So it’s near the end of April and we’re about 4 months from our departure date.  If I could place my feet on a globe, you’d see one foot in West Kelowna and the other in Mae Sot.  At this time, the weight of each foot is planted about equally between the two places although it seems to be shifting slightly towards Mae Sot.  The books we’re reading, the videos we’re watching, the people with whom we’re talking lean us more towards Mae Sot, but to be honest, it seems a bit surreral that we’re even going.

This past weekend we spent several hours visiting with a Karen family, who have been brought to Canada as refugees 20 months ago from the most remote and destitute refugee camp along the Burma-Thai border.  Beautiful and Brave describe the family with whom we visited. Ti Moo and Lilly, who have been married one year longer than Irislee and me, are pastoring a small church of Karen people who find themselves in Langley.  They have three daughters and two sons.  What amazes me is the journey they have taken to be in Langley.  While my wife and I have been raising our children in safety and stability, TiMoo and Lilly, having escaped soldiers who burned their village and killed people they knew well, survived a treacherous journey to the Thai border. They married and spent 15 years in a refugee camp, and there raised their children. Now through a myriad of circumstances we find ourselves sitting on a couch opposite them on a cool evening in April, laughing, eating food, praying, and telling stories. When you watch the news, crisis seems too distant and the people seem so…impersonal, unreal. But on Friday night,they looked just like us.

Their story could have been our story.  But it isn’t.

We’ve heard from a friend who works with the Karen people in Canada that the government of Canada is closing the doors to Karen refugees at the end of 2009.  I’m not sure if this is true because I haven’t checked this out in detail but if it’s true, it would be a terrible shame.  1000’s will be left, living and dying in overcrowded camps with very little hope of becoming who they were created to be.

During our visit, I watched our son Isaac playing soccer outside on the lawn with the two sons and I realized how simple making someone’s life happier can be.  While we may not be able to change the whole world, giving someone a bit of hope, seeing a sparkle in someone’s eyes, and maybe inspiring someone to dream again will be worth the time and effort.

And so, our journey continues.  In some small way, going has now become more personal. We’re no longer going to the Karen people in general.  We’re going to the friends and relatives of TiMoo and Lilly.  And that energizes me.