MAE SOT, THAILAND – Our twelfth day of mission was devoted, once again, to outreach and ministry among the Karen people living in Thailand, this time in the refugee camp of Mae La.
The camp is located in a fenced area alongside a highway that passes through northwest Thailand’s border country, from Mae Sot to Mae Hong Son. It is located on the steep slopes of the foothills, in a narrow mountain valley several miles north of Mae Sot, and just a short distance east of the international border these people crossed when they fled Burma into Thailand. Our guides on this visit were Nee Doh Chit (‘Andy’) and a member of the staff at Partners Research & Development’s Mae Sot office.
As has been the case for all our visits, we were greeted this morning with generous hospitality, and a table set with water, coffee and cookies. This was not the first to Mae La for two members of our team, Margaret Purvis and Katie Williamson, and today was a chance to renew acquaintances and relationship established during that first visit.
Following refreshments and greetings, we were conducted to the Karen Baptist Church of Mae La for Sunday morning worship. The church was filled to capacity, and beyond. As it turned out, they were celebrating the church’s anniversary, and Pastor Aurthur was joined by pastors and leaders from other churches. Our mission team was invited to join the celebration, with sermons from Jerry Hilton and Franklin Williamson, and greetings from Margaret, who related the story of how a young man’s request to her, during her first visit to the camp, led to the publication of “The Rights of the Child” in the Karen language.
Another surprise for us was the arrival of Benedict Rogers, whose book “Land Without Evil: Stopping the Genocide of Burma's Karen People” was on the reading list for a number of our team members as they prepared for this mission. Rogers took the pulpit to offer his own congratulations and prayers of thanksgiving for the church’s anniversary.
In addition to sermons and prayers, the service included plenty of music from various groups in the congregation. Perhaps the most moving of these groups was a vocal ensemble made up entirely of blind men. Our guide explained that they had been blinded when they set-off landmines, placed by the army in Burma. Some members of the ensemble had lost limbs, as well. But their voices were uplifting, and their singing raised the spirits of all who were present.
Following the service, our team was served lunch by our Karen hosts ….. but we were not joined by Pastor Aurthur. He had paused just long enough to change into his robes, and then headed right back into the church for the next service, and another full house. By the way, Pastor Aurthur is known to a number of you in the United States, from his visit to Washington, D.C. and participation in the Faces of Children Conference there.
Meanwhile the team enjoyed fellowship and outreach with the people of Mae La, especially the children. This included a large group of young people from the local Christian school, wearing their Knowing Children tee-shirts, who sang Christian songs for us, and joined with our team in prayer.
This brought the day’s activities to an end. A number of the school children paired-off with some of our team members, to guide them safely down the steep slopes, through the confusing maze of paths and crowded huts, to the camp entrance. There were many stops along the way as team members paused to document the camp conditions, and to greet parents and admire their children. At the entrance we parted ….. we are able to leave, they are not. It was explained to us that, during the daytime, camp residents may go beyond the fence, and several of them were seen strolling – alone, or in pairs and small groups – back and forth along the highway. But by nightfall, they must all be within the fence. It was noted that, when these residents do leave camp, it will be for resettlement, probably in a country other than Thailand.
The day held special significance for Andy, a 24-year-old Karen from Burma who had experienced life in the refugee camp himself. Andy is now a citizen of Thailand, and lives in Bangkok where he is a Karen Project Coordinator for Knowing Children. On our return home for the evening, Andy admitted that the day spent in the refugee camp brought back sad memories for him.
We had a surprise in store for Andy. Following dinner, we presented him with a Bible translated into Karen (which is one of four languages he speaks) and inscribed by each of our tem members. Andy is a good companion and an invaluable source of information about the Karen people and their lives both in Burma and Thailand. We are glad he will accompany us on our return journey to Chiang Mai, then Bangkok, tomorrow.
The camp is located in a fenced area alongside a highway that passes through northwest Thailand’s border country, from Mae Sot to Mae Hong Son. It is located on the steep slopes of the foothills, in a narrow mountain valley several miles north of Mae Sot, and just a short distance east of the international border these people crossed when they fled Burma into Thailand. Our guides on this visit were Nee Doh Chit (‘Andy’) and a member of the staff at Partners Research & Development’s Mae Sot office.
As has been the case for all our visits, we were greeted this morning with generous hospitality, and a table set with water, coffee and cookies. This was not the first to Mae La for two members of our team, Margaret Purvis and Katie Williamson, and today was a chance to renew acquaintances and relationship established during that first visit.
Following refreshments and greetings, we were conducted to the Karen Baptist Church of Mae La for Sunday morning worship. The church was filled to capacity, and beyond. As it turned out, they were celebrating the church’s anniversary, and Pastor Aurthur was joined by pastors and leaders from other churches. Our mission team was invited to join the celebration, with sermons from Jerry Hilton and Franklin Williamson, and greetings from Margaret, who related the story of how a young man’s request to her, during her first visit to the camp, led to the publication of “The Rights of the Child” in the Karen language.
Another surprise for us was the arrival of Benedict Rogers, whose book “Land Without Evil: Stopping the Genocide of Burma's Karen People” was on the reading list for a number of our team members as they prepared for this mission. Rogers took the pulpit to offer his own congratulations and prayers of thanksgiving for the church’s anniversary.
In addition to sermons and prayers, the service included plenty of music from various groups in the congregation. Perhaps the most moving of these groups was a vocal ensemble made up entirely of blind men. Our guide explained that they had been blinded when they set-off landmines, placed by the army in Burma. Some members of the ensemble had lost limbs, as well. But their voices were uplifting, and their singing raised the spirits of all who were present.Following the service, our team was served lunch by our Karen hosts ….. but we were not joined by Pastor Aurthur. He had paused just long enough to change into his robes, and then headed right back into the church for the next service, and another full house. By the way, Pastor Aurthur is known to a number of you in the United States, from his visit to Washington, D.C. and participation in the Faces of Children Conference there.
Meanwhile the team enjoyed fellowship and outreach with the people of Mae La, especially the children. This included a large group of young people from the local Christian school, wearing their Knowing Children tee-shirts, who sang Christian songs for us, and joined with our team in prayer.
This brought the day’s activities to an end. A number of the school children paired-off with some of our team members, to guide them safely down the steep slopes, through the confusing maze of paths and crowded huts, to the camp entrance. There were many stops along the way as team members paused to document the camp conditions, and to greet parents and admire their children. At the entrance we parted ….. we are able to leave, they are not. It was explained to us that, during the daytime, camp residents may go beyond the fence, and several of them were seen strolling – alone, or in pairs and small groups – back and forth along the highway. But by nightfall, they must all be within the fence. It was noted that, when these residents do leave camp, it will be for resettlement, probably in a country other than Thailand.The day held special significance for Andy, a 24-year-old Karen from Burma who had experienced life in the refugee camp himself. Andy is now a citizen of Thailand, and lives in Bangkok where he is a Karen Project Coordinator for Knowing Children. On our return home for the evening, Andy admitted that the day spent in the refugee camp brought back sad memories for him.
We had a surprise in store for Andy. Following dinner, we presented him with a Bible translated into Karen (which is one of four languages he speaks) and inscribed by each of our tem members. Andy is a good companion and an invaluable source of information about the Karen people and their lives both in Burma and Thailand. We are glad he will accompany us on our return journey to Chiang Mai, then Bangkok, tomorrow. 
No comments:
Post a Comment