Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Karen New Year




On Saturday we got a call from Caroline, our friend from Agape Clinic. Caroline is a refugee from Burma, and we have become very close over the past few years as we've continued to work with refugees that settle in Dallas. Caroline called to tell us that Saturday was the Karen New Year celebration. The Karens are an ethnic group in Burma, and many Karen people are being persecuted by the ruling party in Burma. Those that are able to escape often end up in refugee camps in Thailand, and some of them are granted visas to come to the US. So, long story short, we went to the New Year celebration , which was held at Gaston Oaks Baptist Church in North Dallas. It was really amazing. I couldn't believe how many people were there! There must have been over 400 Karen refugees celebrating the new year. It was incredible to see this community of people, many of whom arrived here only in the past few weeks and months, who are filled with hope and joy about the promise that the year will bring. Quite humbling.



Video:

No comments:

Post a Comment