Rangers Lead the Way

Here's a story told by a young girl who is called "White Monkey" in the Karen language.  She is a daughter of David Eubank, the founder the Free Burma Rangers, the group we will be working with in Thailand.  Their family lives in a community near the border of Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand.  The FBR provides help for internally displaced people in the wake of attacks by the Burma Army.

Most of these people are an ethnic minority group living in the Karen State of Burma.  A large number of the Karen people are Christian, and they suffer much persecution as the Burmese government suppresses religious freedom.  The Burma Army has been accused of ethnic cleansing, as Karen villages continue to be burned and destroyed.  Hundreds of thousands have fled to refugee camps in Thailand, while countless others are hiding in the jungles of Burma after being forced from their homes.



The Karen people have a desperate need not only for emergency medical support, but also spiritual guidance and encouragement.  Our goal as an eMi Project Team this fall is to aid the Free Burma Rangers in their efforts to offer the hope and love of Christ to these people.  Please pray for the Karen people and members of the FBR, that God would watch over them and protect them.

There's also another video about FBR missions that is very informative, although quite graphic and disturbing.  That's why I didn't actually put it up here.  If you're squeamish I wouldn't recommend it, so be warned.  Here's the link: Free Burma Rangers Video.

Out of Dirt Comes Hope

Over the past few weeks I've been learning more about my upcoming EMI project and preparing myself for what lies ahead.  Until now I haven't given much detail about what we are actually going to be doing.  So, here it is.

I have been assigned to a project team of engineers and architects volunteering on Project 5550.  Our team includes an EMI staff project leader, architect, structural engineer, civil engineer, building contractor, architectural intern, and myself.  We will be serving a medical training center called the Jungle School of Medicine Kawthoolei, located in a conflict zone in the country of Burma.  Due to the hostile nature of this remote location we will be traveling to Thailand and staying in Mae Sariang, just east of the Burma border. 

 Over fifty years of civil war have left Burma one of the poorest countries in the world. Now the military dictatorship attacks its own people, killing or capturing them for forced labor.  Over one million people are now displaced inside Burma after fleeing from their homes into the jungle.  A lack of attention from global media has left the desperate situation relatively unnoticed.  An organization called the Free Burma Rangers is devoted to helping internally displaced people in Burma.  They provide medical, spiritual, and educational resources for these communities.

 Our project team will be working to design facilities for medical training in Burma, including a classroom and clinical laboratory.  In addition to the designs we will be training FBR members to build these facilities themselves using earthbag construction.  This is a relatively new technique for permanent structures based on an old method of building temporary structures, such as flood control with sand bags.  These massive walls give protection from severe weather, earthquakes, floods, even bullets.  Earthbags can be filled with local soils, require very few traditional building materials, and they're dirt cheap (okay, not funny).  It's an interesting method for sustainable construction, and is very applicable to

this remote location in the jungle.  We will be constructing a 

home which will benefit a village in Mae Sariang, but the main 

purpose is to demonstrate earthbag building techniques.

The trip will begin in late September and in-country design objectives will be accomplished in Mae Sariang.  After three weeks in Thailand, the remainder of the design work will be completed at the EMI office in Colorado Springs until the end of my term.  I cannot tell you how excited I am about this project!  I'm looking forward to seeing how God works through this.

Short Term with a Lasting Impact

It seems that short term missions are sometimes thought of as less significant or of lesser impact than long term service.  They are often viewed as sort of a stepping stone to a real ministry effort.  And while it is true that some missions can be shortsighted, this perspective really puts limits on how God can work through every opportunity.  My four months of service with EMI this fall is short term.  This doesn't mean that I don't have a long term mindset.  It would be easy to think of it as a good experience to have under my belt and then move on, but God is able to do so much more.

During my little bit of spare time I've been reading a book about short term missions and how to prepare for them.  The author's idea of recognizing Paul's journeys in Acts as short terms is interesting to me.  Of course Paul didn't just travel to a foreign land, preach the gospel, and forget about the people he came to help.  After returning home he prayed for the communities and churches that he developed relationships with.  He cared for them through his letters.

"We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.  We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

The purpose is not to simply to accomplish some task or good deed.  We are developing relationships with other believers and helping to build Christ's church.  The calling from the Lord is to obey Him and and let the Spirit work in us.  This is a quote from a Christian martyred for her faith that speaks to this truth:

"The missionary heart: Care more than some think is wise. Risk more than some think is safe. Dream more than some think is practical. Expect more than some think is possible. I was called not to comfort or success but to obedience.  There is no joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving him."

Karen Watson, 2004

 As I continue to prepare myself for service I just want to do my best to remember that God's purpose will prevail regardless of my successes or failures.  It isn't me working, but the Spirit working through me.

eMi Project 9110

Here's an example of what an eMi project trip looks like.  This project was in March 2011 in Burundi in East Africa.  The group worked to design a vocational training center for widows.

EMI normally provides design drawings and plans to the Christian organization being served in country.  Then that organization will raise funds to construct the design.

My team in Thailand (Project 5550) will be smaller, but lean and mean, with just seven of us.  Our project will also be a little different since it will involve actual construction with the team.  More details on the project to follow...