visiting a Thai Karen village

the view from the road up to the village

not much flat land up here!

Winding our way through small villages on our way up the mountain, it was easy to see why the Karen are called a hill tribe people. Hardly any of the land we passed where small groups of huts and paths were clustered could have been considered flat. Instead, there were many sections of ground that were terraced: the farmed plots stair-stepped up and down the mountainside like a giant stalled escalator. The smoother paved surface of the large road out of Mae La camp gradually became more and more pitted with potholes of graduating sizes. The further along we drove, the more often our driver had to swerve around or crawl the truck through car-long holes of rock and mud. This began to give way to more rock and less pavement, and eventually the road seemed to give up on hard surfaces altogether, becoming only rutted dirt and mud as we got closer and closer to the village. 

The first place we stopped was a larger hut at the outskirts of a small cluster of homes. We weren’t sure what the plan was but we piled back out of the truck with everyone else, game for an adventure. Everyone slipped off their shoes at the bottom of the bamboo stairs (a must when entering any structure in Thai and Karen culture), and we followed the pastor’s wife up to a large sleeping room at the front of the house. **Side note: we decided (even before coming to Thailand) that one of our favorite sites in the whole world is a big pile of flip-flops and shoes at the door to someone’s home; it means that a gathering of our favorite people is going on, and it’s always a good time! The bigger the pile, the more lively and interesting the gathering promises to be.** 

the path to the village church

climbing earthen stairs to the baptism pool

The room’s bamboo walls were hung with laminated pictures of the family (because of the humidity, nearly everyone covers photos in plastic or they will break down quickly), old posters of the king of Thailand, and brightly colored used Christmas tinsel. We sat on the floor and had a small church service with the family. It turns out, according to one of the students, that the family used to be Deist, but became believers several years ago, and the husband completed theology training via old-fashioned correspondence course. They were very sweet, and so happy to see the group and worship together. They sing a lot of hymns here; Josh and I have had to dig deep to our Nazarene roots and try to remember as many verses as we can so we can join in English with the ones we recognize. Turns out, we should have been paying better attention at Sunday evening services growing up.   I don’t know that I have ever heard music more beautiful than that of the Karen singing in harmony; it touches my soul every day. 

girls singing--the girls in the white dresses are the five who were to be baptized 

the boys choir group

Bible school students singing in harmony

We walked from the family’s house down a long dirt path that opened up to what looked like a school field. There were two big bamboo houses on either end, and children were everywhere. On the far end of the clearing was an open structure underneath one of the biggest crosses I have ever seen. The two buildings were dormitories—one for boys and one for girls—for the children to live in while they attend school. The girls all had short, close cropped bobs and the boys’ heads were shorn pretty short; lice has been an issue most places we’ve gone. Since very few white people ever make it up to the village or school, a lot of the kids ran away and watched from a distance for the first while, until they gradually came out and followed us up to the church. The pastor’s wife took us up inside the cross (it was a series of short, steep metal stairways up several stories) to the top, where you could look out over the whole little village. Down below, the children and students gathered around a small cement pool, ready to baptize five girls who had recently given their lives to Jesus. 

final words before being baptized--the girls were very solemn but excited

lots of supporters

two girls down, three to go! :)

We had a sweet time with them. The children sang, a few messages were given, the five girls were baptized and then everyone sang Christmas carols. I’ll admit it: the sweltering heat, bright sun and “Feliz Navidad” (apparently a big favorite!!) sung in a language I don’t yet really understand didn’t really make us think of ‘traditional’ Christmas-time, but in a way it was even better. These kids and villagers get what Christmas really is. There were no long lists of expensive gifts they expected, no frenzied shopping and traveling, no stressful get-togethers, no extravagant meals to be slaved over…just a bunch of people standing barefoot on a dirt floor singing and sharing communion (the Thai equivalent of purple Koolaid and Wonder bread) together. Being fully present in the moment, without thought or worry for what would happen next. It was beautiful and a precious reminder.

headed back to the dormitory for a quick change before another church service

some of the precious girls on the steps of the dormitory

We shared a meal with them (a traditional Karen dish that we’ve had several times while here): there’s a mixture of squash, sometimes potato, spice, curry, and a meat of some kind, all eaten with rice. In this dish, the meat was chicken. How do I know, you ask? Oh, because when I looked at a different bowl toward the end of the meal, there was a great big chicken foot sticking up into the air…talons and all. Luckily, I was just about finished with my portion. And to think that I used to be vegetarian. My dad and brother would’ve been proud. 

our great Bible school friends chow down after a long morning of singing

look closely...yep, those are feet. big ones. mmmmmm.

