Below is from his personal blog which you can visit at: http://bryanmonzon.com/blog or follow him on twitter @bryanmonzon

After a long couple of days of travel, I’ve yet to arrive in Haiti but I’m one step away. I’ve flown across the United States to Tampa, Florida and drove in the rain through a tornado warning into Miami. We’re at the Marriot where, on Super Bowl weekend, we have 6 rooms for one night at $40.00 total! Jared Brown, Co-Founder of Project 81 and organizer of this trip, somehow managed to pull this feat off.

I’m rooming with Greg and James, two native Haitians making the journey along with the team. The team is quite a crew. There’s 18 total of us and team members skills vary from neurosurgeon to journalists. I am the team’s videographer.
We leave tomorrow on a US military aid plane at 1:30pm EST. The flight is less than 2 hours long and we will certainly be inserted into a world like we’ve never imagined. I was in the San Bernadino mountains during the ‘94 Northridge earthquakes and I remember the images of the 1989 San Francisco quake. It’s hard for an economic powerhouse like California and America to recover from such destruction, let alone a nation already impoverished before the catastrophe.

What to expect from this trip would be impossible. It’s such an awkward thing for people who want to wish us well and say “have fun” or “oooh that’ll be exciting”. While the adventure is an adventure, I would much rather visit on different terms. The quake happened, I have skills that could be used and the opportunity was available. I’m thankful for that and look forward to meeting more wonderful people.

With all of this I realize more and more that this is where I want to be. Traveling to meet people, hopefully meet their needs and gain a fantastic friendship that lasts a lifetime.

Unfortunately my film was left unfinished. All of the children I met were barefoot and after several hours of filming I made the ‘mistake’ of buying them sandals in the market. I soon attracted a sizable crowd of street children hoping for handouts, rendering my fly-on-the-wall documentary approach obsolete. I had to leave Mae Sot the next day and returned to the states without a film. More frustratingly, I didn’t have a plan to help Kimboee, Nezo, and the other children like them.

Fortunately, the story doesn’t end there…

eleho is partnering with our friends at Compasio to help them build a drop-in center in Mae Sot. During my upcoming trip back to Mae Sot, I will be creating a short documentary film telling the story of these street children and highlighting the amazing work Compasio is doing to provide these children with safety, education, and opportunity. This film will be the centerpiece of ‘twenty4hope’, social media and monthly giving campaign, which will give individuals the opportunity to partner with Compasio, for as little as $20 a month, and help give hope to the street children of Thailand.

I am excited to announce that Cinevate has generously offered to provide some their amazing gear for the shoot. If you know anything about filmmaking, they make the best lens adaptors and camera accessories money can buy, and we am very, very grateful for their support.

In addition, this film wouldn’t be possible without the support of Pray With Africa, a Nashville-based non-profit, and my dear friends. Please check out the website and the documentary (which I created): “Listen: A New African Narrative.”  We’d love to book a screening at your church or school—contact info is on the website.

I look forward to updating you from the field in the next few weeks. As always, your prayers and support are vital. Thank you for reading this.

If you would like to support my trip you can donate here

It’s all a bit surreal for me. I was sitting in the back of a cab at 3 in the morning headed to the airport to return home. The taxi driver put on a CD, probably because he couldn’t speak english and the silence was a bit awkward. Immediately I recognized the intro of the song to be Linkin Park. The music quite anthemic and really fits as the closing song to a movie like Transformers or James Bond. This would be where the final montage with me in the back seat, in silence, passing by the king’s palace and throughout the dingy city of Bangkok. Peering out the window I watch the city I just saved from mass destruction whisk by thinking about how amazing I am.

Well maybe that’s being dramatic (and I’m not amazing at all) but I did feel nostalgic and reflective as I began my long journey home. Learning how to fight for human rights and social justice has been extremely tough on me. If you’re realistic you quarrel with some philosophical principles and the human nature to help. I began to write a few days ago about in my own journal about this struggle. Upon learning bad news I had to come to a resolution.

