Refugee Camp

Some experiences truly defy the ability to describe fully through words and pictures. However, these are the kinds of experiences that deserve sharing, so seems worth the effort to share something and let you take from it at least a glimpse of a life and place different from your own. 

Friends from Fairbanks told us before we came that if there was one thing we should do here, it was to attend the yearly thanksgiving celebration in a refugee camp along the Thailand/Myanmar border. They sent off some e-mails, we sent off passport copies, and somehow it all came together for us to be guests at the camp for the weekend. 

First, a bit must be explained about refugee camps in this area. They are primarily made up of Karen people, as well as Kareni and Shan, who are ethnic minority groups of the region.  They live in the mountainous hills in tribal villages.  They have been on the receiving end of ethnic cleansing attempts for years. There are 10 refugee camps along the Thai/Burma border, comprised of about 120,000 people. They are not Thai citizens, and are restricted from leaving the camp premises legally. If they escape to a larger Thai community, they have no documents and do not speak the Thai language. This puts them at risk from everything from deportation, human trafficking, poverty, etc.  Many of these camps have now been in place for 20 years, meaning children may have been born in a camp and raised to adulthood without ever leaving. Food is provided through NGO and government aids. Education and health care varies from camp to camp and is generously provided by so many different groups doing great work, but of course it is not a guarantee. 

Did I mention that these camps can be pretty remote?  We started our journey by mini bus with our bag riding high on top of some big boxes of fresh flowers...

We then moved on to a four by four truck for the mountains and back roads. 

We have all had a fair amount of experience on Alaskan back roads and remote areas, but we all agreed that we had never been in quite such rugged country. We were right on a fault line, and the geology of the area was impressive. The mountains were stacked against each other with almost completely vertical slopes covered in jungle vegetation. We drove up one side, down the other, and then did it again. Dramamine? Yep, I'll take some!

And then around a corner, through a gate, a paperwork exchange, and there we were. It was nestled into a tight river valley were over 15,000 people living in bamboo huts.

We were hosted by the Karen pastor. Because this is not intended to be a permanent settlement, everything is to be made for temporary use. That means all buildings are completely bamboo with leaf roofs. Everything is built off of the ground which accommodates for the climate well. Some people were generating electricity from the river and would have a line running to their house for electricity. There was no running water, but some pipes running from the river or mountain springs.

Back to the Thanksgiving celebration... This takes place each year at the new year as an expression of thankfulness for another year of life and provision. This year was a big party, because it commemorates the 20 year anniversary of being a camp.  The Karen people love to sing, so singing was at the heart of each event. The people are largely Christian, so church was also a huge component of the festivities.  It started Friday night with singing competitions that lasted well into the night. 

Saturday morning dawned, and it was time for a baptism. 225 baptisms to be specific. There was a mass river crossing by hiking up your skirt or pants and wading over to the baptism site, and a very organized baptismal process, with about 20 ministers performing the baptisms just as the sun was breaking through the mountain mist across the sparkling water. Maybe it was a little touch of heaven. The song, I went down to the river to pray was spontaneously sung a few times by those of us westerners.

We spent the afternoon exploring and smiling back and forth with people of all ages.

That evening, the program continued with choir competitions. Over 10 choirs competed from within the camp, most with between 110-160 choir members. Everyone sat on a straw covered expanse with tarps overhead. 

The next morning was the culminating church service. We sat on the stage as honored guests with a variety of missionaries and officials from Thailand and the states. The service was mostly in Karen, a little Thai, and, a little English. Attendees sat on the straw. The service lasted three hours. There were many songs, choirs, sermons, and prayers. Mike gave a greeting for us from Fairbanks, Alaska. 

We pray that the hope for a free and full life for each of these children can be a reality in this life.

The church service included a time for former members of the refugee camps to stand up who have since immigrated to other countries.  There were people who had come back from the US, Canada, Norway, Australia, Finland, Netherlands, and maybe even other countries I have forgotten.  We are grateful for the opportunity that these countries present for new lives for these people.  Here are a few things happening with Karen people in the states.  We met some of these people who were visiting families of Karen people they now work with in the states.  That was fun!

Karen Konnection: http://www.karenkonnection.org/index.php3

Habecker Church: http://habeckerchurch.com/who-we-are 

There were so many questions and conversations we wanted to have with people, but were limited by language. However, the spirit of true thankfulness and joy reaches beyond words. Children love to smile, laugh, and play wherever they are, and they exhibit a sense of hope and contentment that is contagious.  We pray that the hope for a free and full life for each of these children can be a reality in this life.  The gifts of music and laughter really are gifts- they offer hope and joy and meaning in places where we might overlook it.  We listened to the most stunning performance of the Halleluiah Chorus in Karen  that reminds us that indeed, our life here is temporary and we live now with eternity in mind.