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New Hope Children's Home Update

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:41:00 +0100

Sanda Tun was very pleased to see me on my recent visit to new Hope Children's Home. She and the fifteen other children had not seen anyone from the West before, at least not in the flesh, and when I arrived and greeted them all individually by name they were so amazed, they looked at each other and said "He knows our names!!!"

For over three years Orphan's Tear has supported this home through monthly support from people like you, and this was the first time I had ever visited them. Over the years we have built a new toilet block, provided a running water supply and invested in a small brick-making enterprise, the latter being the first rung of the ladder to self-sufficiency, a goal we have for all of our homes. (Note: The children are not used as labour to make bricks! Local people are employed to do this work although the children do "help" as part of day to day chores around the home, which include taking care of the animals and tending the garden)

The bricks are made using clay found on the land, which are then stacked up, covered in mud and fired to make them hard. This is quite labour intensive and a large quantity of wood is needed to keep the fires going. It takes a few days to complete the process and the finished product can then be sold.

The very most is made of the land as you can see in the pictures above, and many different varieties of fruit and vegetables are grown to supplement the children's diet, as well as flowering shrubs whose petals are sold and used to fragrance soap!

Children with backgrounds similar to these can sometimes be over-friendly towards Westerners, which can lead to unhealthy attachments later on in life as has been evident in other SE Asian nations. It was a joy to spend a few hours in the company of these dear children, their openness and warmth being a testament to the selfless, loving-kindness shown to them by the director and his wife. Here the balance was just right in my opinion; we had fun, played some games, sang songs and enjoyed a great feast with a real sense of togetherness as family; brothers and sisters in the Lord, which is what it's all about really.

Thank you for all your continued support and be encouraged as you see the children's faces and continue to pray for them as they grow up. We are doing a small thing in some ways, as we are limited in our resources, but He who is the source of all things supplied the greatest blessing to mankind, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who lives in our hearts and in the hearts of these dear ones whom He loves so much.

Would you like to meet your child or children? Each year, together with our colleagues in the US we visit many of the homes that we support, with sponsors and children alike being greatly blessed by the experience. In the first instance please contact us here if you are interested.

A New Home

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:15:00 +0100

Orphan's Tear now assists a new children's home in Burma. The following is their story, which has been updated since it was originally posted, as new information has become available.

Abandoned Orphanage Home, in Eastern Shan State, Burma, was founded in 2004 by Pastor Lian who was travelling in the area. After seeing so many beautiful children abandoned and orphaned he decided to do something to help them by faith alone. The situation was grim; many people travel here to search for rubies, and as fortunes are made, this area has seen the growth of prostitution, drug addiction (Shan State being a major producer of opium and heroin) and constant fighting between the Burma Army and other armed groups who seek to take control of the wealth. In June 2005, Pastor Lian died of cancer, followed in December by his wife who had contracted malaria. The children were in effect orphaned for a second time, so Pastor Lian's parents took over their care until their other son and daughter-in-law stepped in. Their parents travelled around begging money for the children's care, and first met representatives from Orphan's Tear in January 2009 where an appeal was made for support.

There are differing accounts of a fire that had swept through the town of Upper Maishu in 1999. Most of the shanty-style houses were destroyed, and it seems that it was caused by a drug addict setting fire to gasoline whilst taking drugs. Two siblings currently resident were burned quite badly as you can see in the photos below, those that were looking after them perished in the inferno. Their father had already died in a landslide in one of the ruby mines and their mother was a prostitute.

Initially sixteen children, mainly of Chinese and Shan tribes, including three who were orphaned and themselves maimed in the fire, were taken into a small shelter in Upper Maishu that was unexpectedly donated by a rich Chinese man. Some of the children's stories are quite awful. Prostitution, drug addiction, underground criminal activity is rife here, and those things are the primary reasons for the children being orphaned or abandoned. Some children had been sold, and two of the children’s mothers had herself been sold into slavery to China. Currently there are fourteen children in the home plus two children belonging to the director and his wife. We are looking for better accomodation in Lower Maishu, which is much safer than Upper Maishu.

Below are some photos of the home and the ruby mines.

The needs of the children in this home are many, if you wish to make a donation to help them, you can do so here

If you would like to sponsor a child you can do so here

Thu Zar Win Update

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:08:00 +0100

We were thrilled to see the results of Thu Zar Win's procedure to correct her eyes, as reported in December

Her brain is still struggling to come to terms with the fact that her eyes are now straight, and she has to practice using her eyes like binoculars, instead of using one or the other. It may be the case that it is too late, as at ten years old is deemed the outer limit whereby the brain can readjust, so we asked for your continued prayers that this might be an exception to the rule.

