DEAR FRIENDS,

AS I WRITE THIS LETTER MY HEART

IS BREAKING FOR THE PEOPLE OF
CHINA AND BURMA

as nearly 2 million could die from the impact of Nargis,

most of whom would go into eternity without Jesus unless
there is immediate assistance to the people.

BECAUSE VISION BEYOND

BORDERS HAS BEEN WORKING
IN BURMA FOR OVER 14
YEARS, we have developed strategic contacts who are
now in the midst of bringing emergency relief to the people.
During this 14 years, we worked with with our contacts on
delivering Bibles, seeds, clothes, assistance for children,
building a medical clinic and helping women with small
business loans. Now we are partnering with them in their
emergency relief efforts and assistance for 6000 recently
orphaned children.
As you know, the little girl Shwee Yin Myin is from Burma in
a small village 45 minutes from Yangon. The medical clinic
we have helped build is slated to open this month. In the
midst of so much tragedy we are seeing God at work. First of
all, Shwee’s village was in the path of the cyclone, and yet
only a few houses were destroyed. There were no casualties.
It was as though God Himself was protecting her village and
the well was not contaminated. devastation in the country. Since our contact was waiting for
a large supply of medicine we made a quick trip into Vietnam
We were in SE Asia when the cyclone hit and were supposed
to deliver a load of Bibles. We returned to Bangkok about
to be in Burma at that time, but God ordained that we were
9:00 pm when I remembered that they needed medicine in
in neighboring countries. I had been in Laos praying for
Burma, so our team ran around Bangkok until 1:00 am
God’s direction as to what we were to be focused on. Later
trying to buy all the medicine we could afford.
that afternoon I read the newspaper about the cyclone and
started praying for Burma. After arriving back in Bangkok, I BY GOD’S GRACE WE WERE
got a call from one of our contacts from Burma who asked
me to join him and his wife for dinner.
ABLE TO FILL ABOUT SIX
At dinner he shared about the destruction in his country. At
LARGE DUFFEL BAGS FULL OF
that time the death count was very low. I told him that we MEDICINE. Traveling into Burma, we were able to
are committed to help his country all that we can. He said get through customs with the six bags of medicines and six
that the greatest and most immediate need is for medicine. additional bags of clothing. The majority of the medicine was
Over the next two days we received more reports of sent directly to the areas where the cyclone hit the worst.
 clung to every word that he spoke, as they are so desperate
for hope. It was awesome to see their rapt attention as he
shared the words of life through Jesus Christ.
After ministering to the people, we were able to serve them a
hearty meal with meat and rice. The team demonstrated the
character of Jesus as we waited on the people. After the meal,
many of the people thanked us. They were so grateful. We
then held a free medical clinic, and over 120 people were
prayed for and given medicine after being checked out by a
Burmese doctor.
Before returning to their village, we were able to give the
people some rice to help their families. We helped carry their
rice to the trucks waiting to take them back to their village.

While many aid workers were waiting to get visas, we were,

with God’s orchestration, already inside the country and were
the first foreigners to bring in medicine.
While riding in the taxi from the airport, the driver shared
about what was happening in his country. He had waited
eight hours in line for gasoline before beginning work. When
his turn came he was only able to purchase two gallons at ten
dollars per gallon. He said eggs had gone from 10 cents each
to over 30 cents each. Rice had doubled in price. Water,
electricity, and telephones had been cut off and may not be
restored for yet another month.
He conveyed how the government had told the people that
the storm would last for 30-60 minutes, and that everyone
should return home and wait out the storm. The storm
started at 11 pm on Saturday night and lasted twelve hours.
He said the last five hours were the worst. We read that peak
winds were assessed at 135 mph. It was overwhelming to see
the beautiful city of Yangon torn apart as 100 year old trees
We told them “We are Christians from America and have
were uprooted everywhere, billboards torn to shreds, twisted
come to help.” I’m thankful for the opportunity that we had
metal everywhere, power lines and telephones poles snapped
to serve the people and in awe of how God gave us the
and lying on the ground, and many roofs’ torn off buildings.
opportunity not just to tell people the Gospel but to
One of our contacts reported that his good friend returned to demonstrate it as well .
his village where he grew up and found the whole village
gone. All of his family, relatives and the people he grew up THE LAST DAY WE WERE IN
with are completely gone. I can’t imagine the grief this young BURMA WE VISITED A SMALL
man must be facing. How would I handle returning to the
place I grew up to find everyone gone and the place
ORPHANAGE AND WERE ABLE
devastated? TO DELIVER THREE BAGS OF
The next day God did something I’ve never seen before in RICE TO HELP THE 25
Burma. Our contact was able to bring more than 300 people CHILDREN LIVING THERE. It was sad
from Shwee’s village into the city of Yangon where our team to see the downed trees everywhere, but a blessing to see
was able to minister to them. Most of the people are from more children who love Jesus. We spent over an hour with
Buddhist and Hindu backgrounds, but we were able to pray them singing and ministering to them. Before leaving we
for the people individually. Many of them are very fearful walked around the compound and were shocked to see the
and asked that we pray for God to give them courage and boys’ quarters. Their dormitory is a small hut that was
strength. completely inundated by rain during the cyclone; it stands
One of the team members was able to share the message of over the pig sty.
hope through Jesus Christ to the 300, and to tell the people Before leaving Burma our contact reported that there are over
that there are many people around the world who love and 6,000 children who have been orphaned due to the cyclone.
pray for them and want to help their country. The people Our hearts are burdened for the many orphans, so we are
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working to raise money As one of our team members reported, ‘This is a truly a work
to build additional of people helping people,’ where efforts of government to
dormitories to house the government are failing or at best very restricted. We are
children. We are working hand-in-hand with the people of Burma to save as
concurrently working to many lives as possible and to bring the message of Jesus
raise additional money Christ to those without hope.
to buy more medicine,
I’m sharing this with you because I believe God has given us
rice and water
this rare opportunity to minister to the people of Burma.
purification supplies to
Your financial help and prayers are greatly needed and
save as many lives as
appreciated at this time.
possible. Please pray and
ask the Lord if He
would have you help us God Bless You as you obey the Holy Spirit’s prompting,
to minister to the people
Patrick and VBB Staff
in Burma.

This is a truly a work of people helping people, where

efforts of government to government are failing or at best
very restricted. We are working hand-in-hand with the
people of Burma to save as many lives as possible