#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