Progress on Literacy Starting to Make a Difference

CRWRC helps develop special materials for villagers from remote communities who have difficulty with speaking Lao.

The evaluation team reported that the materials produced by the project “provide a useful and appropriate resource for adult pre-literate learners to attain a foundation in literacy, classroom learning, and Lao language skills.”

Many students expressed appreciation for the materials. In one village, several married couples studied together. When interviewed, one couple explained that they had been coming to classes for four months and were making good progress because they could help each other. “We do everything together: we work in the fields, we care for our children, and now we study together.”

Continued Prayer Needs for Moe Si – Less than two weeks after Moe Moe returned to Laos from surgery on her own cancer, she returned to Bangkok to support her younger sister, Moe Si. Moe Si was originally in Bangkok to be with her husband, Rmin, who was in a coma. While there, a routine health check-up revealed that she herself has an advanced stage of stomach cancer, which later on was found to be beyond Stage 3.

Sadly, shortly after Moe Si’s operation, which removed her entire stomach, her husband passed away. A few days later, Moe Si started her first round of chemotherapy, each of which lasts six difficult days.

Soon after, her strength returned and she was able to return home to Myanmar. The next round of chemotherapy will begin in mid-June, with the third round set for July 14.

Moe Si has been a wonderful inspiration to us all through her strength in dealing with this devastating situation. Here is a good example. Earlier this evening, Moe Moe called and talked with Moe Si on the phone. Moe Si joked that having no hair was great: It was cool and refreshing. She tried on a wig but it was too hot. “From now on, I will stay bald.” Her son, Thar Thar, who is six years old, said, “I want to be bald like mom, too.”

On June 12, we will travel to Myanmar to be with family during this special period of time. Moe Moe and the children will stay until July 13, while Mike will return to Laos on June 21 to travel to Bountai district for ten days where he will be involved in a village-level needs assessment. We have selected 13 new villages where we will begin working in early 2013. Before we begin, we plan to identify needs with community members and develop a proposal to submit to a donor.

Prayer Items

Prayer that we will have a refreshing holiday with family and friends in Myanmar this summer.
Praise that Matthew has fully recovered and has not had any asthma attacks in the last two months.
Pray for Moe Moe’s health to continue to improve and for strength as she supports her sister Moe Si.
Praise and prayer for Moe Si. Praise that she is so courageous in dealing with her situation and prayer for strength to endure six stretches of chemotherapy.
Pray that the End of Project Evaluation in Phongsaly in October will go smoothly and will provide helpful ideas to improve our work.

Blessings,