A Sacrifice For Life

So my family is participating in the 40 Days for Life campaign. What this means is that we're praying and fasting to end abortion. My mom decided that we all had to write down one thing that we are going to fast from. Whenever we want to do or have that thing, we are supposed to pray that abortion will end in America. I chose my blankie strips. Now, you probably have no idea what those are.

Ever since I was born, I slept with a blanket. That's right, I'm admitting that I still sleep with my special blanket as a fourteen almost fifteen year old. But that's not all. I also cut up pieces of the blanket so that I could carry them around with me. That was when I was around eight, I think. I have some anxiety problems, and the strips were like my security blanket(literally). So, my sacrifice is that I'm giving up my strips for 40 days, hopefully forever. Its been really tough, and this is only the second day. I keep digging in my pockets trying to find one. And last night I had a terrible time trying to sleep. But I will give them up and everytime I think of them (which is often), I send up a prayer about ending abortion.

Gwan ^.^

*Flower Party*

Today at tutoring my little 5th grade girls were waiting for me (like usual), and instead of homework they had flowers! I watched them play and fight with each other (which is really quite hilarious), and they were happy that they had me all to their selves before the teen agers showed up. Then Ra Ma Tu showed up (a 4th grade boy), and the party really got started. Outside the apartment are several flower bushes. They all ran outside and picked what seemed like a million flowers. Fragrant roses, vile smelling purple things, dainty white flowers, and cat tails. All these they handed to me, "Sayama, take my flower. Eww, throw that one away." And so they were placed in my hands and then ripped away. It was bundles of fun. No, really. Oh, but it gets better. The girls decided that they should do my hair. A tug her, a twist there, a rubber band at the top. Now it was time for the decorating. All those flowers were now shoved violently into my hair. And Ra Ma Tu was still running in and handing me flowers. My hair was finally done and they rushed me off to the bathroom to take a look. Needless to say, it was the work of 5th grade girls. While they were admiring their handiwork, Tun Tun walked in. And then he was down, laughing at me. I hid my face, laughing myself. I took out all the flowers and rubber bands, the girls protesting loudly. "Sayama no!!" An older girl then decided to french braid my hair which looked much better, although it was just as painful.
I wish I had pictures, because it would be comical to show what happens when there is no homework. But...I dont.
-Gwan

FanClub!!!

So I seem to have a fan club these days. Made of little boys and girls who I love a LOT!! They are very, very close to my heart, each and everyone. There are all the little kids at the apartment complex that I tutor at. Then there is Wai and his brothers (who I got to hang out with today...), The rest of them at Wai's complex, all the little ones at the Mission House, and Ko Lay Lone.

Today Wai and his little brother Law came to church. I was so happy!!! They are like my sons and I have to watch them very closely because they get into mischief so easily. Law giggles like crazy at every little thing. And because he is happy and giggly it makes me happy and giggly too. I almost burst out laughing many times during the sermon. I let the two boys draw during church so I wouldnt have to sit in the nursery with them. Oh how Law Law drew. I wish I knew what was going on in his head while he was drawing. So many little shapes and the look on his face! All those things had a purpose in his little plot. Yeah, they made church interesting. I love them!!!

Today was also Ko Lay Lones birthday party so I went to his church to wish him happy birthday. See, Ko Lay Lone doesnt live with his parents, he lives with another Pastor and their family. Basically Ko Lay Lones mom didnt want him anymore and his dad cant take care of him, so Ko's in a much better house now. I'm happy for him, that he's in such a great family. Because that family happens to be some of my oldest and greatest friends! I've known Ko since he was one year old, since he came to the US. Every time I saw him, he was in trouble. Always doing naughty things and his parents never punishing him. When he was in second grade, my dad asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. "A gangsta, so I can shoot people." Ko's come a very, very long way since he was a baby, and even since second grade. He's still has to go pretty far though. But now, he's mine and I'll watch out for him. Last week we even had a good discussion about baptism and communion. He was almost in tears, asking me if his mom would go to hell for not believing in Jesus. I hope and pray that Ko's relationship with Jesus flourishes, and that he can be baptized.
~Gwan Thet

Most of my younger fanclub!

My favorite person ever!! (in the red)

Kuma!

This is an article that I wrote for our newsletter. I tried to add more photos of Kuma and our Muslim friends than we could put in the newsletter. Also I wanted to add that I miss Kuma very, very much :[.....

