Burma Retrospective - Part Two - Photos

The internet connection at the Tokyo Airport was somewhat fussy this morning. I was unable to load several photos related to the last paragraphs of my previous post.  I am now at O'Hare Airport in Chicago awaiting my flight to Syracuse - which happens to be on about a half hour delay.  The photos above document our dinner at the House of Memories, the Shewdagon, lunch with members of the Asho Chin Baptist Church and me preaching at the morning service.  Yes, they're in reverse order.  Enjoy!

Burma Retrospective - Part Two

I am currently sitting in Toyko's Narita Airport with a three hour layover before the next leg of hour-long flight is behind me. The bad news is that I have another twenty-one hours in planes and airports ahead of me before I touch down in Syracuse (and then an hour drive to Utica). So, I thought I would redeem the time by bring you a little more up-to-date on our visit to Burma.

Saturday, February 21
We spent the morning touring the facilities and meeting faculty of the three Baptist seminaries located on “Seminary Hill” in Insein. They are: Myanmar Institute of Theology (an English language MA, MDiv, and DMin granting school), Myanmar Institute of Christian Theology (a Burmese language bachelor level institution), and the Karen Baptist Seminary (a Sgkaw Karen language school that awards a bachelor degree).

I also hoped to see the Dr. Yah Ha Lay Lay Lah, an Eastern Baptist Seminary D.Min. grad, Professor of Pastoral Theology at KBS, and good friend of our congregation. However, Yah Ha was out of the city ministering at the church he pastors. However, I was pleased to meet Lily Kawdoe, registrar and professor at MIT. Lily teaches ecumenics and inter-faith studies and was a visiting scholar at my DMin alma mater, Hartford Seminary, last year. The photo below is of me with Dr. Kawdoe.

After a delicious lunch at MIT, we spent the afternoon meeting with some of the various regional and ethnic conventions which comprise the Myanmar Baptist Association. We met with the leaders of the Pyo Karen Baptist Convention, the Asho Chin Baptists Convention, the Mynamar Baptist Convention Union. As the pastor of a congregation with so many Karen, the highlight of the day for me was meeting over the dinner hour with the Karen Baptist Convention leadership. Here I am pictured with the convention’s general secretary.

Sunday, February 22
On Sunday morning members of our team fanned out to attend and/or preach at various Baptist churches in Yangon. Peter Vogelaar were invited to join the Asho Chin Baptist Church. Peter prayed and I preached! We were very warmly received by the growing church of about 150. Afterwards, we were treated to another feast, this an authentic Burmese meal, featuring a variety of curries (chicken, beef, pork, and goat), a salad of raw prawns and vegetables in citrus, fish paste and chilies, and of course, rice.

During the afternoon we visited the Shewdagon, the most famous Buddhist temple in Yangon, if not in all of Burma. Unfortunately, much of the site was covered with scaffolding for repair and regilding. We next visited Scott’s Market --- which includes a wide variety of stalls selling everything from vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat to handcrafts, jewelry, and clothing. We concluded the day with a relaxed dinner at the House of Memories, a restaurant housed in a historic home that served as General Aung Sung’s office during World War Two.

Burma Retrospective - Part One

As my trip draws to a close (I board my flight back to the United States at 6:00 a.m), I want to look back and bring you up-to-date on the one portion of our journey through Thailand and Burma I was unable to document as it was happening. That portion, of course, is the five days we spent in Burma.

We arrived in Yangon late on the evening of February 19. Our passage through immigration and customs was complete routine and uneventful. To be truthful, this was somewhat anti-climatic after the horror story we have heard from other western visitors and former citizens. Several staff members from the Myanmar Baptist Convention, the national Baptist body in Burma, were at the airport awaiting our arrival. They whisked us off to our twelve story hotel (Panda Hotel) and ordered a feast of Chinese food for us at the attached restaurant.

The next morning we met with the General Secretary of MBC, the Reverend Dr. Zaw Win, and the other officers of the convention. Following another feast for lunch, we met with the dozen or so department heads of the conventions various divisions. We also toured the MBC’s substantial property.

Above are photos of their property. The modern building is awaiting a government permit for an elevator before it can be completed and occupied. However, the convention does not know when (of if) the permit will be issued. The older building is Cushman Hall which dates to the missionary era and was constructed in the early 1900's. The statue pictured is dedicated to a young missionary who gave her life in Burma. It bears the inscription from the hymn, ". . . to thy cross I cling . . ."

