Does having scripture in one’s own language really make an impact? Is it easier to do Kayah Li (Karenni) language translations inside or outside of Myanmar? Is there a difference between the behavior of Christians and non-Christians living in the Karenni diaspora? These are the questions that I wanted to find answers for when I interviewed Cember Paw, Bible translator and member of the Karenni diaspora in Finland.

Although Cember is not a refugee herself, many of her people were part of three politically motivated dispersions from Myanmar that took place in 1988, 1995, and the early 2000’s. Karenni people, those that speak the Kayah Li language, fled first to Thailand, and then to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Finland.

Long before she was married, Cember’s husband and his family escaped to Thailand after his village was destroyed by the Myanmar military in 1995. They lived in a refugee camp for more than twenty years. Then his family emigrated to Finland. After Cember’s marriage, she too went to Finland to live. Cember’s husband is a Finnish citizen and he and Cember have two children, so returning to Myanmar to stay is out of the question for them. Cember still longs for her homeland but she relates that her loneliness has actually opened many doors of ministry for her.

While growing up, Cember never imagined she would move to another country and remain there permanently. Her own family was not forced to leave Myanmar; her parents, brothers and sister are still living in Kayah province. However, when Cember married, she needed to move permanently to Finland. It was hard for her to decide to go there. When she was successful in obtaining her Finnish residence permit, she reasoned that her leaving Myanmar must be God’s will. Nevertheless, the move was extremely hard for her.  She had been working for her people as a literacy worker, and a translator. She was a language advocate in training teachers in mother tongue literacy.  She had helped them create curriculum and develop story books in the Kayah Li language. Her people did not want her to leave. They gossiped about her and loudly vocalized their displeasure. Cember told me that this caused her a great deal of heartache and pain.

Cember’s professional success had not come easily. Her parents were farmers. It was hard for them to send their children to school, but they realized it was vitally important for their children to be educated. While in school, Cember had only one dress, and one uniform. Sometimes she collected vegetables and sold them in the market to get money for pencils and books. During this time, Cember relates that she had a conversion experience when she was 16. She listened to an evangelist and realized that, “Oh Jesus is dying for me and I need to accept Him.” She was then baptized. Although she says many Karenni people are traditionally Christians, not all have had true born-again experiences.  After her conversion, while still living in Myanmar, Cember worked for two years as a Bible translator for the Kayah Li language.  She was part of a team that translated the Old Testament books of Genesis, Psalms and Proverbs.

Cember views her exodus from Myanmar to Finland as a major thing God did in her life. She feels it is her own Joseph story. Before she left Myanmar there were many interpersonal challenges. There were painful accusations, and gossip because her people did not want her to leave. However, after she arrived in Finland, a political coup occurred in Myanmar, and Cember was in the perfect spot from which to help her people back home. Organizations gave money for the Karenni people through her. As she sent the funds back home, she knew that God had brought her out of Myanmar so she could help her people, her family and her country from the outside. 

Cember also told me that she realizes that the deep loneliness that she felt upon arrival in Finland, was the way God motivated her to minister to her own people who were living there too.  “When I was in Finland for the first year, their winter was dark, I had no friend, and I was bored and depressed. I prayed to God. ‘I want to serve you just open me the way and God gave me the idea. I didn’t know Zoom, so I just made it with messenger, and I just called 2 or 4 people and we start. Now every Sunday over 20 people gather on Zoom. When we ask God, He will open the way.” There are also Zoom meetings for mothers and children.

When I asked Cember Paw if she had noticed a difference between the behavior of Christians and non-Christians among the diaspora she said there was a big difference. “People who do not follow Jesus Christ complain all the time. Even if they have a high salary, they always need something more, they are not satisfied. But people who follow Christ, even if they don’t have a job, testify that God will open the way, and this is enough. ‘Even if we don’t have a salary God will take care of us,’ they say.”

I asked Cember if she thought living in a refugee camp drove people to become born-again believers. She answered that in her knowledge people do not become Christians in refugee camps: “They do not accept Jesus Christ there.  They have their own lives, and they are drinking alcohol, but when they move to Finland, people testify that now they are following Jesus Christ and they are happy with their life. They are satisfied.”

“Does it change your people when they read scripture in their own language?” I wanted to know. Cember told me that she teaches Kayah Li literature online, and when they learn to read that literature, they are also able to read the Scripture in Kayah Li. She told me her students say that when they read the Bible in Burmese and other languages, they didn’t understand anything, but when they read it in their mother tongue they understand the meaning and get encouraged by the Word.

Cember’s remarks about the Bible in the mother tongue raised another question. I asked her if it were easier to translate the scripture into Kayah Li when she was living in Myanmar or when she was living outside of Myanmar.

Cember noted that right now, because of the situation in Myanmar, translation was much easier from outside the country: “… there is no need to flee in the middle of the night; there is internet; there is electricity.”

Cember has lots of plans for future ministry to her people who are living both inside and outside of Myanmar. Her mentor with Seed Company has asked her to make a recording of Psalms in the Kayah Li language. Along with him, she also plans to translate the SIL trauma healing book into her language. The book will be used both in the diaspora, and in Myanmar. In Myanmar, she says, people are faced with so many problems that they are very depressed. On the other hand, her people living outside of Myanmar have traumatized hearts because they still remember what happened to them in the military raids. Currently Cember teaches a Bible study, and she has created a Zoom prayer meeting for 6 pm daily. There are always 4-5 people on Zoom meeting for prayer for Myanmar. She also posts lesson plans and scripture on Facebook. She is trying to write books in her language because there is only the Bible and no other reading material. She writes short devotionals similar to Daily Bread and posts them on Facebook. She dreams of making a dictionary.

I asked Cember what drives her to keep doing things for her people now that she herself is living in diaspora and happier. She said that the reason is that all people need to hear the Gospel, and accept Jesus as their Savior so that even when they are faced with problems they can call upon Him, and they can get peace of mind. “I want to share money, share knowledge of God. I don’t want to keep it for myself because sharing makes me happy, God is a giver, so we also come to know God through our giving.”