News Blog:

Yesterday I met Maung Har who is a refugee from Burma.  He’s been here a month, and he’s one of hundreds that often slip through the cracks of a broken system. 

Maung Har and his family lived in Karen State, Burma, and had to flee after their village was attacked and destroyed by the Burma Army.  He then found refuge at Mae Ra Moe refugee camp along the Thai-Burma border.  During his 8 years living there, his wife became pregnant, and he became glossy-eyed as he recounted losing his wife during childbirth.  Their newborn daughter survived, only to die 2 months later.   A fact we talk about often, yet here is a man who has lived it – 1 in 12 mothers will die due to complications of childbirth, and 1 in 5 children will die before their 5^th birthday in eastern Burma.

Now Maung Har and his 14 year-old son have sought asylum in the USA.  Residing here one month already, the man we found was covered in painful itching sores all over his arms/wrists and ankles/legs.  A problem he had while in Thailand that has never been addressed since arriving to America.  It could be scabies, which is common in the refugee camps, but no matter what it is, it’s gone on too long.  Why was it not addressed sooner?

Also, he was never provided a rice cooker, nor shown how to go to the store and shop for food.  Again, he’s been here for one month!  So he and his son have been living off of Top Ramen noodles, simply because they didn’t know what else to do. 

Project Worthmore digs deep to find those who fall through the cracks of a weak system.  A mentor team has opened their hearts to help with the transition of Maung Har and his son.  They took him grocery shopping last night, and will help get him to the doctor to address his skin problem.  They’ll help with his English learning, and Project Worthmore will supply school supplies as his son enters middle school. Because of the generosity of others, we were able to give them a rice cooker, cleaning supplies, toiletries, household needs, and a bag of rice that should feed them for a month.  We’ll be sure they are cared for and get the best opportunity to get on their feet as soon as possible.  They’ll know that they are loved and not forgotten – both by God and their community.

Come dig in the cracks with us - get involved in a refugee’s life by contacting Project Worthmore today!

Digging with Love,
Shaune

I woke up the other morning and in my few moments of quiet I read this quote by Emily Dickinson, "If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain."  I thought to myself, "I like that!".  What is more important than sharing the love that was given to me and the healing of my own broken heart, and offering that love to another broken heart in need of mercy and grace?
 

As the day raced on, I was able to witness this very thought in action.
 

Frank:  "Shaune, we need to swing by the Rohingya refugee family's house to see if one of the sons wants a job."  We entered the house and asked the young man in his 20s who had been in the States for only 3 months - "You want a job?  Yes?  Ok...we have to leave for the job interview in 15 minutes."  He cleaned up, and off we went to his first job interview.
 

We also picked up a 41 year-old Chin refugee who has been in the States for a few years.  He commutes almost 4 hours a day to clean a building for 3 hours.  He was in for a surprise of what this next job opportunity would be.  Spending a couple of hours with him, I also learned his story.  His parents had both died from illnesses in Burma.  They had 14 children, of those 14 only 4 were still alive.  10 siblings had died from preventable illnesses in Burma.  I was too shocked to absorb what that really meant.
 

So here was Frank, me, a Rohingyan and two Chin ethnic people walking into ACE restaurant.  ACE had just opened the day before, and was ranked in the Top 25 new restaurants in the nation!  We met Chris and Daniel who were happy to have these two refugees who couldn't speak much English to be a part of their team.  They welcomed them, showed incredible respect, and gave them the job on the spot - and told them to be to work the next day!
 

These two guys were filled with hope that day.  Aaron, the Chin refugee, will make more money than he's ever made at $10/hour full-time.  He'll cut the commute out of his day and have more time with his family, his community and his church.  Sayed, the Rohingyan refugee, was given an opportunity to get him out of the house, improve on his English, and bring home a decent wage at $9/hour at a prestigious restaurant.  
 

Were their broken hearts and lives restored this day because of a job?  Not really.  
 

But it was a day filled with excitement, thankfulness, joy, and hope - and for Project Worthmore, it was a day we felt thankful to be used in a small way to bring about good changes in the lives of the refugees.  
 

To learn more about the work Project Worthmore is doing in Denver visit www.projectworthmore.com.
 

If you are in the Denver area, go eat at ACE!  Visit www.acedenver.com for address and menu.
 

To read more about the plight of the refugees in Burma visit the Partners website at  www.partnersworld.org.
 

If you are a business owner and want to provide work and an opportunity for a refugee, contact Frank at frankganello@gmail.com.
 

A life not lived in vain,
Shaune Vincent

The time has come again!  Come eat at Watercourse Foods anytime throughout the day on June 11th. A portion of money made will go directly to serving Denver-area refugees. Be sure to pass the word along and invite your friends and family. We thank  you in advance for your support and look forward to seeing you there!

www.watercoursefoods.com

Project Worthmore has had the exciting opportunity of partnering with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) to teach English to Karen refugees. ESL classes began two weeks ago and will continue to be held on Monday evenings at the Vineyard church in Arvada.  Many Karen women and children have attended and our numbers will hopefully continue to increase in the coming weeks. 

You can learn more about YWAM and their other good works here: http://www.ywam.org/

Many thanks to all of our volunteers and YWAM for your dedication to this task. Here's to many more weeks of fun and learning together!