Written by Zach Harrison (13 years)

As we were sitting in our favorite coffee shop in Ratchaburi sipping our caramel lattes and nibbling on our toasted sandwiches, we were reminded of injustice again by receiving a phone call from Samson, the principle of BPDN. He told us that a family of 4 young children one just a few months old, had escaped into Thailand and other villagers had immediately sought help for them. Everyone turned to Samson because they knew he had backup all over the globe (via Connect). The father had to go to hospital and recover from being tortured terribly. The Burmese soldiers had tied a bag to his head, filled it up with dirty water and laugh as he struggled to drink it all in order to take the next breath. The bag was tied to his neck very tight which made it hard for him to swallow and the soldiers had also stabbed a bayonet, at the end of their gun, into his shin.

A couple of weeks later we visited this family in the small bamboo house they’d been given. By the time we visited them, the mother had been able to find some work (paying $5 a day), the father was recovering at home after a second time in hospital and the children were playing with the other village kids. Samson, speaking his hundredth language…this time “Pot Karen”, spoke to the man and translated for us. The man told us that as he was fleeing from captivity under gun fire, he sensed a sort of protection.

While this family escaped many hard things, it hasn’t ended for them yet. The 2 oldest children aren’t able to go to school due to no Thai ID and not enough money coming in. One way they can go to school is by coming to our ‘Home for Students’ (the local school recognizes that we will fund their education and provide them with routine). The new school year is about to start and we hope to bring in more students. Please help us offer opportunities to students by sponsoring or finding sponsors.

Zach

Our family watched 'The Great Debaters' again the other night. This quote challenged me again....the time for justice, the time for freedom, and the time for equality is always, is always right now!

These refugee families now living along the Thai/Burma border need help today. Please consider sponsoring or helping us find people who will sponsor.
Sponsorship is $40/month and covers either living or educational expenses. Email connect3e@hotmail.com if you can help. THANK YOU. Ruth Harrison

Below are photos of 3 of our new students.