6:15am, the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs sent Deputy Director of Special Bureau Investigation of Myanmar came to fetch us to the Military airbase beside Yangon International Airport.

Two government helicopters, #1 and #2 were ready to be deployed. We are arrived at about 6:45am and the Minister of Education was already in the waiting room. Later several other cabinet ministers including the Minister of Relief appeared and then everyone went out to salute the Prime Minister when he arrived.

We were the only non-governmental civilians on this official ministerial tour. We were escorted to one of the helicopter within 5 minutes after the Prime Minister arrival. Several ministers were on that helicopter with us. The flight took about one and half hour and our first stop is Labutta, a location we have intention to build some houses for the victims as we have met some villagers from that area.

Again, the Prime Minister took personal interest in us and asked the Director General of Home Affairs and the owner of the construction company in that area to take us for a tour around the temporary refugee camps and shelters. This area seem to be worst affected then Bogale.

During our visit to the Labutta refugee camps, we spoke to a woman, Daw Than Ngui, who had lost everyone in her family except her granddaughter 8 years old.

I have heard that her village has received help from some well wishes and new resettlement houses are being built for the victims of Cyclone Nargis so I suggested that she should return to her village or she may miss the opportunity to be compensated a new house. When she heard that, tears dropped from her eyes like a stream. I said, "I am sorry if I have hurt you by mentioning that. She answered me, "I did not wish to return to my village ever again because the Cyclone took away my husband, my son, my daughter-in-law and everything I had."

Although she lived in that village all her life, it is too hard for her to revisit the memory of her lost. Now, only her 8 year old grand-daughter, Su Hlaing, who survived the flood and Cyclone live with her. If she sees the village, she may relive the horror and lost she went through. So she chose to live in a temporary refugee tent instead of a new house in her village.

In Labutta, every family lost at least one member of their family during Cyclone Nargis. The lost and sorrow is too deep for me to comprehend. I tried not to talk to anyone about their experience. It is unbearable to me. I could weep with them for the whole day.

While we were driving around to survey the refugee camps, dark clouds came and heavy rain came pouring down.

During that time, we drove by to inspect a boat building area where local residents skillfully rebuilt wooden boat (20 feet long).

The government has set the target to rebuild ten of thousands of these small boats and then distribute them to the fishermen so that they can get back to their livelihood. Donors can also participate in this process by donating towards the cost of rebuilding of boats to help speed up the process of getting the fishermen back to their livelihood.

Cost:

Each boat with engine is USD$400

Each boat without engine is USD$200

We love to be able to bless each of villages that we help rebuild with boats for their fishermen and transportation.

We examined the building materials of the model 16’ X20’ houses. We survey the hardware and his office. We met with the main contractor in the Labutta Township and inspected the nail, the wood and the concrete foundation.

We also saw the river transportation route for the building material and we have heard the construction minister have ordered for the houses to be built in one month.

On the right, Daniel was examined the concrete foundation and being accompanied by the onwer of the construction company Wa Wa Win and the Director General of Home Affairs.

Later on we were escorted to another helipad in Labutta town. His excellency again and we travelled in several vehicle to a nearby town hall where several cabinet minister began to stand up to brief him on the progress of the relief and rebuilding effort. Since this is an official tour, the Myanmar media crew covered the tour all the way.

After about His Excellency received official briefing from several generals (cabinet ministers), the Prime Minister began to direct his conversation towards us (especially Levi). That conversation went on for quite a lengthy period. In summary, the Prime Minister encouraged Levi and Daniel to consider:

1. Not just building houses but to help Myanmar with the most urgent need for Cyclone related effort i.e. fertilizers for farmers and diesel for vehicle to transport supplies to disaster zones. Zinc roofing material is also among priority needs items. Currently, due to almost daily rain, many rice fields are ready for planting. The government plan to provide 2 bags of fertilizers to each acre of rice field. As planting season has begun, the need for fertilizer for 60,000 acres of rice field in the affected area became very crucial. If they can plant and harvest this planting cycle, the victims of Nargis will be able to support themselves several months from now.

2. His Excellency also asked us to tell our friends from all over the world that Myanmar welcome them to help.

3. Since Levi confessed publicly that we are Christian, His Excellency invited us to help any Christian villages and rebuild churches for these victims.

4. Levi told His Excellency that we are Christian who love all Myanmar people regardless of ethnicity and religion. His Excellency appreciated Levi’s comment but continue to emphasize that we can invite of Christian friends to come to Myanmar to help affected Christians.

5. All eyes and ears were on that conversation. The media captured that in detail and released that the news on National television that evening. We were presented one copy of that news later by the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs.

Daniel and Levi accompanied His excellency, the Prime Minister of Myanmar to examine the model resettlement houses in Hlaing Phone.

These houses are very well built and each house has their respective plot of land and good sanitary system. Each of this house has concrete foundation that buried 2.5 feet underground. This will ensure the houses having the strengthen to withstand future flood situation.

Most of the time Daniel was chatting with Minister of Health and Minister of Housing Construction. I realized that I was the only woman in the team.

The Minister of Health asked Daniel to ask him any question and he would gladly answer us. The cabinet ministers who were with us were very friendly towards us.

On the right is the helicopter that took the Prime Minister and us to these resettlement site.

Meeting for Chin State

When we return to Yangon, we were taken to the head quarter of Military in Kone Myint Tha to meet with the Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs who is also responsible for the governance of Chin State Development for the last ten years. The religious affairs ministry kindly open the door Chin state to us so that we can bless the 500,000 people who are still living in that state.