Duane Binkley serves ethnic Karen and Chin refugees both in the U.S. and Thailand. (Moo Khu Htoo and his family is Karen.) A while back, Duane wrote of a Burma village. Here is his story:
“The houses are elevated off the ground with bamboo walls and thatched roofs, so this village looks much like any other. But it is different. For one thing it is on a river bank. The village is on the Burma side of the river but just on the other side, maybe 150 feet away is Thailand.
“The village is Ler Ber Her and it is a Karen village in an area of Burma where the Burma army considers any Karen person to be the enemy. Another reason the village is different is that if it is attacked, by being on the river, the people can flee into Thailand, where the Burma army has no jurisdiction and cannot hunt them down.
“In a period of two years, these villagers in previous locations had been attacked three times. After they were attacked the third time, the people were tired and desperate. So before they built the village in its present location, they did something really different. The Christians got together and dedicated themselves and their homes to the Lord. To remind themselves of this, they cut down a tree, stripped off branches, painted it blue so it would stand out, and placed it as a tall post in the center of the village. They are constantly reminded that their lives and their homes are not their own, they belong to the Lord.
“Finally, what makes this village different is that it has been in its present location now for more than six years. Even if attacked tomorrow, it can only be called a miracle that the village survived this long. This location is in the same general area of previous locations and it is only an hour or so walk to the nearest army base. Yet, after being attacked three times in two years, once the village was dedicated to the Lord, it is still there and the people are surviving.
“It is also our privilege to visit places like Ler Ber Her and to be reminded that no matter where we are and what our challenges are, dedicated to the Lord, the impossible becomes possible. Dedicated to the Lord, we can make a real difference.” (Genesis 35:7)
“The houses are elevated off the ground with bamboo walls and thatched roofs, so this village looks much like any other. But it is different. For one thing it is on a river bank. The village is on the Burma side of the river but just on the other side, maybe 150 feet away is Thailand.
“The village is Ler Ber Her and it is a Karen village in an area of Burma where the Burma army considers any Karen person to be the enemy. Another reason the village is different is that if it is attacked, by being on the river, the people can flee into Thailand, where the Burma army has no jurisdiction and cannot hunt them down.
“In a period of two years, these villagers in previous locations had been attacked three times. After they were attacked the third time, the people were tired and desperate. So before they built the village in its present location, they did something really different. The Christians got together and dedicated themselves and their homes to the Lord. To remind themselves of this, they cut down a tree, stripped off branches, painted it blue so it would stand out, and placed it as a tall post in the center of the village. They are constantly reminded that their lives and their homes are not their own, they belong to the Lord.
“Finally, what makes this village different is that it has been in its present location now for more than six years. Even if attacked tomorrow, it can only be called a miracle that the village survived this long. This location is in the same general area of previous locations and it is only an hour or so walk to the nearest army base. Yet, after being attacked three times in two years, once the village was dedicated to the Lord, it is still there and the people are surviving.
“It is also our privilege to visit places like Ler Ber Her and to be reminded that no matter where we are and what our challenges are, dedicated to the Lord, the impossible becomes possible. Dedicated to the Lord, we can make a real difference.” (Genesis 35:7)
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