Former Refugee Serves as Local Refugee Scout Leader

Contributed By Morgan Jones, Church News contributor

4 November 2016

Saborn Va recites the Scout Oath during a court of honor at the Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. Va, a former refugee, is the varsity leader of Boy Scouts of America Troop 1262, one of six refugee troops in Utah. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

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Article Highlights

Before the USA, Brother Saborn Va lived in Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
He serves in a branch attended by many refugees, like himself.
The dedication of his Church leaders inspired him to become a Scout leader.

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Saborn Va will be the first to tell you that he’s just serving like any of the other leaders in Boy Scouts of America Troop 1262, a troop made up of refugees from Burma.

This may be true, but Brother Va, a member of the Columbus Branch in the South Salt Lake Utah Stake, shares a commonality with the young men in his troop: he also was once a refugee.

Leaving Southeast Asia

Brother Va was born in the midst of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia that is believed to have killed up to 2 million Cambodians, nearly a quarter of the country’s then population, during the late 1970s.

“They would dig these mass graves and then they would just kill people,” Brother Va said. “If you’re educated, if you wear glasses, if you’re smart or you speak a foreign language, they would kill you.”

Despite several close calls, Brother Va and his parents made it out of Cambodia and into Thailand. They would move from a refugee camp in Thailand to a refugee camp in the Philippines before arriving in the United States in 1985, when young Saborn was almost six years old. In their new home in Stockton, California, his family lived with his grandparents and their children. He estimates that 15–16 people lived in a two-bedroom apartment. It was during this time that his mother joined the Church, but she soon stopped practicing the faith.

It was while living in Lowell, Massachusetts—where Brother Va would later serve a full-time mission—that he and the rest of his family, except his dad, were baptized into the LDS faith. Brother Va has since graduated from college and has almost completed his master’s degree. He is currently the director of social media for familyshare.com, a division of Deseret Digital Media, which also manages deseretnews.com.

Saborn Va recognizes his Scouts during a court of honor at the Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. Va, a former refugee, is the varsity leader of Boy Scouts of America Troop 1262, one of six refugee troops in Utah. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

A photograph of Saborn Va’s family during their time in the Philippines. Photo courtesy of Saborn Va.

Saborn Va’s family is photographed at the refugee camp in Thailand. Photo courtesy of Saborn Va.

Brother Va, who also serves in a branch of the Church where many refugees attend, has noticed an interesting reaction by refugee parents who hear his story.

“I just remember this parent looking at his kid and saying, ‘I told you, you can do this,’” Brother Va said. “All the kids are just like, ‘OK, if Sam (Brother Va’s nickname) can do this as a refugee, there’s hope for me as well.’ So even though they can barely speak English right now, I think they feel a sense of hope because they look at me and say, ‘If he can do it, why can’t I?’”

He remembers being just like them.

Life as a Young Refugee

“I remember when I first went to the refugee branch, I saw kids, and their best Sunday-dress is a white shirt (sometimes, if they have one), basketball shorts, and flip-flops,” Va said. “That’s their best. … And it just made me think, ‘Man, I was in that exact same situation,’ and not only me but the people I went to church with who were also refugees.”

It is memories of that time in his life that motivate him to give back. It is recalling an aid worker in Thailand who took the time to teach him how to play the guitar. It is remembering a ward Young Men president in Lowell, Massachusetts, who drove a “big ole minivan” and lived 30 minutes away but who would always drop his family off at church and then pick up all the kids, including Brother Va, who needed rides to church. It is turning on oldies music and being reminded of car rides with one Scoutmaster in Massachusetts who may not have helped him receive a lot of merit badges, but who taught him basic skills and, more important, taught him the value of giving one’s time.

“Everything I do now is because I look back and think about all of the leaders that kept me involved in the Church,” Brother Va said. “It’s a tremendous sacrifice for all of these guys. My parents never really went to church, so for me to get to church somebody had to come pick me up.

“A leader had to come knock on my door, and a lot of times I would tell them, ‘Hey, I’m playing volleyball’ or whatever, but they never gave up. They still came back. They still knocked on my door and asked me to go to seminary [classes] or asked me to go to [youth activities] or asked me to go to church. … So I think that’s the reason I do the same thing now. … I look back on how my leaders tried to keep me active, and I try to do the same thing. They had a huge influence on how I serve in my callings now.”

This is the motivation for his becoming involved in the refugee Scout troops in Salt Lake City and why on a Wednesday night in late September, Brother Va was found at a court of honor ceremony reciting the Scout Oath alongside the young men. It is also why his Scouts say the same things about him that he says about his youth leaders.

