Help and hinderances

Missions | A U.S. team in militarized Burma assists a church despite government interference | Russell Board

Pastor William outside the church (Photo by Russell Board)

Two cars and a truck rumbled to a stop on a dirt road in a village on the outskirts of Rangoon, the capital city of Burma, also known as Myanmar. The vehicles carried a volunteer team coming to hold a medical clinic at the village church. Pastor William, in his 40s but looking younger, walked out to meet the team members and lead them over the dirt path to the church building. He was wearing a white, long-sleeved dress shirt together with a lunghi, the traditional skirt-like wear for Burmese men. Along either side of the path were wooden shed-sized homes with roofs of tin.

Arriving at the church, the team gathered for prayer, then began to set up in the dim and cramped building. They quickly arranged five stations, each consisting of a table and three chairs: one for the doctor or nurse, one for the patient, and one for the interpreter. Against the wall were two more tables on which were cough and cold remedies, pain relievers, stomach medications, antibiotics, skin creams, vitamins, and a few other drugs.