Hello!
This month I will be climbing up Mt. Everest to Everest Base Camp (EBC).
Yes, you read that correctly.
I'm so excited!
But what’s even greater than hiking Everest is the story behind this opportunity.
This post has 3 objectives. They are to:
1. Tell you a story about healing and dreams coming true.
2. Tell you about a courageous woman and ask you for money on behalf of Karen people in Burma.
3. Invite you to submit prayer requests of your own no matter what your belief system may be.
HEALING
Spoiler alert: Jesus has healed me of all my diseases!
Dec. 2012 - I fell in the woods in the USA and sprained my ankle. Because it was not treated correctly, it remained swollen the entire year. Stopped dancing and running, and was afraid.
2013 - I moved to Thailand. Again, my swollen ankle interfered with exploring my surroundings comfortably. Started physical therapy. All this while I was praying to God, asking Him to heal me of all my diseases—and thanking Him in advance for it.
2014 - Ankle was better, but still swollen (and sometimes in pain). Was sad to not be dancing or running. By the end of the year though, the ankle was improving. By October, I was back to exercising.
Jan 2015 - I went home for my sister’s wedding. Lo and behold I met some relatives for the first time, one of whom works for a trekking company in Nepal. In the Thai school where I currently work, summer vacation is March and April—peak Himalayan trekking season. Hmm, I thought.
Could it be that I could hike in Nepal during summer break?
The answer is YES.
March 29th I fly from Thailand to Kathmandu, and will join 8 other trekkers, plus guides, to hike up to Everest Base Camp. Everest towers at 8,850 meters/29,035 feet. EBC is at 5,545 meters/18,192 feet. This is a dream come true, and—to think just a short year ago—I thought it was an impossible one.
BURMA
A friend of mine, Katie, is climbing even greater mountains than Everest. She is moving mountains in Burma, and aims to move them out of the way for the disadvantaged Karen people (pronounced KUH-ren). I want to tell you her story and invite you to move mountains with us.
In the 1990s, some major oil companies built a gas pipeline through a region of Burma, known as Karen state. This was at the expense of the locals. A lawsuit was filed in the USA, and a settlement was reached. Partial funding from this settlement helps run the electricity and huts of a school in the jungles of Burma. This school is known as the Youth and Empowerment Program (YEP).
YEP is a school for Karen students ages 15-20, and has existed since 2010.
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| Some of YEP's enthusiastic students. |
YEP is located in a southeastern part of Burma that is quite remote. The school is an initiative run by the Karen, for the Karen. The goal of YEP is to train young Karen people to work in their communities and build up their people. The core curriculum includes Bible, Logic/Math, Philosophy, English, Writing, and Karen Studies (history, language, culture, dance). When students are ready, they take more advanced subjects such as government, community management, conflict resolution, sustainable agriculture, and human rights. In addition to the all-Karen staff, there are a few foreign volunteers who teach English. Katie is one of them.
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| Katie and one of her students help an injured bird. |
This is where you come in.
For $1,000 dollars a month, 5 Karen staff members can be paid and keep this school open consistently. Would you like to give towards that? No foreign person will receive any of these funds, as foreign volunteer teachers raise their own support. 100% of any donations will go towards the Karen staff’s salary and well-being. There was an urgent health care need just this week. One staff member was diagnosed with needing a root canal and other major dental work. The cost is $700.
If you would like to support the Karen, consider making a donation to YEP. You can pay via PayPal (www.paypal.com), or send a check made out to Katie Wierenga with ‘YEP’ in the memo line.
For PayPal: please send money to Katiewoo13@yahoo.com. Please type ‘YEP’ in the note line. Note: if you have your PayPal account connected to your bank account, this will be a free transaction. If it is connected to your debit card only, there will be a $10 fee which you can choose to pay or Katie will have to pay.
For checks: please mail to:
Katie Wierenga
c/o Kase Wierenga
2662 N. Columbine Ave
Boise, Idaho 83713
USA
PRAYER
That’s not all.
Is there an ankle injury in your life that has devastated you, and it seems has crushed some of your deepest dreams?
I want to invite you to submit a request for prayer. It doesn’t matter if you believe in God or Beyoncé or nothing. I want to pray for you and for your injuries because Jesus Christ can heal you of all your diseases. So, if you’d like, please send me any prayer requests (via email or Facebook messages), which are on your mind, and I will pray for you as I hike up to Base Camp. Who knows? Maybe in one short year your healing will be realized and your dearest dream will come true.
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| After students and rhino beetles, how hard could Everest be? :) |
Thanks for reading.
~ Sarah
sarahbrosenbaum@gmail.com
sarahbrosenbaum@gmail.com
