There is a district on the border of Thailand and Myanmar(Burma) called Suan Phueng. If you google this destination resorts and high-end hotels immediately pop up. However, this high touristy area is misleading. Suan Phueng is far from fully developed. There are impoverished villages throughout the district hugging the Burma border and these villages are flooded with Burmese refugees.
There are several tribes in Burma, and in the 1940s the central Burmese government demanded that all of the tribes must obey their rules in order to remain on the land. All tribes complied except for the Karen tribe. They fought against the military for independence in order to keep their heritage, culture, and beliefs alive. Because of the tribes rebellion they lost all ability to maintain or gain citizenship in Burma, so most fled to Thailand and have settled in villages along the border like in Suan Phueng.
Our YWAM contacts developed a relationship with a village in Suan Phueng a few years ago. They sponsor about 20 children in the village to go to school. Each family in the village has 6-12 kids because in their culture “the more children the more blessings”, so they have as many as they can. However each family can normally afford to have one child in school at a time, which automatically diminishes the possibility for a child to have a complete education. Other than supporting this village through education, our YWAM contacts have forever impacted this village and these people by supporting and developing a church. This past week our contacts took us up to Suan Phueng so that we can join in this ministry with the church and help prepare and perform in the christmas program. This program was not just a time of celebration for the believers, but also an opportunity to express the love of Jesus to those people in the village who have never heard of the greatest love pursuit inhistory. And that is what happened. There were a handful of people who truly heard the story of Christ and decided to follow him as Savior!! How incredible! Other than the christmas party, our time in the village with the men, women and children from the church was unforgettable. Every moment we weren’t in the restroom or taking a shower, there were children attached to our hips and backs. We were constantly playing games, dancing, and chasing around the beautiful little munchkins. The men and women from the church were some of the most giving people I have ever encountered. Not only did they share their food but also their homes. There are no words to express the depth of how special and set apart they are. To the world they may be seen as refugees, people who do not have citizenship anywhere, and a helpless and homeless bunch gathered in a desolate village. But let me tell you, these people are citizens to the Kingdom. They have set their home in Heaven and hold on to a hope so strong. Although these people from the Karen tribe fled tofind safety in Thailand,a community in Suan Phueng has risen to recognize that the only true refuge is found in the Lord!
