Remember Ambassadors

Last time I visited the Mae La Refugee Camp, here on the border of Thailand and Burma, the children of the Freedom House Orphanage sang the familiar song, "God Will Make A Way."  Their singing brought tears to my eyes, becaue when these children sang, "God will make a way, where there seems to be no way…" they were really in a situation where there seemed to be no way.  Their circumstances were such that, outside of Christ, there was no hope.

This morning I had the indescribable pleasure of seeing these children again, and again hearing them sing that chorus.  And yet again, their singing brought tears to my eyes, but this time for a very different reason.  God has made a way for them, where there seemed to be no way.  A new note of hope is ringing out through the Freedom House, sparked by their imminent resettlement.

Our team spent the day in the camp, doing medical work for the children at the orphanage.  God blessed our efforts, and we were able to see all of the children for preliminary check-ups and physicals.  Tomorrow we have the opportunity to go back to the camp and do follow up medical work for the children that need it, prescribe medications for them, and fellowship with these precious young brothers and sisters in Christ.

We can feel your prayers, in the literal, physical sense, as we see God's hand at work preparing the way for us.  Thank you for being a part of this work!

 

In keeping with the blessings of God that have rained down on us this trip, our drive from Bangkok to Mae Sot was much shorter than expected.  God has truly been gracious to our team, and there is no doubt but that this blessing is due to the prayer warriors diligently lifting us up.

Today, I am again reminded that there is nothing more exciting than having the opportunity to do God’s work.  In our group devotional this afternoon, I shared with our team something that never fails to amaze me: Our chance, the God-given opportunity, to be a part of His promise.

God’s Word is full of promises to His people.  From David in the Psalms, noting that he had never seen the children of Godly men begging bread, to Jesus Christ Himself, saying, “Lo, I am with you alway,” God has staked His character on His faithfulness to His people.

There were times in the Bible that God fulfilled that promise by pouring out blessing from Heaven–the manna in the wilderness comes to mind.  But far more often than that, God uses other people to do that work.  Those people are a part of God’s promise, a piece in meeting His covenant with His people.

I believe I can speak for the team when I say that we are overwhelmed to be a part of the promise, a small piece in proving God’s faithfulness.

And your prayers make you a part of this work.  We can feel them, and they are working–not only on our behalf, but on behalf of the brothers and sisters in Christ that we are here to serve.

Your prayers are working, friends!  This trip has been excellent so far–God has been amazingly gracious to us.

We arrived in Bangkok very late Saturday night, local time, and spent yesterday in Bangkok finding needed supplies.  It is now Monday morning, and we are driving to Mae Sot today to minister.

More updates will follow, but for now I wanted to introduce you to the team:

More to come!

Well friends, the whirlwind of preparations is complete, and we are ready to head to Thailand.  The closer we get to departure, the more excited I am about this chance to minister God's love to the children of martyrs at the Freedom House Orphanage.

Our seven-person team will be leaving very early tomorrow morning, and flying to Bangkok via D.C. and Tokyo.  Our primary goal is to provide medical assistance to the children in the Freedom House and other Karen children.  Many, if not all, of these children, are in the resettlement process that I have discussed before, and in addition to providing medical treatment, we will be creating and updating the medical records of these children to help facilitate their resettlement.

I have often said that one of my favorite things about my work with Remember is seeing the generosity of God's people, and this trip is no different.  Many churches and individuals have given us abundant supplies to bless the persecuted church with.  I can't wait to show you pictures of this blessing–stay tuned for updates!

Please keep the team and our ministry in your prayers.

Our Itinerary

           June 22 - Depart US for Bangkok.

           June 25 - Arrive in Mae Sot (near the Mae La Refugee Camp) for ministry.

           June 26-29 - Medical clinics, treatments, and documentation.

           June 30 - Depart Mae Sot.

           July 1 - Arrive home.

Pastor Tim Bunn, one of Remember's Board Members, is traveling through southeast Asia as a part of his vibrant church planting ministry.  One of his fellow travellers is photoblogging the trip, and I thought you might like to see what they are up to.   Right now they are in Cambodia: Post 1 and Post 2.

Please pray for Pastor Tim and his team as they travel and minister! 

***UPDATE***

There are many more updates on this trip now available.  In this one, the team shares a number of testimonies from the persecuted church.

The survey team that just recently returned had two specific goals on their venture into Thailand and Burma.  First, they wanted to scope out the ministry possibilites for Remember in the changing situation in the Karen State of Western Burma.

After arriving in Bangkok and driving many hours northward, the team's first ministry leg was to the Mae La Refugee Camp, where Remember funds the Freedom House Orphanage.  There they took the time to interview the local leadership to see what doors might be opening.  More on these doors to come!

Click on the pictures to see the full-size version.

The second leg of the ministry was down south of the refugee camp, and on the other side of the border–inside Burma.

Border checkpoint between Thailand and Burma.

They travelled in pickup trucks on the narrow jungle trails to get to a small village of internally displaced persons (IDPs), where a number of Christian Karen have fled to avoid the violence in the north.  They took Bibles, clothing,  medicines, and toys and candy, all of which were donated by believers in the United States.  The primary goal of this leg, though, was to talk to village leaders about the possibility of opening a ministry for the IDP children.

Like any survey trip, this one was designed to "prepare the way" for our future ministry.  Please be in prayer for the Remember Board as they now look to implement the most effective ministry possible for these persecuted believers.