A visit with IDP’s

7/05
Today was steeped in mystery as we drove to a secluded location and hiked to a river. After a short boat ride we arrived in a village full of Internally Displaced People (IDP's). It was truly amazing to see how much of a "normal" life they were able to make for themselves. We walked through the village and saw their school where they teach more than 250 students. Then went up to the soccer field to watch the children play for the Karen National Liberation Army Day. One of the goalies was a victim of a land mine and had one of his legs amputated. During an interview he told his story and how much he wanted his team to win. When talking to the people you never would have know that they were in fear for their lives. The reason they felt so safe was a pole that they dedicated to God in this, their third village. They have been safe for six years in this location and their faith is what keeps them going. We stopped at the church and prayed for the village and all IDP's. On our trip back to the Karen Bible School we saw an elephant working on the side of the road.
At the camp we prepared for the Sunday services and worked on passing out the letters from Minnesota. Many of the people will be going to the different services that we will be attending. One of the letters was for Saw Simon. He said he would introduce us to the mother of the person who wrote the letter tomorrow.
The rain keeps coming, which makes sense in the start of the rainy season. What a blessing it is to sit here under a tin roof and listen to the soothing sounds. This trip today really shows us how lucky we are to be free. I hope that we never forget that.