Ideas and Suggestions and Feedback Meeting

Jon, Simon, and Dave decided we really needed to get the feedback of our students to see what benefited them this Bible Week and what could be improved, from their perspective.

We were glad that they really opened up and shared as freely as they did in this meeting.  In Myanmar they are taught not to criticize or question their teachers or others in authority over them, but we have been encouraging them to ask questions of us whenever they need clarification, etc.  They were quiet at first, but then they began to talk pretty freely.

In this meeting, we wanted to see if our teaching was on target or if they really needed us to teach them something else or perhaps at a different level.  Thankfully, they said they benefited a great deal from the Bible lessons and courses taught which included:

1. The Overview of the Bible
2. How to Read (and properly understand) the Bible
3. The Barefoot Doctor Model of Ministry from Luke 9:1-6
4. What is a Christian?
5. What was Jesus' Definition of a Disciple from Luke 9:23

We asked the students if they had some suggestions for the future, and they did.  Very good ones, in fact.  They suggested, for instance, that we give them outlines for our lessons in Burmese whenever possible.  This adds a big step to our preparation, but it can be done some of the time.  

They also asked if they could have two weeks of Bible each of the three years they come to the KLC. In fact, this is a very big desire of the students across the board. They said they really need this kind of teaching and training, and a second week would be very beneficial to them.

We are hoping that we can start the 2nd year of training one week earlier than this year in order to make this change.

Students "Earn Their Keep"

On Saturday morning we asked the Barefoot Doctor to help clean and straighten up the campus they have been enjoying all week. The FLC Staff had come up with a To-Do List that was quickly addressed by students eager to help.

A lot of it was general clean-up that needs to be done week after week, but some of it was actual repairs or maintenance of one kind or another.

A big job, as you can imagine, is changing the light bulbs in the ceiling of Ferraro Hall, the dining hall of the KLC.  The top of the ceiling there is more than 25 feet high!

Scaffolding has to be brought in in order to reach the fixtures and the one nearest the kitchen was no easy fix this time.  A new bulb and new starter did not help, so the whole fixture had to be taken down and replaced part by part.  Everyone cheered when the task was done.

Added to these weekly tasks are the daily ones.  The students are divided up into four groups of five, and one of the groups is on kitchen cleanup duty each day.

Up on the Mountain

This morning we were blessed to hike up the mountain above the KLC property together.  There is an amazing view from up there, and it is always a special time when we can go there together.

Of course, it was the first time any of the Burmese students had hiked this particular mountain, even though about half of them live in or near the mountains.  We ended up going up the hard way and only near the top did we actually find the trail. 

This was not a problem for most of the students who went up the mountain with ease.  It was not so easy for the instructors, but the students were very kind to make sure we all made it safely to the top.  Pastor Simon was especially grateful to reach the top because he underwent a knee replacement in 2017.

 Once on top we enjoyed taking pictures of the scene before us and each other.  We also got a couple of good group shots and pictures while we had a brief time of worship on the mountain.  Pastor Jon gave a devotion from Joshua 14:6-15 where the Bible tells us about Caleb taking the mountain of Hebron as his possession in the Promised Land.  Caleb had great faith and great courage, and our students were encouraged to have the same.

Where Do Our Students Come From? See the Map!

On Monday we took time to plot all of the students on the map of Burma/Myanmar.  It took a long time to do so because more than a few of them had a difficult time figuring out just where their small villages were on a map with only the cities named.

Then we took individual pictures of them and then began the process of getting those shots ready to put down the sides of this map.  Finally on Thursday we were ready to place the pictures down the side and then show with strings where each of them is located. 

Here is the final result. We think you will be amazed if you look at the map closely.

FLC has Barefoot Doctors ministering in every region of Myanmar, but we know there are still many areas where there is little or no medical care available nearby.  This motivates us to find dedicated Christian men and women who want to learn the medical skills we teach so God can use them in a mighty way in their location.
This map is also your first introduction to the twenty students enrolled in the Barefoot Doctors School, who have been with us for less than one week. Now you can pray for them by name (even if you cannot pronounce them!), and we certainly thank you for your prayers.  We hope that all 20 will finish their program and graduate in 2020.

Free Soccer Shorts and a Visit to the Night Market

Wednesday noon we were surprised when Timothy's brother and sister showed up from Chiang Mai with bags and bags of free soccer shorts for our students.  They had heard that some of the students did not have shorts to wear for recreation.  They have a shop in the Night Market that sells team shirts and shorts, so they decided to give all 20 students 2 pairs of shorts each.

On Wednesday night we had the privilege of going to the Chiang Mai Night Market (Night Bazaar) together.

