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> Myanmar Cyclone Relief
Report of Myanmar Team 4 (13th December to 17th December 2008)
By: Yeo Sue En
Cyclone Nargis
began its sweep over Myanmar at the mouth of the Irrawaddy
River on Saturday, 3 May 2008. Burmese officials reported
a death toll of 10,000. But according to our local guide,
the number of deaths numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
A relief team was made up of a group of Singaporeans who
belong to the same church, a couple from New Zealand which
runs a clinic in Indonesia and a group of locals from
relief organization, Ar Yone Oo.
Paperwork was the first item on the to-do list in preparation
for the trip. Next came the assigning of responsibilities.
Naturally, the men got to put their brawn to full use
by taking charge of logistics and stock taking of supplies.
The ladies put on their thinking caps to come up with
an engaging program for the kids.
Getting up before the break of dawn, the team would begin
each day with God through a time of praise and worship,
prayer and sharing of the Word. We would then take a short
journey on foot to the pier where a double decked bum
boat would be waiting to take us to our destination.
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The boat ride to a village would vary from two hours to five
hours - one way. The clinic and children's program would run
from the early afternoon to the evening. Leaving a village was
always bittersweet but under a blanket of stars and cool sea
breeze, the rides back offered perfect opportunities for reflection.
The diversity, uniqueness and warmth of each village made everyday
a special and memorable one. Thanks to Ar Yone Oo's trip to
the local market everyday, the team got to experience true Burmese
cuisine as one household from every village would open their
home and whip up a meal for us. At one village we had fresh
mud crabs! By Singaporean standards, the crabs were so small
that they weren't worth the effort but it was a great and unexpected
experience. The food was fantastic.
Click for bigger image:
Arrival at Yangon Airpot. Check out our supplies. |
Mistresses of the children's program in their killer uniform! Left to right: Yeo Sue En, Christine Kwan and Wendy Foo
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Water storage containers for the villages. Left to right: Simon Foo, Derek Allen, Margaret Thorpe, Wendy Foo and Christopher Kee |
Real life banker and in-house treasurer, Mark Teo, feeling right at home. "Why so serious?" |
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Dr. Derek Allen, our doctor for the entire
trip, fractured his toe while negotiating his way over
the treacherous planks on the way back from the pier as
a section of it broke under his weight. However, his quotes
for this trip are 'loving, caring strong team', 'CRS never
disappoints', and “we can go back again in future'. |
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Mak Hoi Foo, a Singaporean member was at a crossroad
in his life and was having second thoughts about coming
for the trip. But the Lord honored his commitment and
gave him a fresh and personal touch. The points from his
sharing includes “we are blessed even more even
though the purpose of our trip is to bless the people
there”, “exploring avenues to serve God further”
and “recognized team unity despite difficult circumstances.” |
To conclude, Myanmar is a beautiful place. It's hard to imagine
a country hit by such devastation but is still able to retain
its charm, which is evident in the landscape and culture of
the Burmese people. All we brought were tangible items, things
that can easily be bought with money, but the Burmese people
we met gave us that which is pure, sincere and priceless. |
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