January 2020, Dawei, Myanmar
“And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.” - Acts 2:44-45
Our recent trip to Myanmar, although short in duration, was so rich in highlights to share. Some of the “back stories” from that time are such a blessing that we thought we would share them here. We hope they will be a blessing to you as well.
As we tried to find airline tickets for this trip we soon realized they were going to cost a small fortune and the itineraries were pretty difficult. Jack worked for a whole day trying to find better options. In the process he noticed that a number of flights to Myanmar originated in Seattle. So putting aside the thought of Boston being our starting point, and making a separate flight just to Seattle, he tried starting for Myanmar from Seattle. Not only did our tickets cost less than half of what we would pay from Boston but we got to overnight in Seattle and Tokyo, allowing us to break up the forty plus hours trip (including lay overs). This also allowed us to arrive without being totally wiped out. We even got a super deal in Tokyo on a super nice hotel. The Lord is amazingly good to us!
Arriving in Dawei, Myanmar on Saturday afternoon we were fairly rested and ready to participate the next day in the church service of an outreach church of Pastor Job’s main church in Dawei City. Riding in the back of a truck-taxi, we picked up thirteen people from a nearby village where they are forbidden by the village leaders to meet for worship. We transported them to Maungmagan village where the outreach church is located. It is also someone’s home. About twenty people crowded in to hear Jack preach about the Creator God who loves them and made each of them. They listened and drank in the words of comfort as they had lost a beloved church member to illness just a few days before. They were grieving the loss of “one of them” as they count each other precious because there are so few believers among the Dawei. It was a great personal blessing to hear them (through translation) say what a comfort the message was to them.
That afternoon, after a little bit of rest, we picked up a family from across the city who wanted to attend the evening service at Pastor Job’s home. Out came a number of children and a tired looking young woman who climbed into the back of the truck-taxi with us. We waited for quite a while for her husband who needed help getting in. He had obviously had a very debilitating stroke. He did not look capable of employment. How would this young family manage? Pastor Job shared that they were Christians who had been cut off from the husband’s family. All ties were severed because of his conversion. Then the husband had the terrible stroke. The family then offered to provide medical help but their provision came with a stipulation. He must go to the temple monks and bow down before Buddha. He refused. We don’t how God will provide for this family but we know that God will make a way for these dedicated believers.
Our first day of clinic we were in a nice home of a man who is sympathetic to Christians and Christianity. We were so warmly welcomed. We were continuously offered trays of snacks and drinks but we were too busy working to enjoy these much. There were a great number of patients. As we worked our Christian friends tirelessly shared the gospel with those who were waiting for treatment. Jack and I both shared our testimonies and the crowd burst into applause afterwards. We had to smile at their sweet enthusiasm. Not only did they applaud our gospel presentations but they applauded as each tooth was successfully extracted. It was hilarious!
But what wasn’t funny was the fear that kept them in shackles to Buddhism. Our gracious host, an older man, said he was very interested in Christianity and that he would believe but he feared what his family would do if he converted. He had a son and a brother who were Buddhist monks. He would be cut off from support and would have to leave his nice house. Another young woman in the dental chair wept and said “I don’t want to go to hell!” but neither would accept Christ publicly. The cost is very high to follow the Lord openly in Dawei. And yet there are some who are willing to come to Christ, follow Him faithfully and accept the terrible repercussions, like the young husband who had a stroke.
Pastor Job’s brother in law has joined him in trying to reach the Dawei people. He and his wife have a ministry of running a care center for at-risk children. They welcome kids into their home before school and after school, feeding them supper, teaching them about the Lord and helping them with their school work. Most of the children have been left in the care of a grandparent or aunt or uncle, while their own parents are in Thailand working. They have little supervision. They stay until about 8:00 in the evening and then they are taken home so as not to be out on the streets and in danger. Human trafficking is a problem in this country as well as many others. The care center was our next clinic location where we treated some adults who came but mostly children who came with abscessed teeth. It was a challenging day but we were glad we could help them as some of the teeth were really bad and we were also glad they had a place of safety and help in a rough section of Dawei City.
