Bilay recovers

At this moment,Bilay lays in Sai Yok hospital recovering. He was discharged from kanchanaburi hospital last week, but he hadexcessive drainage from his surgical wound. He was readmitted into Sai Yok on Friday, so that he can rest. Also our place is not set up for wheelchairs, and Bilay currently cannot use his right arn (as well as having no legs). On the 25th January we will attend the doctor in Kanchanaburi for the results of the biopsy. Bilay is very worried, as his family are due to depart for USA.

I also miss him. Little Zac keeps saying, "Bilay, okay?" Every praytime, Bilay is pleaded for by the rest of the children. We visited him and sung songs on the lawns of the hospital on Sabbath afternoon.

URGENT PRAYERS

We have had a great start to the new year. God poured in the help, with the CSW- Hong Kong group coming in to help with evanglelism and kids holiday program. Then Arthur's family came as a medical team. We held mobile clinics around the poorer villages, helping more than 300 patients.

Some of them were serious and have since been referred to bigger hospitals. One sad case is that of a 5 year old girl who will never dance. She has some disease eating away at her bones. Already she losted her toes, and will probably lose her legs by amputation in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease.

The Chinese Church of bangkok delivered us blankets and special food. Then some young people ex EIS students came up to deliver stationary supplies. God is so good through these people.

Bilay went home to visit his family, to enjoy their companybefore they depart the refugee camp for USA. He came back with a fever and a swelling under his arm. I took himto Sai Yok, and they referred me to Kanchanaburi... He will have surgery tomorrow morning as the doctor had a bad result from the biopsy this afternoon. Please pray for this young man as already he has no legs. God is good all the time, but sometimes it is tough to see.

Christmas in Thailand - Arthur

Klee ooh plet, lur alreeg ( Its as close as I could manage) But Merry Christmas in Karen! Christmas really came out of no where and plopped its Eve on our front door! Thursday night, when we started to prepare English Christmas songs for Caroling, distractions happened and no singing in the village happened. Friday night, A night that singing always happens, Bilay was sick, and when the chaplin is sick no one leads the kids to the candle lit homes, so Friday night everyone went to vespers.

Then Saturday night came and what do you know it was Christmas eve! We had so many things happening that the annual Bamboo School Christmas caroling was limited to one night. But we made the most of it, and God blessed us. The stars where out, hanging like glittering jewels in the grey night sky. Heidi, Myself, and about thirty students traveled up to "no-man's land" to sing our hearts out. Several families live up in a small valley. Their houses are tucked under the bamboo and don't hide from the road like the some residents that hide from the army/police/border patrol. As the car left the first load of students and myself to get another load, we tromped down the steap dirt road to find the first house. AFter a brief delay, we decided that singing could start without the second car and the valley echoed with praise. HAlf the songs I couldn't understand, but it was ok. My violin didn't need words. I pulled it out and strummed right along. Renee' also brought her flute, which added so much to the Christmas spirit. By the time the second car showed up it was later than 9 30 but we still kept singing. We still managed to make it on the trails and sang to four or five houses.

Staring up at the stars that were lighting the night sky which was void of the moon, I thought this was the closet I've ever come to experiencing the "true" christmas. I looked around at the smiling faces, revealed by the warm flame of the oil lamps, The goats and, off in the distance, cows uttered their acknowlegments, and the stars hung over as if God had strung christmas lights in the sky. A gentle breeze whispered through the edgeing of the dry grass roofs, and snuggled the singers closer together. Love was present, along with the smell of animals, beetle nut, and jungle. The bamboo porches weren't the clean and loaded with presents, but a gift was being given. God was there, and it was....good, joyfully peaceful, unintentionaly intament, it was christmas eve. And just when I thought it couldn't get any better I heard a jet in the sky. As I looked up and observed the blinking green and red lights cruiseing across the sky I knew my family was also up in the air, somewhere over the pacific coming my way! It doesn't get much better than that.

Christmas in Thailand - Heidi

The saddest thing is the atrocities are still going on in different parts of the world. Mainly I am talking about Burma. Erika...it is a strage feeling to be surrounded by kids that cannot go anywhere. That have no "HOME". The home they had, the Burma army destroyed. The Army goes through and burns whole villages while destroying the food so the Karen are left starving. They shoot Karen's at will. if you are in their way...you get shot. Or if they are feeling a little better that day you may get sentenced to 10 years in prison because of no wrong doing. The burmese are doing some serious Ethnic cleansing right under our eyes..and the UN decides to not get involved. Many of my kids have seen family member brutally shot...or returned home to find their village burned and thier grandmother or little brother with it. All seen...all still a vivid picture in their eyes. They no longer have any tears left. They laugh when they are afraid. If I scold one for doing wrong they look at me sheepishly and giggle. It is their fear surfacing.
They are living in Thailand...but most not legally. Cat asked me last week...have you ever done something so illegal that you need to run from authorities when you see them?? I looked at her and said no...not at all. She looked back at me and said "each day our kids answer to role call at school, they are doing something illegal". WOW...that hit hard. Our worlds are so different I cannot begin to grasp the life they live. The fear they live with.

Mowai (is a 19 year old...one of my really good friends) was going to meet his class on a class camping trip last week. They were already there at the spot so he was traveling by himself to get to the spot. He got stopped by a policeman and got into an argument. He didn't have his school ID on him (which he said is useless anyway)....and he was doing no wrong only going to a class outing. This policeman hasseled him...said he'd bring him back to Burma (which is a death sentence). Mowai backed down and had to call his teacher to come and get him....then he was allowed to go.
The other day in Bangkok we drove through what I think was a riot about to start. We were the last car to drive down the road...and after us it was closed by the police. As we drove by a large building that was solidly fenced in...we peered through the gate and saw many people inside, and some escaping. The policeman nearby yelled at the moped taxi drivers to not pick anyone up. Mowai of course understood the Thai and earnestly said to Momo, "don't stop...keep driving!! Don't pick anyone up!!" Five minutes later he leaned over to me and said "I was scared". I looked at him and said "I know...you are sitting so close to me we could practically be glued together from ankle to shoulder" (we had the back seat of the truck cab to ourselves...with plenty of room on each side). I smiled at him and wrapped both arms around him and jokingly said "I'll keep you safe!!"
It is a fear we will never be able to understand. No freedom to move around. No freedom to live in peace...always being on the alert incase a soldier comes. They are not legal in Thailand...so they need to fear the Thai police and the possiblity of being brought back to Burma. They need to fear the Burmese army even more because they are merciless animals and will probably lose their life if they get brought back. Where are they to go?? When the police were going through the town searching for illegal people and bringing them back to Burma a month ago, all the village people would walk up a path past our school and sleep their whole family in the jungle for the night...hoping not to be caught by the authorities. Praying another night would pass and they would still be here. There are many Christian Karen. That is their only way to freedom. Internal freedom with God. Trusting and knowing that they are in His hand while being confined to a small, ever changing space. That each day is handed over to Him and He is sovereign over all outcomes. That is their only true freedom.

I also feel trapped. Not knowing how to help them. Wanting to be of some comfort...yet being worlds apart. How could I possibly be of any comfort in such an uncontrollable situation like this? Love...is love really all we need? Can the love I know of God be enough to offer?
This weekend I read a book about the Burmese situation. It is a new book called "the heart must break" by James Mawdsley. He tries to figure the Burman army out from a political standpoint by getting incarcerated in thier jail 3 or 4 times for doing nothing wrong. He stood in the street and asked for human justice. It has really helped me to get a slight grasp on the situation...and recommend it if anyone needs a book to read.