Thank you to all who contributed to toward the cost of this procedure, when I recently saw her she was noticeably happier and more out-going, so whatever the outcome, it was worth it to see her feeling less self-conscious.

Love on the move

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:42:00 +0100

Of all the places I have visited, Inle Lake in Shan State, Burma has to be one of the most beautiful. The journey to Love Children's Home by boat, past lush floating gardens full of tomatoes and other produce, seeing the unique style of one-legged rowing by the fisherman and slipping through villages of stilted houses where all aspects of people's lives are there for all to see is a joy to behold. What an idyllic and tranquil place place to take care of orphaned children.

Try to envisage the rainy season however, when the level of the lake rises to the point where water comes through the bamboo floor, and the children huddle together in the one room trying to keep dry. Or at night when the temperatures plummet to single figures, children coughing and sneezing with the frequent colds that they get.

What about school? Up to a few months ago, the younger children attended the village school, but since the headmaster left, the standard of teaching has dropped. Not that it was ever high. At this school, teachers withhold information from those children who are unable to pay for private tuition outside of school hours, then beat those same children when they fail to achieve the pass mark in class next day, the same children you see in the photos above. The older children have been living in a rented house in the city of Taunggyi, where better schooling means they stand a better chance in passing the matriculation exam (GCSE equivalent in UK). This all comes at a cost; in monetary terms, as the provision for two sites is very high, plus the toll it has taken on the Director, as he recently was admitted to hospital through exhaustion and stress.

This particular village where they live has been a safe haven these past couple of years, due to the relationship that has been forged between the home and the village headman. He has seen how they live their lives, how they have employed local people to prepare the fishponds and blessed them with the fish that have been harvested, but this is unusual, as Christians are viewed with suspicion and persecuted in and around this region.

The decision has been taken to relocate the children to the city of Taunggyi, where they will all be together, all attend a decent school and have access to better healthcare and food. The home that they currently live in will be dismantled and reconstructed where the little hut is in the photo above, and a family will live in it and take care of the fish farm and the rice paddy that is being planted. The fish farm that we invested in was always going to be the key to the future self-sustainability of the home, and this March the fish were sold for about £3000. Yes, £3000! After only one year we were staggered by the profitability, the total investment being around £4700 in buying the land, preparation, stocking with fingerlings and fish food.

Taunggyi is the third largest city in Burma, and is a very prosperous one. The climate is quite mild compared with the rest of Burma, and rich people will often have a second home there, making land very expensive. On my last trip I visited the home of the Orphanage Director's Aunt, which stands on a plot of land near one of the schools, and a proposal was made whereby she would allow us to build a single-story home for the children on the land, in return for her being able to live in it when they have all grown up and left. Orphan's Tear is not usually in the business of building homes for just anybody, but in this case it offers the best solution to our problem, namely; we have to put these children somewhere.

Using the money made from the sale of the fish, a temporary structure will be adjoined to the existing house to house half of the children, and a well will be drilled, the rest will live in the rented house until the agreement ends at the end of May. We hope to be able to have something built before school starts on June 1, the frequency and amount of donations we receive will determine whether or not we can complete it before the rains come later in June. Around £7000 will be needed to make this possible, so if this is something that you would like to help with, donations can be made HERE

As with all of our homes, it is our intention to help them into self-sustainability, and with the fish farm doing so well in the first year it will not be long until they are able to stand alone. The Director has a 12 year plan, by which time it is hoped that all the children will all have left, then he will return to his main calling as a missionary to the Inle Lake region where he first came in 2004. His dedication to these children is without question and together we can help him equip the children both spiritually and academically for a better future.

Past articles and background on this home can be found HERE

Education Fund

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:47:00 +0100

If they knew about it, children in the West would be envious, as children in Burma are already on their summer break! Those same Western children would not envy, however, the striking lack of supplies that their poor counterparts suffer. Unlike schools in prosperous nations, the governments of most poor countries have few, if any, educational supplies for their public schools, so at this time of year we try to raise some funds for school fees, uniforms, books and supplies ready for their return to school on June 1.

In Burma, no money (or no uniform) means NO SCHOOL, so through your gifts to the EDUCATION FUND, we’re working to equip children both spiritually and academically for a better future.

Two sets of school uniform for one child costs around £15 and £10 will pay for admission fees, books and pens for the year for one child. Some of the older children attend boarding school, which gives them the extra tuition necessary to pass the matriculation examination (GCSE equivalent in UK) without which, further education and job prospects are severely limited, so any help you can offer at this time will be greatly appreciated.

