As you look out to the right, crossing over the bridge after getting through the Thai border you see a stretch of land. This stretch of land is “no mans land”. This is a place where there is no law or any kind of rules to follow. What takes place in this area and between the Thai and Burma border is heartbreaking. There is drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and illegal border crossing. The people that live in this area are currently being fought over by Thailand and Burma as all of the drugs and sex will bring in a huge chunk of revenue. This was just the start to the heartbreak and war that my team and I were about experience.
It was a bright day in Thailand. A bright day that quickly became very dark as we continued over the border. The enemy was waiting and he was ready to fight. Continuing on, the headaches started, the weight was put on our shoulders and the smells appeared. The oppression of the country hit us like a ton of bricks. Did I want to turn around and go back? Yes, but the Lord had us there for a reason. We began to follow our translators to a monastery. We walked in and the weight got heavier, some feeling anxious, some feeling sick, and some feeling sad. This was the battlefield. Temples and idols were all around. People’s prayers carried as an echo, children ran around laughing, incense burned and us girls prayed. This place was heavy, unlike anything I had ever felt before. The enemy was sitting on my shoulders. The weight that I felt was like someone stacked five brick on each shoulder. We prayed for the place. We prayed that the Lord would reveal himself and that he would cover these people in joy and show them they are loved. We left the temple and prayed again. The weight was quickly lifted. We defeated the enemy in that place because we did not give up. We were not scared.
We made our way back to the border and it was as if the country was lifeless. It was eerie and quiet, there was not much joy, it was still. Ready to get back to Thailand, we took one last look at the river that separated the 2 countries and just prayed for peace. Arriving back to the other side, we were left with heavy hearts but were granted peace from the Lord.
Please pray for Burma and “ no mans land”.