Throughout the day, I and others were impressed by our Burmese Baptist friend’s core commitments. They are proud of their Baptist heritage and identity. Adoniram and Ann Judson are revered by Burmese Baptists who celebrate the Judson's arrival in Burma on July 13, 1813 with Judson Sunday on the second Sunday of July each year. They are very patient and skillful at negotiating as a very small religious minority within a majority Buddhist nation. They are very creative in their ministry strategies. They have forged partnerships with the NGOs, international Baptist organizations, and even the government to address challenges as diverse as HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, community development, and Cyclone Nargis relief. They combine this commitment to the social welfare of the neighbors with an equally strong commitment to evangelism and church planting. Consequently, the various regional and ethnic conventions that comprise the Myanmar Baptist Convention are adding new churches and seeing existing churches grow.

Of course, the day ended with yet another feast! If there is one thing that unites Baptists the world over, it maybe our love of fellowship around the dinner table.

Back from Burma

We have safely returned from our all too brief visit to Yangon, Burma (Myanmar). My impressions of the city and country from our short stay are of the striking contrasts and contradicts of the place and its people. The best roads and streets are pitted with pot holes. In places it appears that both the roads and the buildings that line them have been unrepaired since the end of British colonial rule. Those who can afford the extradordinary expense of a private vehicle drive rattling, twenty-five to thirty year cars.

Our hotel had two large electrical generators by its front door that frequently fired up as the city's electical system periodically failed. The universities are all closed in response to last year's uprising. The various government ministries that dot the metropolis are shuttered after the ruling junta relocated to the hills a hundred miles north of the city. By western standards, Yangon is impoverished. The city contains many square miles of squalid slums. It also is a city of great, if somewhat tarnished, beauty with broad boulevards, landscaped parks, and historic Buddhist temples.

Despite the daily challenges of living under a caprious, corrupt, and inept political system, I found the people I met incredibly resilient and hopeful, with well a developed national sense of irony. They are generally friendly, quick to smile, and curious about foreigners.

The Baptist leaders and church members we met welcomed us with overwhelming hospitality and generosity. It seemed that every time we sat down we were provided with a feast. They are proud of both their national identity and special relationship to American Baptists as the spiritual heirs of pioneering missionaries, Adoniram and Ann Judson. Our Baptist brothers and sister stold us that their conventions and churches are growing as they reach out to their communities in wholistic ministry that attempts to address the spiritual, physical, and social needs of their neighbors.

This morning we returned to Bangkok by plane. Most of the team returns to the United States early tomorrow morning. I return the following day. So, today is being spent doing some last minute sightseeing before our departures.

The photos above are of Yangon and Burma. I will post additional reflections and reports about my time in Burma in the coming days.

Mae Sot to Bangkok to Yangon

This morning we visited the Mae Sot office of the International Organization for Migration.  We received an introduction to IOM's work which includes:  cultural orientation, health screening, and travel arrangements for refugees bound for resettlement in a third country.  IOM tries to prepare refugees for the realities of life in a new country and culture, while also acting as their travel agent to insure that they are booked on a flight that will carry them to their new home.

After visiting IOM we drove the short distance across town to the Moewi River which is the border between Burma and Thailand at Mae Sot.  There one can see the "Friendship Bridge" that links the two countries.  One can also see the entrepreneur who, for a baht or two, ferries people across the river in the shadow of the military police of both nations.

After our pilrimage to the Moewi River, we boarded our  vans to begin the seven hour trip back to Bangkok.  We are currently spending the night at the Christian Guest House.  In the morning we will visit the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, an NGO that provides food and building supplies to the nine refugee camps along the border.  We will also visit the Overseas Processing Entity for Southeast Asia, the International Rescue Committee.  IRC processes refugee applications for the U.S. State Department.

Late tomorrow morning we had back to Bangkok's international airport to fly to Yangon, Burma (Myanmar).  Please pray that our flight will arrive safely and that we will encounter no difficulties as we enter the country.  As there is very limited internet access in Burma and what there is heavily monitored and restricted by the government, I anticipate not attempting to post any messages to this blog until I return Bangkok on February 24.

Images of the Mae La Refugee Camp

Mae Sot and Mae La Refugee Camp

Our group left Bangkok after breakfast in two vans for the small Thai/Burma border city of Mae Sot. We arrived in the late afternoon, check-in to our hotel, and enjoyed a delicious Thai meal at a restaurant set in a landscaped waterside grove of trees. It was like eating the jungle.

Directly across from the restaurant is the Karen Refugee Committee. The committee's chairman, Rev. Robert Htway, met us and introduced us the committee's work coordinating nine refugee camps (7 Karen and 2 Karenni) along the border with Burma. He spoke of the challenges of finding adequate resources to provide food and salaries to teachers for a growing population of refugees.

