As Judson College’s goal is to achieve purposeful lives through faith and knowledge, some faithful Judson sisters and students from other colleges went on a mission trip to Kachin State, Myanmar in Southeast Asia. The teams worked with leadership from KBC and KTCS. They participated in a one week orientation prior to their departure on June 6 that involved some training regarding language, culture, and spiritual warfare. They returned safely from Myanmar on Aug. 1.
Under the lead of Judson Campus Minister, Laura Lee, and supervisor Sau Nam, a faculty member from Kachin Theological College and Seminary (KTCS), the teams spent two months lending helping hands to the needy and, most importantly, sharing the gospel with nonbelievers and praying for sick people. There were 15 team members in total—four Judson women, one member from Urban University, and students from Mexico, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and West Virginia. Members were divided into two groups. One team called “Hope and Health” included nine young ladies who were either nursing or premed students. They worked in the women and children clinic that is overseen by the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC). They helped treat patients there and also prayed with them and shared the gospel with those who were not believers.
The other team was called “Family Camp” and they worked in three IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps over the summer by telling Bible stories, hosting activities with teenagers and visiting adults in the IDP camps. Some highlights the teams mentioned were opportunities they had to share the gospel.
“Praying with especially four peoples with problems such as one lady who is not able to walk who is crawling in her home taking care of her mother and grandchildren. Students were able to pray with her and the following day they saw her in the market standing up and walking with the use of a cane and another was praying with a woman who had malaria and was very sick. When they visited a few days later they were getting very well,” recalled Laura Lee. There were some challenges that the team faced such as having to move to a motel from KTCS campus and being forced to leave the country one week earlier before the passport expiration date because of Myanmar government immigration.