Crossing into Burma...
Today we left the orphanage in Noh Bo, the jungle village where we've been for most of this week. Loving on the kids was so awesome. It was hard to leave them, but we'll be going back there next week again.
There's 43 kids at the orphanage, and almost all of them are Karen, which is a people group that has been the target of the dictator of Burma for many years. The Burmese dictator has been burning down their villages and forcing them out of Burma. Thailand hasn't been too welcoming to them either, so many many of the Karen have no place to go. The Noh Bo orphanage is a home for Karen orphans whose parents were killed in the Burmese war.
The orphanage is within sight of the Burma border, with only a swift, muddy jungle river to separate Thailand from Burma. There are military outposts on each side, monitoring who goes in and who goes out. The kids at the orphanage are safe though, because the Thai army makes sure the Burmese forces don't come in.
The kids are happy to have a loving home to live in. The boys live in newly constructed bamboo treehouse type houses, stacked with bunkbeds. They're just what a boy from the jungle needs to sleep in! The girls are in a dorm type house. Ole, who started the orphanage, is like a dad to all of them, including the staff, who are also Karen.
While at Noh Bo this week, we had lots of time to love on the kids, minister to the staff, take the kids on encounters, teach about healing, etc.
It's the beginning of the rainy season here, which means it can pour down rain at any time. Lots of it!
Today we got to cross over into Burma briefly and see a little bit of the country. It's way different than Thailand. We will cross again in the next several days, hopefully to help in a school or clinic there where the Karen are needing help. We plan on seeing Jesus heal people there!
More stories to come soon as internet is available!
Much love from Mae Sot, Thailand,
Adam