These last two weeks have been two of the most intense weeks of the World Race. But they were also a couple of the best. Although we were pressed into tough living situations (situations that millions of Thai’s live in every day), and interesting ministry opportunities, I’ve grown in ways I could have never imagined.
God is just opening my eyes to so much here. After getting our visas at the Burmese border, I started to get interested in what was happening to the Karen tribes of Burma. And then the next day we took a trip to a Burmese Karen refugee camp. This camp has been active since 1988 (or so), and lies just across the river from Burma (Myanmar).
As I explained in my last blog, the Karen tribes in burma are being persecuted in ways we could never imagine. Close to the border we find posters illustrating the dangers of land mines, depicting people with missing limbs. People want us to know what’s happening there, but are afraid to say too much. Such was the case of a Buddhist monk crossing the border into Burma, as we were exiting, as he asked one of our team members what he knew about Burma. As our team member and Ray, our contact, started talking the monk started walking, saying that Burmese intelligence was coming. In other words, “zip it”. He kept walking as “intelligence” snapped pictures of the team walking to Thailand.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg. Yesterday we visited the refugee camp, and sat with a man named “W”, who left Burma when he was 15 years old. His father was a freedom fighter, and wanted his son to get out of the country so he could get a better education. And so “W” now teaches at a Bible school in zone C of his camp. He managed to graduate from the Bible school as a younger man, and then he found his way to India, illegally, to get more education. His story was intriguing, as he talked about the struggles of the Burmese Karen in both Burma and in the Thai refugee camps. He explained how the Karen have no freedom, whether living in fear in Burma or living as cattle in a refugee camp. I know my heart broke for him. It was hard for me to stay composed enough to even ask him any questions.
Last night we stayed at a pastor’s home in Mae Ou Su. Jimmy had also defected from Burma as a child and somehow received his Thailand citizenship. He had started a church in his town (just up the hill from his stilt shack), and now many people from the village were attending. We had the privilege of sharing the evening at church with them. Jimmy shared that the Thai government noticed that the congregation was getting large, and although most Thai’s just take a plot of land, the government decided that because so many were flocking to this land, it should be paid for. So, it’s possible that the government will be asking Jimmy for about 170,000 baht ($5,800 USD) in order to keep his home and the church property.
Even though it’s been somewhat taxing on our relationship (no time away from team, and zero privacy), these last couple of weeks have been worth the time. It’s placed me outside of my comfort zone, and really made me think beyond “Linnea”. There’s so much happening in the world that we just don’t know about. And now that I know, what do I do? Well, I listen, I pray, and I ask for the workers to head out into the harvest.
