III. The Opportunity

A. Present state of the people of Kachin.

For 50 years, the Kachin people have been involved in an on & off Civil War, a struggle against the corrupt and brutal military regime and the government of President Thein Sein. The fight is for their culture, their history, their independence, their very survival as a people. The Kachins after all speak a different language, practice a different religion, and are simply not Burmese. The tool of their defense is the Kachin Independence Army, without which, according to one observer, there would be no Kachin people today.

The cease fire of the late 90's was broken in June of 2011 when the Kachins would not release territory for the building of a hydropower plant in cooperation with the Chinese government. From that time to this, 1000 soldiers have died and 120,000 residents have been displaced, some going into China and other countries.

As in all places where dictators rule, news about Burma is conflicted. The media glowingly reports a first ever meeting between an American President and the regime of Myanmar. This is May of 2013. And just before that, in March, Burma allows the UN to provide humanitarian aid, with the proviso mentioned below. There are peace talks with rebels, as the Kachins must be designated. Promises are made that reforms are on the way. The public image of the Myanmar government begins to change. There may even be somewhere in the government of Myanmar a sincere desire to change, to enter the family of nations as a full partner.

But the fact of Burma/Myanmar that cannot be erased is the presence of a brutal military that has given the nation an image of inhumanity and corruption not far from North Korea's ways, from whom by the way Myanmar may be receiving nuclear technology.

Can anyone imagine a nuclear Myanmar?

But the present reality is bad enough for the Kachin people and a host of other peoples of the nation. That reality is that the Burman Buddhist regime must have total control of all the people, the resources, the cash flow, of Myanmar, and will do everything necessary to take it. And so the attacks continue.

What has changed perhaps, and this is tragic, is that the West is looking more favorably to this junta because of the possible trade deals that may be involved. The West once was the champion of the oppressed of Myanmar, but now seems to be interested in those same resources that are being eyed by the government.

Though the interference in Kachin affairs is not every day, it is aggressive enough to leave the State of Kachin in chaos and hopelessness. In November-December of 2013, for example, the army attacked the southern part of Kachin, causing thousands to flee. On January 30, yet another attack forced the remnant to escape. Villagers were taken captive, the towns were looted. The Kachin Army tried to respond and even led some fleeing villagers back to gather some belongings, only to re-encounter the Burmese Army, for which it was no match. In the aftermath of this battle, the corpses of tortured soldiers were found.

Humanitarian aid is being sent into the region, but the "international community" is allowing the Burmese regime to control its distribution. In this way, friends of the government are permitted to penetrate Kachin territory even further.

So, the Kachin people can sit and starve, or open the door to those who would destroy them. Or abuse them. Yes, many independent reports of abusive Burmese soldiers guilty of "heinous acts of sexual violence" and torture of villagers.

B. The present state of the church of Kachin.

"To be Kachin is to be Christian" says an official of the Baptist church in one of the towns of Kachin State. When one hears statements like these he is of course reminded of other religious bodies whose adherents were simply "born" that religion. For the Christian Church, of course, there is a danger here. We know that God has no "grandchildren" and that Christianity is not passed on through human genes. Each Kachin must come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ personally and be born again.

Nevertheless if you ask 9 out of 10 Kachins what is their religion, they will give a clear answer. They know their Book is the Bible, Christ is their head, and the Church has become a part of their heart and soul. They have no desire to give it up. They will kill - in self defense - to preserve this right. Some believers State-side might have a problem with such a notion since our war is to be a spiritual one. Yet, it was spiritual warfare that finally opened the door for Judson and Roberts and all the rest to come to this remote part of the earth and preach Jesus. That same warfare allowed heart after heart to come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Only warring that sort of war will keep individual Kachins in the Kingdom of God.

So, how far are we to take our Christ into the political and military machines of our day? Many American Christians would agree with the "spiritual warfare" concept, but in the next breath desire that radical Muslims be bombed into eternity by our government, today if possible.

There's something missing there. But we understand the idea. Jesus loves me so He must love my people. Anything that harms me or my people is the enemy and Jesus gives victory over enemies...doesn't He?

Again Americans, victors in the two World Wars and a few others, are willing to believe that God is on their side when they fight a "just war." Whatever that might mean... Some Christians are backing away from the justice of American causes in our day. It's not an easy thing to discuss.

But bring it back to home, and listen to the Kachin dilemma. What if your very home or family member or person or church is suddenly under physical attack. Have you considered what the next step would be, or have we been in a peaceful land so long that this is beyond our comprehension? To help you get thinking about it, be sure to consult the Word. But take a look at Kachin State too. The gut reaction for every true man or woman is to fight. To stand up and protect what is yours. That is what they are doing. In some cases they are winning this struggle. Corpses all over the land testify to the fact that in some cases they are not.

"We believe God will not abandon us," says one Kachin. Ultimately this is true, even in seemingly God-forsaken North Korea. God's people find a way to survive, to prosper, to overcome, though not always in the way they had thought they would.

The issue is complex. But let's get it back to simple terms. You and I have hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters in the hills of Northeast Myanmar whose lives have been so sub-standard for so long that the standard becomes dim. War. Murder. Rape. Refugees. Hunger. Pain. What can we do about it?

C. What to do?