The ride home was a long, but quiet one. We chatted a bit with the students, but pretty soon they all fell asleep (not an easy feat in the back of a truck moving very quickly down a VERY rough road!). Our drive stopped at a few viewpoints on the way back to Mae La camp. This is a beautiful place and it's easy to see why our friends love it here. 

not a bad rear view for the drive, right?

packed in!

oh, the ever-popular peace sign...always cool.

the experience and the view were definitely worth the crazy drive!

driving to the Thai-Burma border

On the border of Burma, a country we've heard so much of and prayed so much for. Surreal.

At about 9pm, we were finally ready to squeeze into the back of the truck and head out. We covered up as much as possible, as we had to drive through at least three military or police checkpoints on our way out.  I covered my hair and as much of my face as I could, and we both kept our heads and our eyes down. The soldiers all carried machine guns, and menacing looks. There were several different colors of uniforms, and the students with us explained that the colors helped them know if the soldiers were straightforward or prone to corruption and hassling to get bribes. 

our wonderful place to sleep...complete with running water AND no squat toilet

our little truck all loaded with gear...yes, 14 people did also fit in there (somewhere)

It was different being in that situation with soldiers--in America we learn as children that law enforcement and military are there to help and protect us; just the opposite is true for the refugees and minorities in the camps. It was a long and tense ride for the first hour, until we'd made it through all of the search stops. It was heart wrenching to watch the faces of our refugee friends as we drove through; they were full of fear and shame.  Imagine living every day knowing that you are despised and unwanted by the people of the country in which you are trapped, unable to change your situation or their perspective. Incredibly defeating. 

standing on the border, looking across the river to Burma

Burma, right after we watched a soldier on patrol on the banks of the river

After about two hours of winding through dark roads up toward the mountains, our driver pulled over at the side of the road and announced that it was late and we would be sleeping 'near by the river' for the night. We knew we were right by the Thai-Burma border, and the idea of sleeping outside in the jungle wasn't my favorite…but we were at least prepared with sleeping mats and sleeping sacks. We followed the others down a little path, only to find that it lead to a little house with a porch, right on the banks of the Moi river. What a blessing!! A safe, clean place to sleep…and it had a Western style toilet AND a cold shower. I couldn't have been more excited--it was awesome! We were able to go to sleep clean and relatively cool. 

giant spiders were a small price to pay for being clean for the first time in days! :)

two of the seminary students who hadn't been this close to 'home' in years

In the morning when we woke, we walked outside to see the river and the Burma border just feet from where we stood. It was a surreal feeling, knowing that we were so close to the homeland of so many of our friends. We saw a soldier walking in the trees on the other side, so decided a quick swim across wasn't the best idea. :) It was neat so share the experience with the students; some hadn't been to Burma or 'home' for years. The looks of hope and longing on their faces we will remember always.

Dr. Simon's precious wife...so excited to be there.

waiting...and waiting...and more waiting

Last night Dr. Simon and his wife let us know that we would be leaving for the Thai Karen village sometime this morning. Since their day usually begins before 6am with devotional time and worship, we were up well before dawn to pack and get ready to leave. We didn't want them to have to wait for us (we've been trying REALLY hard to make the impression of Americans a good one for the people here), so we were out front waiting with our backpacks by 7am. 

Josh playing cane ball with some of the boys...they had mad skills, and were very polite and let him play once in a while. :)

Kyle and Josh checking out the map of Thailand, trying to figure out where we were heading...all we knew was it was 'north' and 'up in the mountains'. Turns out, that could have been a LOT of places. ;)

While we were standing outside (like school kids waiting for their ride when their parents forgot them), one of the American missionaries (Kyle) we had met at the youth conference drove up with a truck full of about 20 soccer players from Pho Pra--big tournament in the camp today. We chatted with him for about an hour, but no one from the Karen mission party came outside to leave. 

Four hours later, a small group came out and said that they would be leaving soon…but for Mae Sot (the nearest town to the south of Mae La camp). They needed to get supplies for the construction projects, and would be taking the only vehicle the school had left. They assured us that we would leave just as soon as they returned, so we kept waiting. And waiting. By this time, it was hot, and would only get hotter. And it did. We sweat a LOT here. 

most of the children wear traditional Karen face powder

precious little ones

sweet specs made out of some leftovers from the construction project next door

Once the sun started to go down, some of the nearby kids came out to see why we were just sitting by the road. We were able to assure them (and their watchful mothers) that contrary to the popular myth, we white people were NOT going to eat them. A relief to everyone. We played some hopscotch, wrote names and the alphabet in the dirt and got schooled at a few of their games with rocks. It was fun, and a great way to spend another couple of hours or so. Beautiful children with the hope for a better future.

practicing names and the ABCs in the dirt

more and more joined the fun once they decided we wouldn't eat them. ;)

Here's a link to a video of some of the fun. 
After about 12 hours from when we first started waiting, the pastor and his group came back from Mae Sot…and went to eat dinner and pack. Being totally dependent on them as our only means of transportation out of camp, we did some more waiting. :) As people used to being able to get up and go wherever, whenever, it has been eye-opening to be so dependent on others for EVERYTHING here. We can only imagine what this must feel like to the thousands of refugees as they wait and wait for years, hoping to get picked up to come to another country, most not being able to leave the camp, and all being completely dependent on the little bit of rice, oil, and water they receive from the officials. By the end of the end of the 5 days that we were there in camp, without the ability to go very far from the bible school, Josh was starting to feel pretty antsy. And everyone knows that an antsy Josh usually leads to trouble. :)

Meeting family at last!

Meeting family…at last!

The other half of Kue Kue's family...love them already

Today was an almost overwhelming mix of emotions. We were able to meet the rest of Kue Kue’s family—at last! Hei Klay Soe, his older sister, and her 5 year old son came to talk with us this morning for about an hour while his father waited for the younger two brothers to finish their school examinations and join us. Hei Klay Soe’s English is great, and we were able to talk with him about life in America and life here. The little one was excited to see photos of his family—and the animal pictures from our trip through the Chiang Mai zoo. Equally, I’d say. ;)

Liss, Tu Tu and Chu Chu after they'd walked a LONG way to reach us

Eh La and Josh

 While we were waiting for the other three to arrive, our precious older Karen friends from Boise, Tu Tu and Htee Shwe came to visit, and brought two of the others with them—Chu Chu and Myo Chit Oo. It was like a great big happy family reunion. There was a lot of hugging and laughing and it felt so good to be with them.  They were happy to meet Kue Kue’s family, since we pray for them all the time.  Several people walked for an hour and a half each way (and it is crazy HOT here), just to get to be with us for a few hours. We are humbled again and again here, and their huge hearts are such an example to us of what we ought to be. We apologized that they had to walk so far (we can’t leave to go visit them in their zones of the camp), but they waved it off as nothing, saying that there was no reason why they shouldn’t. Amazing people, I tell you. Just the best. We are thankful to call them our family. 

Myo Chit Oo and Chu Chu--they already miss their two children back in Boise and were ready to come back! :)

Htee Shwe, Tu Tu, Josh, Liss, Chu Chu and Myo Chit. Wonderful family reunion.

Here's a link to a video of Hei Klay Soe meeting our Boise Karen folks for the first time. Sweet to see worlds coming together.

And here is one of our favorite videos:Hei Klay Soe takes us on a tour of his family's home in Mae La camp.

Right alongside the elation of getting together, though, is the pain that comes with seeing how difficult and sometimes dangerous life is for people here. Tu Tu and Htee Shwe were very excited to go back into Burma this trip to visit their home village, but were told partway there that things were too bad for them to go back even for a short time. Seeing their disappointment was hard, especially knowing that this was probably their last chance to see ‘home’ and family on this side of the world.

You can't see it from here...but we were all sweating! Made me feel a little better to know I wasn't the only one.

I think in our last post we talked a little bit about how the pace and attitude of life is different here, but we are continually struck by it. We are able to make so many connections with how things are here and how different they are in the US—and so many of the puzzles we’ve had with why our refugee friends struggle with certain things make SO much more sense to us now. Like bathing, for example: a couple of years ago, I had a conversation with a woman about why they always had two big buckets in their shower. She said that they used them for washing clothes, and for taking a shower. I asked if she knew how the shower in their bathroom worked, and she just kind of looked at me funny and pointed to the buckets again. When I showed her how the whole shower system worked, she was surprised! She’d never known how to get water out of anything other than the lower spout. Even after I showed her, though, I think it was back to the buckets. If it works, why mess with it? 

The unclimbed mountain

Just to one side of the camp is a beautiful, towering mountain range. It looks like it would be a strenuous hike, but definitely just a day hike to get to the top of the mountain. From there, you would have a fantastic view of the entire camp and much of the surrounding land. Josh was shocked to find, in talking with six different able-bodied young men that none of them had been to the top, or even partway up, though it was within the bounds of the camp. We also talked to a young pastor who has lived in Mae La camp for ten years, and found that he has never been to the big market here, even though it was less than 15 minutes’ walk from his home. Both of these things just blew Josh away. As people with so little freedom, it didn’t make sense to him that they wouldn’t want to explore and take advantage of every square foot of space accessible to them. He thinks it might be because there is sometimes very little hope here (especially for those without faith in God), and as a result there is little reason to really look around. The sense of adventure through exploration, which we take for granted as people with such huge amounts of freedom, doesn’t seem to be present here. It’s given Josh pause to reflect and appreciate instances in our past experience where newly resettled refugees in the U.S. have found this freedom in their new home country. We have seen some of our families set off on huge road trips with only a destination state in mind (halfway across America)…just to see what things were like—because they CAN. Big, eye-opening, ‘owl’ kind of moment for him today.

homes near the base of the mountain

In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Dr. Simon and several other pastors from around Burma and Thailand. They have seen this conflict for a long time, and were able to walk us through the uprisings, changes in power, oppression of all of the ethnic minorities, formation of the refugee camps, and relations between Burma and its surrounding countries. This is real stuff—the violence, danger, sacrifice and exploitation of millions of people on a daily basis isn’t exaggerated or made up. These men have lived in it and through it—some for quite a long time. The amazing thing about our conversation is that they still have hope and still believe that there can be peace and unity here, and that their nation can be rebuilt, renewed and restored. Their faith carries them through the times of darkness, but they praise God for even small victories and are always looking for the light. 

A group of Bible school students preparing for their mission trip

We have been invited to join a group of seminary students and a few of the pastors on a short mission trip to a nearby Karen village tomorrow. We aren’t sure quite what to expect (these folks are hard core missionaries!!), but we are excited for the challenge. In the house next to us, some of the students are practicing their drama presentations and songs (including Feliz Navidad…in Karen…of course). Their enthusiasm is contagious.  We are looking forward to seeing life in the village. Who knows how we will all get there—there are at least 10 students going, only one truck, and several adults. Oh, and us. Smelly, sweaty us (be thankful that you can’t smell through this blog…it isn’t nice). Should be a good time!

Dr. Simon was planning to come with us (he was the one who originally invited us), but he received a call this afternoon notifying him that the KLA elections are tomorrow. The KLA is kind of like the Karen government (as much as a nationless people can have ), and this is a pretty big deal. The people here are concerned for the outcome of the elections. They need strong leaders who are willing to work hard for the good of the people. Please join us in praying for this pivotal event. These people need lasting, unifying change, and we trust that it is still possible. 

Kue Kue's grandson...super excited for the Cars movie they sent for him. :)