Orlaan and Nahmoon 

The Power of Prayer

Orlaan and Nahmoon were teenagers when their parents made the difficult decision to abandon their home and escape from Myanmar. Their father was a prominent politician and an outspoken critic of the military junta.  In the days after the coup, dissent meant arrest and almost certain death. The family’s only hope was to make the treacherous journey to Thailand.

Somehow, they made it to the border. After so many days hiding from the Burmese army, they thought the worst was behind them as they waded across the muddy Moei River and into the town of Mae Sot. At first, it seemed their lives had turned around. The United Nations settled them into a hotel room while they waited to be processed. From there they would be flown to the USA as refugees. 

They were overjoyed. But days turned into weeks turned into months. Eventually, a year went by.  The family started to lose hope. It felt like their future was slipping away. Their father especially struggled. He was used to an active life as a leader of his community. Trapped in a tiny hotel room, he surrendered to alcohol and despair. 

But even in his lowest moments, he never lost sight of his ultimate goal - to give his children a better life. Then one day, he heard about a place that helped young Burmese develop the skills they needed to succeed in their new lives. It was called Hebron Youth Directions. He immediately went there and pleaded for his children to be given a place in the program.

The team at Hebron agreed and Orlaan and Nahmoon enrolled as full-time hospitality trainees. They learned barista skills and how to bake bread, pizzas and pastries. They became proficient in Western and Oriental cooking, customer service and health and safety. They flourished in the loving, supportive environment. 

It wasn’t just Orlaan and Nahmoon who found renewed hope. Their parents started visiting the Hebron gym. They gave up alcohol, improved their diet and exercised regularly. Twelve months later, their lives had transformed. They were happy and healthy. Orlaan and Nahmoon had finished their two-year hospitality course and were even training new students. They were ready to start afresh. But the family was still stuck in that hotel room. There was only one thing to do. Pray.

The entire Hebron team gathered to pray for Orlaan and Nahmoon's family and for their long-awaited future overseas. And it worked. Just three hours later the phone rang. The family’s visas had been approved. They would be leaving for America in just two days. 

They are now living and working in Fort Worth Texas, just a one-hour drive away from another Hebron family. That connection has helped ease their transition. Even halfway across the world, Hebron continues to touch and enhance their lives.

Nahmoon has embarked on further studies. Orlaan works at a bakery four days a week and also as a barista at a local hairdresser. She’s busy but grateful to be working and supporting her family. She’s even saving for more advanced training in the future.

They are living a life they didn’t dare imagine three years ago. And it’s all thanks to Hebron Youth Directions and the generosity of its many supporters and donors.