Light in the Darkness: Myo San’s Story

Myo San’s story reminds us of God’s promises of hope. 

Even the smallest pinprick of light in darkness is enough to drive us forward, and as long as light shines, darkness cannot overcome it. Despite her circumstances being filled with hardship and trauma, Myo’s story is now one of redemption and hope. The biblical passage in Micah says, “Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” This is Myo’s and many others’ testimonies of finding that light.

Myo’s story begins at a young age during the global pandemic of 2020. COVID-19 brought an abrupt end to her education in grade 7 and left her family in a period of financial instability. Myo was encouraged to marry an older, richer man in their village for the benefit of her family. At only 14 years old, Myo got married. Her husband was an angry man who beat her daily. She never felt she had a safe place to retreat to and wished for a way to escape. Only a few months after the military coup in 2021, when Myanmar experienced a period of high instability, Myo gave birth to a son when she was 16 years old. She was even more desperate for refuge for herself and her son. She dreamt of a stable life with a good family who wouldn’t exploit her. When a trafficker approached her about a well-paying job “waitressing” in a KTV (a karaoke bar where women and girls are forced to work) in Northern Myanmar, she decided to follow him, the deception paving the way from one hardship to another. Leaving her son with her mother and father, she set off with her trafficker toward the KTV.

Myo knew almost immediately that she had made a mistake. The sounds of loud music and yelling were traumatic and gripped her chest in fear. She felt nauseous, and although she begged to return home, the trafficker dragged her onward. She was thrown through a golden-painted doorway, an image she will never forget, and found herself among several other young women and girls. Through her weeping, Myo watched the brothel owner, dressed in a white suit, pay the trafficker and motion for him to leave. The brothel owner took her roughly by the arms and shoved her into a small room. Minutes after arriving, with barely enough time to process the situation, she was forced to face her first customer.

For several weeks, Myo was imprisoned in the brothel where she was exploited, abused, and beaten. One day, she was bold enough to ask to use her customer’s phone, which could have led to severe punishment, yet she risked everything not knowing how he would respond, and miraculously, the customer allowed her to. She immediately called her family, telling them every landmark she could remember on her way to the KTV and the name of the brothel. Her family contacted the local village leader who rescued Myo and three others. At 16 years old, despite being afraid, Myo faced the court trial of her trafficker and gave a full account of everything that had happened to her. Her trafficker received a prison sentence, and Myo was allowed to return home. She held tight to her son and wept, so relieved that she was finally able to see him again.

But trauma doesn’t go away after the trial, and it was difficult to forget what she had experienced. Day and night she was haunted by memories. Her husband, whom she saw often, reminded her of the brothel owner and the abuse she faced daily. Her PTSD symptoms were triggered constantly, she struggled to cope and didn’t know what to do. She wanted to help other girls, to be a light of hope in their lives but felt she couldn’t even help herself. 

Myo was referred to an Eden drop-in center, and for several months, she received regular trauma counseling, awareness education, and vocational training. Myo quickly developed a passion for Eden’s microgreens project - in which Eden beneficiaries grow highly nutritious microgreen crops. She began to stabilize, heal, and was soon employed by the project so she could begin financially supporting her son and parents.