Not The Typical Missions Trip Report

This is not your typical report of a mission trip that most of you are accustomed to seeing. A document that gives the number of salvations and people reached for Christ, evangelism and outreach. All of these things are of course the end goal. However, we believe IAG has been called to meet the physical basic survival needs of humanity for the people living in these camps. No one can hear and accept the good news of the gospel when they are persecuted, sick, hungry, unable to look after their children, and overall hopeless.

Our initial trip to Thailand was scheduled for November of 2023. Jon received some devastating news about his health just days before we flew out, which put the trip on hold indefinitely. According to what the doctors were seeing, we weren’t sure if he would ever be able to go, or even how many more months of healthy living he had left. The doctors set out on a regimen of different medications and by March of 2024 we were able to make our journey. God, through the hands of good doctors, revived Jon’s heart and to this day he is exhibiting no symptoms of the illness that was his diagnosis 

Our main purpose/need for going to the camps was fact finding. That sounds rather cold on the surface, but remember, we were handed an organization that we knew nothing about. If you read my story in “A Letter from Colleen” this will all make more sense. We could not, in good conscience, continue to receive money from our sponsors and send it to unknown people and places on the other side of the world. We had to see with our own eyes, no matter the cost, who and what was taking place.

We arrived at a hotel in Chaing Mai and spent a couple of days there, recuperating from a 20-hour flight (not including layovers) and a 12-hour time difference. We were also adjusting to the culture and figuring out the currency exchange. We walked the streets and saw shop after shop filled with golden Buddha statues, and the downtown area had several Buddhist Temples with Monks actively working.

We had previously talked with one of our contacts, and he had made all arrangements for our transportation from Chaing Mai to Mae Sot which was closer to Mae La Camp. As well as travel throughout the trip. After leaving Mae La Camp he arranged travel to Mae Sariang and then on to MRM camp. And finally back to Chaing Mai for our flight back to the states. He was also the one that contacted KRC (Karen Refugee Committee) to obtain passes for us to enter the camps.

When traveling the 2 hours from the hotel in Mae Sot to Mae La Camp we came across 7 police/military checkpoints. We were stopped and checked at 6 of the 7. We never knew what was said, but our driver always seemed to deal with each situation in a way that allowed us clear passage with no issues.

Upon arriving at Mae La Camp, the driver let us out and we met our contact. She took us to another section of the camp and we began a long trek, on foot, up the mountain on a narrow walking path that wound around between houses. We rounded a curve and a woman came running out of a house laughing and saying something in Karen language. She threw her arms around us and chattered away. It turns out this was our camp contact’s mother.

We continued our walk as people began collecting and following us. We came to a small church and when we walked in it was packed full of children along with mothers/grandmothers. We were ushered to the front and given seats at a table on a small stage. Our contacts father was on the stage as well. She and her father were among the few English speaking people. They explained that they wanted us to say something. We were taken off guard to say the least. We weren’t expecting them to all be assembled for us. And certainly weren’t prepared to speak. They handed me a microphone and I started talking. The man translated so I had to talk slowly. This gave me time to collect my thoughts as we went along. I explained that we traveled 9,000 miles, literally from the other side of the world to meet them. That they have sponsors that love them and pray for them every day. And that God sent us from the other side of the world to show them how much He loves them. That’s why we were sent. So we could put our arms around them and give them that physical touch from their Heavenly Father. They then asked Jon to pray a blessing over the children, which he did. We asked if they had any questions and everyone sat very quietly.

We were then asked to sit on the edge of the stage so the children could come to us. Suddenly we were surrounded. They all wanted to take a picture with us, to touch us, to put their arms around us and let us hold them. They were so grateful and respectful and in disbelief that we would come to see them. One boy told us he is now 23 years old. As a boy growing up in the camp he used to long for letters from his sponsor and for pictures of his American family. That meant the world to him. Jon was wearing a Trail Life baseball cap which he took off and gave to this young man. He excepted it with a huge smile. They then presented us with Karen authentic shirts and shoulder bags. The highlight of the presentation was a couple of the boys trying to get Jon into his shirt. It was a few sizes too small. (After all we are big ole well fed Americans!) Which was met with laughter. However, a woman from the crowd came running up with a beautiful red Karen shirt that fit him perfectly.