We returned to the Karen Refugee Committee after breakfast this morning. Rev. Htway provided us with a liason who led us on the forty-five drive to the Mae La Refugee Camp and coordinated our entry with the Thai authorities at the camp. Once inside, we welcomed by Rev. Dr. Saw Simon, the principal of the Karen Kawthoolai Baptist Bible School and College. This institution provides both Bible school and college programs to approximately three hundred students. After enjoying lunch with Dr. Simon we were given the honor of addressing the students, presenting a monetary gift to Dr. Simon for the ministry of KKBBSC, and were then seranaded by the students.

The photos that follow are from the KKBBSC assembly.

For the remainder of the afternoon we toured the refugee camp which appears to the visitor to be an overgrown Karen village that now houses a population of 50-60 thousand. (I will post several additional images of the Mae La Refugee Camp in separate posting.) Tomorrow we visit the Mae Sot office of the IOM --- the International Organization for Migration --- before returning to Bangkok by van.

Chiang Mai On Foot

I spent the afternoon exploring Chiang Mai on foot.  I walked around the city for five hours and think I cover a good 6-7 miles.   I am currently waiting for a driver to come and take  me to the airport to catch my return flight to Bangkok.  As I wait, I thought that I would share some images of the old walled city of Chaing Mai and nearby neighborhoods.  

Thailand is a majority Buddhist country.  This is readily apparent walking through the old city.  One finds a Buddhist wat (temple) on every other corner, or so it seems.  Here some images from Wat Phra Singh, one of Chiang Mai's oldest temples that houses a particularly revered image of the Buddha.

Meals are relatively inexpensive in Chiang Mai.  They can be purchased at a sitdown restaurant.  Here's my lunch of Pad Thai with Prawns.

Or, you can purchase a tasy meal, snack, or dessert from the thousands of street vendors that line the streets and various markets.

Tonight our team reassembles in Bangkok.  Peter Vogelaar remained in Bangkok and has been meeting with family, friends, and refugee resettlement colleagues.  I travelled to Chiang Mai.  The rest of the group has been Malaysia visiting Chin refugee camps, Chin Baptist Churches, and NGOs.

Tomorrow we head to Mae Sot along the Thai/Burma border.  For the next couple of days we will be visiting with Karen Refugee Committee, NGOs, and at the Mae La refugee camp.

Sightseeing in Chiang Mai

Yesterday I spent the day sightseeing in and around Chiang Mai.  Once again, I will allow the photos to tell the story.

In the morning I visited the workshops of several local artisans.  Chiang Mai is known for its umbrellas - traditionally made from wood and paper.  Above and below are examples of this type of umbrella.

In the afternoon, I visited Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, a large Buddhist temple, monastery, and educational center that the sights atop a tall mountain overlooking Chiang Mai.  The van ride to the top of the mountain was forty minutes over a twisting, turning road that at points was on the edge of cliffs that dropped thousands of feet.  The temple boasts a panoramic view of the city below. Unfortunately, it was very hazy yesterday.  So the photos I share with you are of the temple compound alone.

I had very pleasant surprise at the end of the day.  While shopping at Chiang Mai's famed night market, I ran into my friends Judy and Hoppi Winfield from Utica.  Judy and Hoppi are in Chiang Mai with the Brackett Foundation, an educational foundation that provides educational opportunities to Burmese and Thai students.  This in the second year in a row that the Winfield's path and mine have intersected in Thailand.  Last year we discovered we were staying at the same hotel in Mae Sot unbeknownst to each other.

 

My plans for today are to check out of the Riverside Guest House, attend worship at the English language Protestant Church, explore Chiang Mai some more, and finally catch a 9:25 p.m. plane back to Bangkok.  Tomorrow it's on to Mae Sot along the Thai/Burma border!

All of Northern Thailand in Just 13 Hours!

I am spending the couple of days I have free in Chiang Mai to explore the city and do some sightseeing in northern Thailand.  This area is the historic heartland of the Lanna Thai culture. Yesterday, I signed-up for a one-day tour of Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle (famous for the opium trade in 1970's).  Twelve of us left Chiang Mai by van at 7:30 a.m.   We returned thirteen hours later - thouroughly exhausted.

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  I am too weary for many words.  So, I will share some photos instead.

Below is an ancient Buddhist wat (temple) outside of Chiang Rai --- at one time the Lanna Thai capital.

We visited the Golden Triangle area of the Mekong River where Thailand, Burma, and Laos meet.  Here is an image of the large Buddha that guards the Thai side of the river.

