When you’re far from anywhere, living in the jungle, how would you stay healthy, fit and strong? Whether you are religious or not, there’s something here for you.
Gayle Haberkam left the security of a nursing career to become a full-time missionary in the Thai jungle. Working amongst devil worshippers and drug addicts, Gayle’s real-life adventure story is one of extreme danger and incredible miracles. We talk to the 71yrs young bundle of energy that is Gayle, an American lady who has a health clinic among the Karen tribal people in the hills of Thailand, bordering Burma.
Q. Please share a bit about where you live, Gayle:
I live in BeYoTa, a primitive village in the jungle mountains of North West Thailand. People here are extremely poor, most adults are illiterate and there’s no electricity, phone service or shops.
Life is pretty dangerous as we have wild elephants which charge and have killed people, lethal roads and poisonous snakes. I have only one co-worker called Blet Jhaw, a young Karen man who has a family 3 hours away. He has become my son and his children are my grandchildren because we have worked together for so long. He translates for me, is a genius at building and constructing tools like a cement mixer from scrap metal for instance, and helps me with supporting the Karen people. People from about 130 neighbouring villages come to my little clinic, and Blet Jhaw and I travel to them too.
Q. How far are you from the nearest hospital?
Small hospitals which do not do surgery are about 2.5 hours away. We have to go to Chiang Mai for surgery which is about 7.5 hours. It would take a day in the truck to get there on a good day. We cannot drive the truck in the rainy season, so, we use the motorbike.
“You have to hold onto your life for a very long time if you have an emergency!”
Q. Tell us about the Karen people that you work with.
Well, even though it is illegal, the opium trade surrounds us. The vast majority of the Karen are opium addicts which is heart-breaking, and many inject it as heroin. I see how this ruins families and causes so much suffering, especially for children who lose their fathers at a young age. The Karen are very superstitious and worship the devil.
Q. What would be your three main health essentials in the jungle?
I see patients suffering from three causes: Gastritis because they eat a LOT of chilli; urinary tract infections, because they do not drink enough water; skin rashes and abscesses from poor hygiene. So, eating healthily, drinking plenty of clean water and maintaining good hygiene are essentials.
Q. How do YOU keep healthy?
That’s a wonderful question because I really trust in the Lord. He has kept me strong these past 16 years. One time, I almost died—I got scrub typhus, a disease caused by a flea bite from an infected rat in the jungle. That is a miracle story.
Also, I exercise routinely, drink enough water and eat as healthily as possible in various situations. I eat with the villagers in many remote areas. I am the only vegetarian so they give me rice and chilli, sometimes eggs. On my own, when I cook, I eat brown rice, vegetables and fruit. We can’t shop in the market regularly so it is hard to have fresh food.
Exercise is key. I have always run 2 miles every morning before breakfast. Since I was 69yrs old, I decided running might be getting hard on my knees. I discovered that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the best way to maintain strength and health. So, I now run up the mountain as fast as I can for 30 seconds and then rest as I walk back down and then run up again. I repeat that 6 times. When I cannot run up the mountain because of rain or travel, I have two 30 minute HIIT exercise routines that I follow. I alternate those HIIT exercises every day.
Q. What keeps you doing what you’re doing every day?
I keep getting a renewed contract from God that this is where he wants me and this is what he wants me to do. People think I am crazy and that I should buy a property in the US. I have no assets. I am very rewarded in this work that God has given me to do. I see miracles; I see lives changed. Although we have some terrible struggles in the jungle, we are so happy to glorify God in this way. God is so good.
