CAR Emergency Relief Project – BURMA – Aug. 8, 2022

Project Background

Due to ongoing fighting caused by the Myanmar (also called Burma) military junta, a grant was requested to alleviate dire physical and medical needs of members of a national church body and members of their communities affected or displaced by the violence.

Fighting and atrocities have continued and escalated since April with some of the heaviest fighting and worst atrocities being committed in the past 8 to 10 weeks. This has made the project very timely, but the violence has also made things logistically difficult.

In particular, Pastor “L’s” hometown, which had been a safe haven, is now the center of intense fighting, artillery fire, and atrocities since June. Several members of his own family have been seriously injured, and his own house was mostly destroyed by an artillery blast in June. Several church members have also died in the past two months. In spite of this, and at great risk to themselves, Pastor Land church members have bravely purchased, received, and distributed relief items and medical supplies to those in need.

Project Outcomes

Expenses
Of the $10,000 budgeted, approximately $4500 was sent to India to purchase medical supplies. This amount covered the cost of medical supplies plus transportation costs to Burma. Approximately $5500 was sent to Burma to purchase non-medical relief supplies. These were purchased locally in Burma.

Project Details and Challenges

Non-Medical supply distribution: Pastor L used the funds to buy supplies locally. He {and church members) bought supplies in small amounts over several days to avoid raising suspicion from the military. They also distributed the supplies in small amounts to families in various locations. Supplies included rice, cooking oil, noodles, other food staples, blankets, tarps, solar cells, flashlights, and mosquito nets. They had planned to buy a speaker and a microphone which had been destroyed in a previous attack, but the situation was too unstable and other basic needs were greater, so they did not purchase these items.

Challenges: The purchasing and distribution of non-medical supplies was similar to the previous project, i.e. they were able to obtain them locally and distribute them in small teams. However, it took a lot more time because fighting was more widespread and intense these past few months. Also, the army’s suspicion of civilians and indiscriminate atrocities (for example kidnappings, rape, murder, looting, and burning homes) required greater caution and patience. There were several weeks where it was too dangerous to be out and about. For example, on many occasions Pastor Lor relief teams had to turn back or cut short visits because of artillery fire, gun battles, or military roadblocks.

New Contacts in India: After the last CAR project, one of my goals (and prayers!) was to establish contacts in India (which borders Burma very close to the church body) who could help with logistics and purchasing of medical supplies. Medicine is easier to buy in India and carry across the border because its purchase and distribution is strictly controlled by the Burma military. By God’s grace two contacts were found who were willing and able to help!

The connection was really quite miraculous. After praying about this for several months, a local contact of mine in Chiangmai reached out to me. He knew I was working with churches near the Indian border, and he mentioned that he knew two Christian men near the border who were already involved in relief efforts in Burma who might be willing to help. He knew them well and vouched highly for them, and he helped me contact them (nicknames “Jim”and “Baxter”). When we connected, after talking for a few minutes, one of “Jim” and “Baxter”
the men {Jim) said, “I know who you are. You are the Lutheran pastor in Thailand.” When I asked how he knew me, he told me he was a member of Pastor L’s church before he moved to India. He had recently been in touch with Pastor L who had mentioned me. Afterwards I told Pastor L that I had been in contact Jim and he was astounded that we had connected. He was overjoyed that Jim would be one of the men who would help carry their medical supplies from India.

Purchasing and delivering medicine: Both Jim and Baxter have medical and military backgrounds and they were adept at locating and purchasing medical supplies and evading the Burma military to get them to their destination. They purchased and packaged them up and physically brought them across the India/Burma border to two locations. Half of the medical supplies went to Pastor Lin his home town. There with the help of a nurse, they divided the supplies into three bundles to be used in the villages of Z, C, and T. The nurse (a friend of the congregation in T) also taught them how to properly use the medical supplies. The other half of the medical supplies were taken to IDP {Internally Displaced People) camps in the mountains near the border to which many people from the churches’ communities have fled. These were successfully delivered by Jim and Baxter and their team in late June, after which they safely returned to India. Jim and Baxter ate a significant amount of the transportation costs so that as much of the grant as possible could be used for medicine.

The medical supplies were gladly received and put to use in each location – two of the villages mentioned above, several IDP camps, and several families who are displaced in various locations near the border. Z Village has not received its medical supplies because it is too dangerous to enter. Z’s meds will be held until it is safe to enter or redirected if that community’s members can be located elsewhere.