Children from New Hope Children's Home in Hakha, Chin State with new uniforms and umbrellas!

Success Story

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:00:00 +0100

Over the past four years, the ministry Orphan's Tear has helped a number of Children's Homes in Burma, and one of which, Christ's Home for the Needy in Hakha, Chin State has featured large. You may recall that our first involvement with them was back in 2008, when we helped build a new home after the authorities ordered the demolition of the existing one. Since then we have invested money for the construction of a fish farm and a small truck, leading them from a reliance on donations into self-reliance through their own efforts with a sustainable business.

Past ministry updates have shown the progress of this development, but I was unprepared for what I saw when I visited the home for the very first time recently, having been granted permission from the Government. I was able to meet the children and see the fruits of our labours with my own eyes and was staggered at the scale of things!

After demolishing this.......

...they now live here!!!

After a lot of hard work starting from this.......

......

.....

....they have developed it into this!

.....

.....and this is the fruit thereof!

As good as it is to see all these achievements, the greatest achievement is in the lives of the children themselves. It is a testament to the love and dedication of the director, his wife and staff that these children display genuine happiness, affection to one another and have caring and helpful attitudes, and the love that they showed to me as a stranger was overwhelming.

Those of you with children will know there are always problems, and depending on the method used to tackle it, the results can be varied! Take Zung Nawl shown above. When he arrived at the home he was very cruel to the other children and to the animals, destructive and when disciplined, would stand defiant. After numerous efforts at enforcing a change to his behaviour, the director told him "I am going to pray for you", and today Zung Nawl is one of the most reliable, hard-working and dependable in the home, showing love where he previously showed hate.

This home is about ready to stand on it's own, using the resources it has to support itself and provide for the on-going needs of the children through education and training. We hope that another home in the area that we support will benefit also from the blessings God has bestowed upon this one. By sharing the truck with them, the business opportunities available will allow them to move out of poverty, so look out for another positive report in the future!

On behalf of all who have benefitted from your kindness, thank you!!

Thu Zar Win

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:40:00 +0000

Thu Zar Win's first ten years of life have been difficult, to say the least. After her father contracted HIV, passing away in 2005 followed by her mother in 2006, she and her younger sister Cherry Win were taken to Love Children's Home by villagers. On 14th December 2011 she will travel a long way from her home to start a 21 day period of treatment, including surgery, that will hopefully correct her lack of proper binocular vision. Children in developed countries undergo this treatment far earlier, as this usually guarantees full correction. However, if left untreated the brain compensates for the weakness of the eye muscles, in effect learning to cope with it as it is. Ten years of age is generally thought of as being the upper limit where treatment may succeed.

Thu Zar Win lacks confidence and appears self-conscious and detached at times, though you would not think so in this photo, and although there is a large degree of uncertainty as to the success of the treatment regarding her vision, we took the decision to try and help her anyway, so at the very least she will think of herself as being beautiful in her own eyes. In our eyes and in God's eyes she is beautiful already.

Please pray for Thu Zar Win, especially from the 14th as she has a difficult journey and sustained period of treatment ahead of her. I look forward to posting an update in due course.

With love from Love

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 11:49:00 +0000

November saw our annual visit to Burma, and our first stop was Inle Lake where Love Children's Home is situated. We made a short boat-trip to see the fish ponds that have been constructed nearby. You may recall that they were in danger of being swamped after this year's monsoon rains, but were saved by building up the sides by a further four feet. Next March the first of the fish will be harvested and sold to provide valuable income for this home of 24 children.

It may look idyllic living on the lake, and it is certainly beautiful, however there are many challenges that they face. During the monsoon many of the children were sick, and now that it is the cool season, the nights especially can be very cold. The standard of education is very poor in this area, so much so that a number of the very brightest older children attend school in Taunggyi, a large town up in mountains. This is not an ideal solution; you can imagine the difficulties in overseeing two groups of children, let alone the increase in costs, so finding the balance can be quite difficult. We are looking at ways to bring the children all together again and that may mean relocating to an area where the schools are of a higher standard.

On the two occasions that we visited (we brought the older children down to spend time together as family), the problems and challenges were overshadowed by a genuine sense of inner well-being and love, displayed in abundance by all the children. They know that their Redeemer lives, and that there are people like you, who are reading this now, that love and care for them also. Please continue to pray for them, and for us as we seek the best way forward to help support them.

