A Bridge Called, ‘Love’

“Also, we decided to give this name to the bridge, ‘Love’. You have come from very far away, but love is here.”

The power of his words washed over us like a tidal wave. All we could do to respond was make a few noises of appreciation or simply sit silent, with lumps in our throats and tears in our eyes. Here we were, 5,000 miles away from home, sat on the floor of a wooden hut, in a remote village in the mountains of Myanmar, needing two translations before his words made English, and suddenly, we were connected at the deepest level.

I wondered how I had become so privileged as to be in that position. I can honestly say part of me felt unworthy to hear his words...but then love is always a gift isn’t it? Bestowed on the receiver by grace alone, to be received with grateful humility. Yet I had to reflect on all the experiences which had led us to that point. How was it that an accountant, a consultant, a banker and 2 fundraisers from London could find themselves so deeply connected to the people of a remote, undeveloped village in Myanmar who they’d never met before?


Back to where it all began

For me at least it started with the offer of…pizza.

3 years prior to this touching moment of cross-cultural connection I was invited to come and hear about a new initiative being started by Tearfund to help young people engage with their giving. I’d like to believe the thought of meaningful giving was my main motivator for attending, but the fact that copious amounts of pizza would be present certainly helped.

This initiative, now known as ‘Impact:Life’, was an attempt by Tearfund fundraiser, Nicky Crampton, to encourage young people in their generosity by providing them a way to meaningfully engage with their giving while also making new friends. Needless to say I was sold, and by the end of the night 8 of us had decided to sign up. After a lengthy debate this new group of young Christian professionals who mostly didn’t know each other chose to support some of Tearfund’s work with remote undeveloped villages in Myanmar. This support was to be not just financial but also prayerful, and not just of those in Myanmar but also of each other as we embarked on this new journey of generosity, connection with people half way across the world and connection with each other.

A tale of four bridges

A bridge between supporters

The next three years leading to our trip to Myanmar was by no means an epic tale of heroism or extraordinary feats. It has simply been a tale of ordinary people, making small decisions to move towards generosity, connection and pizza (okay, other food has been involved too). Over the 3 years we often stayed still or went backwards and, at risk of speaking for others, we often didn’t feel generous, connected or loving. Yet, whenever we managed to wake from the distraction of our everyday lives we would make another small decision to press in, say a little prayer, send a message or arrange to meet up and most importantly, to keep on keeping on. It feels anticlimactic but it really is 3 years of this which resulted in those moments of connection we got to experience in Myanmar.

As a group we span a range of companies, industries, churches and ethnicities but have been connected by our common commitment to support a group of people we’ve never met. We have not only prayed and given together, we have also shared meals, birthdays and more laughs than I could possibly remember. We have supported each other through illness, celebrated births and encouraged each other through big career decisions. It has been the most incredible blessing in my life. Nicky’s dream of connected, engaged and prayerful giving has certainly come true.

As part of the Impact:Life programme it was always the dream that one day we would be able to visit the villages we had been supporting, meet the people and see the impact first hand. Unfortunately, due to a range of life circumstances, only 3 of our group (myself, Annie and Sarge) were able to go along with Nicky and Amy (who now heads up Impact:Life), though the rest of the group (Anugrah, Ben, Josh, Lucy, Robyn and Zhen) were with us in spirit and prayer every step of the way.


A bridge between supporter and worker

Having left my house at 3pm on Saturday the 13th of January we finally arrived in Yangon (Myanmar’s capital) at 4:30pm, Sunday. We were immediately to begin to realise how deeply connected we were to those we had been praying for but had never met.

As we queued to go through border control we saw a man through a glass wall jumping and waving with a big smile on his face. I was soon to find out that this man was S’Lont Mun, the Tearfund lead for our project in Myanmar and the main person we had been praying for over the last few years. We immediately felt a strong connection with him, like seeing an old friend, only this was the first time we had actually met. This was the tale time and again throughout our trip.

Like many others we met over the next 9 days we were all to fall in love with this man. The love and hospitality he showed us from the moment we arrived was beyond anything I’ve experienced. Prior to our arrival he had ensured to get pictures of us and learn each of our names so he could properly greet us as we arrived. For the 9 days we were there he dropped everything to look after us including time with his family, his work (occasionally working until midnight to catch up after spending the day with us) and his energy. He translated countless conversations, had bamboo mugs made for us and got our names engraved on them, and whenever we said we liked something in a village he endeavoured to obtain it for us (examples include a bag of fresh walnuts each, another bamboo mug, extra blankets for the cold nights and the list goes on).

Beyond his incredible love, faith and hospitality this man is also incredibly gifted. He is fluent in English and, having started out studying Veterinary Science at university for 6 years, he has since also completed university courses in Theology, Social Development, Human Resource Development and Conflict Transformation and Peace Building. Having worked as a dishwasher, dress maker, waiter, porter, street vendor, veterinarian and bus driver he has spent the last dozen years in development work due his great love for and desire to help people.


