Walking with Rangers: Reflection on My 2025 Mission with the Free Burma Rangers

January 2025

Karen State, Burma

Obed Bazikian is an Armenian pastor who was offered the chance to join the Rangers, serving in a chaplain role, on a relief mission in January 2025. This article is his story and reflections from that mission:

On an early Thursday morning in January 2025, I was at the Jungle School of Medicine (JSMK) to acquire my blood type and “dog” tag. Later that day I would have the privilege of joining the recently graduated Free Burma Rangers class as they embarked on their first training mission. After the tag was made, a current JSMK student whose name translated to English means “Little Love” came by the clinic. The names of the people of Burma are such a beautiful part of their culture. They were not only fun and surprising to discover, but were often deep with meaning. I could not help but think how this Ranger’s name was symbolic or even prophetic of what FBR is: A small yet powerful example of the love of Christ in a country in the middle of a civil war.

My introduction to FBR had started a few years earlier and in a different context. In the fall of 2020, my home nation of Armenia (specifically the Caucasus region of Artsakh) was unjustly attacked by joint Azerbaijan/Turkish forces. At the time, I was providing pastoral care to an Armenian church in New York City, while also working for Redeemer Presbyterian Church. To my surprise, I received a message from a fellow Redeemer staff member requesting my assistance in getting an organization to the conflict zones in Armenia to provide needed relief. That was the first time I heard about the Free Burma Rangers.

Like those in Burma, Ukraine, and Kurdistan, my own people are no strangers to oppression. As the first nation to adopt Christianity (301AD), Armenians have been the subject of persecution for centuries: first, from local paganism, then Zoroastrianism, and lastly from Islam, which endures to this day. The apex of our plight was the Armenian genocide of 1915 – 1922. Over 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were killed, including many in my own family. So, when I received a phone call from an organization that actually wanted to stand with us in the war of 2020, while the world largely ignored us, I was compelled to learn more about FBR. It was a joy to connect with David Eubank and hear the heart behind the FBR mission. To Eubank, it centers around the first line of their organization’s motto, “Love Each Other” which is taken from Christ’s call to love God and love your neighbor (Mark 12:30-31). While the door to assist Armenia unfortunately didn’t open at that time, I stayed in touch with FBR, hoping that I could serve and learn from the organization one day.

During the winter of 2025, that day finally came. I joined FBR for three weeks in Burma to take part in a “walking mission” to prepare their recent graduates for extended missions in their home regions going forward. There is so much to share about my time with these special people. On a physical level, FBR trains the Rangers to be prepared for many different conflict zone situations, including IDP relief efforts, wartime safety measures, and life-saving medical intervention. On top of necessary skills, FBR prepares the Rangers to be in top physical shape to carry the equipment necessary for relief work and move quickly through the difficult terrain. While I considered myself a capable hiker and felt moderately prepared for the mission, the Rangers and FBR staff certainly had a lot of grace for me. The mountains of Burma are both gorgeous and intense. FBR has trained some of the most fit people I have ever encountered, rucking heavy loads up and down the steep terrain with ease.

While the teams were prepared to provide relief in direct conflicts, our mission team was fortunate enough to not come across any immediate threats (thank God.) So, FBR served the local villages and IDPs in other ways. In most places, they set up Good Life Clubs (GLCs), an engaging program started by Karen Eubank to provide hope in the midst of suffering. How joyful it was to see the Burmese kids laugh at the skits performed, or play musical chairs and other games, or run free with a shout, carrying the flags of many nations at the end. GLCs often include first aid training and basic self-defense courses for children and adults alike. As seen in the GLCs, it was clear that God was using FBR for a deeper work in Burma beyond physical relief.

One thing that was evident from the start was the grace and even joy the people of Burma carried in the midst of suffering. Many of the Rangers have lost family and friends. Others have been separated from family for months or even years. There were somber moments during the trip that highlighted these hardships. The second day after I arrived, FBR held a memorial service for a recently fallen Ranger. Some I spoke to knew this Ranger personally and missed him deeply. And yet, even in the midst of this, the motto from scripture to “Love each other” was bearing fruit. Many events include this same sort of warmth and joy, such as the cheerful “FBR” wedding of two Rangers. Games like soccer and basketball around base camp, stories around campfires, and singing worship and other songs together all added to the spirited feeling of community.

A part of my specific role on the mission was to serve as one of the chaplains. Along with other advanced training for medics and the Advanced Ranger class, there was training for the Rangers to become chaplains. The purpose of Ranger chaplains is to help spread the hope and the spiritual light of the Gospel throughout their country. Upon arrival at the base camp, we celebrated 16 baptisms. What an absolute blessing! It was a true testimony to the ministry of FBR: leading many to faith through love. While on mission, the chaplain leaders ministered to their fellow Rangers and even showed the Jesus film in the lcoal language. In one village, 16 villagers gave their lives to Jesus, and four in another. Praise God! Throughout the walking tour, I had many opportunities to share the love of Christ with the locals. I was able to converse with some villagers in English, and during those conversations, they shared testimonies of pain and hardship from the civil war, but I also listened to their hopes and dreams of a Burma that will one day be free. Other conversations included little English, but they understood the language of love and my sincere but broken “Y’wah Cho-Gae Na” (God bless you). A lasting memory was of an FBR Ranger named Poh Aung, a Buddhist who “liked Jesus”, as he saw and engaged with Christians. A fellow chaplain and others encouraged Aung to ask Jesus to reveal Himself to him. It was an honor to witness Aung be baptized as a Christian the day before I left the country.

One of my last days in Burma, I connected again with a JSMK medic at the base camp named Nathaw. His youngest daughter was with him on his lap, and her name meant “New Historic Love.” I asked Nathaw how they decided on the name, and he told me that, as he and his wife are from different people groups in Burma that have been historically hostile to each other, they hoped this little one’s name would be symbolic of the unity and hope that could one day exist throughout Burma. How beautiful that message truly is, and how true it is for the mission of FBR. My prayer is that FBR will continue to bring the love of Christ to the people of Burma and other nations, as God leads. May the love of Christ shine through them so brightly, so that enemies can love one another and be reconciled, in Jesus’ name.

Thanks, and God bless you,

Obed Bazikian