FBR Celebrates the Graduation of 155 New and Advanced Rangers

Karen State, Burma

6 January 2025

On 1 January 2025, 155 Rangers from 10 ethnic groups graduated from the Free Burma Ranger Servant Leadership and Relief Team Training. Of the trainees, 118 students graduated from the Basic Ranger Course and 37 students graduated from the Advanced Ranger Course. This year’s training was also the first to offer the Relief Team Chaplain and Servant Leadership Course. Six students graduated as Relief Team Chaplains, charged with the responsibility to partner with others to advance the gospel in frontline areas.

The 10 ethnic groups present were a hopeful sign of the growing unity in Burma against the 1 February 2021 coup. Adding to this hope were the Burman ethnicity graduates from the major cities, joining the other ethnic minority graduates in their stand against the dictatorship. The men and women Rangers were from the Karen, Karenni, Pa-Oh, Tavoy, Shan, Biek, Mon, Chin, Wa, and Burman ethnic groups.

The training lasted three months and the first and last lessons are: love God, love and forgive each other, pray, and don’t give up. These new Ranger teams will now go to help people displaced by new Burma Army attacks in four different areas.

Courses taught at Basic and Advanced courses included:
• Ethnic Unity
• Leadership Principles
• Mule and Horse Packing
• Map Reading and Drawing
• Compass Reading
• Land Navigation
• GPS (Global Positioning System)
• Landmine Removal
• Swimming and Lifesaving
• Solar Power and Battery Management
• Human Rights Violations Recording and Reporting
• SALUTE Reporting
• General Reporting
• Video and Photography
• Medical Training
• Five Field Training Exercises
• Physical Training
• Rope Bridge Building
• Poncho Raft Use
• Rappelling
• Good Life Club Training

There are three requirements for FBR team members: 1) They must be literate in at least one language for reporting and medical work. 2) They must have the physical and moral courage for physically hard and dangerous missions, and cannot run away if the villagers they are helping cannot run. 3) They must do the work for love; they are not paid by FBR.

People of all faiths are welcome at FBR as long as they are working for help, hope, and love; however, many students and instructors follow Jesus. Sixteen of the Rangers became new followers of Jesus and were baptized, the most FBR has ever baptized at the end of a training.

One highlight was the baptism of a female Ranger from Karen State who, just hours after her baptism, also celebrated her wedding.

Her fiance had approached instructors at the beginning of the training and asked for them to pray for her to become a Christian. He was also part of the training as a chaplain student. His prayer was that she would commit to following Jesus so that they could be united in marriage as followers of Jesus. By the end of training, his prayers had been answered: she chose to believe in Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord. At 4:30 p.m. she was baptized and at 7 p.m. she was married. It was a joyous celebration of her rebirth into God’s family and her covenant start to a new family – a wonderful way to finish the training.

The teams will now go on a joint mission to give help, hope, and love to people under attack. Once finished with the mission, they will return to their home areas, ready to conduct missions there. They have learned and practiced many new skills and are more able to help their people in any kind of crisis. But more importantly, they have learned about the love of Jesus and learned to love each other across ethnic lines. Both these skills and this love is vital for Rangers serving those in need. 

Thanks and God bless you,

The Free Burma Rangers

More training photos below: