17 June 2025

Karen State, Burma

Hsa Poe Gay is a woman originally from a village in Karenni State, Burma. She met K’Paw Say (also known as Monkey, one of FBR’s deputy directors) in a refugee camp on the border and they eventually married. They now live in the border area. Hsa Poe Gay’s home is a stop for most of the medical patients JSMK refers to neighboring countries on their long journey to more definitive medical care. These patients, along with their caregivers, who are usually a family member traveling with the patient, typically spend at least one night, but often a week at Hsa Poe Gay’s home, as they await transport either to the city for their medical appointments, or back home. Some patients have stayed at her house for months when there have been large gaps between appointments, or when the rainy season has made travel back to their homes impossible.

When the patients arrive at her home, Hsa Poe Gay sorts out a bed for them, cooks for them, and helps to get them settled. She invites them to a short prayer time every night with her family and any guests passing through.

Over the years, she has cultivated what was an empty plot of land and turned it into a fruitful farm. She raises pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese both for food and to sell. She grows many vegetables, including long beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, loofa, and gourds for her family. She teaches Sunday School at the local church. She and Monkey have four teenage children and she also cares for a friend’s pre-teen daughter. Recently, her mother-in-law, sister-in law, and brother-in-law, along with their six-year-old son, have moved into her home after fleeing from their village, which is in an area of Burma under attack by the Burma Army.

“I am very happy because my job is small, but I am happy for the opportunity to take care of the patients and talk to them. I encourage them not to be afraid. God can do everything. God can heal you. I tell them, ‘We are family, don’t be shy. If you are hungry, you can eat, cook, or anything you need.’”

“If I think about my life when I was a child and my life now, I think God loves me. When I was a child, I was so poor. I lived in a village and after my mom died, my father took care of me. I had two sisters and my father worked so hard. At the time we felt we were very poor, like not enough to eat. God prepared everything for me.”

Hsa Poe Gay is known for her hospitality. Not only for our medical patients, but for staff and visitors who are constantly stopping by her home, with or without notice. She always has a smile and a hot meal prepared. Medical patients can be in need of healing both physically and spiritually. Her favorite verse to lean on and share as encouragement is John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We thank God for this amazing woman, Hsa Poe Gay who is ready to love, serve, and help others. She is an integral part of caring for the needs of our medical patients and many others.