Mission News: Rescue of Child Soldiers

"I can remember the days I prayed for 10 people to come into the Kingdom for the year. This year we have averaged 10 a week!" This grateful expression is a quote from Mark, who with his family, lives and works with Central's adopted people group in Thailand and Burma. Excitement about growing house churches is dulled by the heartache over thousands of children, unwanted by anyone, gathered by warlords and trained as their vicious, personal armies. About 200,000 of this people group have been recently displaced and they are hated by all three of the nearby state governments. 25% of these people have died in war. One of four children is orphaned because of war, drug abuse or disease.

Due to economic hard times, the warlords have more orphan soldiers than they want to care for. Surprisingly, they have approached Divine Inheritance (DI), Mark's mission, wanting to give up 1000 child soldiers. The warlords have observed how DI has built orphan homes, schools and churches and has provided fresh water for villages, while teaching the people how to increase agriculture production.

In addition to resourcing the four established orphan homes in the area, DI has taken a step of faith, pledging to rescue as many war orphans as possible with the goal of raising them in homes with loving, Christian house parents. A tour of the two bases training the children was convincing verification of the need for DI's commitment.

The first group of 30 child soldiers received were sick with malaria. Caring for these youngsters puts a great strain on the staff living in at-capacity housing. Land has been purchased and building is in progress for new homes. Church member volunteers are turning into savvy construction workers.

In August the last of 120 children DI agreed to take arrived. Staff, buildings and finances are stretched beyond imagination. One of three dormitories is unfinished, confining 72 children to a space where 40 should be. The kitchen/dining room has yet to be built, so eating takes place under very crude conditions.

Mark says, "When a ministry belongs to the Lord, it takes on a life of its own. Though we sow and water, we can't really explain its growth. It is a wonderful mystery."

In the negotiation about the exchange of the children, there was much talk about refraining from teaching about Jesus. Mark insisted he would be teaching the children to read and write, knowing in his heart what texts he would use. Mark also had to point out that there was no room for more children and there was need to wait for God to provide. The officials' answer was that Mark had always done what he said he would, so they were confident the money to pay for the buildings would materialize. The estimate is that $2000 per child will give each of these precious children a brand new life -housing, bedding, medicine, clothes, education, freedom and the love of Jesus.