Our third clinic site was in the small home of a new believer and his family. They had a good home on his father’s property. Then they were saved and he told his father about his becoming a Christian. His father quietly sold the property their home was on and never mentioned the sale to his son. The son found out when the new owner asked them to leave. Having no place to live and no job they were in dire straits. A fellow believer allowed them to build a small home on some property he owned outside the city. In this time of terrible upheaval, the young Christian led his brother, who had been a drunk, to the Lord. The village leaders have forbidden them to hold worship services in that location but one of the leaders, who surely was part of that decision, came for dental care after being invited. He heard the gospel explained at length twice while he was there and sat and drank coffee with Jack afterwards and with Pastor Job and Pastor Michael. He was treated with kindness and respect and he stayed to talk for quite a while. Later one of the men from Pastor Job’s church, a fisherman named Saw, told the young believer that he would teach him how to fish so he could have an income and provide for his family. It was touching to see how these Christians loved and helped each other. At times it truly resembled the church in the first century. What a beautiful sight!
Our last day of clinic was held at Maungmagan and it was terribly hot and busy. The little house was packed with people from the village that didn’t know the Lord. Our first patient, a restaurant owner, invited us to his restaurant for lunch. It was a busy morning of extractions as Pastor Job shared the gospel. He told us later that the people wouldn’t even listen to him when he tried to share the gospel with them previously but they listened that day as they waited their turn for care. That is the beauty of medical missions. The desire for care wins out over their disdain for the gospel. Jack too had his turn sharing with the people, at Pastor Job’s request. Some crowded in under the overhanging roof to hear what the foreign doctor would say. But there was no sign of softened hearts. It was heart wrenching for us to see them not responding, content in their blindness. But the Bible tells us that God’s Word does not return void so we are trusting the Lord to water the seed that was planted and that one day there will be fruit.
The Lord in His kindness treated us to a wonderful lunch at the restaurant. It was situated right on the coast of the Adaman Sea and it was a beautiful spot. The food was wonderful, especially the shrimp and cashews in a sweet and sour sauce over rice. Mmmm! I’m sure God knew that we were tired from the heat and the busyness of the day and a little heart sick over the lack of response to the gospel by the people. It was one of the best meals we had while we were in Myanmar. It gave us strength to go back, work, and finish all the patients, even the extra ten that somehow got registered.
We had asked prayer that ten people would be saved. We can’t say that anyone said that they believed. We saw first-hand how hard the way is for the Christians in Dawei and we understood when the pastors and others admitted that they were a bit discouraged. They asked Jack to do an impromptu Bible conference the next day on missions. They needed God’s word to remind them of these truths:
- It is God alone who saves people. We are only the workers.
- With the sowing of the seed of the gospel comes opposition and difficulty. They are inseparable.
- Suffering for Christ’s sake and for the sake of those who are lost is a gift given by the Lord, to those who labor in evangelism.
- The reward will be worth it all.
What faithful men Pastor Job and Pastor Michael are. They hold evangelistic meetings and few listen. They continue on even though there has not been a lot of fruit. Instead, there is much opposition. The Buddhist monks even incited a group of youths to stone them after an evangelistic service one night but unaware, the Christians left early and avoided what was planned. This is part of why we have a short clinic schedule in Dawei. Pastor Job doesn’t want to stir things up by a prolonged ministry that draws a lot of people and attention. He seems to know just how much will be tolerated.
A number of months before we came the police arrived at Pastor Jobs’s home looking for him. He was to report to the police station at 9:00 the next morning. Arriving the next day, Job was escorted into the chief of police’s office. After some questioning, the chief seemed satisfied and asked Job if he spoke English. When he said he did, the chief asked if he could come and teach his officer’s English. For several months each evening he went and taught English to these men and explained the word “redemption” to them, telling them it is an important concept. God allowed an intimidating situation to become an outreach ministry!
The Christians in Pastor Job’s ministry are a tiny minority in Dawei but God is building His church there, one person at a time. They have little of this world’s goods and comfort but what treasure they have laid up in heaven! Please pray for the spread of the gospel among the Dawei people.