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The Garrisons !  Serving with the People of Myanmar (Burma)

Greetings From Steamy Chiangmai.

A few weeks ago the two of us ventured to a location inside

Myanmar where we facilitated a week long discussion about

marriages. It was unlike any of our previous experiences:

12 couples from 5 refugee camps

9 children aged 11 and under

2 nursing babies

three languages spoken

concrete room with tin roof... during rainy season

Several husbands unwilling to talk...

  The environment was seemingly non-conducive to study and

discussion. It wasn’t until the second day, when we separated the

men from the women, that the discussions became lively... it turned

out the men could talk after all.

What we found most interesting is the level of trust that is

built when women are eager for information that has been

suppressed. Basic information about health and marital

relationships. A heavy culture of shame permeates the thinking

in this part of the world... including the relationship with your

spouse. With each answered question the phrase, “We have never

heard this information... we have never talked about these thingsbefore” came soon after. Two of the couples had been married 28

and 30 years, respectively. The youngest woman (married 3

months) told the other women, “Keep talking, I need to hear more. I

may never have a chance to hear this again.”

  After a discussion regarding attitudes of manipulating versus

serving our spouses, one man jumped up and said, “I realize I have

always manipulated my wife!” Two husbands stood to publicly

say they had apologized to their wives for the the rst time in

their marriage.

  We talked about “soul oneness,” and the inuence it has on “body

oneness.” One woman stood during the segregated discussionand excitedly said, “I never had the words to explain this idea

before! I have needed these words to explain to my husband

how I feel!” Eleven of the twelve women expressed that, before this

week, they had never had a discussion with their husbands

regarding their feelings, their hopes, their concerns. Never.

  One older woman expressed gratitude for the opportunity to

come and discuss these issues as couples, “Now that we are

hearing these things, please remember to pray for us.

Remember our situation.”

  The women with the two-month and ve-month old babies

nursed and slung the babies on their backs to sleep. Two olderdaughters were washing their families clothes so that their mothers

could focus on the classroom time.

  We have video of Craig participating in a Kachin ethnic song and

dance which you will be interested in seeing someday. We

photographed each couple and printed pictures as a gift.

  In the end, we stood in a circle and prayed. We said goodbye.

Everyone remained in the circle. There was a lingering. A sense

of wanting to remain in the safe environment a little longer. A

sense that something signicant had happened.

 Thank you for enabling us to be in this part of the world.

Dear Friends,

Two wives had nursing babies.

This couple was the most visibly engaged.

This mother held a sick child for two days.

These two girls did the family laundry to help.

~C r a i  g &  K a r a 

 M Y A N M A R P R O J E C T • J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 5

Myanmar

Project

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1. Please pray for this group of men and women andtheir families.  The oldest woman in the groupasked, “Please remember to pray for us. Rememberour situation.”

2. Please pray for a great loss we have experienced.  The family we have been most connected to since ourrst year in Myanmar has decided to return to the U.S.It is a big blow to us, as we have had many sharedexperiences. We are thankful for the opportunity theyhave been given... but we are sad for ourselves.

3. Please pray for the country of Myanmar to providedocumentation for those born inside theirborders. Families who have lived in the country formany generations do not have citizenship.

4. Please pray for our travel.  We will travel to the US

for a brief visit in late June/July to attend a Summitevent with our sending agency, CornerstoneInternational. While there we’ll also see ourdaughters, parents, sisters and their families.

P l e a s e P r a y F o r . . .

All gifts toward our work with the people of Myanmar (Burma) should be sent to: CornerStone International, P.O.

Box 192, Wilmore, KY 40390. Please write “Myanmar Project” on the memo line. Additionally, you may make

secure donations online at http://www.cornerstoneinternational.org/staff -garrison/.

 THANK YOU for your generosity towards our family and the people of Burma!

Contact us by email at:

garrisoncraig@yahoo.com.

  This was the group (below). Husbands and wives and children from Kachin State, Myanmar. It’s against cultural norm to

smile for a photo. (Note the six inch step behind us. All of the men are standing on it to reach Craig’s height. )

This bamboo structure was our accommodation

during the marriage training course. At night we

tried to read while mosquitoes and other   ying

critters came to visit. There was one type of bug so

large that it would shake the whole mosquito net

when it landed on top. Craig said it looked likesomething from the movie, A Bug’s Life.

Last but not least is our son, Jake, who just nished

his junior year of high school. He will be staying in

Chiang Mai with some family friends for a few

weeks this summer as we travel to the US. We are

thankful for his gentle spirit, his kindness and his

willingness to play ping-pong with his d ad. :)

 M Y A N M A R P R O J E C T • J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 5

Partners Relief & Development paid for the traveling expenses, meals and accommodation for these families who attended.

mailto:garrisoncraig@yahoo.comhttp://www.cornerstoneinternational.org/staff-garrison/mailto:garrisoncraig@yahoo.commailto:garrisoncraig@yahoo.commailto:garrisoncraig@yahoo.commailto:garrisoncraig@yahoo.comhttp://www.cornerstoneinternational.org/staff-garrison/http://www.cornerstoneinternational.org/staff-garrison/