Myanmar In January 0f 2009 my husband and I were able to be part of a short term mission trip to Myanmar (formerly know as Burma) with Vison Beyond Borders. With God's help, we delivered food, clothing, seed for planting, a water purification system and Bibles to victims of Cyclone Nargis which hit Myanmar back in 2008. The picture above shows me teaching a small boy how to play an easy guitar chord during our visit to an orphanage in Myanmar. In the next photo you can see how happy he was to show off his new found talent! Though they have so little, their joy is absolutely contagious...
Afterward, we sang praise songs and shared a time of fellowship with these Burmese children. It was a real blessing to see how the universal language of music can eliminate barriers and allow communication between peoples of different countries and cultures. However, I want to tell you about a very serious and relatively unknown situation that exists in Myanmar today. The militaristic regime of Prime Minister Thein Sein is currently practicing a cruel form of ethnic cleansing. Right now, as I write this, there are over 100,000 Karen refugees who have fled from Myanmar to Thailand because of the severe persecution they are receiving at the hands of their own government. The situation in Myanmar is very urgent. The government of Burma is literally trying to exterminate the Karen people. Men, women and children are being hunted down, then brutally tortured and killed by the Burmese military. There are thousands of orphans who have seen their parents brutally killed that are now living in refugee camps in Thailand. The Thai government does not want them either, and will not feed them or allow them to grow any crops. These refugees are completely at the mercy of volunteers who are willing to risk their lives and drive 7-8 hours into the mountains, over difficult roads, to deliver necessary supplies. Vision Beyond Borders is currently providing the supplies that are needed by the Karen Refugees through the generous donations of people like you and me. My mission for creating this page is to raise awareness for what is happening in Myanmar. Please tell your family and friends, along with any other people, you know about the ethnic cleansing that is taking place there right now. Your prayers would be appreciated too! Thank you for caring and taking the time to read this important message.
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