Arriving from the Refugee Camp in Thailand

Arriving from the Refugee Camp in Thailand
The Mying Mying family

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Ah Mee Family and Lam Family Update from Jill

Ah Mee family--Po Lone had a problem with his bike tire. We went to get it and it was shredded. We took the tire to see if it could be fixed and that night the rest of the bike was stolen from the apartment complex. So we were left with a tire and no bike. His friend's bike was also stolen. I asked J.D. if he could see if any of the youth had a bike they no longer wanted. J.D. was able to find a couple of bikes and today we delivered one to Po Lone so he could use it to get to school. Thanks, youth!

Lam family--Tin Say started kindergarten August 10. She had already learned part of the alphabet as her family had been working on it with her. She wasn't sure she would like school but does now. ThaZin is in 2nd grade this year. Their baby sister is talking up a storm and walking all over the place. There is a lot of activity when she is around.
ZarZar is working at Lee Lee's again so the girls stay with their grandparents when both NoSa and ZarZar are at work. I have been going to the grandparents' apartment on occasion to help one of ZarZar's sisters with her computer so I have gotten to see the girls a bit.
This past Thursday there was a feast at NoSa Lam's apartment before the start of Ramadan and I was invited. I am very appreciative to be included in big events like that.

Friday, August 7, 2009

A Well-Deserved Award


Jill Coughlin was selected for the Wells Fargo Volunteer Service Award for the work that she has been doing in helping to re-settle the Burmese refugee families that Community of Grace has sponsored over the past several years. Jill's compassion and commitment to these families has made a lasting difference in their lives, and we are so blessed by the way she has embraced these families on behalf of Community of Grace. A $1,000 gift was made in her honor by Wells Fargo to Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest to help them continue this amazing ministry to refugee families. We are incredibly proud of Jill, and so grateful for her selfless service. Congratulations, Jill!

Jill's Response:
Community of Grace played a large part of this because if it wasn't for Grace, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to serve and learn and have the wonderful experience of meeting and helping these people. I am grateful for the privilege.
Thank you!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

One Year Anniversary

The Ah Mee family has been here one year now. Jill Coughlin went to visit and bring them some goodies for the anniversary. Kyaw Kyaw, their caseworker, talked to them and they are not going to look for another apartment here. However, they are considering moving to Minnesota. Ah Mee's brother, who came one month before they did to the U.S., lives in St. Paul and would like them to move nearer for both family and religious reasons. There aren't a lot of Karen Buddhists here in Arizona, but there are more where the uncle lives.

They are not sure about the snow and cold but would like to be by family. Po Lone promised to call when they decide so we can say good-bye. Let's pray for the Ah Mee family as they are considering this huge move!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Almost a Year

Here's the June update from Jill:

I'm fresh back from a visit to the Ah Mee family. They looked well, and Po Lone and the girls are speaking more and more English. They are all going to summer school but apparently it is only for 16 days.

The rent on the apartment has gone up, so they are hoping to find a different place to live. Because they are also repaying a portion of their flight from the refugee camp (that's part of the refugees' agreement with the Refugee Resettlement program), they have to make sure that the rent stays close to the same amount that they are currently paying. Now they spend $846 on rent. Their airplane repayment bill is $124. I actually thought they got a good deal on that for 5 people as NoSa is paying just under $100 for 4 of them and that was from a year prior.

I saw their caseworker, Kyaw Kyaw, on Monday. He told me that he is getting up to 3-4 new families a week and is working 7 days a week to try to keep up with the caseload. So many refugees are still coming, even in this tough economy. I asked Po Lone about his brother who is still in a camp in Thailand. He now has a baby girl. They are delayed in applying to come because his wife hasn't been issued a refugee card yet due to the continuing influx of people from Myanmar. Once she gets a card, it could take a few years for the application process to go through. They are then hopeful he will come to America. It must be so hard for Ah Gate and Ah Mee not to have all their children here together. It also turns out they have an uncle in Minnesota who came in June of last year. It makes you wonder if they thought they'd all get placed together when they came. What a shock to discover how many miles separate Arizona from Minnesota.

It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since the Ah Mee family came to the United States. With so much to learn and such a different culture to get acclimated to, they have come a long way.

Po Lone said he would like to worship in a variety of English-speaking churches, so we are going to bring him to Grace with us again some Sunday.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Our Families Are Doing Well


Jill Coughlin continues to be a part of the Lam and Ah Mee families' lives. Here was an update that she sent on Easter:

"I went to the wedding today of one of ZarZar's sister, and I took this picture of Tha Zin and TinSay. TinSay was excited to show me that she had lost a bottom tooth.

I am inspired by how well their community has expanded to include people who have been here many years and relative newcomers. I am also honored to be included. If only I could speak better Burmese! I would like to be able to string several sentences together. I mostly seem to know odd words but have definitely mastered days of the week and 6:30. I go everywhere at 6:30 and even Ron and Zack know what "chaut gnaw ye quay" means when I say it.

ZarZar's sister, Jummarbe, married NoSa's cousin, ArLi. They will now live in the second bedroom in NoSa's apartment. HaRon (who we bought Christmas gifts for) lived there until he married another of NoSa's cousins and got a different apartment. I spend a lot of time with HaRon and his English is really getting good. When they take English classes and then have someone to speak with outside the class, it seems to help.

I also went to visit the Ah Mee family tonight. They looked well and happy. The girls' English is coming along. I brought some books that a co-worker donated for them and they recognized Spongebob Squarepants right away, although Mya Min Way told me she didn't like him so much because he was a boy. I brought them a tv converter box for the DTV switch. After some time we got it hooked up and working and while scrolling through the stations, we came to one on Thailand and its elephants. This particularly interested Ah Gate so they all enjoyed watching the show.

I tell you, the tv converter box is my biggest challenge in trying to get people to understand. It just doesn't make sense to people when I say that in June the television will stop working if you don't have a box and without it right now you have an "A" in the corner. I don't want them to throw their tv sets away thinking they don't work anymore!