January 2019, Dawei, Myanmar
“Great and wonderful are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations”! - Rev. 15:3b (NKJV)
On January 7th, 2020 we will begin our second trip to Myanmar. It was at this same time last year that we were preparing for our first trip there. It was with much uncertainty and some anxiety that we stepped out in faith to try to help a national pastor, Job, reach the unreached Dawei people. The Dawei are committed Buddhists with only a tiny percentage of Bible believers. These Christians are scorned and persecuted but Pastor Job doggedly presses on. His relentless determination has had God’s blessing. He has started two small churches made up of believers some of whom have been cut off from their families, their homes and their jobs. Some now live with Pastor Job, his wife and three young children. Job provides for them from his meager support but he has had to move his “family” of ten five times in five years. This is because of pressure put on the landlords by the Buddhist monks to kick them out. One of the church plants meets in Pastor Job’s home so when they are evicted, he must find a new place to house the church and ten people. But in the middle of all of this, God is working mightily.
In 2018, Pastor Job came upon a Buddhist monk who was having trouble with his vehicle. He invited him to his home and shared Jesus Christ with him. The monk was very interested and had many questions which Job answered from the Bible and the monk believed and was saved. Now he and his wife were cast out of their families, their home and position as a spiritual leader. Having nowhere to go, they also moved in with Job and his family. It was a tumultuous time, especially for the monk’s wife who didn’t share his new found faith. One night the monk woke up to find his wife standing over him with a large knife! Asking what she was doing, she told him that she either had to kill him or kill herself because she could no longer stand the shame he had brought upon them by turning to Christianity. “Then kill me” the monk said, “not yourself. I know where I am going when I die. You will be in hell if you kill yourself, because You don’t know Jesus.” She was so stunned by his confidence that she could not go through with his death. She eventually listened and accepted Christ as her Savior!
It was into this scene that we would soon be entering, but we would not be going alone. The Lord literally opened doors for us to walk through in customs with no screening or questioning. Our luggage was all there after three previous flights. We had good rest in an adequate hotel in Dawei and we were ready to go to work. But first, it was time for worship. We were able to be with the believers who were suffering for their faith in Dawei City and outside in the surrounding villages. We shared our testimonies of salvation in the two small churches Pastor Job had started but it was us that were humbled by their testimonies.
Now it was time to begin the ministry. Right away we saw answered prayer as the dental needs of the Dawei people proved to be greater than their opposition to Christianity. We had been told prior to going that the Buddhists might not come for treatment because we were Christians. Our first patient was a Buddhist monk! He sat through Pastor Job’s gospel presentation before he was treated as did others. We treated many that day, some who had forced the Bible study in that home to be stopped, most who had never heard of Jesus Christ at all.
We went back to the hotel (foreigners, by law, have to stay in a hotel in Myanmar) hungry and tired and we had such a sweet blessing . The Lord provided for us in another area that we never expected. The Lord provided a chef at the hotel restaurant who had previously worked on cruise ships and knew how to cook American food! Even though we travel a lot to Asian countries the food there does not always agree with us. The chef, a kind Chinese Buddhist, delighted in making some familiar food for us! Another blessing was that Jack was able to share the gospel with our friendly chef who, providentially, spoke and understood English very well.
Our second day of ministry was a mirror image of the first. Both villages had been cruel to the believers, forcing them to stop having a Bible study in one of the homes. It was those who had shown the most hostility that were first in line to be treated, after sitting quietly through a gospel message! We’re very thankful for this avenue God has given us to open doors, even among the most hostile people, for gospel presentation.
As we drove to our next location the next day we were made aware of the openly demonic influences that are part of daily life in Myanmar. A crowd had gathered near the river and loud, horrible music was blaring. When we asked Job what was happening there he told us that the people were gathering to be indwelt by demons. Pastor Job’s tender heart breaks over scenes like this as he longs for them to gather to hear the word of God not to seek the power of demons to help them in their daily lives. He weeps at times over their lost condition and determines to be all the more faithful in giving out the gospel message. According to a veteran missionary in Cambodia familiar with the Buddhist religion, Buddhism “makes fate, based on karma, the determiner of all facts of life”. As a result, most Asian Buddhists, to find help coping with life circumstances, “must find ways to manipulate their circumstances”. “Demons are placated to deal with illnesses, traditional healers and mediums assist in interaction with the unseen world and astrology, card reading, witch doctors, and even gods from other religions are called upon for help”. Truly the need for gospel truth is great in Dawei!
Our clinic days were very busy, as always, and the number of patients plus the heat and humidity were taking their toll on us. What a joy though to see teachers bringing all their students for treatment and knowing most likely this was their first exposure to Christianity! We also knew that our discomfort was nothing compared to the Judsons and the Boardmans, the first Christian missionaries to Burma. What respect we gained for them!
On our fourth and final day of clinic we were running on empty. (We had scheduled another day but Pastor Job was forced once again to leave his home and he had to find another place to live.) We asked the Lord for strength and we were able to finish treating everyone who had come needing help. We went back to the hotel, happy that we had been able to help all who needed it but a little sad that no one had made a profession of salvation during our four days of clinic. We had been praying that at least one person would put their faith in Jesus while we were there. That evening, Pastor Job texted us that a woman had been saved during the afternoon clinic time! She wasn’t a patient but she had brought her daughter for care. Job’s message had made her curious and she had talked at length with him afterward. She told him “I have accepted the Jesus you have told me of as my personal Savior”. We were so excited!! We should have prayed for fifty people to be saved!
Soon we will fly to Dawei again to treat some very needy people. Once again, it will give Pastor Job the opportunity to share the saving message of our Savior’s sacrifice on their behalf. We have been praying for open hearts and once again we trust the results of our efforts to an ever faithful God.