Final Promised Land Update - Home in Michigan

We're back in Michigan!

Ericka and I got in yesterday afternoon after a LONG flight home.

I wanted to show you our final Promised Land Update. Below is the blog Ericka posted on our Sound of Hope website.

Okay, so it’s not the FINAL update for this projects (because they are not finished yet), but it is the last one for our time in Thailand! I can’t believe the day has come for us to head back to America. In just a few hours we will board a plane to begin the long journey home. When we arrived in Thailand in January, 100 days seemed like such a long time… but in reality it has flown by! We are so sad to leave our friends and partners here, and can’t wait until our next trip to this beautiful country!

Our time here has been amazing, and thanks to your generosity we’ve gotten so much accomplished for our projects here. $1,500 was donated to The Refuge to build a new Boy’s Dormitory (with a cement floor and tin roof – instead of the dirt floor and bamboo roof that they had) and another $1,500 was donated to support 10 new children coming out of the violence in Burma and into this Children’s Home.  We also had an incredible time doing Art Therapy with these refugee children, and left them with new art supplies to use in the future. Their lives will be forever changed because of these gifts, and we are so thrilled to have played a part in it!

The Promised Land Project is now in full swing, thanks to over $8,000 that has been donated in the past 3 months. It looks completely different than when we first arrived – and our partners couldn’t be more excited! Since our last blog, the money was donated to build two gates at each entrance of the land. Check out the video below for a full overview of all the changes that have happened in the past 100 days.

Final Promised Land Update from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

 

To give specifically to The Promised Land Project, CLICK HERE.

Of course, if you’d like to donate to all of our projects in India, Swaziland, and Thailand (including The Promised Land Project and The Refuge) you can give your gift on our main donation site or by mail, and the money will be split evenly between each country we work in.

A big THANK YOU to all of you who have been a part of this project, and those of you who support The Sound of Hope through your one-time gifts and monthly pledges. We are so grateful to have you as partners in this work! We could not do it without you!

Until next time…. Suwadee Kha & Khap Khun Kha!

Saying Goodbye - More than Imagined

I miss it already - Chiang Mai.

And I haven't even left the country yet. I can't imagine how I'll feel when I get back to the US.

Unfortunately though, this season is coming to a close, quickly!

The past week or so has been NUTS! Here's a quick look back:

Exactly a week ago today, Ericka and I celebrated our 2-year anniversary by attending Hebrew and Shernaagay's wedding in Mae Sariang. Hebrew overseas the children's home we support in the refugee camp. Click HERE and HERE for more info on The Refuge. He is a Thai citizen, but he gave up those rights to live in the camp so he could take care of the Karen kids who are running from persecution in Burma. You see Hebrew is Karen people, but he happened to be born in Thailand. So he doesn't have to be here in the camp, BUT he CHOOSES to be. He chooses to lay down his rights as a Thai citizen so that he can serve others in need.

He's a Philippians 2 man! (Remember, God gave up his rights as God and became a poor, ole boy born into complete poverty in a remote corner of the Roman Empire.)

Hebrew's new bride Shernaagay, is Karen too, BUT she was born in Burma. She lives in Thailand now legally. However, her mom and dad are still in Burma. They walked SEVEN DAYS through the jungle and the threat of the Burmese army to be at their daughter's wedding. SEVEN DAYS!!!

Ericka and I were HONORED to be there. In fact, Ericka got the privilege of doing Shernaagay's hair and make-up! Ericka also made Shernaagay's rose crown.

As you can see my wife did a fantastic job!

Here's a quick little video of the two walking out after being pronounced husband and wife.

Hebrew and Shernagay's Wedding Walkout from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

The next day we said good-bye to Pastor Ban Ya and his wife Rapee. It was so good to see them again, and it was an honor to be able to funnel THOUSANDS of dollars in to their ministry project over the last three months. These are great people, and they'll make great "moms and dads" to the kids they will take in once their children's home is finished.

Pastor and Rapee doing what they do best - HAVING FUN!

