04/23/11
Serving Burmese Refugees in Houston
Category: Missions
On Saturday April 2, 2011, a group of people from WordServe met at Wal-Mart to purchase bicycles for refugee children and young adults in the Houston area. Bicycles are an important part of life for refugees in this country as bikes are their means for getting to school, the grocery store, church, work, etc. Bicycles also allow them to keep in touch with each other and friends in the community. But something as simple as a bicycle can be very hard to come by as a refugee just coming to this country, and for many, it is a luxury they simply cannot afford. So, a group of WordServe servants gathered at Wal-Mart one Saturday to purchase 3 bikes for the refugee community. We also collected used bicycles from friends and neighbors. In all, 12 bicycles, 12 
helmets, and 12 locks were provided to the refugee community this day!
We delivered the bicycles to Lifecycles, an organization that focuses on providing refugees with bicycles and other basic needs. The director of Lifecycles invited us to join them as they delivered the bikes to families that needed them. We were able to deliver all 12 bikes to 4 different families from the Karen tribe in Burma. The conflict in Burma has driven millions of Karen to the Thailand border where they have been trapped in refugee camps, some for decades. The Thailand-Burma camps have some of the worst living conditions in the world.
It was an absolute privilege to meet these 4 Karen families. They were mothers and 
fathers, sisters and brothers, just like us. Seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter as they practiced riding around their apartment complex was just an amazing experience. They offered us food and a place to sit in their homes and invited us to share a bit of their life. They showed us pictures of weddings and baptisms. They gathered neighbors and friends to welcome and thank us. It was a tremendous blessing to serve them. Their dreams and hopes of a new future in America are inspirational. We look forward to serving in this community again and welcome the challenge that their joy, courage, and faith brings to our own.