Needless to say I love this man and could write a whole post on him alone, but the love we received in Myanmar by no means stopped with him.

As we trekked from village to village in the mountainous northern region of Myanmar, a group of World Concern staff (who partner with Tearfund on these projects) looked after us every step of the way. They drove us, guided us, fed us, translated for us, prayed for us, sang with us and carried our things when we were struggling on the treks. The deep love and respect we formed for each other despite language and cultural barriers was incredibly moving and this culminated in one of the most powerful moments of my life.

As we trekked back from the villages at the end of our time with the World Concern staff we stopped atop one of the mountains and prayed for each other. After this time of prayer and sharing gratitudes we decided to sing ‘Amazing Grace’ together, them in Burmese and us in English. It was a time of unparalleled beauty and unity. As we looked out over the mountains and our languages mixed to the centuries old melody, which speaks of undeserved connection by the power of grace, you couldn’t help but be awestruck at the wonder of it all.

A bridge between supporter and receiver

Then there is the tale of our time in the villages themselves. The scenery across the 4 days of trekking was breath-taking, but for the people of these villages their remoteness is definitely a burden rather than a blessing. They are around 30 miles from the nearest town (Putao) with paths through the mountains only a metre or two wide for 15 miles. As if the distance wasn’t enough of a hurdle, in the rainy season the villages are inaccessible from the town due to a lack of adequate bridges where the river crosses their path at various points.

Each village we visited said the roads and bridges were their main challenges as a community as it affected their ability to buy essential goods, trade, receive healthcare and for their children to receive higher levels of education. Though it should be noted that the reason travel is their main challenge now is due to the amazing work they have done with Tearfund to improve their health, financial and relational situations already. For example, the villages (who are about 150-200 people in size) used to consistently have 5-10 children each year die of malaria or diarrhoea, but due to the health education they have received through the project none of them have had any deaths due to these diseases in the last 10 years!

The villages themselves were very basic, comprising wooden houses on stilts, little or no electricity and little or no running water. Most households tried to sustain themselves by cultivating the land to grow vegetables and rice and keep chickens and pigs. In some villages the men would also have to leave for days at a time into the jungle to try and find medicinal roots they could sell in the town.

And yet, despite these seemingly difficult circumstances, there was an irrepressible sense of community, dignity and hope. These villages may have been poor in material goods but they certainly weren’t poor in spirit and the desire to create a better life for themselves and their children was powerful.

Most touching, however, was the love and care we received from everyone we met. At almost every village we were welcomed by a line of villagers waiting to shake our hands and welcome us in. We were put up in the best room of the best house of each village. We were provided with endless amounts of their best food at each meal time. I think we may have had half the villages’ blankets some nights as we had barely slept due to the cold (and cockerels) on the first night. Many of the villagers gave up their time to meet and speak with us in the evenings, to share their stories of transformation, to express their gratitude and to learn about us.

Despite living thousands of miles apart, multiple language barriers and cavernous cultural disparities prayer, faith and love connected us at every step. Those 3 years of fumbling but consistent prayer, engagement and generosity had left us connected with these people in ways we’ll probably never be able to comprehend.


The true bridge called ‘Love’

As a condition of taking the trip, Tearfund challenged us to raise £2,000 as a group to buy essential metal cabling for a new suspension bridge the people of Hkalang village are planning to build. This future bridge is the one which the people of Hkalang have christened, 'Love'. It will allow them to get cattle and motorbikes across the river (as well as to save the large amount of time they currently have to spend on repairing and rebuilding their current hazardous bridge).

To these people the bridges are literally a lifeline, connecting them to resources, healthcare, trade and education. We saw a recently built upgraded bridge by a nearby village and the difference it makes is amazing. We are currently at £1,203 for our fundraising due to the incredible generosity of our colleagues and friends. If any of you are reading this I’d just like to take the time to say thank you again. It is also your small decisions to press in to love and generosity towards people you’ll never meet which created the bond we got to experience and will transform the lives of this community.

For those who haven’t had the chance to contribute yet. If you would also like to help us get closer to our target so the people of Hkalang village can build a better life for themselves and their children then you can follow the link here: Just Giving fundraising page for Myanmar bridge called 'Love'

As I reflect on the importance of these bridges as a source of connection and hope to these people I can’t help but be reminded of the true bridge who is called ‘Love’. We live in a world of broken relationships, war, trafficking and loneliness. We also live in a world where we are extremely disconnected from a God who wants to rescue and love us, but unfortunately we could never live in a way that would earn enough to pay for the bridge to get back to Him. Thankfully, Jesus has already donated his life in order to build that bridge and all are welcome to cross. And, as we so clearly saw throughout our time in Myanmar, this bridge also provides a way for deep connection and love to join people who have the world between them.

“Also, we decided to give this name to the bridge, ‘Love’. You have come from very far away, but love is here.” (Man from Hkalang village, Myanmar)

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (Jesus in John 13:35)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)







And that's the end of the road. Thank you for reading.