Myanmar Musings - November 16, 2013

On the evening of Monday, November 11 I took Thai Airways' evening flight from Bangkok to Yangon, Myanmar.  The first thing I noticed was that our large Airbus jet was packed.  Not a seat was empty.  At least two commercial tour groups were on board.  I flew to Yangon from Bangkok with an American Baptist group in 2009.  At that time, the plane Thai Airways assigned to the route was not only smaller, but contained empty seats.  The large, full commercial jetliner was an indicator of some of the changes that have occurred in the former Burma in recent years.

The flight from Thailand to the former capital is barely an hour.  While in the air the sun dramatically set before us in the west.  As we approached Yangon, the relative darkness of the city was noticeable.  Bangkok, and most larger cities in the U.S. are awash in light.  Not so, Yangon.  Street lights are more limited.  There is no artificial, electric day at night here. One is aware that the sun has set and it is nighttime. 

I easily passed through the immigration line with my business visa, retrieved my luggage from the luggage carousel, and exchanged U.S. dollars for Myanmar kyats.  Awaiting me on the other side of the barrier were the Reverend Dr. Greeta Din, General Secretary of Karen Baptist Convention of Myanmar, and her husband Reverend Dr. Saw Mu Htaw, President of the Karen Baptist Theological Seminary.  After warmly welcoming me to their country they took me to my residence for the next three weeks, KBTS' guest house.  

Even though it was late in the evening, a meal of delicious Karen food had been kept warm and waiting for me at the guest house.  I also met the other western visitor staying at the guest house, Rev. Dr. Lennart Bostrom, a Swedish Baptist Old Testament professor.  Lennart's Baptist congregation in Sweden has also welcome Karen refugee's from Thailand's refugee camps. 

First thing Tuesday morning Lennart and I were picked up by a hired car for a daylong journey to the city of Taungoo, about 200 miles from Yangon.  Our guide for the next three days was a wonderful young KBC staffer: Gay Blut Paw.  Her name in Karen means "beautiful, graceful flower."  She certainly lived up to her name during the next three days.

We've had a very busy week.  We visited three Baptist Associations in the Taungoo area which are comprised of Baptist congregations from three Karen sub-groups.  We arrived at the Taungoo Bible School for its morning worship service and as we were being led to the platform learned that one of us was expected to preach and the other to lead in prayer.  I was the preacher that morning.  The following day Lennart preached at a Thursday evening mid-week service and I offered the pastoral prayer.  We also visited a site revered by many Karen - "Prayer Mountain" in the Karen State.  Set on a high mountaintop in an area where many mountains are topped by Buddhist pagodas, this beautiful site offers a place of retreat and renewal to Christians of all traditions.  Everywhere we went in and around Taungoo we experienced incredible warm welcomes and generous (even extravagant) hospitality from Karen brothers and sisters. 

We arrived back at the KBTS guest house late yesterday afternoon. At 6:30 a.m. today we were back on the road. Rev. Dr. Ya Ha Lay Lay Lah (KBTS Professor) picked us up in his vehicle for a journey to Tabernacle's Pastor Daniel's home village which is about 15-20 miles outside of Yangon.  However, we could only go so far by car.  The final leg of our trip was in small motorized long boats down a tributary of the Irrawaddy River to the village.  We were welcomed by Pastor Daniel's 86 year old mother, several of his eight siblings (two of whom are also pastors), their spouses, children, and extended family members.  After a wonderful Karen meal featuring freshly caught fish and particularly tasty duck in chili sauce, we made our way to the village's Baptist church.  Over the last several years, Pastor Daniel and Anna have been sending money home to Myanmar to build a new church for his home village. It is the nicest Karen village church I have seen in Thailand or Myanmar! I will be returning to Utica with lots of photos for Pastor Daniel of his family, his village, and the church his sacrificial giving has built.

Tomorrow we head out bright and early (6:30 a.m.) to Dr. Ya Ha's church in a village about 50 miles outside Yangon.  The morning service will be preceded by a baptism and followed by a wedding service at which I have been asked to bring the charge to the couple.  During the service I will be the morning's preacher.

(NOTE - I have not published any photos of my Myanmar travels.  Internet access and bandwidth is very limited.  Sorry!)