Thailand Highlight #2: Building From the Ground Up

There's something about working with your hands and seeing a tangible result that is very satisfying.  Working outside on our earthbag building reminded me of all those good times with Habitat for Humanity.  The purpose of our build project was to provide training for the Free Burma Rangers in earthbag construction methods that are sustainable and use local materials.  On top of that the building is resistant to bullets, fire, and earthquakes.  The ultimate goal is to equip them to build their own medical facility in the jungle of Burma.   The actual location of the hospital site in Burma is confidential (if the Burma Army found it they would likely try to destroy it), so it's a little strange to not know much of anything about the site we are designing for.  But with our time in Thailand, we basically wanted to teach medics to be builders.

There was an excellent backdrop for our work site

A great work crew of FBR medics was ready for us when we arrived on the site.  I think at first they expected us engineers and architects to basically supervise the project and tell them what to do.  When we worked beside them from sunrise to sunset it seemed that they gained respect for our team.  We originally planned on working for eight days, but we decided to stay at the village an extra two days so that we could finish enough to complete the training.  When we  finally got to see the finished product, all our hard work through the hot sun, downpours, bugs, and humidity was worth it.    Although exhausting working about 12 hours each day, it was a great experience of teaching and learning at the same time.

The hard working team couldn't go very long without smiling and laughing

And while the earthbag structure was basically a practice building, it still had quite a significance for the team.  Everyone worked so hard and the FBR team asked lots of questions because they wanted to learn to be able to do it themselves.  One great moment was when everyone got together and lifted the roofs up onto the building.  In the end we handed the work of finishing touches off to the medics and the building became theirs.  After this project the FBR team became confident in their ability to build whatever we end up designing for them in Burma.  And that was our goal, so praise God for that.

It takes a village to raise a roof

My earthbag laying team; we became a well-oiled machine

The build from start to finish:

Click here for more pictures... Monkey's House

Thailand Highlight #3: Meeting the FBR Medics

Raykaw is strong in more ways than one

When I first got my project assignment from eMi I researched quite a bit about the Free Burma Rangers and the work they do.  Before the trip one of the things I was most looking forward to was meeting these people I had been reading about.  Let's just say I was not disappointed.

If you asked me what one of the most inspirational parts of the project trip was, one man would come to mind.  His name is Raykaw, a Karen FBR medic who has some incredible stories.  He also has an enormous heart for service and deeply cares for his people.  Not many people would be willing to leave their wife and three year old son for four months at a time to backpack into a war zone in the Burmese jungle to defend people from heavily armed soldiers.  Yet this is his job, and he receives nothing in return, having to support his family on the provision of others.

The FBR missionary doctor, Mitch Ryan, told us a story of how Raykaw came across a sick man in Burma and was deciding how to treat him.  After a while they found out what this man was trying to hide, that he was a Burma Army officer.  This is a man who tortured, raped, and murdered the Karen people.  A man who burned their villages and set landmines in their path.  Mitch asked Raykaw what they should do with him; they were in the middle of nowhere and nobody would know what happened to him.  But Raykaw said that they should help him, that maybe God was giving him a chance to change his heart.  So they carried the man for days to get treatment, and let him go.

I talk about Raykaw because I got to know him better since he spoke English pretty well.  But the other medics and people working with FBR all have amazing stories.  They are people that have escaped the terrors of Burma, just to go back inside to help others in need.  And they don't see it as a noble act of service, it's just what they have to do.  After seeing their people suffer, doing nothing is not an option.

FBR medics put themselves in dangerous and difficult situations to help others in need

Thailand Highlight #4: Refugee Camp

We weren't sure what to expect coming in

During our boat trip on the Salawin, we stopped and actually went into a refugee camp in Burma.  Most refugee camps are in Thailand, but this one helped Karen people who could not legally live in Thailand.  The only reason the Burma Army had not destroyed it yet was that they would receive too much bad publicity.  They know just how far they can go to stay under the radar of international attention.

Walking into this community, it was hard to believe how different life could be depending on where you are born.  There were thousands of refugees in this camp, people who can no longer live in their homes because they had to flee with whatever possessions they could carry.  The children seemed very surprised at seeing a group of pale-skinned visitors in their village.  Large crowds of curious and smiling faces formed around us and followed us as we were shown the small school building and health clinic with dirt floors and thatch roofs.  On the chalkboard in the schoolhouse were Bible verses written for the kids to learn.  Although they had so little to be optimistic about, I could see a joy in their faces because they had a hope that comes from God.

