Trip Photos Available at Flickr.com

I have uploaded the photos I took in Thailand and Burma to Flickr.com --- you can view them all (the good and bad, the in-focus and out-of-focus) by clicking on this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22991234@N03/sets/72157614930555510/

The Journey Comes to an End

We departed Yangon and flew back to Bangkok early on the morning of Tuesday, February 24. Waiting for me in our hotel lobby bright and early on that morning was Rev. Dr. Yah Ha Lay Lay La and his wife, Susanna (pictured above). Yah Ha is the Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Karen Seminary in Insein. He is also a very good friend of our congregation (having visited Utica a couple of times) and we share the bond of both being graduates of Eastern Baptist Seminary (he with a DMin degree and me with the MDiv degree). Seeing Yah Ha and Susanna just before we departed for the airport was a perfect benediction to a very memorable trip to Myanmar.

Upon returning to Bangkok most of our group spent the afternoon doing some sightseeing. Ed, Jeff, and I visit Wat Po, a Buddhist temple near the Grand Palace famous for it giant reclining Buddha. The photos below are of Wat Po.

The evening was spent enjoying dinner and saying our goodbyes before most of the team caught the 6:50 a.m. flight from Bangkok to Toyko and eventually various destinations in the U.S. I stayed an extra day. And, Peter Vogelaar remains in Thailand for a couple of weeks making contact with various NGOs involved in refugee resettlement and observing cultural orientation classes at the Mae La Refugee Camp.

In my next post, I will reflect on insights, learnings and further questions generated by my time in Burma and Thailand.

Photos of Irrawaddy Delta

Burma Retrospective - Part Three - Bogelay Visit

I arrived back in Utica late Thursday night (2/29/09). Since that time, I have been trying to overcome significant jet lag, reintroduce myself to my wife after a two week absence, and prepare for this morning's worship service. I also want to complete my narrative of my trip to Thailand and Burma.

A van from the Myanmar Baptist Convention Union met us at 5:30 a.m. at our hotel on Monday, February 23 to carry our team to a village in lower Bogelay Township. Bogelay is less one hundred miles from Yangon in the Irrawaddy River delta near the Bay of Bengal. This area is at sea level and was devastated by Cyclone Nargis in May, 2008. We were particularly interested to visit this area and view the reconstruction efforts of Burmese Baptists and their international Baptist partners.

It was an arduous journey. The twenty-five year old van that transported us (like every vehicle we rode in while in Myanmar) lacked functioning air conditioning. Consequently, we opened windows to combat the mid-90's temperatures and high humidity. However, most of the roads between Yangon and Bodelay were potholed black top, crushed gravel, or unimproved dirt lanes. Soon, all of the passengers and their possessions were covered with a thick layer of dust and grime. Once we reached Bogelay (pictured below) we transfered to two different boats that carried us a couple of additional hours to our final destination.

Our journey took a total seven and a half hours each way. We returned to our hotel at 10:30 p.m. dirty and exhausted. Yet, it was for me one of the most memorable aspects of our time in Myanmar.

The boat pictured to the upper left in the photo below is owned by the Myanmar Baptist Convention Union and carried us most of the way to the village we visited near the Bay of Bengal.

As we traveled by boat through the Irrawaddy Delta, we could see the after-effects of Cyclone Nargis: uprooted trees, rice fields turned brown by salt contamination, and the simple bamboo homes of the area covered with blue plastic tarps.

When we arrived at our destination we discovered a village of subsistence farmers and fishermen who live is simple bamboo homes. Electricity in this area is rare. However, this village has a small diesel powered generator for very limited electrical power. At the center of this village of three hundred stands the Baptist church (to the right in the photo below) and town hall (to the left). When Nargis struck, the many villagers survived by clinging to the roof, tower, and ceiling joists of the church. Currently, both buildings are being reconstructed with aid from Mayanmar Baptist Convention Union and international NGOs.

Sadly, more than eighty villagers lost their lives to the storm. Women and children were particular vulnerable to the destuctive power of the cyclone. In the days following the storm, bodies from neighboring villages also were found in the nearby waterways. The pastor of the Baptist church (shown below with his wife), officiated at funerals for all those from the village who died; as well as those whose bodies washed ashore in the village.

Despite the material poverty of their lives and the terrible losses they experienced in last year's cyclone, we found people of hope and faith working together to rebuild their church, community, and lives. This largerly Baptist community is eager to reach out their neighbors in compassion and concern. They welcomed us with with warm smiles and a small feast for lunch cooked from locally grown produce, fish, and freshly caught mice (yes, mice!).

The mouse paste with chilies is on the upper right corner of the table, next to bottle of ketchup, in the photo above. These folks make use of every last bit of the bounty of the earth God offers them!

Despite our differences in cuisine, it was a great honor to be welcomed by these brothers and sisters. They are truly remarkable people. It was well worth the long and challenging trip to witness their faith and hope and experience their generous and welcoming hospitality.