You can donate securely toward the needs of this home here

Sunset on Inle Lake. If the boat had not broken down we would not have experienced this stunning display of God's creation!

Christmas Joy

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:56:00 +0000

Some Western children might be disappointed to receive clothing as Christmas gifts, but not those abandoned and orphaned in Burma—who often only have one set of clothes.

Every year around this time we ask all of our child sponsors to consider sending something extra for each child they sponsor so that their sponsored children can receive new clothes for Christmas. Our goal this year is to provide "Christmas clothes" for nearly 100 children on Christmas morning, which they will all excitedly wear to church that day—and most every other day for the next year.

Not every child sponsor responds to our "Christmas clothes" appeal, so we need others to help us. Will you give one of our children his or her only Christmas gift this year? 100% of every contribution to the Christmas Gifts for Orphans Fund is used to provide clothing for one child living at one of our 5 children's homes in Burma.

Secure donations can be made here

Thanks so much!

Love in Flood

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:53:00 +0100

Burma is a place of extremes, and chief among them is the weather. Love Children's Home is situated on a lake, which makes for an interesting experience in itself, and this year the monsoon rains dumped more than normal on this part of the world after a few years of inadequate rainfall. Contrast the photo below, which was taken in 2009 when I had to hike to miles to the home because the lake was so low, to the second which was taken last week.

Many of the children are ill due to the constantly damp conditions, their play area is unusable and the building on the right is likely to be flooded by now. The children may have to be temporarily relocated until conditions improve. In addition to that, the fish ponds that were prepared and stocked earlier in the year have had to be built up with four feet of mud to stop the fish escaping.

We will need to raise funds for rebuilding, temporary re-housing and for further works to the fish ponds, so please consider the plight of the twenty-five children who live here and help us to help them. You can now donate to Orphan's Tear Special Gifts Fund (and all other Heaven's Family funds) by credit or debit card via our secure server here

Run!

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:24:00 +0100

End of Year Report

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:59:00 +0100

Our Financial Year ended on 30 June, and outlined below are some of the many ways we were able to show the love of Christ to our poor and needy family around the world. Heaven's Family UK works with our 'parent' ministry, Heaven's Family, and a partner ministry, Alpha Relief, both based in the US, as well as with trusted partners on the ground in the various countries. The purpose of this report is to highlight specifically how donations made through Heaven's Family UK were used. I hope it is an encouragement to you.

Since the charity was registered in 2007, donations have steadily increased, this last financial year being the best yet. Our various restricted funds have enabled us to assist our family in many ways. Through Orphan’s Tear, sponsorship for 83 orphaned or abandoned children comes in every month, although around 100 benefit from this vital regular income. Christ’s Home for the Needy have a new truck, Love Children’s Home have a 1 acre fish farm and three acres of rice paddy, and Living Hope have 300 chickens, all valuable resources to help provide an income and raise their standard of living. Additionally, funds were made available for school admission fees and uniforms, a hydro-electric generator and a water tank and pipeline from the Orphan’s Tear Special Gifts Fund.
Donations to our North Korean Christians Fund increased significantly, enabling us to provide much-needed relief to those in desperate need, providing food to starving Christians in that country, and working with partners who assist those who have managed to escape. Donations to the Disaster Relief Fund meant we were able to bring relief to those affected by the floods in Pakistan, a disaster that was widely reported in the news media, and to victims of Cyclone Giri which devastated parts of Rakhine State in Burma, a disaster that was not so well reported.

A large part of our work involves relief work, and through donations to our Food Fund we were able to send significant amounts to our partners on the ground in Burma, where they purchased rice for distrbution to poor Christian families in three States.
I have highlighted just a few of the many and varied ways that you have given our Lord Jesus food and water when He hungered and was thirsty, looked after Him when He was sick and provided Him with clothes when He was naked. According to Him, you did this when you did it to “the least of” His brethren (Matt. 25:35-45)
We continue to guarantee that 100% of your gifts go into the funds that you designate, and we are pleased to report that over 90% of ALL donations (that includes gifts to our General Fund from which administrative costs are met) actually benefit those who need it most.
Our aim for 2011-2012 is to maintain and build upon the work we have begun. It will be a challenge, especially for the work in Burma due to the 30% depreciation of the US Dollar against the local currency, also due to the on-going effects of the economic downturn in our own country.
Thank you for trusting Heaven’s Family UK with your money, we do take our our stewardship responsibilities seriously and I will inform you when our accounts will be available to view on the Charity Commission website. We hope that you will continue to consider us as your Christian charity of choice.

