I’ve hit it, and the momentum for change is unstoppable. I’m talking about the tipping point, of course, and we’ve crashed. Adana and C’Zarke sacrificed the last six months of their lives to the Bangkok Refugee Center. To them, the sacrifice has been a bullet of heart wrench and gratification – an experience that has transformed their inner beings for eternity. I watched their souls crumble as they shared the stories of families facing certain death upon deportment, but through the pain, it is so evident that they have found what makes them whole, apart from one another.

So this tipping point… It’s been a month since I pulled my luggage through customs, trembling in doubt about my decision and placement. Today, I sank at the thought of ever leaving these people. HOW does someone walk away from all of this… reverting to the old, with expectations of a white-picket life. I shudder at the thought of future conversations – questioning if I had fun in Taiwan and then proceeding to explain the real tragedy of gas prices going up again. It’s not necessarily anyone’s fault, but that’s how human nature operates… we have our own lives and live in our own world.

What’s a Refugee? If your government wants to eliminate you and your family from this earth, and maybe you watched them murder your neighbors, you have reason to fear persecution. In response to this fear, you will rightfully do everything in your power to escape. When people and families arrive in Thailand from Somalia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Palestine, Korea and so on, they must register with the UNHCR as “Asylum Seekers”. This status grants little recognition from the government and doesn’t provide them with any financial support. Consequently, Asylum Seekers face rampant homelessness, malnutrition, and inadequate healthcare.

The next step involves applying for “Refugee” status via extensive paperwork and an interview. The interview is impossible for families that have little or no English. If a person is unable to communicate his or her circumstances, the applicant is denied. One appeal is allotted, but if denied a second time, the person or family is extradited immediately to their home country where a death warrant awaits their arrival.

These people can be plucked from the streets of Bangkok at any moment and thrown behind bars. There is no socializing, no security, and no freedom. Adana and C’Zarke detailed how the Bangkok Refugee Center held an event one weekend for the Asylum Seeking families. A busload was arrested on its way.

Because I, nor anyone else here, believe these four months are it for me… the refugee population has laid heavily on my heart.

Adana and C’Zarke: you inspire me. The love you share for each other and the people you’ve served is a witness to so much of God’s desire for us. Your future will be amazing, even in its uncertainty. Thank you for who you are and the strength you’ve shown. You will undoubtedly remain in the hearts of a hundred nations… 

These small shoes have witnessed horrors I can only imagine…

Tags: AIDS relief., Bangkok, Gina Meola Photography, Missionary, Missions, Thailand

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 at 1:04 am and is filed under Thailand, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.