There is light, even in the darkest of places. Myanmar (or formerly Burma) has been a country that has suffocated under the weight of war and genocide for over 65 years. It is a country that until the last few years has been completely closed off to the outside world.
Month 9 for my squad was supposed to be spent in Myanmar, but early on in the race our route was changed. A door that seemed closed suddenly opened for our team as we arrived in Mae Sot, Thailand at the beginning of this month. We are working with an awesome ministry called Outpour Movement (www.outpourmovement.com); they do a lot of work with Burmese refugees as they are located on the Thai-Burma border. For one very special day they took us across that border to do a prayer walk through the streets of Myanmar.
That morning we woke up to pouring rain. It is near the end of rainy season here in Thailand which means you never know if it will rain or not. By the time we loaded into the truck to leave for the border that is a five minute drive away, the rain had stopped. We then parked and walked to cross the bridge that divided Thailand and Burma.
Half-way across we stopped as our ministry host explained the land that we were crossing over. It is called “no mans land” as it does not belong to either country. About 300 people live there (a majority of those people being children). If you know the right people you can get ahold of most any drug. There is a human trafficking route through the area as well. Outpour has made this dark place part of their ministry. They often go and visit people the people that live there, and have created relationships with many of them.
We then finished crossing over the muddy river. As we handed over our passports for the day, we crossed the border. It was almost surreal as the entire environment changed, including which side of the road the cars drove on.
We walked through the busy city past a giant temple of gold that sat in stark contrast to the poverty that surrounded it. We came to stop on one street corner where we divided into three groups that included 2-3 of us racers, one of our ministry contacts, and a translator.
Our translator, David, led us to a market down the street, then asked if it would be okay if we went and visited his uncle who lives nearby. So we began the rather long and muddy journey through the streets.
Over twenty minutes later we reached the place, only it was not just a house but a church. The church was full of busy preschoolers. It turns out his uncle is a pastor and they have a preschool during the week at the church.
After they offered us ice cold water, they asked if we would teach the kids a song. My teammate Allison volunteered. She taught them two songs in English. Their teacher then pulled out her guitar to play along as they repeated the songs over and over.
It came time for us to head back, but before we left they asked if we would pray over the kids. It was in that moment that I realized what a critical generation we were standing in front of.
These are no ordinary children, but ones that will shape the future of Myanmar. They will be the change makers and the freedom bringers. These children are the hope for Myanmar; a hope that God has something far better for a broken country.
Outpour Movement spends their days pouring out to the people of Burma. A quote that they have taken as truth for the Burmese people is “They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds. -Mexican Proverb” Even in a place full of so much darkness, God’s light breaks through to grow these tiny seeds that bloom with the promise of a new hope; one that will not perish, but is everlasting (1 Peter 1:23).
