The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. They bring help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma. Ethnic pro-democracy groups send teams to be trained, supplied and sent into the areas under attack to provide emergency assistance and human rights documentation. Together with other groups, the teams work to serve people in need."An Answer to Prayer - Part 2"
"From [the Wa] village we walked to a mostly Shan village. It was in a beautiful valley with terraced rice fields, fruit trees, gardens and plenty of water. The villagers lined the trail as we entered the Buddhist monastery, part of the village and a group of men and woman were busy cooking a big meal for us. We were invited into the monastery and fed a huge feast. As they served us food the villages thanked us for coming and told us of their needs. We slung our hammocks under the monastery and that night met with local leaders.
This village had many bad experiences of abuse by the Burma Army and the worst case we heard about was the abduction in 1999 of a five year old Shan girl by Burma Army troops. We had reported this on an earlier mission but now we were in the village where it happened and we heard the story again. Below is the story told by her mother to us on the earlier mission:
'We are very poor. One day, we left our home to carry some rice and left two of our children at home. We were at the nearby village of Mai Lan when we were told that one of our children was lost. When we were coming back home, the head of the village asked fifty villagers to search for our daughter along the river just in case she drowned. But, they could not find her. The search for our little girl kept on going for seven days but they did not find her. Then the headman said that if I want to have a funeral ceremony for my daughter since they are not found. I was then told that our child might not be drowned. We were told that the SPDC troops of the Burma Army, who used to come to the temple and our home, did not come here anymore. This was because they had kidnapped our daughter. Since then, I could not eat and drink any more for nine days. Some villagers came to me and encouraged me that I had to live. At that time in 1999, some SSA soldiers arrived in our village and one of the officers found out about my situation and advised me to go and stay in a safe IDP place. We are here with the help of the SSA who are looking after us. I have mental problems because of my lost child. In the year of 2000, while we were already here I was questioned about my mental state- I cried all the time. People thought I was mad. Some people in the village answered those who questioned my sanity and told them that I had lost my child.'
'My situation is getting better here. The SSA is helping me and gives medical care. In 2000 I was shocked when a woman form Ho Mong village asked me about my lost child. That woman also asked me what the color of the dress was that my daughter was wearing when she disappeared. That woman showed me a picture, asking me, "Is that your child?" I was shocked when I saw the picture because it was a picture of my daughter. I asked the women where she got that picture. The woman answered that she saw my lost child in the weaving center in Ho Mong. The woman went on to say at that time the Burma Army was kidnapping children in order to sacrifice them alive in the foundation of a new Pagoda they were building. This was something that happened in other areas of Shan State.'
The woman said that she saw my child being carried by a Burma Army soldier in a backpack. At that time my child was half awake and was sobbing. According to the woman, my child was given an injection of some kind by the soldiers. She thought it was anesthesia. The woman kept saying that she saw some SPDC soldiers gave my child more injections. The woman said that she ran away when the child began screaming. She went to tell the villagers and the villagers came to see that child. Some recognized her and said, "Oh! Is that the child of Nang Khi of Nam Khat village? " She said that the SPDC soldiers injected one more anesthesia to my child and then put her in a bag pack and carried her to some unknown place.
The woman said that one night at midnight she had once found three children who were thrown into a big hole under the foundation on which the new pagoda was to be built. The woman said that my child was one of the three children who were buried killed alive there. They woman told me that she could not remember the date of the death of the children. I told the woman that if she could bring my child back to me, I would give her as much money as much as she asked for. She said she could do nothing but in a strange way she tried to encourage me by saying, 'Don't be depressed, your child is lucky since she has a chance now to live in the pagoda forever'."
We prayed with this mother and on this mission some of the team had an opportunity to talk with her again. The next morning we walked to the village at the head of the valley, where Lahu families were living along side Wa families. This was a very poor village with newly arrived families from further north at a Wa military area. Most of the people here were newly relocated Lahu but there were some Wa families too. As we walked into the village a Wa lady smiled at us and we went over to say hello. She told us she was a Christian and asked if we were also Christians. When I told her yes, she said, 'Here we have some Christians but we have no pastor. Can you please try to find a Wa pastor for us?'
I told her we would do our best and prayed with her. Then using my satellite phone to call a Wa Christian leader based in Thailand. He is one of the Wa pastors we support who makes regular trips into Wa controlled areas to support local churches, baptize new believers and provide humanitarian relief. We talked and then I gave the phone to the Wa lady and she talked to him explaining where she was and that she and her people needed a pastor. He told her he would try to send a pastor and to visit her village the next time he was in that part of Burma.
We then went into the center of the village where men; women and children were gathered to greet us. When we got ready to start we realized we had no common language as the villagers only spoke Lahu. We all said the one word we knew - 'Abu-a-Ja' = 'hello' and used the univeral language of smiles, songs and acting like clowns to make them laugh and connect with them. Very quickly people were laughing and we all had a wonderful time together. There were no serious illnesses in this village but they were extremely poor and needed more clothes and blankets.
That night Wa solider came to see us and sing for us. One Christian sang hymns for us as well as Wa folk songs. We finished the night by singing' Joy to the Word' with them, some of us in Wa, some in Karen and some in English.
The next morning we were told that the local UWSA Wa military leaders wanted to meet us. We walked to the other side of the village to meet and were greeted by a group of Wa officers and their security force. We told them of our mission and that we were grateful to be able to come into their area. They told us we were welcome and that they needed our help. We talked together of how they had attacked us in years past and of their attacks against the Shan people. We all agreed that it was better to be together as friends. Karen told me later that it was an amazing answer to prayer for her that these men who had been trying to kill each other were now looking eye to eye. We offered to train Wa relief teams and medics. Later that day the senior Wa leader who was a four days walk away sent one of his local representatives to talk to us. He said he would consider our offer of training Wa teams and he would also would have to confer with his higher leaders.
After this meeting our FBR HQ team and the Shan FBR relief teams met to review the mission and share lessons learned and how we could improve. The Shan teams were very gracious and it was moving to see how the teams were so loving to the Wa people that had taken over part of their land. I told the teams that I was proud of them for their open minds and hearts. After walking back to the first village to giving a final medical and dental treatment we started the walk back to the Shan controlled area. 120 patients were treated on this mission and new friends were made. We thanked God for the new open door and even though it was a short mission we hoped it was the beginning of a new friendship and understanding.
Thank you, may God bless you and please pray that the door to the Wa remains open."
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