Sleeping Monkey

Sleeping Monkey Presents...

Sow in tears, reap with joy

Sep 24 2006

I stopped off at the chip shop the other day, and pulled a ten pound note out of my wallet to pay for the chips. And I discovered today, that that same ten pounds could buy clothing for over a dozen refugee children in Burma and Thailand. Shocking. It really makes you think doesn’t it? I could quote statistics at you all day long: the total refugee population in Thai sites across nine camps is 141,823, and £5 buys some seed for a home garden, £15 buys a set of gardening tools for a refugee family, £20 buys equipment and stock for fish-raising for a refugee family, and £100 buys a bamboo and wooden house for a family. That’s not much, huh?

Perhaps I should start in the beginning. It’s Harvest Sunday today, and BMS World Mission have chosen as their appeal this year refugees in Thailand and Burma. The speakers at the churches I went to this morning and this evening have really made people think about what they are doing with their money and their lives – think how much can be bought with so little of your money, just re-read the figures above and think about how much you can spare. And think about time, as well. BMS are always needing volunteers and missionairies willing to go out to these countries, either short-term or long-term, and work with the people, to build them better lives. I often wonder how I can sit at home in the comfort of my life, type this article on my laptop, in the comfort of a brick house with furnishings and my own bedroom, yet there are so many people out there who don’t even have a home, let alone a house or a laptop or a bedroom. I know, I’d be a hypocrite if I were to say “We should all give up our jobs immediately to go and help”, because I can never bring myself to volunteer for any such action, because I don’t have the backbone or the guts, (or is the faith that I lack?), to go out to these places like the many people that work for companies like BMS. But I know that there are others out there that can do fantastic work, and people like BMS are just calling out for your help. BMS have introduced the idea of feeding the Body and Soul – the body by pratical means such as visiting the towns to help, or sending money, and the soul by spiritual means such as praying, or helping establish churches in the areas. So, I would encourage all those who have the ability – go out to these places! Help these people in a really pratical way. And those that can’t or wont – the least we can do is pray.