We drew quite the crowds everywhere we went

Matt, one of our team members, pointed to a cross hanging from one boy's neck and he smiled.  It's a very unique feeling when you've never met a person and can't even communicate verbally with them, but there is an immediate spiritual connection because of your shared faith.  That boy never left our side the entire time we spent at the camp.

Why someone would want to destroy the children we saw I cannot understand.  I can only pray that God will take care of them and some day bring them out of that situation so that they can grow up, strong in faith.

May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor.

Psalm 72:4

 

 

Thailand Highlight #5: Elephant Taxi and Rafting

Our last day in Thailand, we decided to go on an adventure, and be more like tourists for a change.  So Seth and I rode out somewhere in the jungle with our Thai tour guide to an elephant park near a river.  Riding an elephant is definitely a unique experience, and well, pretty cool.  While I had joked that they use elephants as taxis in Thailand, I was pretty pumped to actually get on one.  It's harder to balance up there than it looks.

I couldn't get over how funny those ears look close up

A friendly giant

After saying goodbye to our elephant, we hopped onto a raft to take on the river rapids.  We met some Indian software engineers and a couple from Israel in our group.  Our guide taught us commands in broken English such as, "Forward!" and "Get down!" as well as procedures for how to get out from under a rock if you fall out.  We had a blast, and got cooled down by splashing waves too.

You can see the determination here as we prepare for the next rapid

Especially after focusing on the construction project, design work, and networking it was good to get out and have a little adventure.  This was a great way to end our time in Thailand, definitely an experience of a lifetime that I won't soon forget.

More pictures: Elephants and Rafting

Thailand Highlight #6: Volleyball, Karen Style

When you think Southeast Asia, you don't usually think volleyball.  But turns out the Karen are actually pretty big into the sport.  We found out the hard way when the Americans challenged the Karen to a game.  With a couple bamboo poles in the ground, a net, and a cleared space in the garden, it was on.  Despite our serious height advantage we got demolished, it wasn't even close.  I got a couple of good spikes in there though...  They were just too nice though, they felt bad and went easy on us after that.

Funny enough, the worst injury we had the whole trip was not on the construction site, but on the volleyball court.  James, our Australian friend, made a great dive for the ball but in the process hit the ground and dislocated his shoulder.  A few of us crowded around not knowing what to do, and then we remembered that there were a bunch of medics right there!  Raykaw ran over and after making sure some of the younger medics were watching to see how it's done, he popped James' shoulder back into place no problem.

Even if you don't understand each other's language sports are pretty universal.  There was a lot of laughter during our breaks from working to bring out the volleyball, even when we were losing to people a foot shorter than me.

Thailand Highlight #7: Riverboat on the Salawin

After working hard for the first week building, Sunday was our day of rest and recharging.  We decided to take a boat ride on the Salawin, which is a river that runs on the border between Thailand and Burma.  It was a great way to enjoy some jungle scenery and relax.  There's nothing quite like hanging on the front edge of one of those boats and skimming over the water in between mountains and tropical forest.

Talking with Leu while cruising down the Salawin

Seeing the Burma Army posts along the edge of the river was a disturbing reminder of the oppression happening even as we made our way down the river.  Along the way we picked up a few passengers and their bags of rice.  For some people in the area the boats are their main form of transportation since good roads are hard to come by.

Water taxis

Sitting on the front of the boat, I had a good conversation with Leu.  He is Karen but lives in Thailand, and a strong believer.  He talked about how difficult it is to learn English, and I taught him some new phrases.  I tried to explain where Michigan is, but just ended up saying I'm from a place near Chicago.

A big group of white people is always an interesting sight for the locals

After returning to dry land we took the treacherous cliff-side roads back, piled in a pickup truck.  Our driver, Eric, said it wouldn't be worth taking two vehicles since we only had 14 people.  Seat belts are overrated anyway I guess...

We hung on tight through some bumpy roads

Thailand Highlight #8: Getting Lost in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is a colorful city, great place to get lost - I recommend it

After we finished our build project we spent about a week in Chiang Mai for a community development conference.  Getting in a tuk tuk (little three-wheeler taxi) with a driver that doesn't know any English and having no idea where he's taking you is a small adventure in itself.  After getting to know the area we really had a good time exploring the city, bartering with people at the night shops, and checking out the many Buddhist temples.

A traditional Thai musical performance outside a temple

People were very friendly and smiled a lot.  It's a bustling place but you don't get the feeling that people are stressed out at all.  The layout is quite interesting, with the old city in the center with a brick wall and a moat all the way around it.  It took a while to get used to cars driving on the left side of the road, gotta make sure you're looking the right way when you cross the street.  Especially with mopeds shooting by in all directions.