New Hope Children's Home

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:03:00 +0100

New Hope Children's Home

New Hope Children's Home is situated in the mountains of Chin State, Burma. We have supported this home since 2009 and currently, there are sixteen children living there along with the director and his family.

Recently, work was completed to provide the home with it's own reliable fresh water source, as they had previously been using a small stream that usually dries up during the hot season. Permission was gained from the authorities to connect into the town's supply, so a pipeline was connected and routed to a new concrete holding tank on their land. Now they can enjoy a constant supply all year round.

Concrete Holding Tank

The children all attend school in the town, and there are some who are exceptionally bright. As is usually the case, when given access to education most children in the homes that we support do very well, but sadly only to a point. Government schools do not pay the teachers a good enough salary, so to supplement their meagre income their desire is to privately tutor children outside of school hours. Considering that admission fees, uniform and text and exercise books all have to be paid for (multiplied by sixteen in this case), finding even more for extra tuition is impossible. Another down-side to this, in some schools, is that those children whose parents or carers do not stump up more money are sometimes beaten because of low marks gained in tests and exams. This is because only the privately-tutored are taught the things that the tests and exams are about!

Very few children of a poor background are educated to a standard good enough to pass the matriculation exams neccesary to gain entrance to colleges and universties (yes, these institutions exisit in Burma). Myo Tin, one of the brightest has been admitted to a boarding school in another town at the cost of around £200 per year. This child will excel in the right environment, and with all the information needed to pass, he has a great opportunity to break the cycle of poverty that a lack of education often brings.

If you would like to donate to our Education Fund, you can do so here

New Hope children in their new school uniforms (complete with umbrellas, rainy season imminent!)

Urgent Prayer and Practical Help

Thu, 26 May 2011 21:27:00 +0100

URGENT PRAYER

Please pray for Thomas, one of our children at Hallelujah Family in Burma. He is very sick with viral hepatitis, chronic bronchitis and associated kidney problems. Prayer is also requested for Borte, who has suspected malaria, and for the house mother who has an arduous two day journey to Rangoon to undergo a thyroid operation.

Hallelujah Family is different to our other homes, in that they are what their name states - they are a FAMILY. Twenty people live in this home, eleven of which are children that have been orphaned or abandoned. However they are now loved, cared for and treated as FAMILY by the other members of the household. The message of the Gospel is that through Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, we are welcomed into a FAMILY (Romans 8:15). In a FAMILY, when one (or in this case, three members) suffer, all suffer, so we appeal to those of you who have been adopted into God's FAMILY, to pray for these members; our brothers and sisters.

Thomas

PRACTICAL HELP

At this time of year we receive numerous requests from our Homes for money, to pay for school admission fees, school supplies and uniforms. In Burma, no money (or no uniform) means NO SCHOOL. We are committed to doing all we can to help provide the means whereby these children have access to some form of education, something we take for granted in our developed countries.

Hallelujah Family, for example, need £100 for admission fees, text and notebooks, pens and pencils. That is £10 per child. Uniforms can be purchased for around £15 for two sets per child.

As you can see, for a relatively small outlay (in our terms), TEN children will be able to go to school. Our other four Homes are in a similar position. If you want to make a real difference, donations to our Orphan's Tear Special Gifts Fund can be made here

Thailand/Burma Trip

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:34:00 +0000

VISIT TO REFUGEE CAMPS

On Friday I travel to Thailand at the invitation of our partner ministry, Alpha Relief, to visit refugee camps on the Thai/Burmese border. Alpha Relief are working in these camps, which contain a high proportion of children who have fled the fighting in neighbouring Burma, bringing support, aid and the love of Christ to these victims of conflict. At this time the war is raging just across the river, so our trip will be determined by our guides on the ground, so please pray for discernment and for the safety of all in the camps.

Here is an excerpt from an email received by a worker in one of the camps -

Hi Everyone,

It's with a grievous heart that I share that war has broken out immediately across the river from the camp! It's a war zone! Bombings, mortars, landmines etc. Our kids are fleeing - absolutely traumatised. Some have been taken in by our guest hose friend, some are sleeping under trees as they are too terrified to be in a building. It's a very dangerous situation here. we are jumping in our truck tomorrow morning very early and racing up six hours to find and comfort the children. we don't know what to do. Please pray for safety and wisdom and comfort for the children. Our hearts are breaking. We know God is still in control.

