Greetings from the mountain side
We did not write to you yesterday because it was very late and we were very tired. Our journey to the first refugee camp yesterday was three hours from Mae Sot. We have not seen, ever, the many “hair-pin” turns on mountain roads that we saw yesterday and today. (Not in
We were greeted with a lunch, Indian style on the floor, of traditional Burmese and Thai foods. As one of the team members stated, “They have pulled out all the stops and given us the best they have.” This was and is a very humbling experience. This camp had approximately 30,000 people (give or take away a 1,000 or 2,000). We also learned that this camp has Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims (any religious group) within the barbed wire. We learned that the dictatorship in
Today, the 5th, we traveled to the Nu Pho refugee camp; this camp has approximately 40,000 people. They were not behind barbed wire – this camp is really close to nothing – not even a main road. Our driver was anxious about his new van on these very rough roads (he had already damaged his van on the roads in Umpium Refugee camp). We were again greeted with a lunch with the pastors and leaders of the Christians in the camp. All the people we encountered were and are incredibly kind and happy to see us. It reminds us of the stories of Paul in the New Testament when he talked about greeting the people in Christ – it brings tears to our collective eyes.
A summary of the two days activities are almost identical:
- Jerry and Min conducted two CHE Bible Studies 1) Forgiveness 2) The Attributes of God
- Sylvia and Larry conducted two CHE Christian Living Studies 1) Jesus Teachings on Love (Love your enemies) 2) How to Pray for Others.
- Renda, Lois, Kyu Kyu, and Jim lead Youth Ministry activities (what a blast!) 1) A puppet show about Hygiene. 2) Songs with the puppets and Jesus. 3) Balloon hats. 4) Photographs with each of the children in their Balloon hats. 5) Bounce-out Dodge Ball. 6) Juggle ball groups. Etc. etc. Eventually, there were sooo many kids, all the team was involved in some way with the children’s activities. The children were so excited; so were their parents.
- Each camp day was approximately 4-5 hours of teaching and activity time. The drives back to our Guest House were 2 hours going and 2 hours coming.
Today, we also traveled to a new construction site that Somchai is building within ½ mile of the Burmese border. On the border there is a small village with many children and young people. Somchai is going to build and equip a
When we returned to UpPhang, this evening, we reflected about the two camps we visited. The first question was difficult, “What do you think about the living conditions at the camp?” Renda and Jim put our experience into perspective when they said, “The conditions are good.” Another team member stated, “Define good.” The reply, “There is no raw sewage in the streets or pathways. The children are clothed and fed. Parents are attentive to their children. The children have a school (primitive) and a residence that is neat and clean. They have a church area to worship in.” Jim and Renda have both been to the Kenyan slums and their perspective reflected their knowledge. The rest of the team only has our
It was interesting that at least two team members who walked down an alley way in Bangkok thought even the refugee camp was better than the city. (We told you Urban Ministry is difficult.) All of us agreed that we would never want to be in a place that would restrict our local travel nor allow us to work. We also recognized that the people we encountered in the last two days were happy to see American Christians. We were a breath of fresh air from a dull daily routine within a camp that does not promote hope.
But, we were with people who know, without any doubt when you hear them sing, that their hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Many of you may recall, at a time in Christian circles in
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