Made it to Mae La Camp!

Thank you for your prayers for safety and protection!! Yesterday afternoon, Dr. Simon (the Karen Bible School headmaster) let us know that it was time to load up into a truck to drive from Phopra to Mae La Camp. We grabbed our backpacks and headed out to the truck, to find that our driver was the same young man that had driven us to the youth conference a few days ago. Josh and another man worked on tying a bunch of bags and baskets of peoples’ belongings onto the roof of the truck with rope, and as we waited, more and more people came to join the travelling group. When we pulled out to leave, there were seven people in the cab of the little truck, and eight of us in the back of the six-food pickup bed, squeezed between the rest of the belongings and supplies that were to go to Mae La. Good thing our personal bubbles have shrunk considerably in the past few years—it was a tight ride! I was partly underneath a rather large Pee Pee (grandmother) for most of the ride. Memorable.

the back of the little pickup where it's not unusual for 15 people to sit

Along the way, we stopped several times, picking up needed materials for the Bible School construction project, food, and finally energy drink cases to use as bribe for the Thai officials at the refugee camp checkpoints. The ride was long, hot and really fascinating. The scenery gradually shifted from developed towns and homes to fields and bamboo huts with dirt roads. We passed through at least five military checkpoints, and by God’s grace we were not stopped or questioned or searched…even though we are CLEARLY not native residents. J It was amazing—we were totally protected, and barely got a glance from the officials. This was not normal, as most of the people we talked with prior to our trip were concerned for our safety and told us stories of close calls and non-Thai people being held captive for ransom. Amazing.

the entrance to the Bible school--our home while in Mae La camp

plants everywhere!! :)

a road between houses

The Bible School is very interesting. When classes are in session, over 450 students live here at the school. They are in the process of rebuilding the structures, as last year’s fire destroyed much of what they had used in previous years. It looked like the old buildings had been constructed mainly of wood, while the rebuilt sections are a combination of cement block and metal—we are guessing as a precaution against future fires. There are gardens and plants everywhere around the Bible school buildings. When we arrived, a group of boys was playing in a dirt field behind the dormitory building—they use only their feet and heads to play a game that looks like a combination of volleyball, hackey sack and soccer and badminton. They are so fast! We thought the net was really tall—the boys were jumping very high—but when Josh went down to check it out, it turns out that they are just not-so-tall themselves. J

homes in Mae La--stacked almost on top of one another

We gave some money to someone we’d met to buy minutes for their phone, and called some of our contacts from Boise. How crazy and amazing that on the other side of the world, we are able to call and speak with people we know, and even get to see them in person! The first person to arrive this evening was Hei Klay Soe—our sweet friend Kue Kue’s son. We were SO excited to finally meet him!!  Kue Kue and three of her children live near us in Boise, while her husband and four other children are still in Mae La, unable to leave because they have not yet been given the papers they need. We’ve seen photos of Hei Klay Soe and the others for years, but seeing him in person was so much better. He looks just like Hennery, and they share similar mannerisms, too! We had a great time talking with him, showing him photos and videos of his family, and learning more about their situation here. His father and two younger brothers were in Mae Sot for the day, getting new medical checks. We pray that this means they will be able to join us in the US soon! The rest of the family is coming to the Bible School today, and we can’t wait to meet them all!

laundry time at the Bible school

In the evening, we sat down with Dr. Simon (a big mover and shaker in the Karen/Thai/Burmese world) and talked about what the situation here in the camp is like now, and how things are going in Burma as well. He said that things have become worse in the camp in recent months, as a large Muslim influence has increased power here. Life here moves at a much different pace from that of the US. I think a lot of that has to do with the heat and humidity (it just makes you feel sluggish and tired), but also the lack of hope or purpose. Even while we have been here, as US citizens with so much more freedom, we can’t help but feel a little trapped. Dr. Simon and all of the seminary students have been incredibly kind and generous to us. Because of the current climate here, however, we are not able to move much beyond the boundary of the Bible school area. We had hoped to be able to see all three zones of Mae La camp (it stretches for something like 16 miles!), but have been told it is not possible or safe. This coming from a man who regularly does things that I would never consider even remotely safe, so we are trusting his judgment.

We are still trying to figure out the bath situation here—they actually have a well at the school, and don’t have to haul water from the trucks as some other areas do. There are usually a few containers of water in the bathroom area—one big trash can full with a dipper, and several smaller, more shallow containers. We know that you use the dipper to splash water on you to bathe, but are never totally sure which of the smaller containers should hold the rinse water. They all usually have different amounts of liquid in them, so it’s still a mystery. Everyone we’ve asked just giggles and smiles, so no luck getting a solid answer. We’ll just continue to bumble along, I suppose. We are so thankful that there is water. Nearly everything is dirt here—the paths, floors and roads, so being able to rinse off a couple of layers at the end of the day is great. I did a load of wash with some of the young women this afternoon near the well. I think they found it hilariously odd to watch a ‘golawah’ squatting on the ground with them scrubbing dirty underwear by hand.

As we lay on our mats to sleep at night, we can hear groups of people singing until the wee hours of the morning in areas all around us. It’s Sweet December here, and there is lots of caroling and singing. People walk around with songs on their lips almost constantly. It is never quiet, but it is always wonderful. We love it, and we have enjoyed everyone we’ve been able to meet so far. Their contentment and faith is a shining example to us.

Sorry for the lack of photos--we do have some great ones to share! The internet connection here isn't strong enough to post blog entries (thank you bunches, Kelly, for posting these for us!!) or upload photos. When we get to a more developed area next week we'll add some. :) Promise.