Mrs. Hai Khanjanta is a grandmother with a message for us. She does not share her message through words, but rather through her example. Grandma Hai, as her neighbors call her, is an eighty-year-old farmer from the northeast region of Thailand. She has raised ten children and now proudly boasts of having 54 grandchildren.

When her parents died, they left her about 5½ acres of land for planting rice. Working hard she saved up money and purchased another 6 acres. Together with her husband and children she farmed this land, which was divided into three separate plots for easier irrigation of the growing rice seedlings.

In 1977, the government decided to build a small dam across the Huay Ra Ha River that ran past Grandma Hai's village. The water building up behind the dam flooded her three rice paddies as well as the farmland of other farmers in her village. She immediately began her protest. Not only had the farmers not been allowed to make any decisions concerning the dam, but they also did not receive any compensation from the government for their lost fields.

For years Grandma Hai petitioned the government for the return of her land. Many promises were made--but always broken. Renting some land from other villagers, she continued to grow the rice needed for her family, but she also continued with her struggle. She made many trips to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, and could often been seen camping out in front of Government House calling for justice. The government seemed to have no ears to hear.

In January of 2004, Grandma Hai joined a coalition called the Assembly of the Poor, a gathering of victims of mega-development projects from around the country, to call for justice. The villagers erected a protest camp from which they labored to raise awareness of their issues among the general public. The government cracked down on the gathering, destroying the camp and pushing the villagers back home. The Office of Land Reform for Agriculture (OLRA) did finally agree to provide her with a new plot of land, but only if she paid for it--something Grandma Hai could not agree with.

Tired of the empty promises, useless Cabinet resolutions and the insensitivity of the government to the people's suffering, she decided to take action. On April 20, 2005, together with her children she marched to the small dam with shovel in hand and began digging.

"I just wanted to release the water from my farmland. I wanted to farm rice on my own paddy fields for the coming harvest season," Grandma Hai said.

It took four days for Hai and her family to break down the dike. Finally the water rushed out and for the first time in 26 years they again saw their land. Obviously the government quickly repaired the broken dam and still refused to pay any compensation to Grandma Hai and the other villagers. According to a government spokesperson, "It is not the government's policy to compensate for any small-scale development projects."

Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!'

"He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice-otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.'

"Then the Master said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?"