Myanmar (previously Burma) was a country on our Race route that I knew very little about. All I had previously heard was that the country had a recent history of political turmoil and that there was a refugee crisis. My squad mate, Megan, put it best: “I came expecting a war-torn country. What I found was a country filled with the kindest people ever!” Since I met so many wonderful people in Myanmar, I wanted to write a blog about some of the people I met and share some stories from this past month.
THE BORDER CROSSING:
The first example of how kind the people were happened within a few minutes of being in the country. In order to cross from the border of Thailand into Myanmar, we had to get off of our bus and walk across the border before hopping onto another bus. Because we were switching busses we had to carry all of our things across the border. My things included my 46-pound pack and my 17-pound daypack while crossing the border. As we were walking, my foot slipped in what I thought was sewage (it turned out it was just a little mud!) on an uneven portion of the sidewalk and I fell to the ground. Luckily, my large pack softened my fall and I didn’t get hurt, however, the pack was so heavy I couldn’t get myself up. I felt like I was in one of those commercials for the Life Alert – “help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” About five locals could tell I was struggling and rushed over to help. They pulled me up and made sure I was okay – they were so nice! From there on, I met SO many other locals who showed us nothing but kindness.
THE HOTEL STAFF:
This month we stayed at a few hostels and a guesthouse and all of the staff we met were wonderful! At the guesthouse we stayed at the owner went out of her way to make sure we were taken care of. For example, she offered to drive us places and bought us cupcakes on Valentine’s Day. The staff was also super kind in trying to talk with us despite a language barrier. We got to teach them how to play Uno and they taught us to play Chinlone (a game similar to Hacky Sack). The women staff members let us put on some of there Thanaka, which is made from tree bark and is used to protect their skin from the sun. We had so much fun hanging out with them and learning more about their culture.
These two hotel staff members were amazing!
Making Thanaka from bark.
The hotel owner gave us cupcakes on Valentine’s Day!
THE DAIRY FARMER:
My buffalo (a weird or interesting thing that happened) for this month is getting the chance to milk a cow! I have always wanted to milk a cow (don’t ask me why! Haha) and this came true one day with my friend Megan! We were going on a walk and talking about what God was teaching us, when we saw a farmer on the side of the road about to milk his cows. I was so excited, so I ran across the street to ask if I could milk one of his cows. However, we didn’t speak Burmese and he didn’t speak English, so we motioned with our hands and, luckily, he nodded his head ‘yes’. As I was walking over to one of the cows, I slipped on an enormous cow patty and just about landed on my face! After this, I squatted next to the cow only to have her smack me in the face with what was probably her poop-infested tail. But I was determined, so, after being showed how, I attempted to milk her. Turns out it is much harder than it looks! In the whole time I was milking her, I probably only got about a cup of milk…perhaps because I missed the pale numerous times!! I felt so gross after this experience, but I was so happy my dream finally came true! The farmer was so nice about the whole thing and had a good laugh or two out of it as well!
THE CHURCH FAMILY:
This past month we worked with a church and taught English classes to the community. The people of the church were so welcoming and kind. We got to spend time with some of the women from the church and they even invited us to their home for a meal! They were always so friendly and were a joy to be around. We also got to spend more time with some of the girls from our English class and spent a day at the Dee Dote Waterfall, which was gorgeous! At the end of the month, our host invited us over to his house for what I would call a cookout. We got to eat traditional grilled corn and eat other delicious food! I felt so welcomed into their community and truly miss these brothers and sisters in Christ.
Some of the church members that helped
us out during our month.
Our group at Dee Dote Waterfall.
Grilling corn for our final dinner with
the church and our english class.
A few of the girls from our English class.
THE TAXI DRIVER:
The last story I want to share with you is about our taxi driver. The taxi was actually a mini truck, where we sat in the truck bed, which is a typical mode of transportation in Myanmar. The driver took us to and from ministry each day and always showed up with a friendly smile on his face. On the last day, he took us to the bus station and did not charge us for the 45-minute ride! It was so generous of both his time and money.
These are just a few of the stories of the kind people we met in Myanmar. They truly made Myanmar a great experience for my team and I, but also made it hard to say goodbye. I hope that I get to go back to this beautiful country some day! Below are a few ways you can pray for Myanmar.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Pray that the government would not put up more barriers or persecute the Christians in Myanmar.
- Pray for those currently being oppressed for their faith, as Myanmar is a closed country.
- Pray for strength and courage for the Christians living in Myanmar to share their faith with others.
