The Binkle Blog

  The congregation at Thung Phrow after a service - 1980s Head out of Mae Sariang and at the edge of town there was a choice of turning left to head toward Mae Hong Sorn, go straight toward Chiang Mai or turn right and head south toward Sop Moei. Take the right turn and go maybe a mile or so, then turn left into the driveway of the Thung Phrow Church and the house of Gerda Meinusch. Gerda was a German missionary that had connected with the Swedish Baptist missionaries who had a common interest in reaching the Pwo Karen for Christ in the area. Thung Prow was in the valley along the Mae Sariang River. Along the eastern wall of the valley was a mountainous area where many Pwo Karen villages were located. In the mountain villages though, many Pwo Karen were struggling to survive. A significant number decided life might be more manageable down in the valley, so they came down and created the new Pwo village of Thung Phrow. However, with limited access to land and water life was not ea...