21 People Baptized: FBR a Way to Jesus

27 January 2025

Karenni State, Burma

“I did not believe in Jesus or God or anything when I first came here. But I began to feel something during the training. This camp is kinda a way to Jesus. ”

These were the words of a young new Ranger named Poe Aung. “So even though I didn’t believe at all, I felt there was something here. During morning devotions I listened and I tried to pray, even though I did not believe in Jesus. And during the training something began to grow inside me. At the end of the training, 16 of my fellow Rangers were baptized and I really began to think about it more. So now, just after the first mission was completed, I decided I was ready. I don’t have all the answers, I still don’t know exactly who Jesus is, but I want to follow him. I want to be baptized.” 

During our basic FBR training, we had 16 new Rangers ask to be baptized, the most we have ever had at training. It was a wonderful day of celebration and joy. After graduation, all the new Rangers went on their first relief mission. There, they met and helped Naw Delma.

Naw Delma is a woman who had to flee her home because of Burma Army attacks and needed an operation on her neck. She was brought to camp by our team after the first mission and, while there, she also decided she wanted to be baptized. So she and the young Ranger, Poe Aung, were baptized in the beautiful stream that runs through our camp. What an unexpected blessing and joy! First, we baptized 16 of our team and now two more had waded into the water. Praise God!

After this baptism, we went on to a second mission up into Karenni State, Burma. After two Good Life Club programs and medical outreaches, another three of our team asked to be baptized. This was more than we had hoped for: 21 baptisms! Praise God!

One is a Karenni driver, named Tho Reh, who came with us. One of our Ranger team members shared the Gospel of Jesus with him on the way to Karenni. Tho Reh said he wanted to follow Jesus and to be baptized. The second, Myint Oo, is a young Ranger who said he had been thinking about it during all of training and during the first mission and now finally decided he was ready. The third was an American medic named Victor. He had served as an 18 Delta medic in the Second Ranger Battalion and when he got out, wanted to try something different. He joined us last year on a relief mission. On the first day of that mission we were shelled heavily and on the second day he helped save the lives of over 52 seriously wounded people. In that particular action, 18 were killed by the Burma Army and 52 wounded. Victor was instrumental in keeping the wounded alive. Right after that first mission, we continued north and there was another engagement where we had 10 more wounded Karenni as well as over 20 wounded Burma Army soldiers. Resistance forces captured the Burma Army soldiers. and some of them were badly wounded. Victor again was instrumental in saving lives. The mission continued, and the team had more people to treat and help.

In the past, he said, he did not believe in God. He told us, “I lived a very wicked, sinful, and selfish life. But as I was getting ready to fly back home, the thought came to me, God is real. I began to say to myself ‘God is real, God is real.’ I sent a message to Dave and after we prayed together I decided to give my life to Jesus. After that, God showed me how he protected us during multiple airstrikes. I had the same dream three nights in a row. I realized it was not trauma-induced, but It was God showing me his care for me even when I did not believe. I’m so happy and thank God for all the friends here.” What a blessing to have such an outstanding U.S. Ranger with us. I (Dave) also served in Second Ranger Battalion so it’s like someone in my own family coming to Jesus.

Dear friends, thank you for celebrating with us these five people from different walks of life deciding to follow Jesus. We were already overjoyed to have 16 new members of our family but Jesus gave us five more. Thank you for all your love, prayers, and help. We are so thankful for you all.

And we thank God for giving us more than we ask for, letting us help in His work, and for sending us His Son to help us all the time.

Thanks and God bless you,

Dave, family and FBR

More pictures of the baptisms below.