Bono and a trip to Burma by Marisa Chud

My husband and I recently went to our first U2 concert with a few friends, a great way to kick off this new season of life in Boston… though I must admit, I am not typically the one to enjoy going to concerts, and, if I am honest, I wasn’t nearly as excited to see U2 as my fellow concertgoers were (I realize this is near sacrilegious!). Regardless, my attention was captured when, at one point in the course of the evening, Bono got on his knees and asked the stadium of wild Bostonians to pray with him for the people of Burma. In the moment I became acutely aware that somehow our agreement with heaven shifts and shapes the events and circumstances of earth. Bono then started into an Irish lullaby for the beloved and iconic Aung San Suu Kyi. The stage began to fill with young people and each held a picture of her in front of their face. My mind’s eye flashed to my exchange with an old Burmese woman this summer who had wept silently with me as she shared her desire for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release. Whether in Burma or Boston, it is evident to me that the restless voice of liberty is quaking from every angle until the image of God is restored and justice is made known in the earth.

Early this summer a group of us had the privilege of going into Burma. Nothing could have prepared me for the collision with this nation and her people; it was a surprise addition in our trip to Southeast Asia. Tears come to my eyes even now as I again consider the state of this nation and the hope that lies there within the people. Today Burma is run by a military dictatorship that has suppressed the nation and it’s citizens at almost every juncture. Because of this wicked regime, democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since the early 90’s, following her election to power by the people. In the midst of this corruption the people of Burma have become some of the poorest and most exploited in the world. Aung San Suu Kyi remains in the hearts and minds of the people a symbol of hope and possibility. She was the daughter of a man who fought for independence and revolution in Burma, and in 1988 this woman would take her stand in the light of her father’s legacy, declaring: “I could not, as my Father’s daughter, remain indifferent to all that is going on.”

It was with these same words that our small team met Jesus in a profound way, responding to His initiation with a similar prayer: “We cannot, as our Father’s children, remain indifferent to all that is going on in this nation or in our generation.” While we were in Burma we met 9 young girls, 6 who have been rescued out of the sex industry. Our moments with them were so few, but precious…below is a glimpse from one of my teammates of our night in a border town in Burma:

“Each one so, so beautiful, 13, 14, 15, 19 years old. The gorgeous, thin girl - who's 6 months pregnant - is the most visibly broken and shame-filled. Yet, she worships in Burmese with steady, simple strength though she is frightened and unprepared for what's just around the bend for her. The other girls, upon finding out that she's pregnant, told her they'll help care for the child, that it'll be all of theirs, and they give this young mom the best seats in every setting and ensure that she always has all she needs. Pain hides behind her eyelids closed in worship to Jesus, but it doesn't go unnoticed by Him, and healing rolls over her like the waves of the sea.

The girl called Rachel sits, arms folded across her chest holding a Bible close. And I know that a root of the love of God for her, through the Spirit of adoption, is growing deeper and deeper in her inner man. She also hides tears, but she is dear, a girl with the fourth soil kind of heart. Rachel was being sold by her mother in Thailand for a high price because of her youth and virginity. Fortunately, though, the police intersected and arrested this trafficker, and 13-year old Rachel met the women we're with now, and she was brought in to live with them.

We set to pray one by one for Rachel and the other five girls taken in to live at this house. As soon as we started praying, the girls, in unison, slid off their chairs to their knees on the floor, in tears and brokenness and hunger for God - and, likely, in the beautiful Asian propriety of honor for the holy. We entered a sudden “God-is-here” moment, where these women allowed us the great privilege of sharing in their deep and vulnerable pain. We prayed for and cried with them, as they grieved great losses of youth, innocence, love, and safety. Some wept on their knees for many minutes, heads down to the ground, as the Father spoke love and hope and promise and sight of them, tenderly caring for these bruised reeds and binding up broken hearts. No one knows their names - no one sees them or knows their sacrifice. No one but Him. And He, oh He sees, and knows, and greatly esteems...”

It was in this setting that my imagination was captured with perspective for this seemingly desolate nation, and specifically for these courageous women that we had the privilege of meeting. I considered the way that God created in the midst of darkness, in the midst of a void and empty expanse. It was in this context that the Dreamer, Author, and Artist, God, spoke… and everything changed. I was filled with excitement as I saw that the same is true for Burma in this time. It is a country completely void of systems that effectively serve people - a country without a strong presence of the body of Christ. In so many ways Burma is a country blocked from it’s true inheritance. But, she is a nation on the precipice of seeing God – poised for grace, poised for breakthrough, poised for expansion and new life. I am starting to dream of going to the nations and approaching the great commission from a more holistic vantage point. What if we are a part of the answers to development, education, legal and economic infrustructure? What if we are to simply help the people in these places discover their original design? What if we are to serve in the place of prayer? I am a daughter who knows and stands in the legacy of my Father. And I am watching a fourth soil generation emerge who will do the same. The glory of God – His radiant image in and through His people – will indeed cover the earth as the water does the sea.

It is important to consider the questions that this level of engagement might bring up. I wonder what it means for the body of Christ globally to effectively serve each other and the world around us? Within a western framework our solutions to political, social, and economic problems can look different from the solutions that are actually needed. I want to be quick to listen to all sides, to humbly realize that I only have a piece of the puzzle. I am growing more aware of the wisdom that is needed to wade into these difficult issues in the world. However, this process – of questioning and bringing substance to our desire to effect change – cannot keep us in a place of sterility where we do not actually engage with the sufferings of other peoples and nations simply for fear that we’ll leave them in a worse state then when we began. What remains to be clear is that the priesthood of all believers will take on many shapes, from a rock star like Bono to a nurse, a statesman to a daughter like me. Each and every dimension is necessary to bringing us closer to the restoration of all things.