debt with student loans. As ‘normal’ as this is today, the fact of owing
someone money and paying interest makes me cringe. I am a firm believer
in living below my means. Even though I have faith in the reasoning and
timing of going to design school in Chicago, I cannot help but sometimes
think my degree was a waste. I worked very hard to pay college as I went along, but
will still be paying for it for many years. God closed the design door for me a
few years back, and I have no plans on ever getting back into it. All this
being said, just when I thought and accepted I would never use my degree again,
I was thrown right in the middle of a church/ school remodel in Malaysia! Cool
huh?
Immanuel Education Center is a combination Burmese Church and School. This is
no ordinary school, and this was definitely not a regular remodel project.
Background: The nation of Burma has one of the most repressive military regimes in the
world. If you are unaware, the country is in an ongoing war with an abusive
military dictatorship, and many divided regions. As a result, countless Burmese
families are continuing to flee to Malaysia to escape imprisonment, death,
forced labor, and/or extreme poverty. These refugee men, women, and children will most likely never see their homeland again as they endure the dangers of crossing two
borders without papers. Malaysia is chosen to reside instead of Thailand
because:
1- They can make more money in Malaysia, especially if they
can speak English.
2- If deported, they will be sent back to the Thai border,
rather than the Burmese border (where they would face death and certainly
imprisonment.)
In Malaysia, these people are without fundamental freedom and basic human
rights, commonly referred to as “illegals,” as if they were the
criminals. They cannot leave the country, apply for a driver’s license, or
attend school. Without papers, these illegal Burmese refugees are extremely
vulnerable, and it is near impossible for them to get established. Out of this
hardship, many Burmese communities have blossomed… including Immanuel.
As a current volunteer in Malaysia, I came to this country prepared to
hear tales of suffering, and I have. More importantly, I have seen firsthand
what it means to live in REAL community. Even with these unjust circumstances, I
have witnessed a Burmese neighborhood establish a church, and a school for their children
to attend…
… out of Faith Alone.
A church and school is not easy or free to start, but the community
would settle for nothing less. They come together, scrounge up the little
resources they have, and PRAY. God rewards their efforts and obedience
with blessing after blessing. A short month back, this Burmese Church/ School
location was just a concept. God provided them with a third floor level of a
building, and numerous resources, because they simply had faith.
My team volunteered to help with the remodel efforts at this new Church/ School location, which brings me back
to the subject of my interior design degree…
Throughout college, my design
courses mainly focused on history, concepts, and presentation. When my
projects had budgets, they were usually well over the top. My job at a
design firm gave me real world experience with clients and limited budgets, but
nothing like Immanuel… This remodel brought the term ‘Limited Budget’ to a
whole new level…
furniture was donated by a factory that was going out of business, and
approximately $200ringgit ($65USD) was raised for the remodel efforts. The
raised money was just enough for paint and a few supplies. We bought a 7Liter bucket of blue, 7Liter bucket of green, and 3L can of purple. To make the paint
go further, we mixed water with them.
This project was the definition of ‘using your resources’. The community of volunteer staff, students, and my team all showed
up on remodel day. In two days we:
– Painted every wall with 2 coats
(using stacked chairs for extra ladders)
– Retrieved, unloaded, and built all
the donated furniture
– Used a borrowed projector and
painted black words to give the space character
– Laughed and had a great time of fellowship
this Burmese neighborhood took in their community building. It was a priority to
make the space presentable, and they MADE it happen. I am just honored to have
been a part of this remodel, and use my degree knowledge again.
