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~March 20th~
~March 20th~
B’Shar Loe told me he would stay in camp since we were in such good hands. He also told me none of the soldiers or medics had eaten, so we would stop at our favorite roadside noodle stand for lunch. I was chomping at the bit to get to Mu Aye Pu and back to Mae La, but realized everyone was putting themselves out to help us and I needed to be sensitive to their needs too. We followed her truck for the hour ride to roadside “restaurant” and ordered fried rice with fried egg on top and coke. I paid for all the meals and 14 of us ate for $11.00!
We finally got to the cut-off and turned onto the dirt road across a field that would take us to the river bank. Our truck had no problem, but I was concerned about Tim’s rental car. Some of the road was very rutted and steep. The dust was so thick at times we couldn’t see his car behind us. At one point, Tim and Carol got out and helped push the car up one steep spot!
We finally all got to the river where a long boat was waiting to take us across. 
The boats have an engine mounted on a swivel with tiller in back of boat. The boat driver moves the motor to steer the boat. It was a beautiful day and brought back fond memories of the days we were able to travel up and down the Moie River freely between the villages. It is no longer safe to travel extensively on the river.
The hospital was totally empty of patients and Wah Schwee explained that in the rainy season the malaria cases were much higher and the people from the villages came to the hospital for care. In the hot summer months, they didn’t have as many people traveling to the hospital.
Here's a shot of us at the entrance of the hospital with medics and others.
The two medics told us their greatest need was for money to buy medicine. They explained where they had it stored and hidden. They supply back pack medics with medicine and then these medics spread out through the jungle for many miles treating people in the villages and those hiding in the jungle. They also have what they called “fly teams” who go deep inside Burma behind the army lines to help the villagers displaced by the fighting and indiscriminate burning of their homes and rice crops. The soldiers often steal or kill their cattle, making it impossible for them to stay in their homes even if they haven’t been burned. Life is very hard for the Karen in Burma. The number of IDP villages hastily built near the border is increasing in number as thousands of displaced persons seek refuge. The “fly teams” are able to treat those who haven’t been able to get out ahead of the enemy troops. They asked me if I could supply them with a digital camera so they could document the atrocities and the injured.
The Thai government and United High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) have to control the number of people allowed to live in the refugee camps, but hundreds more were accepted this past year due to the overwhelming amount of families hiding in the jungle. UNHCR has instituted a “resettlement” program and thousands of those in the camps are allowed to register for relocation to another country. The U.S., Canada, Australia, Norway, Sweden, & Switzerland are those who are taking the most. The U.S. is accepting the largest number. 5,000 were already sent to the U.S. in 2006 and 19,000 more have registered and will be sent before the end of 2007. Many people in Mae La camp are going to U.S., Canada, and Australia.
This resettlement program is drastically changing the dynamics in the camps. An Australian woman who has lived with the Karen over 15 years has an excellent school, Eden Valley Academy, in Mae La Camp. Her students get a much better education and are fluent in English by the time they graduate. She told me the biggest challenge facing the Karen now is that those who were the brightest and spoke English had applied for and were selected for re-settlement first and there is an alarming “brain drain” taking place. 15 of one school's 24 teachers have left for other countries. Several of my key contact people in the camps are leaving or have left already.
My dear Karen Son and past body guard, B’ Shar Loe, is slated to leave for Australia in the next 4 months with his family. We have used his home in Mae La camp as a base when we are there and he helps distribute sponsor funds. I was feeling very anxious about losing him, but I know God is in control and already has someone in mind to fill his place in our outreach. It removes an element of comfort and security for me by losing friends I’m so comfortable with, but it keeps me focused on the Lord as I realize the plans I make are of no use if God is not orchestrating every aspect of our outreach.
We left Mu Aye Pu and got back to Mae La camp about 4 pm. We tried to set up and take pictures and update our information cards on the children, but had to give up after an hour. It was getting too dark in the house. So many people had crowded into the house it was way too chaotic.
One of the young men that IAG has been sponsoring for years came in with a big grin on his face. He showed me his graduation certificate and said,
“Pee Pee, thank you so much for helping me all these years so I could stay in school! I have finally finished and now can work for my people!”
We hugged and I had tears in my eyes as I saw once again, Christ’s hand working so wonderfully in these refugee camps. We promised we would come back tomorrow and spend the day. We packed up and hiked back to the front gate.
The Lord had provided a truck and driver for us, arranged by our medic, Wah Schwee. The driver assigned to me is one of the lucky Karen who has been hired by Princess Cruise Lines out of San Francisco as a cabin steward. He is based in San Francisco and works 10 months and has 2 months off to fly back and spend with his wife and sons. His wife is the head teacher at Eden Valley Academy and has worked with Helen Hall for many years. Der Htoo speaks excellent English and we had a great conversation on the way back to Mae Sot. He told me he would drive back and pick us up in the morning and take us to Mae La camp. He asked if he could stop by and pick his wife up so she could ride with him. Carol wanted to ride in the back of the truck and his wife climbed in the back with her. I tried to get her to sit up in the cab, but she insisted I stay in the cab. Shortly after we picked up his wife, it started raining and I was worried about the two of them in the back. Carol kept saying they were fine as the cab of the truck blocked the rain from them. When the thunder and lightning started I had Der Htoo stop and I insisted they get in the truck. Tim was right behind us in his car so Carol and I climbed in with him and Der Htoo’s wife got in cab of truck. Just after we made the switch the thunder and lightning intensified and it started raining buckets! Chris was not feeling well. She had a cough and upset stomach, so I was very happy she had been in the car the whole time. We all were happy to get back to our hotel, shower and get to bed early.