'I Felt the Love of Jesus': Refugees Flee War in Myanmar, Find Peace and Freedom at Refugee Camp

MAE SOT, Thailand — Since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, pro-democracy militias and armed ethnic groups have been rebelling, taking control of different parts of the country. As fierce fighting between these groups and the Myanmar junta continues, thousands flee to surrounding borders including the border town of Mae Sot in Thailand. 

A young wife and mother, Kyu Kyu Thin, shares how jet fighters firing at their village wounded her husband and forced the family to run for their lives. Fortunately, they escaped together to a civil defense camp in the jungle.
 
She told CBN News their horrifying experience. "It was very scary especially for our little boy. Our village was being bombed every day, our houses burned and our neighbors were getting killed. We rode a bus and traveled 12 hours. Then we crossed to Mae Sot town, in Thailand to live in a refugee camp."
 
Four months since their escape, Kyu Kyu, her husband, and their 2-year-old son remain at the Thai refugee camp. According to Pastor Moses Kyaw Htay, head of the Church of Christ, these refugees have now become church members.

In 2008, Pastor Moses, a Burmese native, married a Thai woman and moved to Mae Sot.  Filled with compassion towards his own people, he started the Burmese church with the help of American missionaries.

"In Burma, they are homeless, hopeless. No education. No good for survival. We saw their problem. Somebody have no food. What we have in our house, we share. We show God's love. Then later, we share the gospel. They accept the Word of God. They believe Jesus as their Lord and Savior," Pastor Moses Kyaw Htay said.

Kyu Kyu shared how the church not only cared for them but also introduced them to Jesus. "It was the first time I heard about Jesus, in the refugee village. I believed right away because I felt the love of Jesus through the people from the church. I am six months pregnant and they bring me to the hospital for my free check-up."
 
Raised as Buddhists, Kyu Kyu and her husband testified how they learned the difference between praying to Jesus rather than Buddha.

Soe Thu Aung, Kyu Kyu's husband, said, "The god of the Buddhist is only an idol. But God here, Jesus, died and rose again to save the people, to save me. He is alive because he can hear my prayer. I prayed for work and after a few days, I got a job."

Kyu Kyu also said, "I am a refugee but God saved me. I am thankful to God because now I know that our family has a good future."

While no one knows the future of Myanmar, one positive result from the war is how a growing number of refugees now know Jesus Christ and can enjoy true peace and freedom.