The Book That I Read...

Back in the day, I helped my little brother write a lot of book reports. A Lot. Usually, they were written in a mad dash the night before they were due. I would love to go back in time to a night before a Hersson book report was due. I'm sure there were tears and frustration on both our parts, but surely we must have also had some sweet book talks, one of my current favorite pastimes. As usual, I brought too many books with me on this trip. I did finish Jane Eyre, but that was mainly due to my 48 hour travel day to get to Mae Sot. 

Today, I added another book to my collection.  I rented it for a 300 baht deposit at a local restaurant. Yeah, there was a little library in the corner. *sigh* :)

I feel like puzzle pieces are drawing together. They're not in their secure places yet, and there are still gaps, so I can't quite tell what the picture is, but nevertheless, a few pieces came together. After lunch, a new friend and I biked around town. We shopped a bit then ended up at a coffee shop. Our conversation was lively and centered around education, future hopes and dreams, and the random. My heart knew it was in the presence of a kindred spirit, and it pleased me to be having these types of talks again. Later, we took a songthaew (rickshaw) to the border. As we stood in the pouring deluge, and looked at Burma, we were given a brief history lesson on the conflict within that country and the strip of land called, "No Man's land," which runs between Thailand and Burma.

People with no home and no safe country in which to live, reside in that strip. They partake in sex trafficking and slave labor in order to survive. What's eerie and heart breaking as hell, is seeing little kids living in that tall grass. I saw little boys chasing each other and little girls staring at me with bright eyes, while their mom's sold all kinds of depraved sex paraphernalia. It's awful and at times, just plain unbelievable.

Of course there are places like this all over the world, and I'm not sure where or for what purpose the Lord is calling my future self, but I'm here, so for now, I'll just write about what I see, hear, and think to help me process. There is a tendency to get disheartened or overwhelmed by the huge gravity of the situation, but here is the beauty in the horrific rough: There are people all over this town who have a heart for the Burmese refugees. I have met folks who have given their whole lives to serve the Lord by serving these people. He has not forgotten them.

My new book is called, Burma Voices. A Burmese refugee interviewed his country folk from many different life situations in the hopes of bringing light to their situation, and that they would not be forgotten by the international community. I'm fascinated and moved by their stories.

Wife of a political activist...

 

Burmese Monk...

Herss, the book that I read... :)

P.S. If you're still reading, bless your loyal great friend heart! I wrote this at 4am whilst sleep eluded me.

Up Next... We started teaching grammar and conversation at a Burmese Migrant school. It's AMAZING.