Visiting Myanmar has turned Angela Norton’s life upside down.
She has just visited the country for the third time, leading a team from Auckland’s St Columba @ Botany, which has developed a partnership with the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar.
Angela says after her first trip in September 2007, she came back with a strong sense that God was asking her to serve the people of Myanmar.
“It opened my eyes to the fact that I could help them.”
Realising that she needed to gain some qualifications and credibility, at the end of 2008, Angela left her banking job and started full-time study at Auckland university, majoring in political studies and history.
“It’s been such a joy to take up that calling.”
Six people, including Angela, who have been to Myanmar have set up the group Pacific Chin Partners to further their work, with St Columba acting as a gateway for other churches and organisations who want to get involved.
“We want to make sure the partnership is held collectively, rather than depending on any one individual or organisation.”
Also involved is the Aotearoa Development Cooperative microenterprise group, spearheaded by Andrew Colgan of St Luke’s in Remuera, who visited Myanmar again late last year.
Angela says the relationship with the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar is far from one-way.
“Everybody in the partnership has something to give and receive. It’s not about us giving them lots of money and resources; it’s about being there with them.”
Discussions with other churches are progressing, she says, with plenty of scope for large or small groups to get involved.
The trip Angela lead in January involved one other person from St Columba, and two from Discovery Christian Centre in Hamilton. They spent time with students at the theological college, helping them with their English, as well as visiting the projects that they have been supporting.
Another trip in late February, lead by Angela’s father the Rev Andrew Norton, who is also the minister of St Columba @ Botany, took four other people from St Columba with the aim of connecting with the women of the church, as well as giving some leadership training.
Angela says different people from St Columba have gone on each trip, so that there are more and more people able to share the stories of Myanmar within the congregation.
St Columba has created a “ricebowl” fund that allows its members to get involved with the work even if they can’t travel to Myanmar. Participants donate a nominated amount each week or month, with the funds going towards both feeding people and income-generating projects. These include business such as tailoring, rickshaws, chicken farming.
Within three weeks of launching the ricebowl fund, St Columba members had pledged $10,000 of donations during 2010.
But Angela says simply finding funds “won’t solve everything”. Part of the partnership is giving people from Myanmar the opportunity to see what life is like in New Zealand.
However, it is difficult for them to get the necessary certified documents, with lack of technology, bank accounts and postal system creating huge obstacles.
The work with Myanmar is about getting the people of St Columba to think outside of their community, Angela says, and build real relationships with people experiencing vastly different ways of life and challenges.
“There are so many things that they can’t do that I have the privilege to do.”
You can’t visit Myanmar without being aware of the constraints imposed by the authorities.
Angela says their contacts face significant hidden costs because of their visits, as well as risks from simply meeting with foreigners. A state chaperon is always present.
“We can only ask them how much it is costing,” she says, and then attempt to ensure these costs are covered. “But they want us to come.”
Each trip has “uncovered another layer of the onion” in terms of the way in people in Myanmar deal with daily life, she says,
“You can’t go there without directly or indirectly supporting the regime.”
By Amanda Wells
Want to find out more or get involved?
Visit www.stcolumba.org.nz, where you can sign up to receive a monthly email update on their Myanmar work