Once upon a time, long ago and far away, there was a man named Hupasha. Hupasha lived in the high mountains with his family. Hupasha and his family should have been happy, but they were always afraid. They were afraid of ghosts and spirits in the mountains. Every time something bad happened, they would have to give a gift to the witch doctor. Every bad thing that happened made them poorer. Hupasha did not want to be afraid anymore, but he did not know what to do.
One day, Hupasha heard about a man from far away. Some people he knew told him he should go listen to this man from far away. So Hupasha set out across the high mountains, and travelled for many days. The sun was shining, but he was glad to reach the end of his journey. He listened to the man from far away tell him about Jesus, the Son of God. The man from far away told Hupasha that if he followed Jesus, he would not have to be afraid of spirits any more. Hupasha was very happy to hear this. He told his family about Jesus. They decided to follow Jesus.
Hupasha tells his family about the journey
Hupasha and his family became very happy, because they followed Jesus. But one day, Hupasha remembered some people far away who did not know about Jesus. He knew that they were still afraid of evil spirits. Hupasha knew that he must go to these people and tell them how to be free. Hupasha told his wife about his idea. Before she became a Christian, she would have been afraid to cross the mountains, because winter was coming. Hupasha told her that God would take care of them. And Hupasha’s wife wanted the people
(to be continued)
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Village Vignette
A Lisu child plays on the ground beside a rickety house with dirt floors and wooden walls. At first the noise is so faint that she cannot hear it- whoarh, whoooarh, whoooooarh- but soon she gets up and looks around. Whooarh, arh, arh, whooooooarh. Louder and louder comes the sound, and the dogs begin to bark! The big red truck roars around the corner and into the village square trailing a choking cloud of dust, which overwhelms the vehicle as it comes to a stop. Out of the truck and out of the dust appear smiling Lisu Bible College students- happy to arrive after a twisty, turny five-hour trip into the mountains!
Wide-eyed, the little girl watches in wonder as the students greet the village Christians and set up for the evening evangelism and instruction. Soon the villagers are laughing at the antics of Seru, Grace and twenty-three other LBI students as they dramatize contemporary living problems and point the way to Christ as the only Way. The drama is followed by singing and preaching and the village enjoys the once-a-year visit late into the evening. But the sleeping child is carried back into the ramshackle hut.
She wakes the next day, and is led by her older sister to the church building for a special adventure. Never before has Fulida village seen a Sunday School- but the LBI students plunge in- teaching the children songs about Jesus, clapping along with them, and cradling the smaller ones. Smiles everywhere! And after church- the first Thanksgiving feast ever held in Fulida village! Pumpkins and fruit and corn are stacked high in front of the church pulpit. Bamboo mats are rolled onto the floor of the church, and the LBI students share a meal with the village Christians.
Afterward, the remains of the feast are cleaned up, the students pile into the back of the pickup, and the little Lisu girl sees Mah Pah (teacher) Laine and Mah Mah (teacher) Christy climb into the front of the truck. Vroom, Vroom! Whoarh, whoooarh, whoooooarh. The billowing dust hides the truck as it disappears around the corner. Dust and silence settle over the village like a blanket. And little black eyes stare down the road as memories of fun dance in a little head.
Note to friends of the Lisu People of Southeast Asia: This is a pretty close account of what a trip to a remote village is like. Your continuing support of Asias Children will help keep these students in contact with the orphans.
Yangon Orphanage
The Asias Children Yangon orphange is now in its third year of operation. The orphanage currently provides shelter and support for 15 children. These children lost their parents to Typhoon Nargis which struck the coastal areas on May 2, 2008.
Working with a contact who immediately traveled to the disaster area with a relief team, Asias children was able to purchase land and build a temporary orphanage to help some of the orphans who were rescued in the disaster area. The orphanage opened with a community ceremony in October 2008 with 33 orphans. 13 children were eventually placed with relatives, and 5 of the older children were moved to an affiliated orphanage near the city where they could get more advanced schooling.
Support for the orphanage needs to be increased from $400 per month to $800 per month so that the children there can be trained in useful occupations like teaching and nursing to support themselves. A new, permanent orphanage needs to be built away from the temporary shelter in the disaster area so that the children will have more opportunities and their welfare can be more closely monitored. The new orphanage is estimated to cost about $42,000.
Thailand Orphanage
Asias Children has been working with a dynamic Lisu tribal leader named Ahtee Bee since 2009 to establish an orphanage and educational center at Hwi Nam Rin village in northern Thailand. This plan was delayed when typhoon Nargis struck southern Burma in May 2008 and substantial resources were directed to that disaster. Funding for the Burmese orphans increased and stabilized in 2009 and 2010.
With the Burmese orphanage out of crisis mode, Asias Children turned again to the promise of an orphanage in Ahtee Bee’s village of Hwi Nam Rin Thailand. In 2009 and 2010, funds were raised to purchase land for the orphanage. Villagers cleared the land and in early 2011 the land was leveled to prepare for an orphanage building that will accommodate up to 12 orphan children as well as functioning as an educational center for the village. To date, Asias Children has invested almost $10,000 to prepare to house and care for up to 12 orphans at Hwi Nam Rin village. The next hurdle for this project is to raise $5,625 for the concrete foundation of the structure. This will be the second largest expense for the $42,000 project.
Asias Children has been providing some support for Hwi Nam Rin children while the orphanage and educational center is being developed. In November, Asias Children provided funds to purchase warm clothes for six children, since the weather was turning cold.