Note to Readers: We’ve already spent 10 Blogs in a row about the awesome land of Burma and the miracles we encountered between the years 1998 and 2001. Your responses have been wonderful! I have, however, decided not to continue with the formal “Travel Journal” presentations we’ve been doing on Burma (Myanmar). Instead, I just want to summarize the travel trips through 2003 in this Blog, and in a very brief fashion, let you in on how incredibly the mission of Project C.U.R.E. turned out in that part of the world.
We faithfully and patiently kept on helping Daniel Kalnin and his “Barefoot Doctors” throughout the dangerous insurgency areas in the north. Now, they had access to medical supplies and pieces of medical equipment that they never dreamed of having in their towns and village clinics.
Eventually, the word began getting back to the formal government officials in Rangoon and Mandalay. The heads of the main hospitals and the Health Ministry personnel began asking why they were not also getting access to such expensive and updated medical goods from this Project C.U.R.E. group in USA?
Then the day came when we were formally invited to come and perform the necessary needs assessment studies on the major hospitals – including the big 1500 bed hospital in the capital city of Rangoon. We jumped at the chance. It was another day of fulfilled dreams for my friend, Daniel Kalnin.
Once the assessments were made, the inventories to be gifted agreed upon, all the customs problems worked out, and the signatures in place, Project C.U.R.E.’s people back in the USA began loading the 40-foot ocean-going cargo containers with all the life-saving medical goods – not just for Daniel’s group, but for the entire country!
I was in Cambodia doing needs assessments there and in Laos, when word came to me that the three Military Generals that run the country, and the other Government Leaders of Myanmar, were insisting that I come back to Rangoon and make a formal presentation of the millions of dollars’ worth of health care goods. The presentation would be to the entire host of Government Officials and Leaders of the country. Daniel and I got our heads together and decided on an appropriate date.
When I arrived in Rangoon, I found that the officials had already collected all the goods of the last two container loads from the port and had carefully inventoried them and temporarily stored them at the “Central Medical Stores Depot.” Dr. Myint Thoung told me that they were treating all the medical goods as priceless treasures. A cross section sampling of the medical goods and pieces of equipment would be polished and transferred by trucks to the large presentation venue for the celebration.
As Daniel and I approached the Government Buildings where the celebration would be held, Colonel U Kyi Tun, the Cabinet Member who had finally given me official permission to travel into the restricted areas on my original trip, came up to me wildly chattering and smiling and shaking my hand. He recalled how I had convinced him that I should receive the permission . . . “and now, just look at what all has happened,” he said warmly.
There was lots of Pomp and Circumstance that accompanied the presentation ceremony. The Burmese chefs had prepared a banquet of scrumptious selections of food. Sample items of the donated medical goods were displayed around the perimeter of the formal hall.
General Khin Nyunt was at the seat of honor. He was the Chief of Intelligence. He was also the Chairman of the Peace and Development Council, and Chairman of the Health Committee. They referred to him as “Secretariat #1”.
We were introduced and Daniel and I were given the opportunity to say a few words and present our Certificates of Donation to them. General Khin Nyunt then spoke and presented to us their Certificates of Thanks and Appreciation to us. Every one, including the excited Minister of Health, Dr. Kyan Myint, and the Minister of the Military, General Abel, gathered around us to get better acquainted with us and ask questions regarding the future relationship.
I stepped back and tried to take a mental picture so I would never forget that experience. I was seeing history in the making. It was a miracle. Just a short time before no one could even get into the restricted areas. And now, the access doors to the whole country had been flung widely open for Project C.U.R.E. What else would it have taken to allow Daniel Kalnin, a fugitive and criminal, to now be such an honored guest? It was nothing less than God’s direct intervention into the situation.
Later, that evening in my hotel room I was reflecting on what had taken place. God seemed to bring back to my memory a verse of scripture He had given to me on an earlier trip to Burma:
“This message is sent to you by the one who is holy and true, and has the key of David to open what no one can shut and shut what no one can open.
“I know you well; you aren’t strong, but you have tried to obey and have not denied my Name. Therefore, I have opened a door to you that no one can shut.” (Revelations 3:7-8, TLB).
An Update: We are still working in Myanmar (old Burma). Just recently, one of our Project C.U.R.E. “Needs Assessors” returned from Rangoon in preparation for sending even more precious medical goods into the needy country.