I Want to Help my People
“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
- Galatians 6:2
Deep in the jungles of Myanmar, a river gently winds past a cluster of bamboo structures. Here, hidden in the shadow of a mountain range, is EMA’s Rain Tree Clinic. In the winter months, sunlight weakly filters through the treetops, making days mildly warm and nights bitterly cold. The only place where beams of light shine unhindered is the dirt road leading to the clinic’s main entrance. In the early mornings, this area is filled with patients seeking warmth.
Far removed from the nearest hospital, thousands of Karen living in these remote jungle areas depend on the Rain Tree Clinic. Patients trek long hours on foot through the jungle, scaling steep hillsides and forging swollen rivers along the way. For those without the strength to walk, family and friends make the harrowing journey with them, carrying the sick person in a “bambulance”—a hammock bound to a strong bamboo pole. But they don’t think twice about it. The Karen are strong and courageous. In these life-or-death situations, they quietly, and literally, carry one another’s burdens without complaint.
Upon arrival, patients are admitted to the clinic while those who transported them take shelter in nearby bamboo huts. As night falls, they gather around their fires to keep the bite of winter at bay. However, the warmth of a fire isn’t an option for patients in the clinic. Some come prepared with thin, worn blankets. Others arrive empty-handed after their long journey on foot. These patients would have nothing to keep them warm without the blankets the clinic provides. Even then, patients can be chilled by cold gusts of wind that slice through the clinic’s bamboo walls. But they don’t complain.
Bway, EMA’s Communications Assistant, recently spent a month at the Rain Tree Clinic to experience daily life in the jungles alongside EMA’s PA students. Each evening, she would sit with patients who were staying overnight at the clinic and listen to their stories. Afterwards, she would spend time with the PA students on night duty. Then, she would return to her warm tent for a decent night’s sleep.
One night, the Holy Spirit prompted her to do something different.
“I told the Physician Assistant students' night duty team that I would be coming to sleep with them here tonight. After that, I was surprised at myself for saying this. I didn’t intend or plan to. It was not me that I spoke out this. I knew it was a person inside me that did. The PA students looked at me and laughed, saying, “Tharamu (Tharamu is the way Karen people call a woman to show that they respect her), you are joking with us.”
The PA students tried to dissuade her, but Bway held firm to what the Holy Spirit had asked of her—to suffer alongside them. As the students had predicted, the night was incredibly cold. Neither Bway nor the PA students slept soundly. But through the long hours of the night, as she shivered beneath her blankets, Bway got to watch as the night duty students embodied the miracle of being Karen.
There is something special about the Karen people. This “something” is most evident in difficult circumstances that can only be solved through community—a quality alive at the core of EMA’s students. Every PA student is driven by the same desire: “I want to help my people.” They are quiet, self-sacrificing heroes with the unwavering commitment to better the lives of their people.
That night, Bway witnessed as the PA students served their patients throughout the night, faithfully making their rounds at the proper time intervals. Between rounds, they studied for their next test. When it was their turn to attempt sleep, they patiently endured the numbing chill seeping through the bamboo walls. Even after a sleepless night, they rose before dawn to prepare for their patients’ needs in the coming day. They quietly endured these difficult conditions alongside their patients, uncomplaining.
But to them, it was not a great sacrifice. It’s just what the Karen do.
When the PAs started their rounds the next morning, Bway gathered the courage to leave her blankets behind and joined them.
“Then, I walked to where the patients were. I started noticing some patients were only covered with a piece of thin blanket. I knew they were cold. But they tried to adjust to survive with what they have, not complaining. I already knew the answer but I couldn’t control myself to do. I asked a patient next to me, “Are you not cold?” She answered, “I am, but there is nothing we can do.”
Bway smiled and nodded, understanding that the patient’s words held a thousand meanings. What does one do when there is nothing that can be done? For the Karen, the answer is simple: patiently endure, together. Bway silently asked the Holy Spirit: “I know why you wanted me to sleep here. Now, what is next?”
Like Bway, we are constantly inspired by the tenacity and strength of our students and staff. They are worth investing in. Regardless of the conflict raging around them and the struggles of living and working in the jungle, they don’t give up. They daily live out the miracle of being Karen—a people whose unwavering desire to help others remains unstained by the suffering around them. This gives us confidence that they will continue making a significant difference in the lives of their people, both now and in the future.
And they are doing this because of YOU! Your prayers and financial support make it possible for EMA’s students to bring life-changing healthcare to their people.
Because you are helping our students carry their burdens, the Lord is using you to push back the darkness in Myanmar. Since 2017, 21 Physician Assistants have graduated from EMA’s program. Today, they are providing critical healthcare to thousands of people throughout Karen State.
Thank YOU for joining the journey to see all people in remote Karen areas have access to high quality healthcare!
Love Never Fails
During rainy season, dirt roads winding through the mountainous jungles are not an option for those in need of critical healthcare. Watch how 33 "bambulance brothers" carried their friend for 9 hours to receive surgery for an open left tibia fracture.