That night we packed up our tiny condo in Chiang Mai and the next day we left for Pattaya. BUT not before a good-bye breakfast with Ray, Candace and Mark. I can't begin to tell ya'll how good it's been to be able to spend the last three months with these people. Ray and I met in 2007 on my first World Race, and there has always been a connection between the two of us. He, his wife Candace and their daughter Maile are good folks. They are the ones doing the hard work of living this thing out cross-culturally. They will be life-long friends and partners!

It was also great to be with Mark. Mark and I did the World Race together back in 2008. He fell in love with the Wards and Karen people too. He now lives and serves full-time in this country. It's been a pleasure watching him walk into the call God has placed on his life. It's good stuff.

I will miss all these people terribly. I already do.

After breakfast we jumped in our SWEET twin turbo diesel Mercedes Benz and took off! Yes, that's right - our BENZ:) Well, not technically, my cousin Sam called me one day and said, "I want you to come down to Pattaya and pick up my Benz. It's like a caged tiger - it's just not happy unless it's going 140kph."

OBVIOUSLY, I couldn't let him down:) So this is what I've been driving for the last month of my trip here. This thing is AWESOME!!!! It ANNIHILATES the road - absolutely chews it up! And it does all this while getting close to 40 miles per gallon!! Diesel is the way to go, especially here in Thailand where it's actually cheaper because the government subsidizes it. Either way, I'm in deep mourning over the fact I have to go back to the US and drive our ten-year old used cars:(

We finished off this insanely crazy and busy week - well, really a crazy and busy 3 months - with 3 days of rest at Koh Samet.

This place was a huge blessing and gift from our Thai friend Thida. Check out this view. Ericka and I literally crashed out for 3 days, barely finding time to eat, and hang out by the beach.

So now here we are back in Pattaya spending our last three days working, packing and hanging out with my cousin Sam.

I cannot believe we will be back in Michigan on Thursday!

God has blessed us and our ministry partners so much on this trip. I'm afraid when I get home and look back on it, it won't feel real - it'll feel more like a dream. It's just been that kind of trip - abundantly more than I ever could have imagined - EVER!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask for or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..." -Esphesians 3:20

Yep, sounds about right.

Songkran

This past week the Thais celebrated their new year. It's called Songkran, and it's nothing like our tiny little one night party we have in the US. These people blow it OUT for 3 straight days, and in places like Chiang Mai (where I live) the celebration can last 6 days.

But it's HOW they celebrate this holiday that makes it so unique. Below is a description taken from Wikipedia:

"The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns (sometimes mixed with mentholated talc), or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. This, however, was not always the main activity of this festival. Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends, neighbors, and monks.

     The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles."

Have a look for yourself. The first part of this video was taken right outside of our condo. So it was pretty tame, but downtown Chiang Mai was complete insanity!!

Happy Songkran from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

Meet the Founder

I promise you, after one hour of talking with Dave, you'll be ready to jump in on the front lines of the conflict in Burma. He's engaging, inspiring and humbling - and his passion for life is contagious!

Dave Eubank, a retired US Army Ranger and founder of the Free Burma Rangers, has been running relief missions inside Burma since the 1997. It's a heck of big job considering right now there are more than 1 MILLION internally displaced people (IDP) within the country. Below is the organization's mission statement taken from it's website:

The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. They bring help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma. Ethnic pro-democracy groups send teams to FBR to be trained, supplied and sent into the areas under attack to provide emergency medical care, shelter, food, clothing and human rights documentation. The teams also operate a communication and information network inside Burma that provides real time information from areas under attack.

In addition to relief and reporting, other results of the teams' actions are the development of leadership capacity, civil society and the strengthening of inter-ethnic unity. The teams are to avoid contact with the Burma Army and operate under the protection of the ethnic resistance armies. However, they cannot run away if the people they are helping cannot escape the Burma Army. Men and women of many ethnic groups and religions are part of FBR.


What started out with just Dave and a medic back in 1997 has grown to 50 plus multi-ethnic teams serving more than 1 million people. 

What's equally as inspiring as Dave's love for the people he serves, is his passion for his family. Dave and his wife Karen have three beautiful children - two girls and a boy.