All of the students were very excited to have this opportunity because almost none of them had ever been to Chiang Mai or the Night Market before. The one student who had been there only came to Chiang Mai one time 10 years ago!

You see how happy they were to be there.  We first took them to get ice cream at the McDonald's restaurant (we are on a budget, after all!)  They all wanted to order the hot fudge or strawberry sundaes they have there, but it turned out McDonald's only had 15 sundaes to sell that night. No matter; the other students and teachers got ice cream cones instead.

Then we sent them off in small groups to experience the Night Market.  Since many of the people who work in the Night Market are from Burma, conversations were easy for them and many of the students actually saw someone they know!

It was a late night for everyone but definitely worth it!

Couldn't Be More Pleased!

Wow! I couldn't be more pleased with the way our four classes went today!

Dave Barr turned out to be an excellent addition to our teaching team for this week.  He is continuing the Bible Overview Class that Simon started yesterday, and he did a great job covering the material and connecting with the students even though he just arrived here.

Below is a picture of Jung officially introducing him to the students and welcoming him to the teaching staff for this week.  Then you will see a picture of Dave teaching with his Irish accent.  Okay, you can't see the accent but it's there!

The students were also very interested to find out where Pastor Dave lives in Ireland.  They are amazed with how far we have come to teach them.  We hope each teacher who comes will place a pin on the world map showing where they have come from. I hope by tomorrow we can show you our completed map of Burma which shows where all of our students live.

Simon Percy had the students literally rolling on the floor in laughter today.  He loves to get them wound up and laughing IF it will illustrate the point he is making.  Today he had one of the students playing a dead man on the floor but the student didn't understand the instructions and he kept trying to get up!  

Simon was trying to illustrate that, once we are dead, we can't choose to do anything.  But every time he would say, "Now, sit up!" to the "dead" student of the floor that's exactly what he did!  Dave and I were in the back of the room saying, "Simon says, 'Sit up!'  Simon says, 'Sit up!'" but I don't think the Burmese people play that game. Anyway, everyone had a good time today and a lot was learned.

I taught a lesson on the Barefoot Doctor theme of ministry which comes from Luke 9:1-6.  Luke tells us Jesus sent out his disciples to preach the gospel and to heal people everywhere. Our ministry follows the pattern of ministry Jesus followed and the pattern of ministry he sent his disciples out to do. Maybe that's why this ministry is so effective. What do you think?

Through tending to the medical needs of people wherever they go, our Barefoot Doctors show the love of God in a tangible way which people can feel and appreciate.  This ministry opens a dialogue and a relationship with them where they later have the opportunity to tell them about Jesus, and Jesus can do even more than heal them physically (as important as that is). Both parts of this ministry are vital, so we try to equip our students as well and as thoroughly as we can while they are with us.

Please continue to pray for all of us at the school, as well as the 100+ Barefoot Doctors on the field.  We hear from some of them every week, and God is using them in amazing ways!

Profiles of Amazing Students

We had the great pleasure today of hearing the personal stories of our new students in the Barefoot Doctors School.  Yesterday we had taken their profile pictures to add to the database we are creating about their villages and the need for medical services there.  Here is a sampling of those pictures.

Today we gave each of the 20 students the opportunity to get up and tell us about themselves.  They were to include three things in what they said:
1. Information about their family and their village
2. The story about when they became a Christian
3. Why they want to be a Barefoot Doctor.

Most of the students were very animated as they told their stories and gave their testimonies today.  They told us some heartbreaking stories about the loss of parents or siblings to one disease or another, mostly because there was no hospital or clinic to take their loved one to.  In this modern age, this is almost unbelievable and yet their stories were very similar.
We won't identify the student by name, but here is one of their stories.

My name is _______ and I live in a village in northern Burma.  I grew up with 8 brothers and sisters. I grew up in a Christian family   I was baptized into Christ when I was 13 years old.  I am now married and have one daughter.  My husband is a schoolteacher in Putao.

By the grace of God I can attend the Barefoot Doctors School and learn the medical and Bible things I need to learn.  Once I leave, I will go very far away from our house to serve people in a very remote area without any medical care.  I have many family members there.  There is a hospital in that area, but they do not give good care.  They don’t even give the limited medicine they have to their patients.  Many people die there.

A local villager had an appendix attack and the doctors at the hospital knew it, but they would not operate or treat his symptoms. In two days the man died right in the hospital, even though his death was preventable.  I want to become a Barefoot Doctor in order to really care about people and help them with their medical needs.

Once again in the evening we had devotions.  

Afterwards the President of the Class shared the news that we are all going to the Night Market in Chiang Mai tomorrow evening.  This will be the first time for everyone in the class except one.  They are in for a treat!