Burma Run

Can you imagine being forced to flee from your home not once, but numerous times a year? Can you comprehend losing family members at the hands of brutal, Burmese armies? Can you grasp the concept of living in constant fear, and not being able to do anything about it? Well, all of this is true. Thousands of Karen Burmese people are being displaced, killed, or persecuted within the Burma borders. Hearing the stories of some of these very people cut my heart. One such story is of a 13-year-old boy who stepped on a Burmese army landmine late 2007. He was wounded and blinded. After treatments and eye examinations, he was put in a refugee camp in Thailand, where he currently lives, alone, with other invalids. Another story was of a man who lost his wife and four children from the army raids. He too, is alone, like many others in a dark, merciless world.

But there is hope. The Lord has not forgotten His people, and sent His servants to help. The Free Burma Rangers give emergency aid to those under attack. Just recently, this organization hosted a 5K run; the funds raised would go directly to those in Burma who are running for their lives. My family got to participate in this event. Running, even for just a short distance, was a reminder of what so many Karen people are doing daily for their lives. Our family was baby-sitting a little boy that day, so my mom walked the run pushing a stroller. It hit her that this little boy's mom was once running too...she is from Burma and is now a fellow ZOE missionary! Praise God!

Please join us in praying for those persecuted for their faith in Burma, for those who have lost so much and are fleeing, and for a change in the hearts of the Burmese Army soldiers and leaders.

Lauren