In June 2011, Myanmar civil war a war broke out in the northern part, and some refugees fled to the China-Burma border. There are 80,000 refugees temporarily staying at Yingjiang County, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, the majority of whom are Kachin and Lisu people. They are almost Christians. Knowing the situation, Yingjiang Church has helped the refugees for five years, supporting them food, clothes and daily necessities.
Seeing that the refugees lived in the difficult conditions that they had no food and clothes to pass the winter, some Christians from Zhina Village and Zhanxi Town donated their own clothing, food and vegetables to them, which seemed a drop in the bucket. According to the book "Church Aids to Myanmar Refugees" sent by Yingjiang CCC & TSPM, refugees escaped to counties including Yingjiang, Lushui, Gongshan and Tengchong without bringing anything since the civil war in Myanmar in 2011. Arriving in Yunnan, some of them turned to their relatives for help. Considering that most of them are Christians, a refugee council was established to seek help from the churches locating at the borders in China.
Rev. Mi Bingxing, chairman of Yingjiang CCC and associate president of the provincial CCC & TSPM, tells CCD that in response, Yingjiang CCC founded a relief group for the refugees. He stressed that the Chinese church helped the refugees rather than Kachin State because of humanitarianism.
At that time the Burmese refugees sought asylum in the rural families and families. The council sent a petition for assistance to the church in Yingjiang on June 16, 2012, showing their gratitude for the aid and expectation to receive successive assistance from the Chinese members.
The letter recorded that the people of God in Myanmar fled the hometown and received over 100 tons of clothes, more than 200 tons of rice, commodities as well as medicine.
On Dec 11, 2012, a letter from a church for the refugees in Laiza, a town in the Kachin State, mentioned their thanks to Yunnan CCC & TSPM for the church in Yunnan sent 3500 copies of hymnals to the refugee believers. Later the refugee camp church wrote to the church in Yunnan, hoping to get more 4000 copies of hymns and 5000 copies of the Bible from the Chinese Christians due to no hymnal book left in the camp.
Another leader written by Rev. Du Shan, associate president of Kachin Baptist Convention, on May 12, 2012, revealed that the believers of Xiaoyang Church of Hangzhou donated over 130 tons of rice to the refugees. Then more than 200 pastoral staff including pastors, elders, deacons and preachers were displaced, having to live in gunfires.
"We feel the warmth and love from the Lord, like that God sent angels to help us. We have tided over a crisis and renewed our strength. We have seen God's power. Your aid has become a historical record among our Jingpo people and the refugees of each nationality. We give our sincere thanks to you, on behalf of the refugees and KBC." He hoped that the members of Xiaoyang Church could provide prayer and aid to them continuously because the war was ongoing at that time. The number of the refugees raised to exceeding 80,000 from over 50,000 and they were homeless. In addition, the Burmese pastor preached sermons in the refugee camps and comforted them with the message of the cross.
Brother Pan Zhigang who supported the poor in Yunnan and Tibet also aided the refugees. It was known that he shed tears in sight of the hungry refugees with injuries. He cooperated the relief group of the church in Yingjiang and brought clothes, goods and cash, distributing them to the refugees.
The letter added, "Today we are in two countries with the boundary. But we understand more that the Lord's love is boundless because of the faith, your love to God and everything you have done."
Translated by Karen Luo
