Children in the Quakes (June Myanmar Update)

What Can We Say? A Must Read!

(A) A Father’s Cries for Help

Children! Kids! During the most recent destructive earthquake week of multiple quakes,an around-eight-years-old child was running and accidentally hit my son’s eyebrow area with his knee. My son is 1 year and 8 months old now. I was shocked. My son was crying desperately and yelling, “Momma, momma!” I told my wife some minutes before that I would take good care of my son, and the accident happened unexpectedly during my watch. I was holding my son, and walking desperately trying to contact my wife who didn’t answer my call at that moment.

As a medical doctor, the thoughts of the possible consequences of head injury were running disorderly in my head. At the same time, I, holding my body, was walking fast aimlessly in the crowd with so much worries. As a thousand thanks to God, it was just a minor injury and my boy is healthy and active with me now. As a father myself, it is so heart-aching to see the children suffer in our nation today.

Pray and as the Lord leads give today!

(B) Explosion Does Not Bring Life. Love Does

The earthquake took many lives including children. Even during post-earthquake rescueseason, the conditions remain tenuous. The videos of injured children and desperate parents hauntedme. I went and prayed for a pastor in his 60s who was badly injured and hospitalized and now went home to be with the Lord. His wife and two of their kids were injured too but survived. I was holding the sutured hand of 7-year-old boy who was worried for his dad at that time. The 12-year-old daughter lost one of her legs. She lost her leg, her dad and her pleasant family life.

These occurrences are not uncommon in my nation. Only the love in God’s heart brings life. I seethe love that we carries bring life and hope to the people. Thank you for sowing prayers of love and financial seeds of generosity to bring life and hope to the nation.

(C) Displaced to Be Planted by the River

We pray for the many Internally Displaced People. Many lost their homes, health-care,businesses and education. A family of six fled from northern Myanmar to central Myanmar last year. The father died in central Myanmar in last October.

A Methodist church there accepted 12-year-old daughter at their facility for education and accommodation. The mother and3 other daughters migrated to my city in the South called Yangon. The 19-year-old eldestdaughter is now working at a pre-school as a teacher. The youngest are 8-years-old twin girls and our church accepted them. Our church/ministries partners with Jean Andrew (East Gate Academy) from USA to have a Christian learning center with homeschooling curriculum.

We have 19 kids learning at our place. Our church and Jean’s Academy sponsored these 2 girls for their education at our facility. We have only two eye colors in my country. Majority are black and some from north-east are brown. Mine are black, and I was looking into the brown eyes of the twins. I see unsettlement there and I pray hope into them. Though they were displaced, now they are planted by the river of Psalm One in our church.

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(D) God Cares

Among the earthquake victims we help are the internally displaced people too. There are college lecturers who fled from the north to a safer central Myanmar. They stayed together in a neighborhood, and their neighborhood was destroyed by the earthquake. They are the double victims who lost their houses, and also their temporary residences in central Myanmar. They have nothing suddenly.

Thank you for helping them as we bring foods and hope with the gospel message of Christ. We help many hundreds of people in central Myanmar, it is a joy to see children who did not have Christian upbringing hear the gospel message and sing praises to God as they receive the love of God from you through us. They found their values in the love of God. It is the simple but powerful message of “God Cares.”

(E) From Hopelessness to Hope

A 12-year-old girl among internally displaced people committed suicide leaving a note. Itdescribed how she wanted the education, and the financial difficulties didn’t allow her to get the education. She was separated from her parents, and stayed with her grandmother and another younger sibling. This single tragic incident of hanging herself broke the hearts of many as the news spread on social media.

This reflects thousands of children who don’t get access to the education with the infrastructure break-down due to earthquake and war. As the redemption work for the future generation, we agree with a local church in Mandalay which is in the central Myanmar to start a learning center where we do tuition service for the children. We help renovate the small building upon that church’s land and hire two teachers to teach for the children. We accepted 40 students and most of them are not Christians.

