The Bible Center in Musekee
By Parthenia Stout
Siami my friend wanted me to go see this village where I first heard about the Karen Hill Tribe back in Colorado. This is a bit of review of what I told before. I had read an article about a Karen man who came to this mountain area and began evangelizing the children. When a professor from the USA came to do some research for his work in a college, he had written that the pastor of this church told him that before Christianity he thought the Karen people were like Jews.
So now I was on my way up to see this church although the man had died about the time I arrived in Chiang Mai. Siami told me that 7 different nations were there at the funeral to honor this giant of a Christian. His church is thriving and so alive which I tell you about later.
It was a very long trip up in the mountains over many switchbacks and on the way home I counted 35 mountains you go up and come down with very few straight places. Siami’s wonderful Karen husband drove up one day and down the next just for me as I could only stay one night.
We arrived in the dark about 8:00 PM. They guided me to a cabin and a young man joined us helping to make up a bed on the floor with some quilts and a mosquito net over it. This was my introduction to Ah Tee (Athid) a young man whom I came to love as a grandson.
They had a western toilet but they had to bring in a tub of water as you have to pour water to flush it. In the middle of the night (what fun to crawl in and out of a net on your knees!) a cat came to visit and after I chased her out she must have found some fun chasing something as I heard a loud crash bang a couple of times. Not much sleep that night.
The next morning was a Sunday and we had breakfast with a volunteer named Brian who was there from Calif. While eating boiled eggs and toast and fruit Siami told me a bit about her calling as a missionary from India to do some needed work among the Karen people. The people are very poor and she has started a Bible school for the children and does a lot of help in the community like buying some trucks to help get the produce to market. She has adopted twins, and a young woman who is volunteering came to help with the twins. They are girls seven years old and a real handful. Since it was vacation time not many students were around.
Siami and her husband took me down a muddy road to the church where I had wanted to find Pastor Baw Ney I told you about. His son Timothy is now the pastor but he was gone somewhere. Oh---the singing and the wonderful peaceful but joyous singing. Later three very young girls took over the drums, piano, and guitar and it was lovely. A visiting team of YWAMERS came to give a dance to the verses “If My People Pray etc. 2Chronicles 7:14 and it was great. They were all from the USA but based in Hawaii.
At breakfast I saw a horn from a buffalo and I knew from the Karen in Denver that the horn was special as it was displayed on their flag. I asked about it and Siami showed me how they would blow it. She told me that as we were going down the mountain we would stop to see an old man who could tell me about the horn. What a neat experience to move back in time.
It is hard to describe in words but I will try. We wound around some huts on a small path and then up some stairs in my stocking feet to sit on a reed floor. The light was dim and the fire was putting out a bit of smoke. Three men were sitting and talking. They greeted us and the older man put some tea leaves to roast in the hot ashes. His wife came in and put the blackened kettle on the fire to boil the water. We were all treated to this kind hospitality. The tea was a bit salty.
They brought out the 4 horns and they were black but one was a buff color with golden shades very pretty. They blew the horns for us and the only history I got was that the old man said as far back as he could remember they blew the horns-- Grandpa and great Grandpa. Siami was translating and said that they blew the horns when the wild animals came around to scare them off. They also blew them at harvest time and to wake people up to go to work. They also said that they blew them going to war. (Sounds much like Joshua at Jericho.)
The horns have a slight curve and the hole to blow through is in the middle which they had carefully carved out and before they blow the horn they must put some water in it and then let it out. The man was 81-- wish I could have shown them the sound of the rams horn the Jews blow.
The next day we were going to a college where I was told they had history books in English of the Karen tribe, but we found it was a holiday and so Siami said “Would you like to go to the Karen refugee camp?” Did I?
For the last two days we had traveled 240 miles up and down the mountains and now another 260 miles south. A very good modern highway was a blessing. We stayed in a hotel for the night and the next day traveled on to the camp. As we began to see the camp I saw behind barbed wires hundreds of little grass huts going up one hill and down another. As we passed through a gate (a miracle --it was open). We parked and I burst into tears. I have seen too many pictures of the Jews behind barbed wire and living in a ghetto situation. More next letter.
