God set the example by giving us Jesus at the first Christmas.We respond today by accepting His gift, giving thanks, and passing on gifts of our own to others.In a process that began last summer, many of you followed that same pattern by giving sweaters and other clothing for us to pass on to some of the refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) of Burma.We wanted to report that your gifts were delivered, gladly accepted with much thanks and from the refugee camp, have been carried in to the displaced inside Burma.

We were very pleased with the response we had when we put out a request for sweaters last summer.Over the past several months quite a stack of boxes accumulated in our store room, which finally filled the two pick up trucks you see in the photos.To go to the camp from Chiang Mai, we drove about 4 hours on paved roads, then another 3 or 4 hours over dirt roads that put the 4 wheel drive to good use.The boxes were stacked high, with some even on the roof of one truck.With the bumping, dipping and swaying back and forth, it is a wonder that only one box fell off.We had stopped to chat with some villagers along the way and had just noticed that there was a hole where we thought a box might have been.While still pondering whether we had lost a box or not, a pick up truck carrying local merchandise to sell that was following behind us stopped and handed us the box that had fallen along the way.We reattached it and continued on eventually, delivering the full load to the camp.

Some of the clothing we brought was saved for the IDP children going to school at the camp where we stayed.But most of it was to be sent inside Burma.We delivered the boxes on December 12th, and already people were gathering from other camps to carry the goods into Burma.The plans were to carry the sweaters and other items in to the people who would be gathering at a central spot safely out of range of the Burmese military.There they would have a large Christmas celebration for several days.Choirs and instructors from refugee Bible schools were traveling along to provide music, activities, preaching and teaching.They would also carry in all the sweaters we brought.There are no roads in the area so the trip started by boat and ended by walking half a day or more.All together, some 90+ people traveled from the camps into Burma ministering to some 1000 IDPs that had gathered for the big celebration.

Your gifts helped warm the hearts of people living in very stressful conditions and helped make Christmas come alive in a special way in a remote part of Burma.Now, as the celebration is in the past, your gifts continue to help many people stay warm during these cold months of the year.So on behalf of ourselves, on behalf of those that organized the trip and on behalf of all that received the clothing, we say a great big THANKS!

We missed the holiday, but we do hope your Christmas was a happy one and a time to remember the gift of Christ that was given to us.Our family also wants to pass on our thanks to you too for making it possible for us to be here.We appreciate your prayers and support and feel it a real privilege to be in Thailand on your behalf.We pray this New Year will be a time of growth in all ways for each of us.

Yours in Christ,

Duane & Marcia Binkley