VISIT TO CHILDREN'S HOMES IN BURMA

We are also visiting a couple of our Children's Homes in Burma, both of which Alpha Relief are partnering with us, with the aim of building relationships and seeing the progress of the fish farm project at one home, and the new rented home at the other. Both of these homes in Eastern Burma contain children orphaned by conflict, which is the reason that Alpha Relief are involved. So far they have provided £3000 to get the fish farm started, however we still need a further £1500 for a years supply of fish food. After one year the home will be able to sell a lot of the fish, providing much-needed income, so if you would like to donate towards this work, you can here . We are very thankful for their assistance, but most of all we know that our source and trust is the Lord Jesus Christ, who enables us to do all things for His purposes and glory.

Please pray that our travel plans work out and that we are able to minister to those who need it most, I will update you fully on my return.

Top of the Class

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:08:00 +0000

For some of us, school was a bit of an ordeal and looking back, the opportunities that we had were neither taken advantage of nor recognized. Where schooling and education is not a right, it is quite usual for students to grasp with both hands the opportunity to excel when they have the chance. Most of our children are doing well at the schools they attend, however the four children highlighted here are achieving exceptionally high standards in their respective school years.

Nan Htek Htek is twelve years old and is currently studying in the last year before moving up to high school in June. She is the top student in a class of sixty-one, and what makes it even more remarkable is the fact that she has only recently returned to the children's home in which she lives. Nan Htek Htek thought that she had left the Buddhist monastery for good, leaving along with nine other children when the monk died and finding refuge at an Orphan's Tear-supported home. Local villagers then forcibly removed her along with the other children and sent them back, but after a time she fled the monastery for a second time, and is now back in the safety and security of the home. The same villagers now recognize that she is better off in the Christian home, a great testament to the hard work of the director, who has made huge strides in building good relationships with the local people.

Lydia is thirteen years old and won first prize in a Burmese cultural competition, held between all the high schools in the whole of Chin State. There was an enormous sense of pride when the director of her home told me the news, and is further testament to the favour of God on his children.

Chin Ku is twelve years old and came second in Year 5 examinations. She has been in the home since her mother died, and has recently lost her father, who had subsequently re-married following the death of his first wife.

Although Lal Hei does not look entirely thrilled to be having his photograph taken, he is another who has shown an aptitude for study since coming to the home. He is also twelve years old and has been invited to represent his high school in a writing competition, held between all the schools in Chin State.

Please pray for his success and be ready to share in it, as each of us play our part in bringing about God's Kingdom on the earth.

These children are all cared for in Christian homes that are supported by donations to Orphan's Tear. By supporting "the least" of some of Christ's followers, we show our love Him (Matthew 25:35-45). If you want to sponsor a child you can do so here, alternatively you can make a donation here.

Orphan's Tear Mini Update

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:34:00 +0000

Orphans at the Handicapped Care Center in Myanmar

Dear Friends,

I pray that you are experiencing God's blessings this December! We just sent off extra money to each of the orphanages that Orphan's Tear supports, so that the directors can purchase Christmas gifts for the children. They will most likely be purchasing new clothes for them. Thank you so much for everyone who gave to make that possible! I wish we could all be there on Christmas day to see how happy and beautiful the children will look in their new outfits.

This month I'm going to share with you some of the community outreaches that the orphans have been doing. They are effective little ministers!

Fulfilling the Commission

The Handicapped Care Center in Myanmar is not a depressing place. In fact, it's one of the happiest places I've ever been. Jesus' love is very evident in the lives of these children, and God uses them in mighty ways. This latest news from the director will inspire you:

This month we went to our neighbors every Saturday night and we shared the good news and we have pray for them. They were very happy and enjoy, because two drunked mans recived God.

They aren't the only ones reaching out to their neighbors. The director of Bethel Children's Home just sent us this:

This month we went to shared the Good news with our neighbors, only we shared to them Jesus loved you and your family. Unexpectedly they are warmly welcome to us and listening about what we have told to them, we have showed our action song read memory bible verse, they said us come back and share again about the love of Jesus Christ. Next month we have a program to go to them and to share the love of God.

May God bless the fruit of their labors to produce a bountiful harvest!

First Shot

Children from ______ Children's Home (in front) at a special church service

You may have received an email we sent out recently asking for digital cameras. Many of you responded, and some have been put to good use! We just took three to Myanmar in November and gave them away to ministry partners, including the director of ______ Children's Home. He writes:

Last year Pastor David said that he would bring the camera for a Director who did not have. But he said it is not a promise but just a word. When he came last month in our place he brought a brand new camera for me. I am so glad to receive this camera. I believe It will be a helpful for our ministry. Here is the first photo taken by the new camera. The children from different homes came to the Sunday service at Love In Action Chapel for a special service.

