1. Myanmar

I don’t travel well.

Any romantic images of travelling to far-flung exotic regions are dashed by travelling with a desperately sick man  

in monsoon season,

which is also mosquito/malaria season,

which is also flu season.

Our contact doesn’t turn up at the airport because he’s down with the flu. We don’t speak the language so are left to wander around like brainless sheep. Eventually our contact’s brother comes to pick us up. He tells us that he’s had a nasty stomach bug himself and has eaten nothing but porridge for the last two months. This is not what the travel brochure promised. We arrive at our hotel dripping from the humidity and from the tropical downpour which has suddenly been unleashed. Our rooms are comfortable but the wifi seems to function on morse code. Worse, I’m a notoriously fussy eater. Whatever I end up eating I don’t expect to enjoy.

But this is not a holiday.

There’s a reason for all these personal inconveniences which makes this trip not just meaningful but, I’m soon to find out, beautiful. Myanmar is a fascinating country. Rich in history and natural resources, you get the sense that this is a country on the move. After years of political instability, there seem to be infrastructure works going on all around. Neville, my travelling companion and mentor who has been in and out of Myanmar for the last twenty-five years, tells me that he can barely recognise the place. Gone are the days of pot-holed dirt roads, broken down vehicles, unkept hotel reservations and the occasional assassination. He seems disappointed about the changes (except for the assassinations). In Yangon, there is constant noise, constant bustle; the honking of horns, the roar of engines, the sound of construction. The people in their longyis and eingyis are absolutely delightful but their delightfulness is not the reason we’re here.

Kale (Kalay) is our goal. Google Maps kindly advises me it is an 8 day and 2 hour walk from Yangon. We’ll fly there. Kale is in the Chin region in the far northeast of the country, an area coloured yellow on the Australian government advisory map, meaning “use extreme caution”. I mention this advisory to Neville who, having travelled to Kale many times, seems surprised. “Oh really? They’re just a bunch of kind country folk. A little unsophisticated, a few missing teeth. Nothing to worry about.” We arrive at a small airport where the soldiers carry rifles. 

I decide to use extreme caution.

Kale is where DMI has its school for the deaf. When we arrive, the kids all line up to greet us. I realised shortly after arriving in Yangon that the Australian sign language I learned before coming is next to useless here. Burmese sign language, like the sign language of every other country, is unique. But the sign for ‘hello’ is an easy one and we greet the kids who seem surprisingly happy to see two old white guys. Their welcome is so warm and cheerful and genuine. I’m moved. We sit before the 30 kids in an assembly, where amongst other things, they choose a sign name for me. Several are suggested including ‘bignose’ and ‘baldy’. I’m already loving their candour. They settle on ‘Sydney’ and I thank them for the wisdom of their choice. Over the next several days, I will play with these kids. I will tease them, be teased by them, educate them, interview them, ‘listen’ to them and learn from them. I will also find myself deeply affected by them, more deeply than I ever expected.

The kids line up

We bring provisions for these kids (and their tireless teachers). We bring the rare opportunity for them to be educated in sign, to learn life skills, and to live in a community of kindness. We also bring the gospel, a message of hope. The book of Romans tells us that regardless of our circumstances, Christian hope does not disappoint us because in Christ, “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” So we work to improve circumstances which is so needed but we also work to bring hope based on the foundation of this great truth:

Love is their greatest need.

Their hope is modelled in Neville, the desperately sick man in diapers I’m travelling with. He is battling multiple cancers, diabetes and the aftereffects of prostate surgery (hence the diapers). He’s travelling in between bouts of chemo and the tumours in his legs make them swell up like baobab trees. Walking is hard. He has terrible arthritis so is in constant pain. Yet this man is not only the most kind-hearted soul you could ever meet, but one of the most joyful. A man who knows full well that his happiness is not dependent on his circumstances but on who he is and Who his Father is. His chief regret about the effects of chemo isn’t the personal struggle; it’s how it inhibits him from better supporting these kids and fully preaching the gospel.

Everyone loves Neville

The change that DMI brings in the lives of these kids is night and day, and the hope that Jesus brings is real. It changes lives. In this blog I will share with you the extraordinary stories of the lives of kids like Ning Khan Lun and Biak Lian Mang, and staff like Pa-lian and Monday, in DMI’s deaf schools and churches. Their lives have been utterly changed by the work of DMI and by the love and hope that Jesus brings.

These stories are amazing. They must be told. Journey with me.

The DMI blog aims to let people know about the deaf kids, teachers, pastors, schools and churches that DMI supports in developing countries, and encourage support for them by telling their amazing stories. Please share this blog with your friends.

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24 thoughts on “1. Myanmar

  1. I’ve known Neville Muir and his parents and brothers since 1969 at the Ivanhoe Church of Christ interesting news that you are now with DMI. I am now living at Cherry Tree Village Croydon and active at Ringwood Church of Christ

    1. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, Jolly Pastor. It’s important for us to see the good work DMI is doing as well as learn about the work done by you, Neville, and the teachers.

    2. Praise God for your journey and witness of selfless love. It is a very interesting and well written blog, and teaches me to be more concerned about other people and their hardships.

    3. I have really enjoyed reading the blogs and would like to get them regularly.
      I’m sorry I can’t support financially but will keep you in my prayers.

  2. Thank you DMI for the way you’ve paved in order for our Deaf in Myanmar to excess to education, and most of all getting to know and experience the love of GOD through Jesus Christ. Thank you so much Neville for your obedience, hope to see again in Myanmar. We love serving with DMI through Immanuel Church for the Deaf here in Yangon.

  3. I love this concept, loved the first one. Keep them coming… and well done to Neville & Lil’ and family who have sacrificed so much for the people so beloved by them. It’s a privilege to support this work even in a small way xx

  4. I was so blessed and humbled to travel to this beautiful country several years ago. I was there when the area was filled with the potholes and other issues you mentioned. I was honored to attend a secret prayer meeting where Jesus was praised. My love for the people–especially the Deaf Children is strong. Deaf Children Need You—a prayer group is praying for the Deaf Children to learn of His love–as you said their greatest need.

  5. We have been
    privileged to have been involved with this marvelous organizations for 19 years with my wife Aileen being at Coburg teachers college in 64 with Neville.
    Cheers Henk Reinking

  6. Thank you for the sharing, Pastor.
    It inspires me to be more aware to serve others and do this to bring glory to our God’s name.

  7. Thank you very much Andrew for I have read your updates about Kale school for deaf kids and Courage Neville Muir’s goal for these deaf kids. ?

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