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MAE RAH MOO REFUGEE CAMP
A picture looking over towards one of the sections in MRM Camp reminds me of my previous visits here and the people who have touched my life.
This particular visit brought a pleasant reunion. Through a series of events orchestrated by the Lord, I was re-united with Honest Roger, a young man that had first come into my life many years ago. Several young boys had finished the equivalent of high school in Burma and wanted to attend a university, but were not free to do so in Burma. One by one, several of them made their way to India and applied to attend Spiser University. IAG started getting letters of request for tuition help and over the next five years we were able to help seven young men attend the university and graduate. When I got the request for help from Honest, I couldn't turn him down, even though our funds were really limited. He told me that he had walked for a month through the jungle to get to India. One of his teachers, "Sam", told him he would contact me to see if IAG could help with his tuition. Sam also had walked to India to attend college years before and he told him the safest route through the jungle and what areas to avoid. Sam encouraged him to step out in faith that God would provide the money for school once he got there. Honest had lost contact with his parents who were still in Burma and it would put their lives in danger if he contacted them. All seven of the men we helped, finished school and returned to Thailand to help their people. A few years ago I learned that one of them had been killed by an elephant when he returned to Burma to visit his family.
Sam had given me Honest Rogers current phone number in Mae Sot and I called him. He came right over to the guest house where Rick and I were spending the night and we met for the first time. He has grown into a wonderful man of God! He and his wife, Jacqueline, both work for NGO's (non-government organizations) who are working the in the refugee camps. He works for ZOA out of Australia and they are primarily focused on education in the camps. His wife told Rick and I that Honest had often talked about me and prayed that one day we could meet face to face and he could thank me for helping him get through school. I told her it wasn't "me" that helped him, but the Lord, who makes all the things we do possible. Honest offered to drive Rick and I to Mae Sariang where I was planning to hire a driver to take us into Mae Rah Moo camp. He arranged for one of his drivers to meet us half way and take us the rest of the way into the camp and stay with us. This was a tremendous help for us. We said our good-byes when all the things were transferred to the other truck and they told us that next year when we visit, they wanted us to stay with them instead of a hotel in Mae Sot. What a wonderful door the Lord has opened for us.
Since Honest had made all the arrangements, we did not have to meet with officials in Mae Sariang to get camp passes, which normally took an entire day. We had traveled 3.5 hours just to get to Mae Sariang . It is a good 2 hours more, by 4 wheel drive truck, up the rutted mountain road to the top where the camp is located.
I have ridden up this rugged road many times in old trucks, but the one we were in today was very comfortable, comparatively speaking.
I pointed out to Rick the spot on the way up where I had been able to contact him by cell phone in 2008 when we were just talking and hadn't yet met face to face. From that viewpoint you can see for miles across the tops of the jungle and the sunsets are spectacular up there.
These images, taken from through the front windshield of the truck we are riding in, show just how narrow and precarious the mountain roads can be.
Rick was amazed at how bad and narrow the road was and many times didn't think we'd make it past on coming trucks.
When we finally made it to the camp gates, I was so excited it was hard to sit still. The driver took us right up to the home of Pastor Kasuu, who is my camp contact. He was so surprised to see us. He had not gotten the message we were coming, but quickly mobilized the people into spreading the word. It wasn't long before I heard the announcement over the camp loudspeaker that we were there and all children sponsored by Pee Tah Thoo (my Karen name, which means "Grandmother") should come to Pastors home for registration and pictures.
Soon his bamboo home was packed with children and adults.
Pastor Kasuu had gotten married just after I last saw him in 2008 and has a new baby boy named Joel. I was so happy to meet his wife and see his precious baby. We gave him the gifts of Bibles and started registering children and getting their pictures. We laughed as we remembered 4 years ago when so many people crowded in to see me that the bamboo floor caved in!
The section where Kasuu lives is just one of many in the camp and we also had to travel over to a section that was on the other side of the river. We only had 2 hours in this section, registering and taking pictures as fast as we could, hoping to get as many children done as we could in the short time we had.
When it was time to go, we loaded up everything and along with Kasuu, drove over to the walking bridge that spans the river separating the camp. If you have read any of my previous journals, you know my favorite place in the entire camp is the huge suspension bridge joining the two sections of the camp. There was a group of young people waiting for us at the bridge. They ran and gave me hugs and shyly greeted Rick. They insisted on carrying all our bags and packs and we happily swung our way across the river on the swaying bridge.
By the time we got to Section 7-A there was a big crowd of people waiting for us. It was wonderful to see a lot of my old friends and get big hugs from them.
One of the Karen men, Kyi Aug, has been with me on every trip as a body guard and helper. We have grown very close over the years and I named his twin boys, Benjamin & Joseph, when they were born. When he saw us coming, he came running to meet us. He engulfed me in a bone crushing hug and was grinning from ear to ear. I had told Rick about him and when they were introduced, Rick put out his hand for a shake and Ki Aug engulfed him in a hug! Rick was accepted immediately. I had sent a wedding picture of us into the camp and they were all excited to finally see my husband! I saw Sam coming to meet us and could hardly believe we were finally reunited after 15 years! We exchanged hugs and he met Rick for the first time. He had talked to Rick on the phone when he would call our home in Alabama and was very happy to finally meet him. Every one of my Karen friends had worried about me traveling to visit them as a single woman and they were all very happy the Lord had brought Rick into my life.
We set up in the yard of one of the homes where a bamboo table had been placed. With the help of Kasuu, Kyi Aug, Sam and 2 older students we started the registration/picture taking process. It was a great time for both of us and we were able to get almost 300 pictures between the 2 camps. Parents were anxious for me to see their children and all the children wanted hugs or handshakes.
The Karen are a wonderful loving people and deserve so much better than what they have been dealt in life. They have been fighting for the freedom to live in their own little part of the world for over 60 years and the situation doesn't look like it will get better anytime soon. Many of the men are Karen soldiers, so the women are left with taking care of the family in the camps. It is a very hard life for all of them. Seeing people from the outside world is so very important to them. They realize that they are not forgotten, even though sometimes it seems they are. Many are not Christians, but seeing us come to visit them in the name of Jesus helps plant seeds that their Christian pastors can nurture.
All too soon it was time to leave. Our driver had instructions to leave the camp by 4 p.m. so we had no choice but to leave. We were not going to be able to spend the night this trip and I was very sad about that. Not having time to really visit with my old friends, especially Sam and his wife was really disappointing. Rick kept reminding me that God was in control and we were in His time frame. I couldn't help but shed tears as I hugged my friends good bye. I knew there was a possibility I would never see some of them again. My prayer is that some of them will be fortunate enough to be chosen to resettle in another country under the UNHCR Re-Settlement Program.
You can learn more of what we are doing in our outreach by accessing some of my past trip summaries on our web site. There are so many stories to tell, they can't all be told now. Someday when I am too old to travel to the refugee camps, I hope to put all my summaries together and write a book to pass on to my children and grand children. I have asked the Lord to give me 20 more years of traveling to the camps, so be patient!
Rick and I are already making plans for our next trip to Thailand. The children have touched his heart, just as they have mine. Together we will continue the journey the Lord has chosen for us, attempting to make a difference, one life at a time!