IDPs

Wikipedia defines IDPs as, "Internally displaced persons... are people forced to flee their homes but who, unlike refugees, remain within their country's borders." This qualifies for many Karen who have remained in Burma, hiding in jungles or constantly moving locations. Technically the Karen I met yesterday hiding in the mountains were "refugees," having left their original country, but the Thai refuse to acknowledge their status as refugees (which carries with it certain rights) and so I think IDP is more accurate. Enough in the technicalities.

Yesterday I woke up and was taken into the foothills where many Karen have escaped to. Less than a mile away was the Moei river dividing Thailand and Burma and this wilderness was difficult for Thai police to access. We were there to do what had become our accustomed roles--the Thai/Karen team would lead worship while the doctor examined kids and I sat with the people and heard their stories. We pulled and parked on the side of a road and then went up a dirt path to a large open air church. The IDPs had heard we were coming and some were already gathered while others were constantly arriving. For some it meant a four or five hour hike down the mountain and then they would have to head back after only an hour or two to make it back before sunset.

They squatted down and waited, eying me and looking away anytime I pointed the camera their direction. Yet one bold toddler was especially curious and walked right up, poked at my white skin, the camera lens, and then settled himself in my lap. I cant think of a better way to greet a stranger, or how to make suspicious eyes around me relax. I snapped away, trying to respect them and not just make this about the camera. I saw the Karen pastor, so I went and squatted next to him.

His name is Pastor Tim and he spoke enough English to explain to me that he had escaped from Burma when he was eight. He attended Thai schools, went to Bible college and become a pastor to his people, moving to this particular location four years ago. I talked to him about his past and about what his hopes were. He dreams of having a building for classrooms that could also be used for those who travel a far distance down the mountains to spend a night in. His life revolves around helping the most desperate of his people, body and soul.

After talking to the pastor I notices a man sitting nearby who had no hands and was clearly blind. His name was Mae Su. He had been a soldier in the KNU (Karen National Union) and was captured by the Burmese Army. They forced him to become a human minesweeper, crawling until he found or blew up a mine. He was in the process of defusing one when it went off in his hands. He somehow was left and made it to safety where he healed. Today he is known as an evangelist, even going back into Burma and talking to the DKBA, which for a normal man would be suicide.

By this time the singing was gathering a crowd, and soon there were over a hundred crowding around to see the show. They were attentive and laughed so easily. There were skits and one part where participants were brought up on stage to play a game. Everyone, from the smooth round faces of toddlers to the wrinkled and tobacco stained faces of the elders, was entranced. When we started handing out flavored drinks, food, and stuffed animals, they formed lines and grasped what was handed to them tightly to their chest.

The IDPs had a poverty like I have never seen. Babies were clearly malnourished, their heads the same size as their bodies. When I asked about this, the translator said bluntly, "No milk. The mothers have no food and so the babies get no milk." The need was so apparent, yet the children were so well behaved, listening to every instruction. "They are trained that way. When their parents say run, they have to run. They cannot argue." Yet their faces held an innocence that seemed untouched by their circumstances.

I had to leave the IDPs to go back to the orphanage. As I got in the truck and heard worship songs start up again and wished I had so much more time.

This little one insisted on having his new stuffed bear tied to his back in the same way his mother would carry him.