We crossed the Mekong and entered Laos at Don Xao where we received a Laotian entry stamp in our Visas --- for a small fee of course!  A particularly unusual item was for sale.  Below is an image of Laotian whiskey with snake and/or scorpion.  I didn't purchase any!

We also visited the market town of Mae Sai.  For an entry fee of approximately $15.00 we could cross into Burma.  However, none in our party wanted to give the Burmese junta any additional aid.  So, below is a photo taken from Thailand looking into Burma.

Reflections on an International Fax

After four hours of searching for someone to fax my visa documents to Valley Forge, someone pointed me in the direction of a travel agent who, for a very modest fee, faxed my three pages to the American Baptist Mission Center in Valley Forge, PA. It is currently 5:00 a.m. in the Eastern U.S. Hopefully, the fax will be waiting when offices open in another four hours.

Please pray with me that the documents of all our team members will be received in a timely manner - both in Valley Forge and in Burma. Pray as well that the goverment authorities grant us permission to travel to the area devastated by Cyclone Nargis. It is an area which has experienced suffering beyond comprehension. It is also an area in which Burmese Baptists have allowed the light of Christ to shine brightly through them as they have reached out in compassion and caring to the alleviate human suffering all around them.

As I was searching for someone to send my fax, I also began to contemplate some of the frustrations in cross-cultural communication. I speak no Thai. Many of those with whom I was trying to communicate, spoke rudimentary English. It can be a slow and arduous process to communicate without a shared language. As I left Bangkok for Chiang Mai I assumed that what is so common in my world --- a fax machine and the knowledge to place an international call --- would be equally common in Chiang Mai. I was wrong on both counts. But, it is a telling lesson about the challenges that the refugee people who are welcomed into our churches and communities face on a daily basis.

Arrived in Chiang Mai

I arrived in Chiang Mai around noon today and shortly thereafter checked-in to the Riverside Guest House which offers wonderful "superior rooms" with air conditioning and television for $21 a night. The owner is an amazing gardener. So, the place has the feel of an oasis in the middle of Thailand's second largest city. An image of his handiwork is below.

Since arriving in Chiang Mai, I have been looking for somewhere that has capability to send an international fax for me to the American Baptist offices in Valley Forge, PA. As we where leaving the Christian Guest House in Bangkok this morning we learned that our Burma Baptist brothers and sisters are trying to arrange for us to see the Irrawaddy River delta area that was devastated last year by Cyclone Nargis. However, to do this they need copies of our visas to enter Myanmar (Burma) to obtain permission from the authorities. Unfortunately, I have been to several travel agencies, major hotels, and the main post office, but none are able to send an international fax nor suggest someone who can. This is very frustrating!

Tokyo to Bangkok and Onward to Chiang Mai

Our flight from Tokyo arrived in Bangkok about an hour early last night (11:00 p.m. vs. midnight). However, by the time we cleared immigration, collected our baggage, arranged for a van to transport us to the Christian Guest House, and our driver found the location, it was about 1:00 a.m. before we checked-in to our rooms for the night. And, what a short night it was! Most of my comrades reported being unable to sleep. I was fortunate. I got about three hours of sleep before I was awakened at 5:00 a.m. by the alarm. After a quick shower and shave, I was ready for 6:00 a.m. van ride back to the airport.

Here I sit awaiting my 10:00 a.m. flight to Chiang Mai. The photo above is of fellow passengers at Bangkok’s beautiful, new, world-class Suvarnabhumi International Airport waiting for their flights.

Part of the Way There

Peter Vogelaar and I left Utica at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday morning to catch our 9:30 a.m. flight to Chicago. There we met up with Florence Li and Ed Hobart. Together, the four of us boarded a flight for Tokyo. Twenty hours since leaving Utica we are sitting together in the Toyko airport. We have about a three hour lay over here. Then, board another plane for the final leg of our trip to Bangkok. So, in another nine hours we should arrive in Bangkok at about 12:00 midnight. All told we will have been enroute twenty-nine hours!

The photo above shows Ed Hobart, Florence Li, and Mark at Tokyo Airport.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

The opening words of a popular song from my youth are looping through my mind this evening. “My bags are packed. I’m ready to go. I’m leaving on a jet plane . . .” At seven o’clock tomorrow morning, Peter Vogelaar and I will drive from Utica to Syracuse and board a jet plane. And, so our journey begins.

As I have prepared for this journey during the last week, I have also reflected on the disparity between my experience travelling from the U.S. to Thailand and Burma and the experience of refugees from Burma who come to this country to begin a new life.