We look forward to seeing a lot more photos of the children!

Thanks so Much!

As always, thanks to every orphan sponsor, and to everyone who has given to the Orphan's Tear Special Gifts Fund, the Dorms for Orphanages Fund, the Rice Fields for Orphanages Fund, or the Education Fund! Your gifts are making a difference in the lives of orphans, and we are eternally grateful.

For the children,

Myanmar Trip Report

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:06:00 +0000

Welcome to our December Newsletter! There is a lot to report from our trip to Myanmar, so a more in-depth bulletin of some of the articles here will follow in later newsletters. Heaven's Family UK wishes you a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. We thank you for your support over the last twelve months and hope you will continue to partner with us as we seek to continue helping 'the least' of Jesus' followers.

TOYS, FOOTBALL CARDS AND CHRISTMAS CLOTHES

Thank you to all who donated money to our 'Christmas Clothes' appeal, all the children will receive a gift on Christmas Day. Some of them were in need of clothes right away, so for them, Christmas came early!

Due to the efforts of Ferndown Middle School and Springdale First School, both in Dorset, we were able to take number of soft toys and Match Attax football trading cards for the children (those of you with boys of a certain age will know what these are!). It didn't take long for them to start swapping the cards between each other, kids are kids wherever they live!

Boys from _________ Children's Home with their Match Attax cards.

Generally, these small gifts are the only toys the children receive individually, so to see Mawi Mawi stroking and talking to her stuffed animal in the photo above, really does show what it means to them.

Abisak and Dawt Ku from __________, with Babar and Jerry.

FOSTERING AND ADOPTION CONFERENCES

During this trip we invited the orphanage directors to a conference hosted by Mick Pease, whose charity is called Substitute Families for Abandoned Children (SFAC). He is a hugely experienced UK-based career social worker and his work with the charity has taken him around the world, with the aim of challenging the ways in which orphaned and abandoned children are cared for. Although countries and societies are very different, if you ask the children, their needs are basically the same; they want parents who are able to meet their emotional needs; they want a hug, they want individual attention. How difficult can that be if you are one of 20, or 30? It is our hope that in the years to come, we will play a part in placing children into families, be it kinship care or foster care. By empowering local families economically, that will stem the flow of 'economic orphans', and hopefully increase the chances of families adopting or fostering another.

There will always be orphans and the need for orphanages, and we will continue to provide care for those who are the most vulnerable, however we must be aware of ALL of their needs and that is why we are starting to address these issues. We will need your input and support on this issue, so we will keep you informed over the coming months.

CHICKENS AND A GRAND DAY OUT

On the last day I visited _________ Children's Home, which is about one hour north of (Yangon) Rangoon. You may remember our appeal to raise money for their small chicken project. We raised enough to buy some chickens and ten weeks worth of feed, which will provide an extra income for the eighteen months or so that the chickens lay, plus the children can supplement their diet with fresh eggs every day. I was also fortunate enough to take them all to 'Happy World', a park in Yangon with water slides and rides. Only one of the children had previously been to the city, let alone a play park, so it was great to see them on the dodgems and the carousel, and ending up in the water park (fully clothed).

After our lunch we headed back via Inya Lake. Just walking along the lakeshore in the late afternoon drinking fizzy pop was a lovely end to the day and to the trip. The director of the home wrote to me after I had returned home saying that "the children would never forget the day they went to the city with you". It's amazing how something so simple can make such an impact. In our high-tech world of super-fast-I-want-it-now we forget that sometimes the simple things are quite enough....

_________ Children at Happy World.

The Story of Bor Te

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:41:00 +0000

Bor Te was born in Chin State, Myanmar to Pa Kem and Chin Ha.

There is a continual underground war being fought in Chin State, as there is in many other States in Burma, and one day in 2004 a Burmese Army patrol entered the village in search of members of the Chin Underground Army. At that time a number of these men were being hidden in the village and pressure was applied to Pa Kem, the village headman, to give them up. He refused information to the point where he and one other man were tied to a tree and executed.

The patrol left the area without finding the men they were looking for.

Her mother found herself unable to care for the needs of her daughter, and in that year she was taken into the care of a Heaven’s Family supported children’s home.

For six years she was cared for through many trials, not least the forced destruction of the home that she was living with around eighty other children, but now she has left the home into the care of an uncle, until arrangements can be made for her to be re-united with her mother, who, having found a way to escape to Malaysia, is applying for asylum.

Her father is still looked upon as a hero in Chin State because of his actions.