During the previous school year, while tutoring at Autumn Woods, I met an amazing boy. Well, he was more of a man. Most of the teen-agers, who come to tutoring and live at Autumn Woods, are Muslim. This young man named Kuma was a Christian from the Chin tribe. We became friends, working through his ENL (English as New Language) book, sometimes stumped over what to do, as he couldn’t speak English well enough to write the assignment down, and I didn’t take the class with him. He always brought me a small gift in exchange for helping him. Most of the time it was dum-dum suckers, and sometimes it was a decorated piece of paper. He liked seeing my reaction to receiving the candy, as it was the same every time. I would smile and thank him profusely because I LOVE candy. We laughed together and talked with our Muslim friends. We both cared very deeply for their souls. We were both different from the others; we were both Christians; we didn’t speak Burmese as our first language, and we didn’t come from the same refugee camp. One day, we had to write an outline for a story, and he decided to write about tutoring at Autumn Woods. I knew he didn’t have the skills to write the story himself, so I wrote it out for him after he told me what he wanted in the outline. The place and time were Autumn Woods after school; the characters were our Muslim friends and the two of us, and the actions were that Kuma and I were telling them about Jesus.

After tutoring I would walk around the complex, visiting with two of my Muslim guy friends and Kuma. He always made the day more interesting, more fun, and less lonely for me because of my being on the outside. One day, I brought the three of them home. I showed them my room and the pictures we had taken together at the tutoring site. The other boys were getting restless, so we went for a walk. I noticed that Kuma had disappeared when we were getting ready to leave. I found him playing with my younger siblings. “Kuma,” our friends called to him, “Come with us.” At the same time, Parker was taking Kuma’s hand and leading him away, “No, Kuma stay here!! Play with us.” And Kuma was perfectly happy to be with the little children.

When we arrived back home from walking around, Kuma had gathered Parker, MaryJane, and Glory together to play in a “rock band.” They were using sticks as guitars and jumping all over the place. The song they were singing was “Jesus Loves Me” with Kuma leading it. It was a great witness to our Muslim friends, the way he was singing about Jesus and playing with my siblings.

This summer, when Kuma wasn’t in Indianapolis helping to start a Chin church there, he spent time with my family and joined us for church. He also helped with a week of VBS and a servant event. He was so happy being with the little children and singing the VBS songs joyfully and enthusiastically. The next week, I saw a little girl that he had taken care of at VBS. “Where is the big boy? Why isn’t he here again?” Little kids were drawn to Kuma, just as he couldn’t resist playing with them.

Near the end of that week, I invited him to my house because we were having a party for the people helping with the servant event. He came and slept over with my brother and their friends. We were watching a movie, and Kuma kept getting up and going into the kitchen. I wondered what he was doing, but I figured he was just nervous and wanted to get some fresh air. He had told us that he was moving to Indianapolis that weekend, but we thought it was just another visit there. When we took him home the next day after the party, he told us he really was moving. At that, my brother, my brother’s best friend, and I jumped out of the car. “Don’t move!! Please, we’re going to miss you too much.” We started shaking hands with him, and then my brother’s friend just jumped on Kuma saying, “I can’t just give you a handshake; I need to give you a hug!”

Another friend started translating for Kuma, and he told us how happy he was to have met us and to be our friends. He also told us that he was glad that he could come to my house and church with us. And he explained about the other night when he kept getting up. “I was so sad that I wouldn’t be able to be with you guys anymore, that I kept getting up to pray and ask God if I really had to leave you.”

At our Friday night Bible study, we had a sending out service for Kuma before he left the next day. Almost all the kids there prayed for him, thanking God for the blessing of Kuma and for the seeds he had planted at Autumn Woods. Kuma was a friend to all people, no matter what religion or race they were. I often remember how he was at Autumn Woods, surrounded by older men, talking to them and listening to their problems. What a great missionary to see in action! <----Kuma doing his ENL!

SayaMa You be Rockin It!!

