Myanmar (MNN) — Four countries in Southeast Asia are assessing damages following a 6.9-magnitude earthquake originating in Myanmar.
(Image courtesy Vision Beyond Borders)
Strong tremors were reportedly felt throughout Myanmar, as well as in parts of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. By God’s grace, no deaths have been reported yet.
Vision Beyond Borders‘ Dyann Romeijn says the group of kids they just moved to Myanmar are safe, too.
“You know, it was actually kind of a dangerous move,” says Romeijn.
“There were some threats and difficulties in that. But, they are safely there now, and they’ll have a lot more freedoms and a lot more opportunities.”
Why move?
VBB and their partners had to move the children out of Thailand because of a nationwide deportation order.
Many of the children we serve have been found on the streets after being abandoned, or were left at the orphanages because their parents were too poor to feed them. (Photo, caption by VBB)
“There were some difficulties along the way, but God provided for all the needs,” Romeijn shares. This wasn’t the first time they’ve experienced His provision, she adds.
These children are among scores of ethnic minorities who’ve fled Myanmar to neighboring Thailand seeking shelter. Decades of targeting and ruthless violence from the Myanmar armed forces have made wide swaths of the country uninhabitable for ethnic families.
“Some of these children did come from Christian homes; some were from Buddhist or animist backgrounds,” says Romeijn.
Upon entering Thailand, they found a safe haven and acceptance in the arms of VBB’s partners. During their time in the children’s home, they also had an opportunity to hear the Gospel and experience Christ’s love.
“Because of their desperate situation, I think there’s an earnestness in which they seek Him.”
Every child in the Vision for Children program is matched with a sponsor. (Photo by VBB)
Now that they’re being settled in a new children’s home in Myanmar, the kids can pursue the desires of their hearts. “The most common answer we hear when we ask them what they want to do when they grow up is [they] either want to be a teacher; [or] they want to be a missionary, they want to be a pastor,” Romeijn shares.
“A lot of these kids are going to go out, and they’ll actually reach more people with the Gospel. I just feel like this was a response to prayers, for God to send laborers into His harvest fields.”