I have packed a duffel bag and a carry-on bag for the trip. The challenge has been to heed the admonition of the recommended packing list --- DON’T OVERPACK! From a closet full of clothes and my ever-present assortment of electronic devices, I have tried to choose the few items truly necessary for the journey. Nevertheless, I know I will take more than I need. Most of my friends from Burma arrive with a couple small bags containing a few treasured items: a set or two of clothes, photos, a bible, a hymnal. They arrive with far less than they need.

Paula and I celebrated an early Valentine’s Day on Saturday in acknowledgement that we will be half-a-world apart on the fourteenth. However, we also realize that our separation will be followed by a reunion in sixteen days. The refugees who are resettled in our community typically leave behind friends and family. Often, they say, “goodbye,” to husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. They step on board a jet plane not knowing when, or if, they will be reunited.

In the last couple of weeks I have visited my physician for my annual physical and the eye doctor for a biennial eye exam. Three tubes of my blood were analyzed. My doctor assures me that I am in good health. The ophthalmologist informs me that I am more nearsighted than before and I have ordered new eyeglasses. I will travel with a couple of maintenance prescriptions and a brief medical summary should I need to seek medical attention. Refugees receive a basic medical screening, primarily for contagious disease, before they are approved for resettlement in a third country. However, many come bearing the symptoms of years of demanding physical labor, poor nutrition, and inadequate medical care. Some come missing limbs – victims of landmines. Others bear the unseen scars of brutality, rape, and trauma. Several of our newest neighbors in Utica discover that they have previously undiagnosed serious medical conditions. Some of these conditions have proved fatal.

Social location matters. I travel with privileges and rights not extended to the ethnic minorities that flee Burma for refugee camps in Thailand and eventually Utica, New York. Tomorrow, I am leaving on a jet plane. I will go where my Karen brothers and sisters cannot go. I will visit their homeland.

Trip Itinerary

Here's my trip itinerary.  Please hold me in your thoughts and prayers as I, and other American Baptist leaders, travel to Thailand and Burma.

Thailand/Burma Trip Itinerary

 

February 10

·         9:22 a.m. - Depart Hancock Field, Syracuse for Bangkok

February 11

·         6:45 p.m. – Arrive at Bangkok International Airport

·         Stay overnight at Christian Guesthouse – Bangkok

February 12

·         10:55 a.m. – Fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

·         Stay at Riverside Guest House

·         Sightseeing in Chiang Mai

February 13 – 14

·         Sightseeing in Chiang Mai and surrounding area

February 15

·         9:25 p.m. – Fly from Chiang Mai to Bangkok

·         Stay at Christian Guest House 

February 16

·         Drive to Mae Sot (7-8 hour trip)

·         Stay Porn Thep Hotel (Porn Thep means “Blessed Angel” in Thai)

February 17

·         Meet with the Karen Refugee Committee

·         Visit Mae La Refugee Camp

February 18

·         Meet with International Organization for Migration

·         Visit "Friendship Bridge" between Burma and Thailand 

·         Return to Bangkok (7-8 hour drive)

·         Stay at the Christian Guesthouse 

February 19

·         Meet with the Thailand Burma Border Consortium

·         Meet with the Overseas Processing Entity 

·         5:55 p.m. - fly to Yangon

·         Stay at the Panda Hotel

February 20

·         Unscheduled --- Sightseeing?

February 21

·         Visit Insein Seminaries (Myanmar Institute of Theology, Karen Baptist Theological Seminary, Myanmar Institute Christian Theology) and meet the staff and students

·         Lunch with M.I.T. Staff

·         Meet with Language and Regional Baptist Conventions (Pwo Karen Baptist Convention, Asho Baptist Convention, Myanmar Burmese Churches Union, Kayin Baptist Convention) which are located in Yangon.

·         Have dinner with Kayin Baptist Convention leaders.

February 22

·         Visit Asho Baptist Church with Peter Vogelaar for Sunday Worship Services

·         Visit Shwedagone (famous Buddhist shrine) and other points of interest

February 23

·         Join Myanmar Baptist Convention staff for morning devotions at MBC Office

·         Meet with MBC's New Presidents and Officers and have lunch with them.

·         Meet with MBC Department Directors and tour MBC grounds

·         Have dinner with MBC leaders at Panda Hotel

February 24

·         9:50 AM – fly to Bangkok

·         Stay at the Christian Guesthouse

February 25

·         Sightseeing in Bangkok

February 26

·         6:40 a.m. – Fly from Bangkok to Syracuse

·         7:15 p.m. – Arrive at Hancock Field, Syracuse

·         9:00 p.m. – Arrive home in Utica --- Collapse!