Myanmar: A Golden Opportunity
(excerpts from this article)
The Lion is on the move in Myanmar. As the Son of God breaths on the snow-covered hills of what was once called Burma, we can now begin to see lush green meadows crowned with the flowers of faith.
During the first two weeks of January 2013, Highlands Ministries was able to send some much-needed encouragement, teaching and aid to the Kingdom workers preaching the Gospel, training pastors and caring for fatherless children.
It was my great honor to travel the 8,500 miles around the world to Yangon to represent my brothers and sisters back home and support the work of national Pastor Naing Thang. There, in the coastal city which boasts a population of 4 Million, 95% of which are Buddhists, Pastor Thang lives in a small ministry compound with his family. Living with him are 15 orphaned children, six Bible school students and two staff members. The way they live and work together was very humbling and I was inspired by how much they were able to do with so little.
Watching them lovingly prepare meals for 42 on the coals of a fire in their backyard filled my heart with gratitude for the goodness and God. Seeing the orphans living as a large happy family lifted me with joy and admiration.
“We have prayed for our brothers in America that God would allow them to come and teach us,” Pastor Thang said. “We feel like orphaned children ourselves and we need a father to take care of us.”
From my time with them, I have come to see we have a lot to learn from them too.
Dr. RC Sproul Jr., who accompanied another elder to Myanmar in 2008 to meet Pastor Thang and was skeptical before his first visit, was deeply affected by his time with them. He has said, “If you’re looking for a place to get the most out of your missionary bucks, this is a great place. They’re doing great work. When I came back I brought much more home than I brought them, he added, “They’re a great treasure.”
In my first trip to Myanmar, I spent a great deal of time interviewing the dozen elders who traveled as far as 600 miles across roadless jungles, rivers and, in the case of two Kachin State Elders, through an active battlefield risking their lives. As I write I am still awaiting news of the Kachin State elders’ homecoming. These elders, along with their families and all the families of their church have been living in a refugee camp for more than a year since all their homes were destroyed by the war. As of today they are 7 days overdue.
Hearing the stories of how God used Pastor Thang to bring them to Christ and prepare them for the posts at the 15 churches he established serving more than 3,300, was like reading from the pages of the Book of Acts.
Hearing how they did it, and keep doing it, without one of them having a car or motorcycle, only one of them having a phone and with virtually no help, gives me faith and hope. Faith and hope in the power of the “One”, Pastor Thang is quick to remind anyone, “Who has all things.”
We have so much and seem to do so little with it. They have so little and do so very much with it. With a little help, they could take what we can give them and do so much more. That is what we hope to accomplish. Please consider lending a hand.
– Rev. Mark Robinette