So today I was early for tutoring and I was hoping to have a few minutes to just sit and read my magazine and relax from school. That was not the case. I was at the apartment maybe five minutes before I was stampeded by three adorable fifth graders. "Sayama Help us with our homework!" How could I say no to that? We finished the actual homework and also did the younger brother's homework. How do they expect kids to draw chickens!?! Please, public school is so messed up. After having a good laugh at the chicken drawings, we found a cricket just lying on the floor. They started screaming and I picked it up. GROSS!! It was all nasty, but I managed to hold onto it until I could throw it outside. The Little girls kept whispering amongst themselves, "Sayama, Epau" And I was like, " No way!! Just because it stinks doesnt me I did it!" They got a huge kick out of the fact that I could understand that. Then my friends started showing up and tutoring officially started.

My friend Sam Si showed up, needing help with her math. I was so proud of her, she finally understood how to add variables together! She also got an A+ on the math paper I helped her on the other day. Wow! It made me so happy that I could help her understand how to do it.

My three best friends were also there: Tay Ba, Zu Byan, and Tun Tun. I knew they wanted to hang out with me because they didnt have any homework and they kept hanging around and asking me when I would be done. I was extremely happy to see them because I hadnt seen them much all week. Unfortunately Sam Si had two pages of math, a packet of world geography, and 30 pages of ESL. Wow! My brain was exhausted!

I went over to check on my brother at the other tutoring site in a different apartment complex, where my little friend Wai Wai lives. But when I went to see him, He was sleeping with his two little brothers. They all were sleeping on top of each other and it was so cute... Although that left me with nothing to do. So I went back to El Nay's house and we got some food. Yeah for food!!

Im outta here!, Gwan Thet
<-----Guess who!! It's Wai Wai ^.^

Today Was...Amazing (Tiring)

My day doesnt really start until I go to tutoring. Tutoring is where I get to hang out with my friends and talk, laugh, and learn, in exchange for helping them with their homework. I have to help them with Algebra 1 (which I took last year, and a harder algebra 1 too!), and I'm really not good at math, but we've been doing really well. Actually, two of them got an A- today on their quiz. That made me so happy, that they are succeeding in something at school. So yes, I got to see many of my Muslim friends today, although my two very, very best friends didnt come :[ . I hope I get to see them tomorrow. But I did see my one of them, he was riding his bike. That mean person! He didnt even stop by the apartment today. I think its because I keep yelling at him for not doing his homework.
I also went to visit my brother who is tutoring in a different apartment complex. He has so many younger kids who come for homework help. Two of the little boys there had to take me to my friend, Wai Wai's house. When I got there I was bombarded by Wai Wai's two younger brothers, catapulting all over the place. I picked them up and sat down with Wai Wai. And the five little boys were off and running all over the small apartment. "Look at this!" One shouts, "No!! Look over here." And then they bring me all their toys. At least there was no skittle throwing like yesterday. Then Wai Wai's mom asked me to help her with English. So...I'm gonna do that tomorrow too. Anything to see Wai Wai ;)
<3 Gwan Thet

Wai Wai, Gwan, and El Nay


El Nay, Wai Wai, and I


A video of Wai Wai and El Nay on the bus on the way home from VBS (8/6/08)

MK-Hello! (Tamin sa pebi la?!)

So yeah, this is where its real. I'm an MK. What does that mean? I'm a missionary kid, which is a culture in its self. I live in the USA. Now you might be thinking, What the heck!?! Missionaries live in far away countries, eating exotic foods and living on the edge. Well, everything is true except living in a far away country. I live right here, in Indiana, the Hoosier state. I like it, ya know? The way everything is so different. My father, ahem, my family works with Burmese, refugees and immigrants. If you live in Indiana, you might have heard some bad things about them. Most of them just arent true, so dont believe it!!! I have grown up half Burmese and Half American since I was six. I have this amazing family, actually they're my cousins. They treat me like im their sister, although im not even their real cousin. My Uncle and Auntie are so amazing! My Uncle actually gave me my first Burmese name, which remains my nickname to this day: Gwan Thet. If you heard my name, even today, this very afternoon, you would have heard my Muslim friends calling me, "Gwaing, Gwaing, Gwain, help me with my homework." A lot of people say my name is ugly, because it sounds like a metal pot falling on the ground. Oh and you pronounce it with the "ing" at the end, but not too much. its a falling tone. One more thing about my name, Gwan is the sound a frog makes in Burma, like, Gwan Own, Gwan Own.
Well, thats what I have to say now. Check it out! Check it Out!!!
TaTa...