When we went out to the shade trees in front of Rennert Hall for the lesson, we arrived just as two men were delivering 40 night stands for the dormitory rooms. The students quickly volunteered to help them carry the stands inside, help for which the men were very grateful. It showed me once again the great servants' hearts these Barefoot Doctors have.
That afternoon I had to start packing my bags and making sure things were left in good shape for the students to return home the next week. Abraham has to be ready to make medicine purchase in Yangon as soon as they arrive there. Then they will distribute some of them to each of the Barefoot Doctors before they begin their journeys home.
I also tried to say personal goodbyes to a few of the students, but that is hard to do unless a translator happens to be nearby. A couple of them gave me personal gifts for teaching them two of the three years they were here. Jung told me he would be driving me to the airport, and I was glad to hear that because I wanted to get in a final, good visit with him.
After supper, we met in the classroom for some final words of goodbye from me, then some of the students came forward to express their thanks and give me some gifts of appreciation. I received two bamboo cups (for Mountain Tea!), a nice straw picture of a scene in Burma, and a longhi (a Burmese man's wrap-around garment for his legs). Sarwang Pung said they doubted I would actually wear this longhi publicly in America, but maybe I would like to use it in my house. I assured them I would give it a try!
Then they asked me to sit in the middle of the room while they surrounded me so a few of them could lay hands on me and pray. The whole group began praying out loud so earnestly that it was one of the most humbling experiences of my life! These Burmese brothers and sisters pray so passionately! It is both humbling and inspiring to be the object of their prayers!
After this, we said our goodbyes and Jung drove me to Chiang Mai Airport. We were quite early for my midnight flight, so he came inside and stayed with me until the Korean Air ticket counter opened up so I could check my bags in. We got to talk about the future of Frontier Labourers for Christ and the work of the Barefoot Doctors ministry. Since many of the students still need to be certified for dental extractions, we are planning to have a dental training session in Burma sometime late in 2012 or early 2013. mPower has agreed to come back for this, and we are just trying to figure out where and when. Rick Astone and Dr. Bjorn Nilson plan to come for this training also, if possible.
As I left Chiang Mai, my heart was full of hope and anticipation as I thought about what these new Barefoot Doctors will be doing village after village. I am going to miss them deeply, and I realize that most of them I will probably never see again in this life. When they arrived at KLC two years ago, they were already highly motivated to help their people medically. Now they have both the medical and Bible skills to match their strong motivation. The sky's the limit for what they will be able to do for the Lord in Burma when they return there! Please remember them always in your prayers.
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