Gilroyan traveling to Thailand on mission to help refugees

Aimee D’Hondt, a Gilroy native, is a missionary who is getting ready for her trip to Thailand where she will work with different ministries that combat human trafficking, protect at-risk children as well as minister to Burmese refugees fleeing genocide in their home country.
D’Hondt is hosting a fundraiser at the Gilroy Chevy’s on Thursday, May 31 to help aid her expenses for the trip. Fifteen percent of sales from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. will go to D’Hondt

Currently, D’Hondt is living in Atlanta to work with refugee groups as she prepares for the mission.

Here’s a link to her blog: http://aimeedhondt.theworldrace.org/

About Aimee D’Hondt: She will be going to be serving in Chiang Mai, Thailand for the next two years, starting mid-August, and doing so with the Adventures In Missions (based out of Gainesville, Georgia), but will be serving with several local ministries in Thailand. A few of the organizations she’s  doing work with include (though not limited to):

Free Burma Rangers www.freeburmarangers.org

Remember Nhu  www.remembernhu.org

YWAM Lighthouse in action www.ywamthai.org/lighthouse/

Her calling: “My heart is for the Burmese people who are crossing the Thai border seeking refuge from genocide taking place in their country. The Burmese government is extremely corrupt and has basically been ruled by an abusive military regime since the 60s. The country is currently engaged in one of the longest running civil wars in history. The people have no civil rights and the ethnic groups are oppressed and treated with brutal violence. If you would like more information on Burma, its history, or the current situation, there is a blog post at aimeedhondt.theworldrace.org that is very informative and helpful.

“While in Thailand, the main contact I will be working with is the Free Burma Rangers. This organization is having a huge impact inside Burma and even in Northern Thailand where they are based. I originally met FBR while doing missions work in Thailand in February of 2011. I stayed at the home of the founder and his family, and my time with them changed everything for me. That is when my passion for the Burmese people was ignited. The next month, I worked with Burmese refugees at a UN Refugee school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and my love for them grew even more.

Source : http://www.gilroydispatch.com