Right Now

     Why is it ok for people to laugh at racism and adult bullying when it is in a movie or "socially acceptable" setting? Just because something is done under the pretense of humor does not make it ok. Shouldn't we be trying to break down stereotypes instead of reinforcing and supporting them?! Every time we place judgments on someone based on their appearance-- not knowing anything about them-- we are stereotyping, racially profiling, whatever you want to call it! We are dehumanizing them.

     Jokes made off a person's race, sex, religion, birthplace, or any other ridiculous reason is honestly ridiculous. Who are we to judge someone because of circumstances out of their control?! Did I choose to be a middle-class white girl born in America??! No! Am I grateful that I was? Of course. Does that make me superior to anyone in any way? Absolutely not.

     God has blessed me with opportunities to see things through the eyes of a girl who is not a middle-class white American. I have lived and slept with Karen refugees on the floor of a bamboo hut. I have eaten with my hands and thatched a leaf-based roof. I have talked with child soldiers and legless warriors who chose to join a hopeless fight simply because they knew it was right. I have heard testimonies of dozens of frightened women and children who have had to flee their villages in the middle of the night to avoid death, torture and rape. I have been told of how the soldiers tortured men and gang-raped women. I have seen pictures of headless and limbless bodies left to rot in the tropic sun. I have heard bombs go off and seen children weep with nightmares that last longer than just through the night. I have lived with illegal workers and slept in a concrete box with one small fan to cool a room full of people. I have looked into the eyes of the people who  risk their lives living illegally in a foreign country they will never be welcome in to be able to support their family on $10 a day. I have heard how to live in their own country would be even more dangerous and even more hopeless.

     Right now, there people are dying. In Nepal. In Syria. In Sudan. In Iraq. In Burma. Right now. Right now they need our help. Just because they have a language we do not understand, a culture we do not understand, or a religion we do not understand does not mean that they are any less worthy of our help.
    Imagine that the child buried in rubble for days with no food or water was your child. Imagine woman who was beaten and raped was your mom. Imagine the legless soldier was your father, and the person denied food and medicine was your brother.
Would you not be infuriated?? Would you not demand justice??!!! Would you not do everything in your power to save them? Feed them? Love them?
    
     Our generosity should never have a limit. As we have been blessed let us bless one another! As Christians, it is not only our privilege but our responsibility to feed the hungry, widows and orphans! Why would we shy from the second most important task Christ left us with?? And through showing this great love to our brothers and sisters across the world, we are able to show them the greatest love in all the world-- the love of Christ!

     I challenge you to find something to be your passion. Find someone to help. My passion is Burma. I love the Karen, Burmese, Kachin, Rohingya, the Christians, the Buddhists, the Animists and the Muslims. I will continue to study them, pray for them, support them, and raise awareness for them until I am no longer physically able to do so. If Burma is your passion, let me know! Let us grow in our love for the people of Burma together! If your passion is something else- great! I still want to know! Let us never settle for wondering if we could have done more... and let us start Right Now.

#prayforburma

It has been a long time since I have posted in this blog. However my heart has been longing for Burma more and more everyday. Chapoe and I are living in Missoula with my parents trying to save money so we can sponsor his sister to go to school, as well as support his family with money for food, living supplies and some pocket money. We are praying for ways that we can help some of Chapoe's classmates from NoBoh Academy (a mission school on the Thai/Burma border) find a way to continue their education as well. Please keep us all in your prayers.

Chapoe and I have a long-term goal of moving to Burma and spending several years, if not forever in that country. While we wait and attempt to acquire skills that will help us to accomplish this goal, we are currently seeking out ways to fundraise in order to bring support to the Karen people as well as other people in Burma.

 

US Campaign for Burma is the only full-time advocate of human rights, democracy and freedom. It is also a leader of the Free Burma movement. Chapoe and I have a Christian friend we met in Thailand that now works with this organization and we are considering becoming a part of it.  I encourage you to look through their website and become aware of the atrocities that are continuing in Burma today.

 As we are blessed to live in a country with so many freedoms that most of us do not even think about, I encourage you to become aware of the millions of people in Burma who have such limited freedoms.  Though the United States is a country still in her youth, we have passionately fought for our freedom, separation of Church and State, the right to vote, equality, democracy, freedom of religion, justice, judicial law, etc. Now the U.S. is thriving as a first-world country and is considered one of the most powerful in the world.  Next imagine a third-world country with a Socialist Military Junta ruling the government for 60 years. There is no democracy. Less than 4% of the population is allowed to vote. Education restrictions are placed in school and universities. Ethnic minorities are kidnapped, threatened, tortured, raped, and killed for reasons varying from prejudice to supposed knowledge of resistance fighters to religious choice. People are arrested and beaten for years without ever knowing what they were even arrested for. Protesters are beaten. Children are slaughtered in the streets. The military is known for the gang-raping of women- often until she is dead. This is Burma.  It's hard to imagine a country so different from our own land of the free. It's hard to picture a man being forced to walk over a field of landmines for the entertainment of soldiers behind him. It's hard to imagine people fleeing from the only home they've ever known in the middle of the night and knowing they will never be able to return. But just because it is hard to imagine, does not mean it does not matter.  Here in America we have been blessed. We have been blessed with freedom and in that freedom we must be the voice for those who do not have one. The country of Burma has captured my heart, and now I hope it will capture yours. These people, these men, women and children need you. Not just to send money but to become aware and spread that awareness! We must fight for the rights of our fellow humans-- humans with lives, families, stories, and souls.
People are still starving, still running, and still dying. Please help us in the fight to bring freedom and justice to Burma! The time is now!

Please contact me if you have any questions regarding how you can find more information on the history and current state of Burma or if you are interested in joining us in our passion to help the people there.
I will be posting more soon regarding Chapoe and my goals and plans to effectively minister physical, emotional, and, most importantly, spiritual needs to the people of Burma. In the meantime, as always, please #prayforburma !

-Kelsey Pawmugaw Tha