So here’s the entry:

Today is my final day in Thailand. Tonight (Friday night), I head down to Bangkok on the night bus and Sunday, I leave for home. My initial thoughts as I leave are to “miss” my bus and stay here forever but my family back home would hate me and I don’t think I could live with that, so I’ll board the plane as planned and return to reality where bills and school await me.

I absolutely love traveling without expectations. I recommend to those of you who are type A people and travel the world to loosen up on the schedule a bit. It will open you up to unexpected adventures. I changed my plans two days before I was supposed to visit the islands and the trip took a dramatic turn.

Father of this newborn died recently leaving him and his 3 brothers and sister alone with their mother.

For the rest of the trip I will be traveling home with a heavy heart. This picture is of a baby whose father died only a couple of days ago. The father left 4 kids alone with a mother who all live on the street already. The family would regularly be in attendance at the street ministry where Compasio would spend an hour each day talking and providing the children with a small amount of food. The people on the street say it was a boil on his face but it was probably something like the flu or a cold. The possibilities are endless. The fact remains, the kids are left without a father have a bleak future.

In addition to the father passing away, I also learned that the aunt (age is in the twenties) of one the babies Compasio cares for was raped and murdered only a few days ago as well. They have no idea why or who committed the crime. She was however involved with the drug and sex trade for several of years. Also, there were 9 homeless Burmese people imprisoned this week-their kids were left to fend for themselves. They, as of this afternoon, are still sitting in prison and the kids are running around town begging and collecting bottles for recycling.

When the experts say “create sustainability” and use buzzwords college students and professors speak of, I want so bad to make that happen in Burma and Thailand. My question to the academic world and those with greater wisdom than I is, how can “sustainability” happen in a place where a Burmese man tells me he ran from his own country because living on the streets in Thailand, illegally, is safer for his family? He’s legally not allowed to work, has no health benefits, cannot rent or own a home and is forced to live on the streets. If an organization were to advertise a product made by Burmese but operated in Thailand, they could be investigated and then kicked out of the country, not helping anyone. Maybe it’s a risk worth taking.

Quite possibly I am missing components of this because I’m an artist learning the nuances of development. In several conversations with the people working out here, there doesn’t seem to be any one solution that is working. In fact the only solution I see happening are organizations working just to provide the essentials of food and clean water. Maybe at this moment in time, that’s all we as westerner’s looking to help in someway or another can provide right now.

I can sum up how I feel in a small paragraph written by my friend Megan Byrd for eleho. She wrote:

We are the collective. Surfers. Students, Artists. Entrepreneurs. Idealists. We’re here to author change, expose honesty and pursue life for a people beyond conflict. For us it’s about more than doing good – it’s about doing right. It’s about being human in a world of inhumanity. We are the witnesses who must do more than watch. We are the privileged who are privileged to give back.

My greatest conviction is that I’ll just be someone who passes by and misses the issues lying in the cracks and crevices that hide within brief interactions. My biggest problem is that I carry the weight of the world when it’s impossible to believe that I could save everyone from their problems.

So as I conclude this trip I am leaving with less answers to more questions. J in Chiang Mai opened my eyes to the real problem being the distrust of all the people in Thailand (from an earlier post). My study of the book, The River of Lost Footsteps has revealed a history of betrayal and disloyalty for several hundreds of years which might possibly still be woven in the thread of this broken country. My trips to Mae Sot and Mae La have revealed that the problems are not easy to solve and that an easy package solutions that work in other countries aren’t always applicable everywhere else.

My personal resolution in all this is that there are hungry people who need to eat and who need to drink clean water. There are people who need immediate medical attention and protection from the dangers of a society capable of great evil.

Carl started Unite for Humanity. Essentially, it is Carl and his wife Leslie committing to a hostel in Mae Sot, Thailand and the well-being of the 127 children living there. They have been involved with the hostel since 2004 and still going strong. Check out their website to see some of the projects they are working on: http://www.uniteforhumanity.com.

Since Abby left this past weekend, I decided the beach wouldn’t be quite as fun alone. What would I do but sit there and spend more money than I need to. Instead we’ll work on getting  some better quality videos up for them and maybe chat about some design stuff with their site and where they want to take their org. It should be a great time and I’m really looking forward to it now! I’ll post some pictures and an update when I get the chance.

