matt2819.com/myanmar

This is my regular … long awaited … occasional newsletter. In it I’ll be sharing with you what’s been happening since the last newsletter, sharing news and events in brief, and wrapping it up with some prayer points and some photos.

My Life in Myanmar

On December 3rd last year I headed off to Myanmar for my fifth short-term visit. A few days before that I was at my graduation ceremony of SMBC, and only a couple of weeks before that I was sitting exams. Second semester last year was my busiest and also my most successful. I had four very demanding subjects and a total of sixteen thousand words to write for my seven assessments. Thanks only to the grace of God I managed to get all my work in and pass my exams. I was quite relieved to be able to go to Myanmar with all of that work successfully behind me.

I arrived in Yangon around midday on December 4th to the welcome arms of Rev. Dr. Thang Bwee and his wife Nellie. Straight away we began to talk about our plans and hopes for the coming weeks as well as some of our more long-term plans. It was great to get stuck into things right from the get-go and to be involved in the work he is doing. The entire time I was there Thang Bwee was keen to include me in everything and all the while nurturing me and shepherding me like the wise pastor he is.

In the past I have gone to Myanmar for somewhere between two and four weeks to teach English or assist others in their teaching, however this trip was quite different in many ways. The most obvious difference was that I would be in Yangon for nine weeks straight, which would involve overstaying my twenty-eight day tourist visa. Prior to leaving Australia I had spoken to the Myanmar embassy in Canberra and e-mailed Thang Bwee to double-check, and according to everyone we spoke to it was quite normal to overstay. The only penalty would be a $3 per day fine payable at the airport on departure. A small price to pay for the convenience of being able to get more done in one trip. And it was as they said – hassle free for just $3 a day.

Late August 2009 Thang Bwee had e-mailed me asking if I could please teach a subject on Ephesians when I came in December and January, but as college was so busy I didn’t have a chance to start preparations until after my exams in November. And even though I made a start, I didn’t get very far before having to leave on December 3rd. But I still had some time up my sleeve. A few days after arriving in Yangon, Bill Lutton (the director of the mission organisation that is sending me) and his son Will arrived to teach English for one week. During that week I stayed in the hotel and continued my Ephesians prep. I managed to get about four lessons finished in that week, and although I was ahead of myself, I didn’t feel too good that it was only a few days’ worth of teaching. As a consequence, I spent almost every afternoon and evening over the following 7 weeks preparing the next day’s lesson. It turned out ok though and I learnt a lot from my preparations and really enjoyed the process of burying myself in one book of the Bible, surrounded by commentaries and of course, a constant supply of my much loved Jasmine Green tea.

The schedule was the same each week after Bill and Will headed back to Australia. I taught Ephesians to the Bible College students from 10am to midday, then had lunch with Thang Bwee before returning to the hotel to prepare for the next lesson. Wednesdays and Saturdays were ‘free’ days, but I found myself either preparing more Ephesians lessons or preparing a sermon. I was asked to preach two sermons every two weeks, and even though it added to my busyness, I really enjoyed the time in the Word and the learning that comes with sermon prep.

So that was “My Life in Myanmar” for the nine weeks of December and January and I loved every single bit of it. So much so that leaving to come home was difficult. Thang Bwee and I joked about how maybe there would be a problem with my overstay and I’d be stuck in Yangon for weeks. We were both overjoyed at the idea and laughed at the other problems it would cause – like not being able to finish my Associate Degree course at college.

There were a number of things that made it such a great trip. Being amongst the believers of Thang Bwee’s church is always an encouragement. They’re lovely, humble people, and so keen to know more of the Lord and be involved in what he’s doing in the church’s ministry. Teaching is something I enjoy, so that too was an enjoyable experience as well as the preparation. I got to talk at length with some Buddhist monks about Jesus and his death and their perceptions of that – this was part of some research I was doing for a college project this semester. But I think what made the trip so great was that I was living the life I’ll be living when I move there as a resident. Granted, I was living in a hotel and not having to cook and clean for myself, but every other aspect of my week resembled that which Thang Bwee and mission partners have come to see as my role there. After the first twelve months of learning Burmese at the Yangon University I will be primarily involved in teaching at the Reformed Bible Institute (RBI), the Bible college of the Evangelical Reformed Church (ERC) – Thang Bwee’s church. Among other subjects this will include English teaching, but in addition to that I’ll also be teaching English to some of the non-Christians in my community. As has been our plan for a long time, this will be done using a Bible-based curriculum and will be one of our many works of evangelism. I will also be involved in preaching at ERC and working with and mentoring some of Thang Bwee’s young leaders.

I realise that some of the people and places mentioned might be new to some of my readers. If that’s you, please visit “The Work” and “The Workers” pages to learn more.