We bring the love and redemptive work not only to the students but also to their families. As funds allow, we agree with the church to pay for salaries of the two teachers for coming six months. We don’t have fund beyond that time. For now, we are so glad that it is one of our very remarkable works that we do in crisis area. I totally support giving foods to the hungry after the earthquake. This is the immediate need. Then building this new learning center is something that lasts. This is the gift that keeps on giving.
(suicide note)

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(F) The Gospel of the Kingdom to the Water

The floating villages have different challenges. There are people in our nation who build their houses and live upon the water of Inlay Lake for centuries. Inlay lake is 45 square miles (116 square kilometers) and situated 2900 feet (880 meters) above sea level. People started living there as early as 9th century.

To avoid conflicts in the southern Myanmar, the people migrated to the lake in 14th century. They live there to avoid land disputes, and for flood resilience and abundant resources. Due to the earthquake, living in the lake has challenges. For those who live on land can live on temporary shelters like tents. For them, tents don’t work.

We help them with foods and other basic needs. 800 houses were destroyed and 300 were damaged. 66 are Christians. Now my aunt Esther is on her way to them for second time to help the people with the last donation we receive. We are evangelical Christians who believe people are saved eternally by the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross due to the love of God. As Christ came to the world for love, we must reach the lost with love. This is the love we bring blankets, rice, oil, medicines, soaps and so on to those in need with the message of the gospel of the kingdom.

(G) Goshen to Promised Land

I attached photos of how we are helping. Our nation has been suffered greatly from theearthquake. God assures me that the time of righteousness and justice as the foundation of God’sthrone in our nation will come. Before that time, God will have us in His Goshen. I am not saying that we will prosper while others suffer in selfish way.

I am saying that God blesses us in His Goshen so that we can be a blessing to the multitudes in these challenging hours. From the bottom of my heart, on behalf of our people, I want to say, “Thank you so much.” Each dollar we receive reaches to the victims of the earthquake.

I want to say PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH so that we can strengthen our friendships and advance the kingdom of Christ on the frontlines. If you have any question, please feel free to reach out to us. Please do NOT share the photos on social media PUBLICLY. You can share to your friends in private messages.

We are covert mission work as we do not have the religious freedom like the West. I thank our financial team and crisis response team of Kalayar Tun, Sarep Nang Sar, Amethyst, Saw Saw Lu, Tinzar Myat and Paing Paing Tun for laboring together with me closely. I thank my two aunts Esther and Lu Lu, and their teams of Joel Foundation and Gospel Baptist Church for the relief efforts. Special thanks to my dear friends who are PRM families and friends (Amethyst, Carol Bennett, Cho Wint Maw’s family and friends, Naw Chrysan, Cury, David and Pollen Joy, Daw Debby, Daw Eh Khu, Esther Cung, Naw Gergler, Rev. U Thein Tun and Tr. Helen Pe, Daw Hla Hla Win, Sm. Htee Khu, Tr. Khin Khin Chit, Daw Kissa, Daw Lone Lone, Lu Hkawng, Sm. Mercy, Daw Mon Mon Soe, Dr. Nancy Daniel, Sarep Nang Sar, Paing Paing Tun, Daw Pao Kyin, Daw Rose, Rosita, Daw Ruth, Sm. Tinzar Myat, S. Aung Zaw and Sm. Than Htay, U Saw Lwei Moo, Rev. Saw Saw Lu & Nu Mawi, Ye Mon, Rev. Yvonne and S. Zaw Myo Aye), Dr. Jorge and Anna Marie Parrott and CMM donors, Jean Andrews and East Gate Academy Team, Dr. Mark Wilson and the church from UK, Bart and Kim Hadaway and a Heart Like His Ministries International, Rev. Stefania Della Santa and Switzerland team. God bless you.

Yours sincerely,
Dr. David Joy

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