I ALWAYS WONDERED HOW SOMANY PEOPLE COULD SIMPLYLOOK THE OTHER WAY.

I wonder now, how many will wonder that very thing of us.How can we look the other way with so many atrocitiesbefore us? I would like to share this quote with you from"The American Patriots' Almanac":"A few days before South Vietnam surrendered to the VietCong, Communist Khmer Rouge moved in on theCambodian capital of Phnom Penh. As US officials fledCambodia the US Ambassador asked Prince Sirik Matak if hewould like to leave. Matak's response is difficult forAmericans to read:'I thank you very sincerely for your offer to transport metowards freedom. I cannot, alas, leave in such a cowardlyfashion. As for you, and in particular for your great country,I never believed for a moment that you would have thissentiment of abandoning a people which has chosen liberty.You have refused us your protection and we can do nothingabout it. You leave, and my wish is that your country willfind happiness under this sky. But, mark it well, that if I shalldie here, on the spot and in my country that I love, it is nomatter, because we are all born and must die. I have onlycommitted this mistake of believing in you.'When the Khmer Rouge seized Phnom Penh, they shot Matakin the stomach and it took him three days to die. During theKhmer Rouge's four year reign of terror, some 1.5 millionpeople died from execution, starvation, and forced labor."I believe we are being given our opportunity to choose. Wecan choose to look the other direction or we can choose tofight for what is right. In Myanmar the Karen are beingslaughtered by their own government. The Hmong in Laosand Vietnam are experiencing the same thing. Both groupsare fleeing their own countries and settling in refugee campsin Thailand because of their government’s brutality againstthem. We have a duty and responsibility. I pray our countrywill not continue to turn its back on those who have chosenfreedom, on those who have believed in us.You may have heard about Senator Jim Webb’s recent visit tomilitary junta governments in Southeast Asia. His visit wastouted in much of the media as a great triumph as the US wasable to hold talks with these governments. What we haven’theard is what these governments did prior to the visits.Theregime in Laos is a communist military junta that allies itself with North Korea and Myanmar. In June and July of 2009,this regime held official state-sponsored rallies and meetingsin support of North Korea and donated Laotian elephants toNorth Korea in support of its nuclear weapons program. Inapparent preparations for the visit of Senator Webb thegovernment soldiers have launched at least four major attackson Laotian and Hmong civilians, and religious and political

WE OFTEN HAVE A CHANCE,INHISTORY,TO LOOK BACK AND WONDERWHAT WE WOULD HAVE DONE,PLACEDIN THE SAME SITUATION;GIVENSIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES.

It is easy to look back at those who risked their own lives to smuggle Jews out of Nazi Germany and imagineourselves doing the same thing.But would we?

dissidents. Theseattacks began July 26,and have continueduntil the most recentreported attacks onAugust 13, 2009.These attacks havebeen documented byAmnesty Internationaland many independenthuman rights andhumanitarianorganizations. ManyLao Hmong childrenwere brutally mutilatedand kidnapped duringthe recent attacks.Direct sources fromLaos report that over150 soldiers havesurrounded andattacked Lao Hmongcivilians in the PhouaBia mountain area of Laos alone killing 26 and leaving at least 4 wounded. Theywere unarmed Laotian and Hmong women and children aswell as Christian believers.During the attacks the Lao government also captured eightyoung Lao Hmong children. These children, who werecaptured and separated from their parents by the recentattacks, range in age from 2 months to 8 years old. Thewhereabouts of these children are unknown and they willlikely be tortured and killed.A Lao Hmong girl, only two months old, was found with herhead shot off her body and laying next to her mother whohad also been tortured and killed by Lao soldiers during theattack. Survivors told how the soldiers had used the baby,while she was still alive, for target practice. She was capturedand tied up and they mutilated her body and fired theirweapons over and over into her until her head came off because so many bullets severed her head from her body.

AS I WRITE,IT IS DIFFICULT TOKNOW EVEN IF SUCHDISTURBING,GRAPHICMATERIAL SHOULD BEINCLUDED.

Yet, I realized as I prayed, these are theatrocities these people face constantly. They live in fearbecause they have seen things happen to their families thatare straight from the pit of hell. We don’t want to hear thesethings because they disturb us, the thoughts stay with us. Yet,I realized this is exactly what needs to happen. We need to bedisturbed enough to do something on their behalf! We needto hear and understand so we can “pray for those who aresuffering as if we ourselves were suffering” as it commands usto do in Hebrews.I believe as people realize what is going on, as they hearabout the atrocities, they will move to do something onbehalf of those who do not have a voice. The attacks againstthese people continue, not only outright attacks, but thegovernment, like its ally North Korea, is using food as aweapon to starve and kill civilians, Christians, and oppositiongroups.

VISION BEYOND BORDERS ISWORKING TO HELP THEREFUGEES.

We are working with ministries inThailand to help the Hmong as well as the Karen refugeeswho are fleeing the government in Burma. The newsletter lastmonth talked about the Karen refugees and the atrocities theyare facing. On my trip to Southeast Asia in August we wereable to give clothing and supplies for these camps. We alsohad an opportunity to receive some of the testimonies of those in the camps. This is an excerpt from a report sent bythe ministry we are working with:“A number of trips were made to the Internally DisplacedPeoples and the Refugees in the past two months. In onecamp after only a second visit, the people look so muchhappier. Many accepted Christ on our first trip, and KarenBibles were delivered to them. We helped them to build asmall bamboo church so they can come together to worship,and their lives have changed. These are people who still livein threat of the Burmese Army possibly attacking theirvillages. Many of the men are soldiers fighting to defend theirfamilies. The stress is terrible, and yet they are finding peacein Christ.

THE BURMESE ARMYCONTINUES TO SLAUGHTER THEKAREN PEOPLE AND MAKEGREAT ADVANCES IN THISGENOCIDE.

A 33 year-old soldier who is marriedwith one child said, "I am very afraid to protect families.When the Burmese Army comes, they can kidnap you andmake you become a porter to carry food or bullets or becomea mine-sweeper (usually resulting in death). We cannot workin the fields to get food, because we have to stay close to thevillage. We work today to eat today. We cannot plan ahead.