News & Events

• Both RBI and GBS, the Bible colleges of our 2 partner churches have finished for the 2009/2010 academic year and almost all the students have returned to their families in Chin State (see a map of Myanmar at http://www.5starmyanmar.com/MyanmarStatesMap.jpg).
• For the few students remaining in Yangon they will be involved in various ministries including pastoring churches, children’s ministries, and evangelism.
• Kyaw Htin, a severely ill student of RBI is still in intensive care. In 2008 he was hospitalised with an unknown illness which had him in a coma for many weeks. When he came out of the coma he was paralysed and continued to require assistance with breathing. He has since regained consciousness but remains mostly paralysed with only limited head movement and still requires a machine to assist with his breathing. Fortunately the doctors were able to diagnose his condition a few months ago and operated on a bone tuberculosis in his neck. His mother and sisters remain by his bed 24/7 and ERC provides food and financial assistance. His recovery to date has been very slow and full recovery is expected to take at least another 2 years.
• The health of all others known to our 2 partner churches (ERC and FRCM) has been good. Tuberculosis (not bone tuberculosis), which is normal for at least one member of these churches to have has not been reported in many weeks. The only person reporting illness is Mor Dang who has been recovering from Hepatitis C. He is about 95% recovered but still gets tired very easily. Mor Dang is in charge of Sunday School coordination for all ERC churches in the Yangon area and one of the main pastors at ERC’s most recent church-plant.
• ERC continues to plant churches around the Yangon district and though the congregations are small they are strong. Repentance has been a noticeable factor in many who have come to know the Lord, and although this brings tensions within some Buddhist families, the believers are standing firm and looking always to the Lord for comfort and guidance.
• National elections are set to take place in May and many people are hopeful that they will be a positive turning point in their country’s history.

Things to Pray for

For me:

• For my final two subjects at Bible college this semester (11000 words to write)
• To finish the correspondence TESOL course I’m still working through
• For God to prepare the way in Myanmar for ministry
• That I would be obedient to the Lord, patient in all things, always humble and always striving to know and glorify God more and more. (1 Pet 1:14-15)

For ERC and FRCM:

• Pray for Rev Dr Thang Bwee (ERC), Pastor James Mang Khen Thang (FRCM), and their eldership teams – that they facilitate the ministry of the Gospel and be wise with finances and management. (Eph 5:15-17)
• Pray for Thang Bwee, James, the directors, lecturers and visiting teachers, college wardens and other staff – for wisdom and faithfulness to the Gospel and the Scriptures. (2 Tim 2:15)
• Pray for the students as they prepare for service, that the Lord would sustain and encourage them as they learn. Pray also that they would retain what they’re learning. (2 Tim 3:16-17)
• Pray that the Partner Church congregations of ERC and FRCM would be people who are committed to thinking and acting with Jesus as Lord of all, living out his Lordship in all aspects of life. (Jude 24, 25)
• Pray that each of the Sunday services would be effective for the building up and encouragement of the saints. Pray that they would be welcoming, loving, and seeking to always spur each other on to love and good works. (Heb 10: 24, 25)
• Pray for all those involved in teaching, that they will be examples in speech and conduct, love, faith and purity and that they will rightly handle and explain the Word in truth. Pray for the children and for their growth in Christ. (2 Tim 4:5)
• Pray that through faithful and Bible-centred ministry, God’s community at ERC and FRCM will grow in numbers and influence. Pray that they might be known as being passionate about people, lovers of the truth, and eager to serve Christ. (Acts 2:46-47)
• And pray for Kyaw Htin’s speedy recovery from bone tuberculosis and also for and his family as they tend his needs.

Photos

This is the street outside the Evangelical Reformed Church (ERC).
I will walk down this street almost every day whilst in Yangon.

Some food and tobacco stalls in the street outside the ERC.

After each chapter of Ephesians we would get together like this
to discuss what we had been learning. The students found this helpful
for cementing some of what they had been taught.

On Christmas day the church folks got together
for a fellowship lunch.
On the menu — A VERY spicy Thai noodle dish.

This is just a very small portion of the rice grown from Thang Bwee’s
11 acres of rice paddies. He uses the rice to feed his family,
the college students, and his friends. What’s left over he
sells at market to help pay for the next year’s seed.

Tea shops are very common in Myanmar.
This is an outdoor one and is very popular with the locals.

——

I hope you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter; any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Remember too, if you’d like any prayer cards, or better still the prayer calendar, or any information cards or support cards then please just let me know by reply e-mail.

Grace be with you,

Martin
http://matt2819.com/myanmar

This is the June 2009 edition of my “Mission to Myanmar” newsletter.

What’s News?

Another semester of Bible College almost finished, which leaves just one more to go. It’s not been an overly eventful semester which is why you haven’t heard from me – nothing much to say really. I’ve been chipping away at my college work since February plus our annual “mission trip” in April. I enjoy the more hands-on ministry learning (as opposed to classroom learning and essays) so the mission trip was a highlight for me.