Having some free time after the conference seminars, I found it entertaining just to walk around and see some Thai culture, how people live.  At the same time it's hard to watch all these people go about their lives, knowing that about 95% of them are Buddhist, and over 99% of them don't know Christ.  Seeing rituals performed at the Buddhist temples just looked so empty.

Buddhist temple where people burn incense and walk laps around the fence

By the time we left to go back home, I felt like I would've liked stay for a while longer.  Even though it was such a completely different world, for some reason I felt welcome there.

Here are some pictures I took around the city: Chiang Mai

Thailand Highlight #9: The Food

Being somewhat of a bigger guy, I was a little worried about having enough to eat during the trip.  Then I quickly realized that I had nothing to worry about.  Monkey, our Karen host at the build site, along with many helpers cooked up some great meals every day for the huge group of us.  When the Karen medics are on FBR missions in Burma they normally eat two meals a day of plain rice.  We were given special treatment with lots of rice, but also vegetables and occasionally some meat.  Despite the fact that I couldn't tell exactly what I was eating, and a few unusual animal parts, it was always delicious.  The Karen enjoy food that is way too spicy for me.  I usually passed on certain things like the fish paste, to avoid melting my face off.

When we came back to Chiang Mai we didn't have any trouble finding good food there either.  I'm a huge fan of real Thai food, it never got old.  I didn't realized how much different it is than "American" food until I ate a couple of french fries on the way home in the airport.  It felt like I ate some rat poison or something.  Makes me realize how unhealthy my meal choices are sometimes.

Family style meal at Monkey's - the bowls of rice just kept on coming.

Some very spicy seafood.  I freaked out a little
at first because I thought it was moving.

Thailand Highlight #10: Team Bonding

After much traveling, I made it back home to Colorado Springs on Saturday - just in time for some snow.  Now I'm just trying to recover from jet lag, unpacking, and doing laundry.  Since I wasn't able to post much during the trip the past three weeks, it's a little bit difficult to try and make up for lost time now.  If I tried to describe everything that happened on the trip and all the stories, that would make for an extremely long post.  So, I will just go over some of the highlights from the entire trip, sort of a SportsCenter Top 10 if you will.  We'll take them one at a time so I have more time to write, starting with #10...

10) Team Bonding
Spending time with a group of people 24/7 for a couple weeks is a quick way to get to know each other.  It seems like ages ago that our eMi team met in the airport at the start of our journey.  These guys are professional engineers, architects, and builders who are actively using their gifts to serve others and I love to see that willingness to follow God's leading.  Matthew, Dan, Bill, Steve, Brent, David, Seth, Rex, and I are all such different people from different places, and all came together for one purpose.  We worked hard, encouraged each other with our testimonies, and had a lot of fun.  Whether it was listening to Thai cover bands on the radio for three and a half hours packed in a van, helping each other carry buckets of dirt in 95 degree heat, or singing worship songs for a house church service, we were a real team.  I feel fortunate to have been able to work and spend time with these guys.

By His Power

Well unfortunately I haven't been able to get to a computer long enough to write anything about the trip until now.  Even so I will probably just scratch the surface of what's been going on the past two weeks and how God has been working.  Anyway we finished our construction training and building project on Friday and have since been back in Chiang Mai.  This week is the ECHO Conference on sustainable agriculture, community development, and appropriate technology.  Seth, Rex, and I are attending the conference to represent eMi as a ministry and do some networking with other organizations.  Hopefully we'll learn a lot about different development strategies at the same time.  So we'll be here until Thursday and then fly to Seoul, then back home  by Saturday.

About a week and a half ago our eMi team arrived in a small jungle village in Mae Sariang near the northern Burma border.  The work site was at our host Monkey's house, a post for the Free Burma Rangers.  We worked with a group of Karen medics, some amazing believers who have extreme dedication to their calling to help their people in Burma.  The building process went very well thanks to answered prayer and very hard workers among both the eMi team and the Karen.  The FBR team learned very quickly how to build with earthbags and put together the hypar roof system.  After discussion with the lead missionary doctor and the team, we have a lot of confidence in their ability to make it happen for the clinic in Burma.

There are so many good stories but I don't have time to tell them all right now.  Needless to say, God did some amazing things through this project.  He used the experience to teach me that our work is by his power and we are capable of nothing without Him.  But right now I'm just happy I don't need to haul any more buckets of dirt in the heat and humidity of the jungle.

More details and pictures will be sure to follow when I get a chance.  Again, I want to thank everyone for supporting me in this, I know you have played a huge role in the success we had.  And of course, thanks be to God above all.