Karen refugees behind the lens

Footage shot by a Karen refugee

Video blog 1

Video blog 2

You can see the rest of the videos from that trip on our YouTube Home Page

http://www.youtube.com/user/elehoinc

Check out my tattoos. They’re my first. I like em.

My left wrist says “love” and my right hand says “hope” in Burmese. I’ve thought about doing it for about a year now. When I’ve made my trips into Karen and Shan State and even Chin State (various regions within Burma) all the men had tatts on their arms. For the most part they were prayers for safety, for courage, and for hope. They have no choice to be committed. It’s their lives for which they fight. I get to leave and return to America as much as I want.

Burma is engrained in my heart. For whatever reason I’m drawn to this country and I have no plans of stopping. At times it’s quite rough and I question why I get so involved. Bottom line, there are people in Burma who need hope and love.

I can’t speak Burmese yet and maybe never will. At least my wrists can tell them how I feel.

This week we are spending time with some people from Compasio in the border town of Mae Sot. Mae Sot is a very unique town. It is located directly on the Thai/Burma border. The town is quite diverse in culture and religions. You have the migrant community with the Karen and Burmese, you also have the Muslim district and then you have the Thai community. There is also this other community of people working to help the cause in Burma. Because of it’s proximity to the border people have been able to get directly involved here.

One organization that is making a huge impact is Compasio. They are a group with very big hearts. “We never say no to anyone” is a quote I’ve heard over and over again. They have taken in a few kids and committed to raising them. They also spend time with local street kids who beg in the markets. There are also a few families that they’ve begun spending time with and have invested in helping them and their kids.

Here is a brief description of who Compasio and what their organization does from their website:

Seeing a need, feeling compassion and acting with practical love on behalf of those who are poor, needy and at risk, this is the heart of Compasio. See.Feel.Act

When Allan & Joane, the founders of Compasio, first came to Thailand in 2001 while leading a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) outreach, they bumped into the issues of girls-at-risk, poverty and vulnerability, and the displaced peoples of Burma. They were shocked to hear that one of their sweet, smiling, female English students — barely in her teens — was being pressured by her mother and at immediate risk of being sent to work into prostitution.

Compasio was formed in 2006 to focus the issue of women and children at risk in Thailand. Most ministry is focussed on the migrant community and tribal groups living along the Thai-Burmese border, who are among the poorest and highest at-risk people groups of Thailand.

I personally enjoy these kids and I love what their organization is doing. I have thoroughly enjoyed our time hanging with them, their staff and the people they serve. Check out their site at http://compasio.org and find out even more about their team. They’re doing a lot and if you can donate ya should.

The first trip introduced me to the Karen people of Burma. It introduced me to the most humble, selfless, and loving people I’ve ever met and changed me forever. I’m only hours away from departure and a long flight from being at my second home.

The problems of Burma are far and wide. Unconquerable by any one person or group. A massive change of in the hearts of the people of Burma is really their only hope. I and my friends can do all we want to help but in reality, it’s not our fight. We live in the freedom of our homes in the western world and are only affected in a superficial way, as compared to those directly involved.

So why go? Well, because I can. Because the value placed on human life is far greater to me than anyone one possession I have here. Because my family loved me so much and gave me the courage to travel into jungles and places that most would never dare and simply love another person.

So as I stumble upon my words at 2:44am, I’ll conclude with this: those who call themselves “missionaries” or “activists” and make a lot of noise about it have missed the point. I mean, people who have to label themselves and stake claim to all that they do forget that loving someone doesn’t always involve “doing” something.

This trip has little in the way of plans, in fact none of our trips really did. Where we’re at as an organization is research and make connections. I think it’s important to build relationships with those suffering and all those working to ease their struggle.

As my scatter brained attempt to make logical sense continues to finish up packing, I will say I love you guys and thank you for your encouragement in making these things happen.

I’m chatting with Ryan online and it’s now 2:52am and we just figured out that Eleho has spent 6 months of the past year in Thailand. His reply was “not bad for a group of kids with no money.” Anything is possible. Focus on the details and the individuals and you can ever be blamed for not being effective.