Special Report for American Baptist International Ministries

The journey to freedom for 44-year-old Wilbert Benny and his family began more than a decade ago when soldiers from the government in Myanmar (historically known as Burma) raided their village, killing residents, raping women, and sending survivors fleeing into the jungle.

Like other members of the Karen ethnic minority, they eventually sought the safety of refugee camps in Thailand where more than 155,000 of them now reside. Another half-million, or more, are in hiding and internally displaced in their own country.

The plight of these political refugees will be among the subjects of discussion at a World Mission Conference to be held at two Northwest Valley churches February 20-22. Duane Binkley, a missionary with American Baptist International Ministries, has served many years in the refugee camps and will be a featured speaker at the conference.

After spending 10 years in a crowded refugee camp, Wilbert Benny, his 42-year-old wife, College, and their six children, ages three to 20, arrived here six months ago. The family now lives in Phoenix, along with nearly 1,000 other Karen minorities who have been allowed to immigrate to the United States. In all, nearly 40,000 of these polite and humble people have been relocated in major population centers around the country.

The day the soldiers came is clearly etched in the memory of Wilbert Benny and his wife. Many of the Karen men were rounded up and killed, women were raped, and animals, food and possessions were stolen. The village leader and a young man who was delivering mail were buried alive.

The family, which included the four eldest children, fled into the jungle with only a change or two of clothing and a small ration of rice. When the rice was gone, meals consisted of berries, leaves, and stems from banana trees. When the family reached the safety of Thailand, more than a month later, they were weakened by a variety of illnesses, including malaria, diarrhea, and allergies.  

A Christian faith, developed as a part of their upbringing in Burma, is the driving force that provided strength for perilous times in the homeland. That same faith now offers hope for the future here. A majority of the refugees in the Valley are Baptists, reflecting the influence of Adoniram and Ann Judson, the first American Baptist missionaries to Burma from North America in the early 1800s, and those who followed them.   

Wilbert Benny and his family worships at the newly-formed Arizona Karen Baptist Church in Phoenix. The congregation meets Sunday afternoons at the Monte Vista Baptist Church at 2409 N. 36th Street.  Tha Hgay and Tha Hser are the pastors, and weekly attendance averages about 200.

Monte Vista pastor Stan Crews says the Karen congregation has added excitement and enthusiasm at their American Baptist church. “We have found new purpose,” says Rev. Crews. “Our church family and facility are being used in a whole new way. God has truly blessed us by bringing the Karen church family into our lives.”

Before he was forced to flee his homeland, Wilbert Benny was a grade school teacher. He has found a job in Phoenix working 24 hours a week as a custodian. He would like to find full-time work, but is thankful for what he has, and for the freedom the family has to come and go as they choose. When eligible, they all want to become U.S. citizens.

The Arizona Karen Baptist Church choir was invited to sing at the World Mission Conference, held February 20-22 at Bellevue Heights Church, Sun City, and at Palm West Community Church in Sun City West. The group also will perform an ethnic dance as part of the program that will feature missionaries from several countries, including Thailand, Mexico, Congo, India and Bolivia.