At the Children's Home supported by VBB, children are receiving shelter, nutrition and the hope of Christ. One of the orphans, whose parents were killed by the Burmese Army, recently arrived at the Children's Home and is already sharing the joy of Christ with others around him–showing them that joy is not dependent on one's circumstances.

In addition to supporting a Children's Home, VBB has a 30-day prayer guide for Burma to help inform Christians from around the world about the current situation.

The guide features a specific theme for each day, starting with a national overview then touching on vulnerable segments of its population, its struggling economy, the oppressed Karen people, and the mission outreach.

By the end of the 30 days, participants will have specific topics to pray about when they think of Burma and a better sense of the need for God there.

Would you like to pray for Burma? Click here to get your copy of the prayer guide or to learn about the orphans VBB supports and how you can help.

For 25 years, Burmese refugees have flooded into Thailand. Many refugees are minority Karen people–some of the most persecuted in Burma. Over half of the Karen are reported believers; violent discrimination is supported by the Burmese government.  

"One of the generals said, 'By the year 2010, there will be no Karen people left,'" recounted VBB's Patrick Klein. The general expressed his desire "to wipe them off the face of the earth."

With elections in 2010, VBB reports that attacks on the Karen have increased exponentially.

The Burmese army captures Karen men and boys, forcing them to become slaves and porters. Karen women are raped and then burned to death. Every child in the refugee orphanage has a different tale of violence: bombs, shootings, rape, torture, murder. One girl was gang-raped and then hung upside down.

Prowling the Thai border, Burmese soldiers come into camps at night to stop cars, steal valuables, and rape Karen women. Soldiers make a game of tossing infants into the air and trying to spear the baby on their bayonet before it hits the ground.

Despite traumatic attacks and persecution, the Karen persevere in God. Orphans wake up at 4 a.m. to have devotions for two hours. They also have nightly worship.

Attempts are underway to save these Karen refugees. VBB works with several church partners and orphanage programs in Myanmar. Land farther away from the Burma border has been provided for a refugee camp, and almost all funding has been raised. Construction is ready to begin on a new facility, but Thai government approval is still pending.

Refugees have no identification and therefore can't be helped by the Thai government.

Pray for government officials to approve the safer land for a Karen refugee camp. Pray for the survival of starving Karen, and pray that VBB partners maintain sufficient food supplies.

Pray also for ministry opportunities for Karen believers to share their faith with others. Click here to learn how you can help.

"It was clear that all of the children wanted us to adopt them,"
says Karen Jacobson. "The goal for them is to be trained and educated to
someday go back and serve the Karen people."

Jim Jacobson's
nonprofit organization, Christian Freedom International (CFI), works
extensively among persecuted Karen Christians in Burma and Thailand. Throughout
the past decade, Jim has helped build schools and medical clinics in the region,
delivering the hope of Christ to a people caught in the midst of a "genocidal
nightmare."

The Karen is a heavily-persecuted Burmese ethnic group. 

Although hundreds of Karen refugees seek shelter in
the United States each year, says ASSIST, the Jacobsons forged a new trail in
adopting refugee siblings. Four kids had been receiving care in Thailand
through CFI, and in the spring of 2008, they arrived in the U.S. A CFI press
release says that a lack of official birth records hindered the Jacobsons'
adoption once the siblings were in America.

"One of the things that makes it very difficult to adopt refugee
children is that there is no certificate of foreign birth; they have no birth
record at all," explained Karen Jacobson. "The only birth records
they have are the ones that have been discovered or researched by the UNHCR
[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]."

After six months of consideration, a Michigan judge
ruled that the kids' green cards could function as "Other Proof of
Birth," and the adoption process moved forward. During this time, the
Jacobsons applied to adopt another four refugee orphans. When the adoptions
were finalized, each child received a certificate of foreign birth, key to
obtaining a passport or work permit.  

"That was a detail that we knew had to be taken
care of," Karen Jacobson says, "but we didn't know the adoption
[process] would take care of it. That was a real miracle."

Jim and Karen Jacobson now have 12 children and live
in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. As possibly the first American family to adopt
Karen children without foreign birth certificates, the Jacobsons are resolute
in telling other Americans that adoption can be an effective way of providing a
secure and loving home for Burma's refugee children. It can also give kids
easier and quicker access to better education, and even American citizenship.

Click here to learn more about the Jacobsons'
adoption or refugee resettlement. With the help of volunteers, CFI's ministry provides
housing, employment opportunities, transportation, food, and medical
assistance for dozens of Karen refugees who have relocated to the Eastern Upper
Peninsula.