Aid to Myanmar Church Members
By Pastor Faith*, Leader of Central Myanmar Mission
A small team, which included Lay Pastor Maung Ba*, my wife, and me, left for a town located in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. We hoped to accomplish three purposes during this trip. First, to distribute ASAP aid to those affected by the rat infestation; second, to strengthen Adventist church members and leaders; third, to give training in the fields of discipleship and the health message. After one day of driving, we arrived at Gwa* and planned to sleep there for a night. That evening we called some of our church members and had an evening worship with them. I felt the Spirit of God there. After traveling one more day, we arrived at our town of destination at 4:30 pm and the church members joined us to praise God for the safety of the trip. The next morning we bought one hundred rice bags and carried it by truck to another town in the Rakhine State, where more than two hundred and seventy church members live. We spent most of the day distributing rice bags to the family of God who were suffering from hunger caused by rats eating their crops and reserves.
With joy, we worshipped with the Adventist church members on Sabbath. They thanked God for providing the much needed rice, a gift from God. I noticed that only one-third of the church members could fit into the church so I encouraged them to add an extension to it. They told me they have no money to build on to the church so I encouraged them to pray and told them that God can do everything and will find a way, just as He took care of them with emergency rice.
On Sunday, we went to an Adventist church at Chaung* and the next day traveled to Tuang*. Each place we went the church members wanted to study the Bible, pray and worship with us. They were hungry for more than rice, hungry for the Word of God. On Monday, we went by boat with the Adventist district pastor to distribute one-hundred and fifty rice bags to the members of five Adventist churches who were suffering.
When we entered the Pa Village*, Church Planter Tin Win Aung* came up to me with a warm greeting. In June, he was in my office, asking for prayer and advice to deal with the great opposition from some of the villagers that he and his wife were facing. Every evening his family and the church members came together for a prayer meeting. Some of the villagers were touched by this kind, generous couple, so they joined in the meeting, but other villagers caused trouble to those who attended and even threatened them. It made me glad to see that Tin Win Aung* took my advice to stand bravely in his beliefs and pray for the villagers who were against them. His wife faithfully stood beside him in service and continued teaching the village children. By the grace of God the villagers that made threats calmed down. Now he has thirty members who joined with him in daily prayer, Bible study and worship. Please pray that we can organize and build a church in this village by the end of the year.
We thank the ASAP donors who gave the funds for the rice distribution program and praise God that all together, five hundred families received rice bags to sustain them until the next harvest. I can see that this trip was important and that because God was with us, we were able to accomplish more than what we set out to do.
*Names of individuals and places are changed for the effective work of Christ.