Bor te continues to be weak through contracting malaria, though she is a very bright child who attained first position in her class at school. Her ambition is to be a school teacher. (My eldest daughter sponsored her whilst in the care of that home, herself being a school teacher).

By sponsoring a child for £15 per month through Heaven’s Family, you can play a part in helping children like this, who have not had the best start in life, to have a future. Start by choosing a child at www.orphanstear.org.uk/sponsor-a-child and let your heart lead you.

On my recent trip to Myanmar I was able to meet her for the first time, as her uncle lives in a town where foreigners can visit with less restrictions. It was an emotional time seeing her together with the man who had been her ‘father’ for the past six years, the director of the children’s home.

I was able to take this photograph of her. Please note, the names have been changed for security reasons.

Christmas Clothes

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 17:03:00 +0100

The director and children of ______ Orphanage

Every year around this time we ask sponsors to send an extra £3.50 for each child they sponsor so that our orphanage directors can buy all of the children new clothes for Christmas. Because of compassionate sponsors (and compassionate non-sponsors!), many children receive "Christmas clothes" on Christmas morning, which they all excitedly wear to church that day---and most every other day for a year.

I wanted to share a letter we received just after Christmas last year from the orphanage director of ______ Orphanage. Our friends in the US had just begun to try to help his orphanage when we visited Myanmar in November 2009, but we had not yet found sponsors for his children. Below is his letter. Get ready to fight your tears.

Dear Loving Friends,

Greeting to you in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace and Joy of New Year to you all. First of all, I humbly request you all to read what I felt in this time Christmas.

Dear friends, I would like to ask you a question. "How did you spend your lives in this time Christmas?" As for me and my family, it was an unhappy day that I could never forget. If it were possible, I would postpone Christmas day for ______ Children Home.

We woke up early in the morning on Christmas morning and gave thanks to the Lord for what He has done. But my children were not happy that much. I know why they are downcast. But I said to them,"O.K, take a bath and wear your clean clothes (not new clothes)." And they obediently took a bath and wore their cleanest clothes. And then we went to the church to praise and worship God. On that morning I was to preach. I was pretty excited to preach on Christmas day.

When we arrived to the church, I saw many other children wearing their new clothes and coming to the church. But my children are wearing their old clothes.They were happy but not wholeheartedly. Because they were jealous of them as they are children, orphans who never wear a new shirt. They have a new father and mother and they will rely on us totally, but when I can not do anything for them, how disappointed thing for my children. I asked myself so many questions.

When I saw them, my children, sitting by other children with their old clothes, I dared not to look at them. My heart was totally broken. I said to myself I am nothing to do God's work. Since time was passing on, Chairperson called upon me for preaching. As standing on the pulpit I read my chosen Bible verse (Micah 5:2). My tear were flowing down on my cheek. I could not speak a little while. After that I took a new strength and spoke and said,"Though we are poor, small, orphans and have nothing today, we have Jesus Christ who has been born today. How blessed people we are. Today Jesus has been born for the poor, the orphans, widows, and the oppressed." Then I stopped my preaching.

We went back to home and I called all of them and said to them,"My beloved children, please forgive me (your father) for my poverty, I know I am very poor but the God whom I am believing, I am worshiping and praising every day is very rich. He has a plan for you and for me in the day to come." After that only we all felt happy and tear of joy flowed down on our cheek.

Dear loving friends, Christmas is a precious and a happy day for some, but for us, ______ Children Home, we who are fatherless and motherless, it is a day of crying in human side.

And also if it were possible, we ______ Children Home want this coming New Year to be postponed. We are afraid of this New Year though I used to be eager to reach Happy New Year before. The reason is that our agreement for renting our house will be ended in January. We do not know what situation will come to us in this New Year, for other Happy New Year.

Dear Friends, it is a humble request from ______ Children Home to pray for us that the exact need we have may be met.

I wish you all a blessed happy New Year...

I'm happy to report that the rent money was found to help that orphanage director and plans are in place to help him start to build a home that the children can call their own. Eight out of the ten children at ______ Orphanage have since been sponsored by compassionate friends like you.

Will you help us give an orphan his or her only Christmas gift this year? 100% of every contribution to the Christmas Gifts for Orphans Fund is used to provide a gift for each child living at one of our 5 homes in Myanmar. £3.50 provides one gift for one child. The orphanage directors generally use the Christmas money we send to buy each child some new clothing, or a warm blanket. Please help us reach our goal this year to provide £3.50 Christmas gifts for our 118 children! Just click here to donate. Thanks so much.

For the children,

Philip