By C. Hope Flinchbaugh, Special to ASSIST News Service
CAMP HILL, PA (ANS – Feb 3, 2015)
-- I texted my 23-year-old Burmese daughter, Doi, last week right after
I read the ASSIST News article titled “Burma: Chin State Government
Orders Removal of Cross, Elder Prosecuted.”*. Her reply to me has inspired this blog and my homemade map below.
I
remember the night our two teenage daughters from Burma stepped into
our house for the first time. Doi and her sister Li (not her real name)
were hungry on the way home from the airport, so we stopped and got them
McDonald’s food. They’d never been inside an American home before. Li
sat her Big Mac down on the piano stool and looked around. She turned to
us, stood with her back straight, and announced, “I am CHIN.”
Doi piped right up and pointed at her chest and said, “I am KACHIN.”
Obviously, their state origin in
Burma was a matter of great pride to both of them. (You can locate
their states on the map below).
We climbed the stairs, backpacks
in hand. Doi had very little. Li had more. Their bedroom was filled
with colored Asian paper lamps hanging from the ceiling, a nice contrast
against the pale green painted walls. Their names were tacked onto the
door in large white letters. Two white beds with two matching white
dressers fit perfectly inside.
Immediately, Doi pulled a black
book out of her backpack. She handed it to me. The lines were all
squiggley inside and I saw that their native language was indeed foreign
to me. The question was in my eyes. One of them said, “Bible”. Li
pulled her black book out as well.
I said, “Bible? You know the Bible?”
They nodded. I was in tears. We
had no idea if our daughters who were coming to us would be Christians
or not. Scott and I knew God called us to bring home two daughters from
ANY nation where a child needed to escape from being hurt. Here they
were holding BIBLES!
What’s more, Adoniram and Ann
Judson are heroes of mine. The Judsons were the first missionaries who
ever graced the shores of Burma. Without the Judsons’ careful
translation of the Word of God, our daughters would not own their
Burmese Bibles.
The next day, I pulled out a
picture of Adoniram Judson. I told Li, “Adoniram Judson. JUDSON.” I
pointed. “He LOVED Burma. He LOVED Bible.”
Li said, “Yes, Mom. I know JUDSON.”
We both got excited but neither had words to communicate. The pictures would have to do.
Doi did not know Judson, but her
family was Christian. Her father died when she was only four years old.
He died fighting the Burmese military who tried to kill the Burmese
people in the Kachin State. Her mother died about eight years later of
tuberculosis. Doi and her older sister were alone in the world.
I’ve never before publicly told
Doi and Li’s stories. They were kept close to my heart as the girls grew
up in their teen years here in our home. Each one is moved out now and
lives in two separate states. I am sharing their stories now for one
reason. Doi asked us to pray with her this Saturday for the Christians
in Burma. Then she sent me her side of the story of two martyrs in
Burma.
In Burmese culture, people take
pictures of their deceased loved one lying in a casket as a way to honor
that person. After I sent Doi the ASSIST News Article, “Burma: Chin
State Government Orders Removal of Cross, Elder Prosecuted, she sent me
two such pictures in a text message. Please read Doi’s text in her own
words below the photos:
Doi
texted: “Our country has a big problem. The Burmese Military Army
killed these two Christian volunteer teachers. They were raped and
killed like animals. The Burmese military killed many of our innocent
people. I cried and cried.
The two teachers were in
“Konghka” Village, about eight months ago this happened. In that night,
they had the pastor’s daughter’s birthday party. They walked ten minutes
away from the pastor’s house. They came home around 10:30 PM. It’s a
very small town. Somebody later said that they heard somebody screaming,
but they thought it was a husband and wife arguing.
The next day, the students were
waiting in the classroom ready for study, but the two teachers never
showed up. They sent for the teachers, thinking they were still sleeping
or forgot about class or something. The student called his teacher’s
name but no one answered. He returned back with another woman, who
lifted the blanket. That woman got a shock because blood was everywhere
and the women were naked.
The murderer raped them and hit
the teachers’ heads with an axe. The UNFC and President Obama and many
other countries pushed Burma’s president to investigate the murders. But
the Burmese military never cares about our peoples. They hate
Christians--they’ve become like Hitler.
Please pray for this--whoever could pray for it, we appreciate that very very much. Thank you. May God bless you all.” Doi.
I’m
her American mom. Of course, I offered to tell all my neighbors (YOU!)
and churches to join Doi in her prayers this Saturday.
I created this map--it’s not
great, but I had to draw a picture for Doi to show her that I want to
help her surround Burma with prayer this Saturday. Doi’s Kachin State
and Li’s Chin state are colored in. I want them to see that we are
HOLDING UP Burma in prayer.
Maybe you’ll want to join us? Or write a prayer or comment on my blog for Doi and I to read: www.liftjesuscross.com
* See Burma story at: http://www.assistnews.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=164
Photo captions:
1) Adoniram and Ann Judson
2) Tribute to one of the murdered teachers
3) Burmese map
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