Monday, December 12, 2011

Christmas goes forward despite a time bomb in Burma

Burma (MNN) ― Christian civilians in Burma are facing deadly attacks. 

Those who manage to escape to Internally Displaced People camps have not found the safety they hoped for. There have been repeated attacks near one of the camps where Vision Beyond Borders works.

A recent report from one of their contacts indicated the team escaped a near-bombing. He writes, "We had two back-to-back trips to our orphanages. Just two days before we planned to go, we got the final 'okay' from our 'spy' Thai-Karen soldier to cross the river." However, one week prior to the visit, someone placed a time bomb on one of the boats heading for the camp.

The bomb destroyed that boat and others that were close by. The team took the threat to heart and planned a different route to get to the camp. Instead of doing the 2-hour boat ride and passing 4 Burmese Army camps, they drove 4 hours through the jungle to the river. From there, they carried the supplies to the boat and finally crossed the river to the camp.
VBB's contact goes on to say that two days before they arrived, the Karen and Burmese armies were fighting again. 

Gunfire and mortars could be heard in the dorms. "This was very frightening, especially for our girls and the younger orphans. Our leader called all the kids together in the dorm, and they all prayed while the fighting was going on."

Although there are more than 4,000 Karen refugees in this refugee camp inside Burma--mostly women and children, there were no reported injuries from the fighting nearby. While there, the team had an early Christmas celebration, and the children were thrilled to receive gifts and prayer.

Please pray that God will shine His light of truth on the situation in Burma. Pray for witnessing opportunities for every Christian this Christmas season. At Christmas, oftentimes people are more open and receptive to the Gospel than at other times. Pray for safety, too, for the teams working in the IDP camps. 

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