Once we were finished with all of the wonderful greetings and the crowd thinned, we turned around to the stage. The table where we had been sitting was full of beautifully prepared food. How they created this display on the stoves with the open fire they use to cook, was mind blowing. They instructed us to sit and eat, but they wouldn’t eat. My heart was overwhelmed at what it must have cost them to prepare all of this for us, when they can typically only afford rice and thin broth for themselves. We ate until we could eat not more. Then we pulled in a couple of the little children that were still around. They gobbled away with big smiles.

We left the church and walked to our contact’s house which she proudly showed us. Then we walked a short distance to her parents’ house where we were warmly welcomed and we sat with them and talked for a time. This family also has a daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren that live in North Carolina. They were able to leave the camp and relocate in the U.S. several years ago. We had the pleasure of meeting them two years ago.

We had previously set aside an amount of money for each camp to use as we saw the need. In talking to this family we found that their biggest need and concern at this time for the people was lack of food. With this money they were able to purchase enough food to ration to approximately 100 people for quite some time. Food purchased was rice, onions, canned fish, and oil. Our contact explained that everyone got small monthly rations from the government, but those rations were becoming less. They were so happy to receive this extra food. They used the little children to help package it for distribution.

There were always children along with us, curious and respectfully watching from a distance. The heat was stifling and the walking in the mountainous terrain was difficult for us. When we walked back to the truck, some teen boys carried my bag, and girls held umbrellas over our heads to protect us from the sun. I looked back at Jon and he had two beautiful young ladies, one on each arm, giving him stability on the uneven terrain. We left with full hearts and the love we had for these wonderful people who so graciously became part of our hearts.

Two days later we went to MRM camp and were met with a similar situation. They were all gathered in their church to meet us. The most important thing to them was to touch us and have us pray for them. This seemed to give them hope. One woman came to me with a disabled child. She couldn’t speak any English, but the pleading in her eyes told me all I needed to know. Her spirit connected with mine as she reached out her child’s hand and placed it in mine. I then prayed for this child and this mother. Even at this writing almost a year afterward, my heart is pulled from my chest at the memory of these people reaching out to us for hope. They knew we were sent by God and they just wanted to be close.

After the meeting our contact walked us to his house where his wife and children were waiting for us, again with a table full of food. This man is a pastor in the camp. He spoke very limited broken English, but it was amazing how much the heart of a person communicates with another’s heart. All of this made possible by the Holy Spirt.

We were warned ahead of time that it is sometimes very difficult to get permission to enter the camps. That once we get in to Thailand travel plans are often confused and there are issues with transportation. So we were prepared to have things not go according to plan. However, this was another sign to us that we were walking directly in the plan that God had for us. We were “alone” in a foreign land. We didn’t know the language, and we didn’t know anyone. However, everything came together perfectly and smoothly. We never felt unsafe or in danger. And never felt anxious or afraid.

Some expected that we might make this trip and decide we didn’t want to continue with this ministry. However, quite the opposite happened. We came home with more love in our hearts and more urgency to do all we can to help love and care for our beautiful Karen family. And we anxiously await the day we can return.

Urgent Update

Urgent update! Karen villages attacked by Myanmar military.

Within the past month, we’ve received disturbing reports from our contacts in the Karen refugee camps. The Myanmar military has recently resumed bombing Karen villages in Myanmar, forcing many more people to flee for their lives. As a result, we anticipate a significant influx of displaced individuals arriving at the camps soon.

In addition, funding for critical camp services—such as medical care, sanitation (including garbage and waste management), and clean water distribution—has been suspended. This has led to the temporary closure of hospitals, leaving refugees without medical care. The lack of sanitation and clean water is already contributing to the spread of illnesses, increasing the risk of additional deaths.