Let me tell you, this family knows how to enjoy life. When they are not busy serving IDPs in conflict zones - all of them do this by the way; they are mountain climbing together, or doing some other extreme sport. Now keep in mind, his kids are 10, 8 and 5!



I'm so inspired by this man who is living life to the fullest, serving people in great need, and bringing his family along on this amazing journey.

Only recently has Dave started agreeing to on camera interviews. I was lucky enough to get one with him last week at his home in Northern Thailand. In this clip he talks about what's going on in Burma and why he's there. For more info on the Free Burma Rangers, please visit their website:

http://www.freeburmarangers.org/

FBR Founder David Eubank Speaks from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

Before the interview started, he read me one of his favorite verses - it's from Isaiah - 1:17.

"Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

Dave, and his organization are doing just that!

Art Therapy in A Refugee Camp

We spent two days doing Art Therapy with the children at The Refuge – a Children’s Home we support in a Refugee Camp in Thailand. These kids have come out of horrific situations in Burma – fleeing for their lives from the SDPC (Burmese military) and hiding in the jungle. They came to the refugee camp with hopes of a safe place to stay, and an opportunity to go to school. Many of them have family still inside Burma.

But for today, the kids were just kids…. drawing, painting, and being creative.

Art Therapy is a way for children who have been through traumatic experiences to process and express their emotions in a healthy, non-violent way. With brushes and colored pencils in hand, these kids painted pictures of their painful past, their present, and the future they dream of.

 

The video above only gives you a glimpse of some of their art and a few of their stories. CLICK HERE to see more of their artwork, the stories that go along with it, and the dreams they are dreaming for the future.

 

We count it a privilege to support these kids and to help them achieve their dreams. Every donation you give to The Sound of Hope helps give these kids a safe place to live, and an education.

The Refuge

Written by Ericka

Recently, we got to visit The Refuge, a Children’s Home we support in a refugee camp here in Thailand. There are 6 teenagers* in the home right now, with 10 more kids coming later this month. We were SO excited to finally meet the kids and to get a better understanding of what life is like for them.

The kids in this home are Karen, an ethnic minority from Burma that is facing genocide at the hands of the Burmese military government. These kids literally ran for their lives across the border into Thailand. During our time together we got to hear some of their stories. They have experienced things no one should ever have to go through – especially not as a child.

The thing that amazed us the most after hearing about their past, was the fact that they all want to go back to Burma. After running for their lives, experiencing the terror the SPDC (Burmese military) inflicts, they still want to go back. It doesn’t matter that they are safe now…. that’s not enough for them. While living in the refugee camp they want to take the opportunity to get a good education, and then they all told us that their DREAM is to go back to Burma to help “their people” (the Karen people). They want to be teachers, doctors, soldiers, and government leaders. They want to make a difference, even though it will be dangerous for them. Their courage is so inspiring! On top of being courageous, they are also kind, talented, and smart. These kids have so much potential – they just need someone to believe in them!

We count it a privilege to support these kids and to help them achieve their dreams. Every donation you give to The Sound of Hope helps give these kids a safe place to live, and an education. Tomorrow, you’ll hear more of their stories.

*names are not listed for the protection of the children

Understanding the Problems

As most of you know, the Sound of Hope raises money and awareness for orphans and vulnerable children in Swaziland, India and Thailand. Although that sounds simple - it's really not. Each country is plagued by it's own set of problems and deep-rooted issues. Some of these problems are the same for all three countries, while others are unique to one particular nation.

This was one of the main reasons we came to Thailand - to educate ourselves. We (Ericka and I) need to have a more complete understanding of the problems facing the kids in this country. That way, we can better support our local partners and help them care for the kids who are at risk.

So, to fully appreciate the work we are doing in Thailand, it is important to have an understanding of what these kids face here on a daily basis.

Understanding the Problems from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

Now you see why we are passionate about the Promised Land Project and the Refuge. These two projects we support are working directly with kids who are at risk for human trafficking and the genocide that's happening in Burma.

Help us support our local Thai contacts and their work.

To do so, click here and give your tax-deductible donation today!

Thank you!