Our Crazy Diverse World

Last night I went to the Rock and Worship Roadshow.  I had never been before nor did I know what to expect.  It is a concert with a bunch of different bands, different styles, different looks and different audiences (usually).  There was everything from rock, hard rock, country, soft rock to rap.  Now, I don't like all of these types of music, and I don't know many people who genuinely does.  But, wow it was amazing.  The other thing that hits me is that at most concerts like this here in Indy you see mostly white, middle class people.  Last night, however, there was every type of person imaginable.  How awesome is that!  You see, we are all God's children, no matter what race, color, economic status or position on this earth.  I also thought that this must be a little slice of what Heaven will be like.  Everyone praising Him in their own way.  Just a cool thought from a very amazing experience.

What does it mean to be an American?

Today, I went to lunch with two coworkers of mine. One of them is a Burmese interpreter, her name is TaTa.  As the conversation moved along, she mentioned how blessed she was to be in America now.  You see, Burma is a country that is very oppressed.  From Wikipedia,

International human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch,[68] Amnesty International [69] and the American Association for the Advancement of Science[70] have repeatedly documented and condemned widespread human rights violations. There is consensus that the military regime in Burma is one of the world's most repressive and abusive regimes.[71][72] They have claimed that there is no independent judiciary in Burma. Forced labour, human trafficking, and child labour are common.[73] The military is also notorious for rampant use of sexual violence as an instrument of control, including allegations of systematic rapes and taking of sex slaves as porters for the military. A women's pro-democracy movement has formed in exile, largely along the Thai border and in Chiang Mai. There is a growing international movement to defend women's human rights issues.[74]

The Freedom in the World 2011 report by Freedom House notes that "The military junta has long ruled by decree and controlled all executive, legislative, and judicial powers; suppressed nearly all basic rights; and committed human rights abuses with impunity. The junta carefully rigged the electoral framework surrounding the 2010 national elections, which were neither free nor fair. The country’s more than 2,100 political prisoners included about 429 members of the NLD, the victors in the 1990 elections."[75] Evidence has been gathered suggesting that the Burmese regime has marked certain ethnic minorities such as the Karen for extermination or 'Burmisation'.[76] This, however, has received little attention from the international community since it has been more subtle and indirect than the mass killings in places like Rwanda.[77]

Wow, I can't even imagine.  What is more is I have spoken with both with TaTa and Patrick, who is another of our Burmese interpreters, about their personal experience.  TaTa hasn't talked about it in detail, but stated that she had a terrible childhood and that is all she would say.  Patrick has been much more open, possibly because he has worked there longer.  One day he and I were talking and I asked him why did he come to America.  You see, he had told us all a story in our weekly meeting about how he had been at a gas station and as he was leaving the attendant told him to, "have a good one."  He said he was so confused that he just stopped in his tracks and tried to figure out what the attendant could mean.  Have a good what?  So, finally he went back and asked the attendant, "what do you mean, have a good one?"  After much explanation, Patrick said he somewhat understood what was meant.  Seems like a small thing but Patrick is someone who actually speaks English, fluently enough to interpret in a medical setting.  Imagine being in a foreign country as different from your own as you can possibly imagine, not knowing the language with no money.  I remember that day and thinking wow that would be hard, but didn't think much further about it.  A few weeks later Patrick stood up in our meeting and shared an experience from back home in Burma.  He talked about how every so often the Junta would come around to each village and take 1 person from each family for, "volunteer work."  So one day they come to Patrick's village and he goes for his family.  He is forced to march for days on very little rest and very little food, mostly a type of broth.  Once at there destination, he is forced to dig to set up a railroad.  The only water source is a stream somewhat close by that is contaminated because of the soldiers upstream.  You see, the soldiers use the stream as a toilet which floats down to where the "volunteer" workers are to drink.  There are women, children and elders forced here to work.  So many that have no business working due to physical and age limitations, yet forced they are.  One day, Patrick collapses due to being malnourished overworked and sleep deprived and overheated.  Not only is the water contaminated but the little meat that they are given is rancid.  So, Patrick has collapsed and just can't physically move, let alone dig any more.  A soldier comes over and starts screaming at him with obscenities calling him lazy.  After a few minutes more he decides to start kicking Patrick to try to "motivate" him.  Eventually, Patrick gets up and does everything he can to put one foot in front of the other and made it through.  You know what Patrick says, "By the grace of God I made it through not only this time but the other times I had to go." By the grace of God.  Remember that.  

Back to why he had come to America.  After all of this, Patrick decided it was time to move his family out of Burma.  So he sneaks his family out of the country, it is illegal to leave the country, to Malaysia.  You would think it would get better there.  Wrong, dead wrong.  Patrick gets a job translating for the government.  Now the Burmese are illegal aliens, they have no rights.  Since he works for the government that is overlooked.  But there is still danger.  Every night he walks home Patrick has to worry about people that wait around his neighborhood to attack and rob anyone walking by.  The Burmese have no rights so if they go to the government, they will just be deported.  Unbelievably, the Thai government is in league with bounty hunters that round up illegals and take them back to the Burma.  How it works is that the Malaysian government gathers the aliens up and puts them in work camps.  Then, eventually sells them to the bounty hunters, who are human traffickers,  for a small sum, say a couple hundred dollars.  Then the bounty hunters tell the families of those they now "own" that they can buy them back for a large sum, say five hundred thousand dollars.  The Burmese people for the most part are not wealthy and in fact are very poor, so they cannot afford this, so the bounty hunters just sell them to the Burmese government for not quite as much money but still for a handsome profit.  Back to Patrick, he finally finds a way to get to America.  

Lessons From Stories

I have been thinking recently about how God speaks to us.  Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and thought, "I just learned something about God?"  I know I have, many times.  I took me awhile to realize why I love the favorite stories that I do.  First let's start with my favorite stories.  My absolute favorite story is Lord of the Rings.  I have read the trilogy many times, so many that I lost count at probably 5 and that was a few years ago.  Next, would probably be The Chronicles of Narnia, especially The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  I believe this is one of the first stories I ever read on my own.  I also like the Circle series by Ted Dekker, and the Inheritance Cycle  by Christopher Paolini, to name a few.  What is it that draws me to these specific stories?  When I look at these stories, I look for common denominators.  First of all, I think that one thing that draws me to these is that the main characters are always swept up in something bigger than themselves.  They are a part of the story but not the whole story.  The second thing is that while they are not the whole story they have a pivotal role to play.  Also, there are companions that are there with them along the way.  To be a strengthening force and just someone to be there with them.  The final thing that hits me is that there are always some sort of "guide."  Someone that may be more powerful or knowledgeable, to help along the way.  These things are what draws me to certain stories.

The Beginning

So, I decided to start a blog.  I have a friend whose blog has really ministered to me and I have been so appreciative.  I have always enjoying writing out my thoughts and feelings.  So, I thought this was a good way to open up to other people what God is showing me and just observations about life. So here goes.