Miles Collins

A Mother’s Letter from Burma…

I always tell myself that no matter how hard life seems, somebody, somewhere is worse off and in the case of the recent cyclone in Burma my difficulties pale into absolute insignificance.

As some of you may recall I sponser a four year old child who lives in one of the poorest and hardest hit areas of the devestated region of Hlaing Tharyar in Myanmar

Yesterday I received a letter via Bangkok from my sponsored child’s mother, my first reaction was of jubilation until I read the date of the letter. Any correspondance goes via the head office in Bangkok for translation and checking. There are, understandably stringent checks in place to protect the privacy and welfare of both child and sponser with the only downside that this all takes time to process.

On the 22nd of April May Mi Mi’s mother wrote to thank me for her daughter’s birthday card:

“Although we are not good financially, love abounds in our family.Though we did not celebrate May Mi Mi’s birthday, her birthday was a happy one. May Mi Mi is the youngest of the chidren and loved by everyone. Her father is running a meal shop selling rice and assorted curries. I keep house and help my husband with his shop.”

She goes on to describe the location and the connecting bridges (which are now, surely destroyed) to the neighbouring towns and villages. The letter was written in a positive way, with gratitude and goodwill:

“May Mi Mi and all of us pray for you and your family, may your days be filled with good health, laughter and sunshine”

I still don’t know if May Mi Mi and her family are dead or alive, I understand the children were among the worst to be affected because their ‘houses’ were so structurally weak. If she is alive then God only knows what she must be going through.

It’s humbling, it really is.