“One thing I like about the leaders is the time that they sacrifice for us,” said Kbar Shar, one of the Boy Scouts. “Because they have their work but they sacrifice the time to help us with Scouting, so I’m very thankful for that and for the rides.”

Charles W. Dahlquist II, the national commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America and former Young Men general president, was also at the court of honor and shared his thoughts on Brother Va’s service as well as the service of all Scout leaders.

“This is a great example of what really happens, and that is we want these wonderful leaders who have come in themselves from all over the world and now are giving to these other generations,” Brother Dahlquist said. “With him, you have teachers, you have government workers, you have lawyers, businessmen, and when these young men have an opportunity to rub shoulders with them, they realize they can become anything they want to be. This is a country of potential and possibilities and dreams.”

A Land of Promise

Brother Va does not believe that his coming to America happened by coincidence.

He recalls an experience he had while being sworn in as an American citizen in Fresno, California. As he raised his arm and began to say the words the judge was asking him to repeat, he began to have flashbacks to key moments in his life: escaping Cambodia, living in Thailand and the Philippines, coming to America, going on a mission, and going to college.

“All of the sudden like a panoramic view came into my mind,” Brother Va said. “I could see it all in my mind as I was being sworn in, … and all of the sudden I was all teary-eyed because it was an incredible thing I saw in my mind.”

And then a passage from the Book of Mormon came into his mind. It speaks of people being “led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord” and that “none [shall] come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.” The scripture later promises those people that “inasmuch as those … shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land” (2 Nephi 1:5–9).

“I saw those things happen, and then those words came to my mind,” Brother Va said. “And I think it’s been true for me. I think a lot of blessings, a lot of things that I’ve been able to achieve are really because I feel like, one, I’m in a land of promise and, two, I’ve tried my best to keep the commandments of God. … To me, it feels like I have been led here by the hand of God.”

Sha Kler of Troop 1262 stands at attention while the colors are presented during a court of honor at the Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. Troop 1262 makes up one of the six refugee troops in Utah’s Boy Scouts of America organization. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

Scout Aye Kyi receives his Eagle Scout rank, the highest rank in Scouting, during a court of honor at Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Thursday, September 28, 2016. Only four percent of all Scouts meet the requirements to achieve the Eagle Scout rank. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

Ta Eh Dee, left, of Troop 1262, laughs with Georgie Kyi after being recognized for his achievements during a court of honor at Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Thursday, September 28, 2016. Troop 1262 makes up one of the six refugee troops in Utah’s Boy Scouts of America organization. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

A Scout’s sash, plastered with several merit badges, hangs from his shoulder during a court of honor at Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Thursday, September 28, 2016. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

Oldie Nshimirimana, right, of Troop 1208, jokes with Isaac Mitonzi during a court of honor at Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Thursday, September 28, 2016. Troop 1208 makes up one of the six refugee troops in Utah’s Boy Scouts of America organization. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

Scouts recite the Scout Oath during a court of honor at the Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

A Scout examines the court of honor program during ceremonies for refugee troops at Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

Emmanuel Rukundo of Troop 1208 holds onto his friends while being recognized during a court of honor at Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Thursday, September 28, 2016. Troop 1208 is one of six refugee troops in Utah. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

Oldie Nshimirimana, right, and Emmanuel Rukundo of Troop 2018 wait for their names to be called for recognition during a court of honor at Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Thursday, September 28, 2016. Troop 1208 is one of six refugee troops in Utah. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

Saborn Va recognizes his Scouts during a court of honor at the Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. Va, a former refugee, is the varsity leader of Boy Scouts of America Troop 1262, one of six refugee troops in Utah. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

The Eagle Scout medallion hangs on the uniform of Scout Aye Kyi during a court of honor at Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Thursday, September 28, 2016. Only four percent of all Scouts meet the requirements to achieve the Eagle Scout rank. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

Joseph Brough, Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, speaks about his Scouting experience during a court of honor at Camp Tracy Lodge in Salt Lake City on Thursday, September 28, 2016. Photo by Nick Wagner, Deseret News.

Saborn Va is shown with the guitar an aid worker taught him to play during his family’s time at a refugee camp in Thailand. Photo courtesy of Saborn Va.

Boy Scouts of Troop 1262 play sepak takraw, or “kick volleyball.” Photo courtesy of Saborn Va.

Boy Scouts salute the flag at Bear Lake. Photo courtesy of Saborn Va.

A photo of the youth in the Columbus Branch in the South Salt Lake Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where Saborn Va also serves. Photo courtesy of Saborn Va.