Wednesday 07 Feb
Scott shares an update from the Thai-Myanmar border.
More than 125,000 displaced Karen people are living in Thailand along the Myanmar border having fled from military conflict and human rights abuses. Numbers in refugee camps and temporary shelters have swelled since the military coup in February 2021.
I am writing this update from the border region, while travelling with leaders from our ministry partner Sharing Hope. Last year I had the opportunity to spend time with refugees from Myanmar and support partners on the Indian border. It is good to be on the Thai border this week and see first-hand some of the ways our '
Stand with Myanmar Appeal' funds are making such a tangible difference.
Karen people have lived in limbo along the border here for 40 years. Sadly, they know all too well the reality of persecution, oppression and injustice. And yet they are a resilient and courageous people. Their faith in Jesus amid all they face challenges me deeply.
This is a place of paradox. Hopelessness yet hope. Despair yet joy. Tears yet beautiful smiles. Pain yet perseverance.
Meeting with leaders from the Kawthoolei Karen Baptist Church (KKBC) and many beautiful Karen people over recent days has been an inspiring experience. It has been very encouraging to see some of the wonderful integral mission initiatives our we are supporting through our partner Sharing Hope.
These initiatives in refugee camps, schools, villages, seminaries and churches bring much-needed humanitarian relief, support high quality education and the development of leaders. It is remarkable to see all that the Karen people have initiated despite the huge challenges they face.
A great example of these life-transforming activities is the Thoo Mweh Khee (TMK) Learning Centre. TMK is located only a few kilometres from the border. You can see military jets and hear bombings. It opened in 2002 with 79 displaced Karen students. Today there are more than 2,000 children, youth and adults being educated here from prep to university degree level. Many staff and students live on site, safe from the horror of violence across the border. Some cross over regularly for the chance to learn. It’s like a small town!
Beyond the life-transforming difference education brings, TMK is a place of deep and sustaining hope. It was a privilege to spend time with staff and students, people like Sheenaymu. This passionate young man is an engineer who has come back to the border region from the US to teach and mentor students in things like megatronics and robotics. He’s a smart young man who you sense could be anywhere across the world. But he’s back standing alongside his own people.
The Karen people have suffered for too long and they and other Burmese displaced people need our continued support, prayers and advocacy. They are some of the most vulnerable people on the planet and we cannot forget them.
We look forward to continuing conversations with KKBC leadership and Sharing Hope team as we stand alongside Karen border communities.
You can make a life-transforming gift today to support displaced people in Myanmar and border regions here >>
Grace and peace
Scott
« Back to News