Who are we, what we need?

Who are the Chin?
           The Chin (we) are actually several people groups from the western side of Burma (Myanmar), near India. We are called the Hill People. The name Chin is the Burmese name for the residents of Chin State. We call ourselves regional names — the northern Chins called ourselves Zomi; the southern Chin called ourselves Khumi or Khami and the Chin from the central part of Chin State call ourselves Laimi and we speak different dialects. We do not have major language.

Why are we coming?
           We have no place to go. The Chin (we) are a predominately Christian tribe. The first Protestant missionaries to Burma were Ann and Adoniram Judson in 1813, and we worked among the Karen people, who received Christ. We then began to spread the Word to our close relatives, the Chin. Arthur Carson was the first American missionary to the Chin people and came to Hakha on March 15, 1899. The missionaries recorded our first convert five years later. Several of our Chin lived close to Hakha, and our grandparents and parents were some of the first Chin converts in our villages.

           The missionaries spent a great deal of time giving the Chin our first written alphabet and in trying to get the Bible translated into the various dialects. All American missionaries were expelled from Burma in 1966 by the then socialist government. The Chin (we) continued evangelizing and still do, although we are forbidden to share our faith with any Burmese.

           Today, all the Chin (we) are seen as threats by the Buddhist military junta who rules the country because we supported Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy candidate in the 1990 general election, which she won handily. Instead of recognizing the results of the election, the military made her prisoner and began to go after those who had supported her. Many Baptist pastors were either killed and their bodies draped across the podiums of our churches to intimidate our congregations or we were sent off to labor camps. At that time, many Chin fled our country to India, Thailand and Malaysia. The U.S. and other countries, through the UN, offered to take a certain number of us as political refugees. When 9-11 hit, the resettlement stopped because there was some question as to whether the Chin had fought against our government, which was grounds for not being allowed in the USA. But two years ago, the Chin were granted exemption, and the resettlement has been going strong ever since.

How many more are coming?
           No one seems to know. The majority of the families arrived within the last two years. Most of our newest refugees are relatives of the ones who are already here. The men have spent anywhere from two years to 11 years in Malaysia in tents in the jungle, working to get money to get our families out of Burma into Malaysia. Then the whole family hides and works in Malaysia for a year or so, waiting to get to the USA. How many more are coming is very difficult to predict. On an average we are coming about a family (or single) a month, although we don't come that way. We come in groups of four to five new families, then none, then again a group.

What do we most need?
           Most Americans think that the very first thing we need is material things and yes, that is very important. But what we first need is acceptance and welcome and respect. We often feel shamed because we cannot speak the language and because of the impatience with which we are often treated.

           We are very family oriented, and because we left parents and grandparents behind, that is the hardest thing for us. We often do not expect to ever see us again, although we do have cell phone contact with us even in Chin land! Some have wives and children still in Burma who we haven't been able to get out. So even though we are happy to finally be in the USA, we are still worried about our loved ones.

           Our first priority is a job. We are given Social Security numbers and the right to work immediately when we get here. The resettlement agencies work to get us a job — as does the whole Chin community. Right along with that is getting any children in school. Our kids are without education in Malaysia.

           Coming from the jungles and mountains of Chin State (Myanmar) to Colorado (USA) is quite a jump. We badly need explanations of American culture. All the paperwork and red tape that accompany our lives on a regular basis are a nightmare for us. We need help navigating our "systems" such as school and work and health. We need English. We need interaction with Americans. We need to worship with the English churches, to pray together, to play, to teach, to just be. We need them to love on us for a while. From them, we can learn patience and endurance and contentment. And yes, many times we need financial help or things like furniture or dishes or coats or diapers or food, especially if we have a hard time getting a job. NS