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.