Choedi Pisansatit is a 32 year old Sgaw Karen lady who lost her father and
sister in an accident on the way down to Chiang Mai from the village, and then
her husband killed himself a week later. It all happened in April 2009.
Choedi got married at 16 years of age and she moved to Ma Oh Jo village to live
with her husband’s family. Her parents and siblings still live in Pak-ka-Cheh
village a one hour walk from Ma Oh Jo.
“Choedi and her family became believers after Integrated Tribal Development
Project (ITDP) came and built a water system in Ma Oh Jo in 2006. I went to Ma
Oh Jo in December 2009 with a work team to build a clinic. I spent a week with
Choedi and her 3 sons ages16,15, and 13. My first night in her hut I heard
Choedi sobbing quietly in a corner. She told me she missed her husband. I
learned that her husband had had some mental problems but they never had the
money and opportunity to seek medical help for him. With my limited knowledge of
Karen language, all I could do was to hold her hands and assure her that her
husband is now with God and where he is, he certainly is not suffering from any
diseases or sickness. That corner became our special spot where Choedi and I
prayed together every night for God’s grace and providence for her family.
It was heart-breaking to hear Choedi cry softly at night, every night, and yet,
I know God put me there to listen to her cries, I can really see God’s goodness
even in such tragedy. The day I had to return to Chiang Mai, Choedi gave me a
big hug and told me I must come back and visit my little sister again soon. I am
going to visit Choedi in May.”
Becky Mann
Ma Oh Jo village