We ask you to keep these vulnerable people, as well as IAG (International Assistance Group), in your prayers. As we seek guidance and additional resources to support the Karen people, we deeply appreciate your support and compassion.

A Letter From Colleen

I am a missionary. I have to keep saying that to convince myself. How does a retired woman from the corporate business world find herself in this position? Only God. In 2014 when Jon and I moved to Dothan we met Rick and Betty Stribling. Betty and I quickly became the best of friends. She told me about a mission she started 30 years before when she lived in Hawaii. She told me briefly about the plight of the Karen people and her mission trips to the refugee camps along the border of Burma. So, because I loved Betty and wanted to support her, I sponsored a child. And for years, that’s all I did. I paid my annual sponsorship fee. It didn’t really mean anything to me. This was a far off distant land, on the other side of the world to be exact.

In 2022, my friend kept getting sick and her medical team couldn’t figure out what was wrong. After several months and much testing, she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer that was literally affecting every area in her body. She bravely endured chemo treatments, even though they told her the best it would do would prolong her life, not cure her. She lingered for nearly a year until God finally took her home where she is now completely cured. One week before she passed on, her husband called and asked me to come to their house because Betty wanted to talk to me about something. At this time, she was too weak to sit up. She was lying on the couch so I sat on the floor beside her and held her hand.

She said, “I know this is a lot to expect of you and if you can’t, I completely understand, but I’m wondering if you would consider taking IAG when I’m gone and continue to help the children.” That moment was very surreal. There had never been any discussion about this. On the one hand I never expected it, but on the other hand I somehow knew it was coming. And at that very moment I was flooded with an overwhelming love for the Karen people, people that weren’t even real to me before this. I told her it would be my honor to carry on her life’s work and passion.

A few days later Betty was gone. Five months later Rick, who was unable to carry on in this life without her, also left this world.

So that’s how a woman, in the last quarter of her life finds herself doing something that she never dreamed about, never asked for and had no prior experience, finds herself a missionary. The ironic thing about it is that for the first time in decades I felt I was involved in something that I had no control over. I had no experience in missions, I knew nothing about foreign or international travel, I knew nothing about refugee camps. I had never even been on a domestic mission trip! You know what all that means? For probably the first time in my life I have had no choice but to fully rely on and trust my Father in Heaven. I need His wisdom, His knowledge, and His heart. And I am, for the first time in my life fully surrendered to his calling and purpose for my life. As my Pastor is fond of saying, nowhere in the Bible does it talk about a retirement plan of a condo on the beach where we spend our days picking up seashells.

So, rather than spending the rest of my days picking up seashells like I had planned, Jon and I hopped on a plane to the other side of the world. We got off the plane in Thailand, traveled to the refugee camps, and our lives were changed forever. These are no longer just people over there. These are our people, our family. We are affectionately known as pee and pu (which means grandma and grandpa).

I’ve had a couple of clear revelations recently. The things that we as American’s experience, even when we suffer complete devastation or catastrophe, are most times for a season in our lives. Sooner or later we usually come through it. But for the Karen people, this isn’t a season in their life. This is their life!

I’ve also found it can be easy to minimize God’s roll. A month or so ago, we had a sponsor for no particular reason, that we knew of, ask if IAG could use an extra $2,000. Well of course we could. So we promptly sent $1,000 to each of our camps instructing our contacts to purchase food for the people. They specifically targeted the elderly and those living alone. One of the elderly women that received food said she had been praying to God for extra blessing. Another real eye opener for me. A poor woman living on the other side of the world prayed. God heard that prayer. The Holy Spirit prompted someone in a nice comfortable home in America to give out of their excess to IAG. And IAG was used to answer her prayer. How beautiful and humbling is that!

It is now 2025, and we continue to see God’s hand in all we are doing as he brings the people and resources necessary to continue this mission. People that have knowledge and skills in areas where Jon and I are lacking. People with hearts of gold willing to give of their time and talents to fill in the gaps. So we continue, putting one foot in front of the other and fully relying on God to walk ahead of us. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but for today, we walk in obedience where our Father has placed us.