Bible Schools in Karenni State but our Bible School is the only Karenni Bible School, in the world.  That means they are taught the Karenni language and they are fluent in it.  And when missionaries come to these villages they usually speak either Karen or Burmese, not Karenni.  Since our students speak Karenni, the language spoken in the villages that they visited, the people that they encountered were really interested in listening to them and also understood what they were saying.  From the old to the young, as Hten Paw says.  During their trip they also collected most of the new students that came to study at the Bible School, they answered questions from those who were interested in the school and doing what they are doing and then brought them back to Nai Soi when they returned.  If you click here, you will see a video of a skit that they did during their trip.  This is a funny skit which conveyed the message of the importance of not just talking but following your speech with action.  The following are a few pictures from their trip:

This is the whole group (plus one girl, and I’m not sure who she is) in Phekhon, Shan State.

Ku Reh Preaching

Rose May, Hten Paw, Stella, and Nga Mar performing a song in Hsotesha (Htel Bu, Ku Reh, Eh Day, and Ka Paw Htoo’s village).

The other students, 2nd and 3rd year, also took part in ministry during their break from studying.  Many of them traveled to different refugee camps, and some went into IDP villages inside Burma.  Sai Mon and Mary spent three weeks just inside the border in an IDP village where some of Sai Mon’s family lives.  There were very few Christians in this village, and most of the villagers practice Animism.  Most IDPs (Internally Displaced People) are extremely poor and living without many basic necessities.  The children in this village have a school-house (a raised bamboo building) but don’t have writing utensils, paper, or teachers.  There isn’t a church building either but our students used what they had to teach and encourage the kids and adults that they stayed with.

Animist worship in an IDP village.  To learn more about Animism, click here.

There are a few new additions to the school recently, one of the most exciting has been a new classroom going up.  This building is actually the first official one that will be for classes, up until now the kitchen and the church have been used for class.  There will be four rooms and this will make such a difference as we’ll be able to schedule more classes and activities to take place simultaneously.  This was a very generous gift from a friend of our school’s and it will be enjoyed for years to come, I’m sure.  Another positive addition is a new walkway that will connect all of the buildings, which is being built by a family that is helping at the school.  During soggy season the grounds at the school become really muddy and it becomes a daunting task just to go from one building to another when the mud becomes so thick.  The new walkway will make it so much easier to walk around and it will help keep everyone a little cleaner.  And finally, we have a new pet at the school.  His name is Chi Chi and he is a young Slow Loris that Meshiah found in the jungle while hunting.  He is so cute, and I am so entertained by him, but I am a little afraid of his nip as it is a toxic one (according to the info. on the internet about his species).  Thankfully, he does give a warning chatter to tell you if he’s afraid of you and that means that you need to get your digits out of the way or you’ll learn quickly about his toxic bite.  Not sure how long he’ll survive but I’m told they’re a hard critter to kill so maybe he’ll be around for a while, I hope so!  He did escape from his rope that he was tied to a few days ago, but luckily there’s a reason he’s called a SLOW Loris, he didn’t get far.  Here are a few pictures of my new best friend:

That’s all for now, I’ll probably not update this while I’m home, but if you need me you can contact me through my U.S. contact information on my Contact Page.

Thanks for reading and thanks for praying.

Love

Christine

**The links to the videos may not work yet, sorry!  They will be fixed as soon as I can figure out how to fix them.  Please check back!

update for “when sympathy isn’t enough”

Since my last post I have received all of the funding to buy the totes for the girls at our school, this is such a BIG blessing as rainy season is now officially upon us and everything will be getting soggy again soon.  Also, I’ve received some that will go towards the vehicle, and I think that will be able to happen very soon too.  I thank God for faithfully providing to this school and these young people who have a fire and a passion to build His kingdom inside Burma, and my gratefulness to be able to be your channel to reach them goes beyond words.  So, thank you.

Eh Say is doing really well now and, depending on what the doctor says on Saturday, she might be back in Nai Soi in a few weeks time.  She didn’t adjust to her TB medicine right away and was terribly sick for quite a few days but after getting past that she seems to be getting better by the minute.  When I get back to Mae Hong Son I will check on more options in getting all of our students tested for TB and will update any news on that when I get more answers.

I will try to post again soon before I head home, but while home I will spend a lot less time with my computer and as much time as possible with friends and family, so there might not be a lot written during that time.

Thanks again for helping with these specific needs and don’t worry, if you still wanted to give, there’s still a lot more need 🙂

love,

Christine

This is Zaida, Eh Say and me before we were off to the hospital to have her pin removed from her knee.  Zaida is another missionary that I’ve met recently who has helped me take care of Eh Say, she’s a wonderful woman and I wouldn’t have survived the last few weeks without her.  She directs an orphanage on the Burma border that takes care of about 60 Karen kids, her work and her life are an excellent example of how I hope to live my life as well.  And, I must say, she has a gift for making some incredible Mexican food which makes her an abundantly more valuable friend to have!