I’ve been mulling this around for a few days, but the situation keeps changing, becoming more confusing and more complicated.
On Friday morning, we awoke to shouting outside. We made it outside to see one mother and her son taken away in the back of an army truck. We then looked around to see that they were the last bunch of around 140 people (of about 150) from our community that were arrested at 6am.
It was mostly women and children, with some men. Some of the men had left for the morning or went to run errands. The police have come in the past, often to arrest primarily men. When they were seen coming, some of the men went hide–thinking this was the best way to protect their families so they could continue to work–but returned to find their wives and kids arrested.
The ten or so remaining–because they had hid, been showering, or had papers–looked devastated.
We were devastated, too, and so confused. What were we supposed to do?
The kids who attend the migrant school down the road were released about five hours later with the help of the principal. They came back shaken up and with numbers on their arms. Most of the mothers and fathers weren’t released. Many were deported and then given passes to return, simply to pack up their things.
Our community is split into two pieces of land that meet at the corner of the street. One side, though arrested and deported, is now permitted to stay. The other half was told–by the army and then the deputy mayor–that they are required to be off the land in three days, at which point the army would return to burn down their homes. It was later negotiated to five days, giving them until Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on when you start the counting.
We can’t really explain all the details, the political drama, or the entirety of the situation, particularly on social media. We can say that all the questions running through your mind are most likely running through ours, as well. We’re asking a lot of questions and praying a lot of prayers.
We’re trying to determine how to help. Friday night we had a community dinner, since after a stressful day with no one able to work, most were struggling to buy food. We cooked together and tried to celebrate the friendship that brought such an odd group together. We discussed a few options we could collectively pursue. Stephen & I let them know that we love them, we are praying for them, and we are so, so sad.
The days have been really somber. Everyone seems to feel helpless and hopeless, ourselves included. We really aren’t sure how to help. We’ve pursued a few options with little success. We aren’t really even sure if this is a short-term, small-scale problem, or long-term change to Mae Sot that ultimately will affect thousands of people on the border.
While we have been trying to sort out the details of finding homes and moving families in our immediate community, we learned this morning that another missionary family living here in Mae Sot was in a car accident last night. The husband, wife, and 12-year-old daughter were all killed. The husband was in a bible study with Stephen and they had breakfast together once a week; they were a part of our home church. It was more heartbreaking news.
And we just really aren’t sure what to think.
We aren’t sure what God is up to. After such a long year, we were so excited about the doors opening ahead of us. We have been trying to give thanks for the little things: the community was all able to return, so we are able to say goodbyes. Some will move close, and we’ll still be able to see them regularly. We are able to love on them while we load up truck after truck. We have seen God work in some miraculous ways in the details.
But there are also so many questions unanswered. We are suddenly praying over some big questions and attempting to process things much bigger than ourselves.
Will you simply pray with us? Please, please pray for our community. Pray for them to have a place to live. Pray for safety. Pray for peace. Pray for the trauma of all that has occurred over the past couple days.
Pray for wisdom for Stephen & I. Please pray for us–our exhaustion, our confusion, our heartbreak, our questions.
I’m sure more stories and more thoughts and photos will continue to come. I just wanted to be sure I got out something—we need people praying with us. We really so desperately need people praying with us.
My uncle Jeff Roggenback aunt Jiin and cuzin Jasmine were the family that got killed in the car accident. Please we need help finding out some info pleasecontact me. My name is shannon by the way
Hi, Shannon–I don’t know how to get in touch with you or how to help, but please email me at spurlock.kelli@gmail.com. I’m so sorry for your loss, and we are more than happy to help.
Blessings,
Stephen & Kelli
Jeff’s brother Joel Roggenback will be flying out tomorrow to try and finalize everything.
Here is the official report, but this is Thailand, and police sometimes give “home field” advantage” in the case of accidents.
They were driving home from Chaing Mai to Maesot, and in the very dangerous stretch of road between Tak and Maesot, Jeff and his family were instantly killed in a head-on accident with an 18 wheeler truck. The police report says that Jeff lost control of his vehicle in the wet, slippery conditions and his vehicle slid into the path of the oncoming truck. The driver had no time to react or avoid Jeff’s vehicle.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in Mae Sot as it is in heaven.
I don’t know this family, nor do I know Stephen and Kelli; but, I do appreciate that you are my brother and sister…and I hear you so loud and clear. My husband and I are missionaries in China and the “NORTHERN Country” and we understand fully: confusion, what is God doing, the Why’s, and what’s next. My sisterly advice, that through the things that we go through daily is to prostrate yourself before the LORD…and cry out to HIM, “asking HIM to take ALL that concerns you. “Take it all, dear Father, for Stephen and Kelli…their next steps, the questions, the unanswered prayers, take it all…and give them peace”. In Jesus Name, amen. Remain calm, and focused and let GOD show you the next steps. You are being a strong rock for those that are left. The remnant!!! Peace like a river, flow over your souls. So, very sorry for your loss. God is still God, and HE will comfort and bring Peace.
Know that our heart aches for you and your friends. Praying that The Lord is glorified and that he shows his faithfulness. We love you guys!
Steven
sent from my iPhone
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Praying for you as you seek God’s wisdom, guidance and protection during this difficult time in your ministry.
We love you guys and are praying!