How many people were helped?
About 40 families (or 200+ people) received relief items or small cash gifts. The number of people helped was lower this time (47 families last time) because several families could not be located. Also, exact numbers were hard to obtain this time because day-to-day conditions these past three months have been intense and dangerous. There have been daily casualty causing events like bomb blasts, artillery fire, gun battles, airstrikes, kidnappings, and platoons of soldiers burning homes and killing civilians. This made it harder to keep track of numbers as supplies were sometimes distributed in great haste. Also, like last time, some of the money was distributed as small cash gifts which was more useful as people moved from place to place. I do not have the exact breakdown, but it was roughly 60/40 between supplies and cash gifts.

Meeting Spiritual Needs: Almost every contact allowed the opportunity to pray, read scripture, lead worship, or distribute communion. Many non-members also were able to hear the gospel and encouraged with God’s Word through the teams that were sent to distribute relief items.

Other Positive Outcomes

• Name Recognition: The distribution of relief items and medical supplies was seen by many in the region as a bold, courageous, and compassionate move by many in the region where these items are greatly needed but also strictly controlled by the military. This church body {and by extension WELS) gained name recognition and a good reputation in the region, the bordering Indian state, and amongst local leaders who are already looking to rebuild Burma in the post­junta period.
• Witnesses of Jesus’ Love and Open Doors for the Gospel: On both sides of the conflict (the Junta and the PDFs/ militias) there is much hatred, seething desires for revenge, and intense feelings of guilt. This project, as dangerous and logistically messy as it was, was a great act of Christian love in and of itself (as it benefited many people regardless of ethnic or political background). Also, the many individual contacts opened doors to share the Gospel. Many in Burma, even non-Christians, have noticed the sacrificial love of Christians during this conflict and they are saying that only this kind of love can heal and unite Burma.

Ongoing Challenges

By many accounts, the military junta is slowly losing the civil war. Many are predicting the collapse of the junta within the next year as they are largely outgunned by pro-democracy defense forces which are well organized under a newly formed shadow government. In the meantime, however, fighting has been more intense and atrocities more common in these past three months. The military avoids confrontations with defense forces, but takes revenge by shelling and burning towns, torturing, and killing civilians. The map on the right shows military “events” with colors representing battles, airstrikes, village burnings, etc. All of the church body ‘s congregations are located within the oval where the heaviest concentration of events has occurred mostly between January and July of this year.

All of the church locations (6 towns or villages) have been mostly destroyed. Pastor L’s hometown of “T” was a safe haven where members were coming to find respite and assistance. But that safe haven was also lost in early June when the military began shelling “T” and sending in soldiers to burn homes. Bomb blasts, shellings, and gun battles occur almost daily. In June, an artillery shell exploded in front of Pastor L’s home. The front of his house was destroyed, and shrapnel tore through the home severely injuring several family members inside and killing two neighbors. Since then, Pastor Land other church members have dug bunkers under their homes where they sleep at night to avoid stray bullets and shrapnel.

Persistent Love Inspired by Hope in Jesus: Pastor L and the church leaders of the various congregations have persisted in caring for their members despite personal risk and loss. It goes without saying, however, that these daily “events” have seriously disrupted the activity of the church. It is very difficult to get out and about now. Internet is still available, but only intermittently and only in some locations. A Baptist pastor was arrested this week, raising concern that the military may be suspicious of church leaders. Everyone seems to believe the war will be over soon, but they also seem to believe that it will get worse before it gets better. Pray for the church leaders as they persistently carry out the great commission, care for their members, and simultaneously experience great danger and need.

New Opportunities

• The connection with Jim and Baxter in India will be extremely helpful for future projects.
• Connecting with Jim and Baxter in India has also provided natural contacts there to possibly start locating and re-gathering church members who have fled/relocated there. I am hoping to go to this border state in September to meet these two men together with Pastor L who will also cross the border to meet with us. We hope to discuss:
  • 1) possibility of re-gathering relocated members in India, and
  • 2) ways to continue teaching/training church leaders and working toward true fellowship as we anticipate a post-junta Burma.

Ongoing Efforts/Next Steps

The need for relief, physical and spiritual support, and encouragement will be ongoing. But we also need to start planning for a post-junta Burma. Plans to consider moving forward are:

1. Keep praying regularly for the church body and for Burma.
2. Continue to provide basic relief as the needs arise. The items identified as the most needed now continue to be rice, charcoal, oil, mosquito nets, tarps, blankets, and clothing.
3. Continue to provide medical supplies. They are desperately needed, and a special request was made for more medical supplies if possible.
4. Continue to develop the relationships with Jim and Baxter in India. Tentative trip is planned for September to meet them and Pastor L.
5. Start to envision what will be needed post-junta. Rebuilding churches, locating church members, re-gathering members who plan on staying in India, and trauma related needs are examples of what could be needed in the near future.
6. Continue to stay in touch with church leaders as much as possible.

God’s Blessings,

Pastor Robert Hein, Chairman, WELS Christian Aid and Relief