Good for the Soul – New Teams Serve in Beauty

January 10, 2017

Karen State, Eastern Burma

Teams on the way on first mission in Karen State, Burma after graduation.
Teams on the way on first mission in Karen State, Burma after graduation.

 

Dear friends,

Thank you for all of your love and support. 17 new relief teams have graduated from ranger training in Burma and are now on missions. Karen, the children and I came back from Mosul, Iraq for the graduation of the new teams and to join them on their first mission.  We walked all day from our camp to the first village of our mission, a place that had been attacked by the Burma Army and burned three times before. There the new teams gathered locals from three surrounding villages for a Good Life Club (GLC) program and a medical clinic. The day began with a Run for Relief as we filled the valley and ran with the local kids across rice fields, over muddy streams and around clumps of towering bamboo. After the run the teams performed skits and songs, played games, and gave basic hygiene and anatomy lessons for the children. The FBR medics ran a clinic under a tarp, and our friend Dr. Bob Arnold did eye exams and dispensed glasses.

One of the skits was about carrying burdens such as hate, jealousy, fear and greed and how Jesus saves us from these. As I stood under the shade of giant bamboos swaying in the light breeze, with rice fields stretching out to the steep mountains in front of us in this narrow valley, I was in awe of the beauty of this place.  In the midst of this beauty were the new teams from different ethnic groups, singing and laughing together with the villagers. I thanked God to be here and to be part of this program in this beautiful place. It was so good for my soul. I was so grateful to be able to come back to Burma, our main work, and as our kids call it, “our home”.  After these missions in Burma, our family and some of our team will return to Mosul to rejoin the team we left there. The new FBR teams we trained will continue on missions in Burma, especially focusing on helping people now under attack by the Burma Army in Kachin State, Northern Burma. Below are some photos from this first mission after graduation.

Thank you for praying for us as we serve in Burma, Iraq, Kurdistan, and Syria.

God bless you, Dave, family and Free Burma Ranger teams.

 

Run for Relief
Run for Relief
Sahale, Suu, Pete and Kyaw Bo our Lahu GLC leader, sing for villagers.
Sahale, Suu, Pete and Kyaw Bo our Lahu GLC leader, sing for villagers.
New medics give medical care.
New medics give medical care.
FBR Jungle School of Medicine medics treating patients and coaching new medics.
FBR Jungle School of Medicine medics treating patients and coaching new medics.
Good Life Club anatomy lessons.
Good Life Club anatomy lessons.
New teams give out GLC shirts to Karen children.
New teams give out GLC shirts to Karen children.
Good Life Club good byes.
Good Life Club good byes.
Riding the flags in as the Karen national anthem is sung.
Riding the flags in as the Karen national anthem is sung.
Prayer at the end of the program.
Prayer at the end of the program.
Burma Soldiers in camp near Karen village they have burned three times. Before the GLC program we did a reconnaissance of this camp in order to monitor the camp and report on any Burma Army activities.
Burma Soldiers in camp near Karen village they have burned three times. Before the GLC program we did a reconnaissance of this camp in order to monitor the camp and report on any Burma Army activities.