Burma: Climb High

Climb high

Midnight of February 26, 2008 I departed Manila for Bangkok. I had a month-long visa. The following day, I went to Mae Sot, Tak Province, Thailand hoping to get a one-month visa extension. However, at the border I only got a week extension. Then, I proceeded to Mae Hong Son. Upon arrival, I got sick of heavy coughs for 5 days. Moreover, I was waiting for a go signal to cross the border for Burma. While waiting, I decided to minister at the Bible school at the area. Meanwhile, my guide for Burma told me that I needed a longer visa. By March 16 we would cross the border. After ministering at the Bible school in the refugee camp along the Thai-Burma border, I went to Laos (I was informed by a missionary that I can try to get a two-month visa there). For the first time in Laos, I got a two-month visa. On March 16, I went back to the Thai-Burma border. However still, I had to wait for another two weeks for the go signal to cross border and go inside Burma. On April 1, I finally left the border. This was my sixth trip inside Burma and the second time to wait for one month to get a go signal to cross the border. The first time was ten years ago.

The journey would take five days by foot. This time, it took only three days for us from the borderline to the Karenni-controlled area. Our guide, Thra Htoo Bwe walked very fast. We had to start early in the morning before dawn to avoid the heat of the sun. Upon reaching their place, we rested for two days. We planned to continue moving but we were stop. They heard over the radio that Burmese Army was making a military operation. We waited for another few days. We finally moved when we heard that the Burmese army went back to their barracks.

Our target place was Bukoe village. I had been there ten years ago. As I Remember, it took me eight days of foot-travel. First, we had to walk five days from the mountain that divides Burma and Thailand. We had to rest for two days and we traveled again for the next three days. We climbed during that trip the highest mountain in the region, which is 8,500 feet high.

However, for this trip it just took us two days from our resting place to the target area. It was about a day of walk. In addition, the place was very critical. We could see the town proper from the mountaintop. It was only one-hour walk from our place. I suggested if we could stay for a night and minister to the church nearby. Our guide told me that we needed to move because we were too closed to the enemy line. Halfway to our destination, we heard that another group of Burmese Army was patrolling the area and we did not know in which direction they were heading. Then Thra Htoo Bwe asked some villagers to carry my bag for two hours, which weighed about 14 kilos, in order for us to climb the mountain faster. In case the Burmese Army in the town proper would used a binocular they could have spotted us. Therefore, we had to move fast. Upon reaching the mountaintop, which is approximately 5,000- 6,000 feet high, I took my bag and we continued walking down the terrain for another two hours.

It was around seven o’clock in the evening when we arrived closed to the village. We were approximately 100 meters away from the village. As part of our procedure, we could not proceed right away to the village. We asked four young guerillas to go closer and ask permission for us to come in. As they shouted to the villagers, a woman shouted back at them. “Don’t come. The Burmese Army is here. Run away!” The shout was followed by a brief Rat! Rat! Rat! Rat! Rat! Rat! (gunfire) and a BOOM! (from a grenade launcher.) We were surprised! We waited for the four. I could hear their footsteps and their breath! Thank God, not one of them was hurt. They were just a few meters away from the Burmese Army though they were under the thick bushes, so not one of them was visible to the soldiers.

On that evening, I focused my mind already that we would take our dinner, rest and sleep in that village. However, with the incident we had to travel again until past 10 o’clock in the evening. Our leader was trying to communicate with other guerillas but failed. Out of nervousness, one guerilla opened his lighter to smoke. I immediately asked him to put off the light and the cigarette. There was a half moon in the sky but we were under thick bushes. We were not using the regular terrain. It was totally dark. I could not see the person ahead when about two meters away. At times, somebody must push me up to step on a higher level. At times also, we had to pass a hilly tree-less farm. From there, we could see the other houses in the village because of their lanterns. I repeatedly asked them, “Are you sure that they (Burmese Army) can’t see us?” Upon reaching the other side of the hill, Thra Htoo Bwe told me that we could take a nap and the soldiers would cook for dinner. I exclaimed! The Burmese Army was too closed to us. He said they were hungry. I laughed. The guerillas went down further, about 40 to 50 meters away to cook. If we only moved up a few meters away from our location, we can see a number of houses were the Burmese Army was located. After eating our dinner, we had to move again to a higher plane away from them. Halfway on top of the mountain, on the mountain slope overlooking the village, we took our night rest. No mattress, no mosquito net- we just slept on the ground! No one lighted a candle or even used a flash light.

Early morning, before the daylight breaks, we had to start moving up again to the mountaintop. Just to go down to the other side of the mountain. They look for a place to cook our breakfast. While cooking, I told them that in the previous evenings I did not have enough sleep. Dikwa (younger brother) was snoring very loudly every night. For the first time, I slept straight from eleven o’clock in the evening until five o’clock in the morning. One jokingly responded that three of us were snoring very loudly. And they laughed at me.

I told them that someone must stay near the village to watch for the Burmese Army since we had have two walkie-talkies. Therefore, we would know which direction the Burmese Army would go. I told them that they (Burmese Army) would not pass the route we took in coming from the town proper. But Thra Htoo Bwe told me that one guerilla lost his pin code for the radio during the night we were rushing. So he could not open his radio any more.
After our breakfast, we again climbed up further. And we reached one village. I have been to this village several times and ministered to a Baptist church there. Since we did not know where the Burmese Army was heading, we contacted the head of the village. The villagers hid us but not far from their place. They fed us from there. We were not sure if we would stay there for a night.
I just put out my hammock, asked permission if I could put up my tent/shady fly. They said yes. Just after I finished setting them up, the head of the village and another man rushed toward us. They told us, that one family from their village rushed back to their house from their slash and burn farm, because they saw more than 50 Burmese Army soldiers. They immediately told me to remove my tent and be prepared to run. They sent some villagers to find out which way the Burmese Army was heading. Before dark, the villagers came back to us. They did not know where the Burmese Army went. They found out that the Burmese Army used the same terrain that we passed in the morning but did not proceed to the village. That night we had to be very careful again. (To be continued.)

Traveling with guerillas and doing church to church visitation required me to put my trust in God. The moment my heart is safely settled on that Rock, God will keep me in “perfect peace” because my “thoughts are fixed on [Him]” (Isaiah 26:3). Trust is the feeling of security you have when your feet are solidly planted on a Rock that towers high above all your enemies. That Rock is also a place of safety where you can find secured refuge and shelter (Psalm 61:3-4). As Isaiah phrased it, “But to the poor, O Lord, you are a refuge from the storm. To the needy in distress, you are a shelter from the rain and heat...” (Isaiah 25:4).

Climb up on the Rock right now, and rest in His perfect peace.

Bro. REY