Lord Jesus we love you. We know that you understand. You did not take the easy way out when it came giving your life and it is what gives us the hope that You, man of sorrows and well acquainted with grief, accusations, arrests, sentencings, abandonments, cursings, beatings, and sufferings of all kinds, YOU Jesus understand. Thank you that You are our sympathetic High Priest. You have endured and overcome that we too might endure and overcome with great victory!!! Spirit of the Living God fall fresh on our brothers and sisters! Fill them with your Spirit, wisdom, perseverance, zeal and overwhelming joy!!! YOU HAVE OVERCOME!!! We may not see or understand but we TRUST in you! You are moving, you are working, YOU are alive and well! All glory, honor power and dominion forever belongs to you! I ask in Jesus name and by full authority of His blood and victory over the grave, I ask that the enemy be thrown into confusion. I ask that the tactics of the enemy would be turned back on its own head, in Jesus name! I ask that through difficulty the Kingdom of Heaven would advance! I ask for Leaders in key positions to see the perseverance and love of our brothers and sisters and I ask for their souls in Jesus name! You are not slow concerning your promises as some might think! If you delay may it be for the redemption of men! Fill your people with vision to see the Kingdom move forward at all cost! Thank you for family that have devoted their lives to the broken being restored and the lost being welcomed home. Bless them Jesus in abundance!!!! I pray God that you would begin to show up to believers in their dreams and speak comfort to them, encourage them for You are their exceedingly great reward! I also ask that you would begin to show up to those not yet in the family, call their name and may they encounter the power and unyielding love of the Redeemer. Oh Lord tho the weapons of the enemy may form, they SHALL NOT PROSPER in JESUS name!!!!! The gates of hell WILL NOT PREVAIL against your church!!!!! You are on the move! I ask that you loose a battalion of the mighty host of heaven to their sides right now in Jesus name! We bind up the spirit of fear in Jesus name and cancel its assignment in Mae Sot in Jesus name and loose the Spirit of Gods Love! Fear, we cut you off at the root and you are stripped of authority dominion and power in Jesus name! We command you to submit to Jesus. We bind up the spirit of intimidation in Jesus name! We cancel your assignment and destroy and throw into confusion your tactics in Jesus name! We cut you off at the root and you are stripped of authority dominion and power in Jesus name! We command you to submit to Jesus! Spirit of idolatry we rebuke you and bind you in Jesus name! We establish as supreme Authority Jesus the King of Kings and declare that the ground of Mae Sot belongs to Him! We cancel your assignment and schemes in Jesus name! We cut you off at the root and strip you of authority dominion and power in Jesus name! We loose the power and authority and dominion of our God! I ask Lord that you lift the burden of indirection off of your people and lead us on our King! Holy Spirit speak to your children. Anoint their ears to hear you clearly. Anoint their eyes to see as you would see. Anoint their hearts to receive with bolstered faith your agenda. You are their front and rear guard. You are the lifter of their heads! You are the Strong Tower! You are the Deliverer. You are the I AM. I AM Hope, I AM Peace, I AM Joy, I AM Rest, I AM Comfort, I AM Strength, I AM Power, I AM Faithful and True, I AM Present in your suffering, I AM Healer of the broken, I AM Father to the Fatherless, I AM Deliverer, I AM WITH YOU! Lord God draw near! Bring clarity and direction in Jesus name! We ask for provision to pour from heaven in Jesus name! Thank you that you are the great I AM!!!!! We love you, we trust you, we entrust Mae Sot and the rest of the country to you. Take our hands and lead us on! Multiply rest and wisdom in Jesus name! May Your grace spread out like a mighty canopy in Jesus name!!!! We love You! In Jesus name, amen.
We are with you in prayer!!
Praying for you and your community.
We continue to pray many times a day over here, and our hearts are breaking for you. Thanks for the update—and may God be your strength and your song in these hard, hard days.
We love you.
hi I am a family member of Jeff Roggenback, Jiin and Jasmine who died in a fatal car accident just yesterday. Is there any more information you can give us regarding this accident or what happened? We have been looking everyday in the internet to see if we could read something and you were the only ones that had anything. My email address is shirleyevaro@yahoo.com thank you and we are also lifting you up in prayer!
Our Dear Kelli and Steve,
Please know that God is not doing this. The cruelty, injustice, the greed , the self-centredness and all the other evils of our fallen world which put Jesus on the cross is the power at work.
However, God put you to be His hands and his feet,in the community in which you live; to share his love, compassion ,and kindness with the poor, the marginalised and the disempowered. You have not hidden your light under a bushel, you have opened your hearts,your life and your home to bring light to the dark places. You have chosen to live incarnation ally with a Burmese migrant community who may never have known anything about Jesus if you hadn’t felt and answered God’s call.
We don’t know what the future is for these poor folks and we are all praying with you for their future. But Jesus too was a refugee and had no place to call his home- he is there sharing their fears and uncertainties through you. Love brings hope. So don’t give up.
Our God is our refuge and strength. He will continue to work through you because he has blessed you with a heart of compassion.
My heart is aching for what you are going through I will certainly pray for you earnestly.
Thank you for all of the replies, prayers, and words of hope! They are a blessing to us and remind us that we are connected to a greater group of people praying with us and partnering with us in this. Thank you!
Here in Chiang Mai, my husband and I are praying for you tonight. We don’t know you, but we heard about the Roggenbacks and were very touched by what happened to them and by your heartfelt request for prayer for yourselves and your community. We’re sorry that you have to go through this very difficult time, and we pray that you’ll be able to receive great comfort from God. He will hold you and carry you through this painful time. He will heal your hearts and restore your hope.
Praying with you!