March 2002

Dear Family and Friends!

How are all of you doing? Thanks to each one of you for your support—whether it has been prayers, help with finances, letters, or friendship! I have been busy this year, in Chiang Mai about half of the time and traveling to the Thai-Burma border areas the other half. Maybe I should start with a summary of last year, since it has been a while since I last wrote.

January and February: Prepared for the Global Day of Prayer for Burma, and sent out the English, Thai, Karen, and Burmese versions of the newsletter. Prepared for a youth leadership training for March.

March: Representatives from 11 different ethnic groups from Burma attended youth leadership training: medicine/first aid, leadership, human rights documentation, counseling, proposal writing, and other topics! The doctor who helped held a mock disaster set-up, where the students had to show off their new skills. For about eight nights during this training I chose to sleep in a hammock, under the stars—a new experience for me!

March 11, 2001—Global Day of Prayer for Burma. I it with some of the internally displaced people of Burma and refugees from Burma. We attended their services, prayed for them and their country, and I was blessed yet again by the generosity, love, and faith these people show.

April: Trips to the border and refugee camps

May: Helped with a group of students from Pepperdine University. They went to two different Karen villages, helped with the construction of a nursery school, dug a fish pond that will supply villagers with fresh fish to eat.

July and August: Spent six weeks in California, Oregon, and Washington with family and friends! What a wonderful summer. Spoke about Burma at the Silverton Rotary and at the vacation Bible school at my home church.

September: Watched tragedy in the U.S. live on CNN. Many refugees and people exiled from Burma, as well as Thai people, express sympathy and sorrow. Went to Singapore to renew my visa to stay in Thailand and see a new place!

October and November: Coordinated a communication training for ethnic people from Burma. The 30+ students trained in basic media skills and divided into four groups. They created and produced materials from what they had learned during the teaching, including a cassette tape program (60 minutes), a radio program (15 minutes), a brochure and a press release. The projects focused on the Global Day of Prayer for Burma and the tape and radio programs will be broadcast on some radio stations with a Burmese language section. Helped buy and transport relief supplies that will go to the internally displaced inside Burma.

December: I went to refugee camps with friends of mine—their young daughters (4 and 6 years old) give out Christmas presents to the refugee children each year. The presents are sent from all over the world. This year there was extra money sent so we brought fresh fish for many of the families also. I spent two weeks at home with my family over Christmas and New Years.

2002: After returning to Thailand I spent two weeks in Chiang Mai. For the following two weeks I was on a trip to a medical clinic and villages that I help to supply with funds and medicine. On this trip we brought a doctor and his wife who were visiting from the U.S. They helped out in the clinic, encouraged, talked with, and prayed for the people. I love being on these trips for many reasons. God touches my heart each time with the smiles, laughter, tears, stories, generosity, lack of physical and/or spiritual freedom, the faith, and much more that is hard to put into words. Each time I meet with people from Burma I am reminded why I came and know in a deeper way why I stay.

On my heart are prayers for unity and reconciliation among the different ethnic groups attending the upcoming training, for physical and spiritual freedom for Burma, for the safety of relief teams bringing supplies and hope to those hiding in the jungles, for my own health and safety, for my walk with God to be bold and courageous, and for wisdom in decisions about the future. Please pray with me about these things! And please e-mail me and tell me how I can pray for you.

As I write this, the Global Day of Prayer for Burma—March 10, 2002—is coming up in four days. I am planning the service at the international church in Chiang Mai. There will be a few special choirs—Kachin, Karen, a missionary family—and prayers and worship focused on Burma. I’ll let you know how it goes!

I miss you all!

Many Blessings,

Amy Davisson