Myanmar, and more on the medical clinic

Today about eight members of the ministry team left the country. We traveled to Myanmar, which is only about 30 minutes away by boat. The boat was fairly small, and the motor roared loudly.

Some of us were a little nervous. Myanmar is a closed country, and it's illegal to minister or pass out Christian literature — which was why we went. But for the short two hours we were there none of us were arrested, and we passed out all the Burmese tracks. We also passed out little suvenirs — stickers, balloons, candy and kazoos — that were a big hit with not only the kids but the adults as well.

Our tour guides tooks us to two little shops where we spent the majority of our time. I overheard a conversation between one of the ferang (foreigner) and a guide. He said he had four wives, and I think he said they worked to support him. He looked like he was about 18, but it seems many of the Burmese and Thai are older than they look.

The Burmese wear long wrap-around skirts (the men, too) and decorate their faces with this yellow powder-paste. Many in Burma (Myanmar) spoke some English, but Brenda explained that many of the Burmese immigrants in Thailand usually only finish third grade. They remain poor and illiterate. That's why so many of Brenda and Ben's ministry focuses on the Burmese immigrants.

A lot of Burmese took advantage of the three-day medical clinic our team set up at the Ranong church. Thais can access local health care for about a $0.75 copay, but Burmese must pay higher fees that most cannot afford. Friday was the last day of the clinic. The clinic treated about 300 people total. It was most rewarding to see a very young girl who had a high fever on Dec. 31 and was treated, come back with her mother today looking happy and healthy again. Most of the patient complaints were gastrointestinal disorders, skin issues, and joint pain issues. The ANHC team felt right at home serving the underserved in Ranong. The team supplemented a 30 day supply of HIV medication for a woman who had relocated to Ranong from Phuket who was not yet able to acqure her medication through the public health system. Not only did the team provide physical care, but each patient received spiritual guidance and prayer and received a gift bag of goodies as well as vitamins.

The water purification team completed one project today! The village on this island was much bigger than the first one we served on Wednesday. The team got the system set up in two or three hours, but it took a long time to get back to Thailand. Their small boat traveled against the wind, splashing them quite a bit.