This year our mission team of 14 went to Blaxland Presbyterian Church in the lower Blue Mountains where we engaged in all sorts of ministries including Scripture teaching, hospital and nursing home ministry, commuter handouts, community surveys, preaching, Sunday school, and a “Backyard Bash”. The Bash was aimed at getting the community to come and visit. We had activities for the kids, a coffee shop for the adults, a photo competition, and a free sausage sizzle. Then afterwards we had a bush dance with a great live bush band. Everyone had a great time and it was a good outcome for the church-folk.

Each member of the team was billeted out around the area with different members of the congregation. I was blessed to stay with Harry and Elizabeth who were so welcoming and looked after me like family. A terrific granny-flat style setup for me, great meals and even a packed lunch every day. I was spoiled, which is always nice.

After our mission week we had our 2 week semester break which saw me working on college assignments, and also a weekend up in Newcastle visiting my Mum which is always nice and relaxing. After the holidays it was back to classes and more assignments which has kept me busy up to now. We have exams coming up in a few weeks but I have a couple more assignments to get finished before that.

So not a lot out of the ordinary for me, but what about the folks in Myanmar? Well, between February and May it’s holiday time for students so some of Thang Bwee and James’ students head back to Chin State to visit family, but the majority of them stay in Yangon and do other ministry work like evangelism, and some even get part-time work. A couple of them have been laid up with illness too, with one in particular being in hospital for many months now. No-one seems to know what’s causing his illness but it has been very serious, almost fatal. He’s still recovering and Thang Bwee expects it will take at least another year before we see any significant improvement. The lad’s name is Kyaw Htin (pronounced Chore Tin) so please remember him in prayer especially.

Early May was the anniversary of cyclone Nargis which devastated parts of Myanmar last year. Much has been done by way of aid for the millions affected but there is still so much more to be done. Blame can be laid in the usual place and we can only hope and pray that things will improve more speedily.

On a completely different note, I sent a package of calendars to Thang Bwee earlier this year – not expecting it to get through due to mail going “missing” – however I’m happy to tell you it made it. And just so you know, in case you ever want to send anything over, it took 10 weeks to arrive.

In the Media

Child soldiers still common in Burma: UN Report

The Burmese military regime’s army and nine other armed groups, including ceasefire groups and active anti-government forces, are still recruiting child soldiers, according to the latest Annual Report of the UN Secretary-General to the Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict.

Referring to official reports shared by the junta, the UN report said the Burmese government continues to screen and release under-age children found in its armed forces during the training process. The junta reported that 68 children were detected in various military training schools and were released to their parents and guardians.

The 68 cases included 12 children who were released through the International Labor Organization (ILO) mechanism, one released and reported to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and two released and reported to the ILO and ICRC.

The ILO, through its mechanism to eliminate the use of forced labour, has verified the release of 23 children, mostly from involuntary military enrolment, based on complaints filed by parents and relatives. An additional 14 cases either await government response or remain open while the process continues, it said.

The report also said that even as the regime has informed the UN country task force that it has put procedures in place for the rehabilitation and reintegration of under-age recruits, the UNICEF has not been given access to children who were released through the government’s mechanisms for follow-up purposes.

Please Pray

Mon: Praise God that a dear friend has helped me understand how to more effectively study and prepare assignments.

Tue: Our partner churches in Myanmar. Pray for the leaders (Thang Bwee & James) and their helpers.

Wed: Severe drought and famine in Chin State due to a devastating rat plague.

Thur: Evangelism of Buddhists in Yangon and Chin State. Pray for opportunities and also for wisdom and boldness.

Fri: The Myanmar government. Pray for the Lord to change hearts and to bring justice, peace, etc.

Sat: Sick students, especially Kyaw Htin. Others suffer from recurrences of Malaria, and tuberculosis is common also.

Sun: Pray that God would continue to lead all those involved in the Myanmar work (in AU and in MM)

And praise God daily for the opportunities he’s opened up in Myanmar and for his constant blessing and abundant provision thus far.

Grace be with you,
Martin

This is the January 2009 edition of my “Mission to Myanmar” newsletter (previously called “Myanmar Musings”).

New Year, New Start, New Look

It’s almost 12 months since I sent out my last newsletter so I’m thinking of calling this the “Anniversary Edition” (ha ha). When I started the newsletters it was my intention to send one out every couple of months. I amended that to every few months, and now … well, I’m not making any more promises. I would like to say sorry though. Sorry for not writing, and sorry for not letting you know what was going on.

What was 2008 like for you? For me it was up and down. First semester was very busy with many assessment tasks plus a college mission trip to Tasmania. The mission trip was a great learning experience and I really enjoyed my time with everyone down there. Upon return though, there was a lot of work to do before the end of semester which brings with it exams.

I’m happy to say that, by the grace of God, I managed to get all the work in and passed all my exams. It was a great relief and encouragement to me, and I was looking forward to second semester.
The mid-semester break saw me working on TESOL (yet again) plus an overdue visit to the dentist (“he didn’t have to drill”), and an even more overdue visit to the optometrist who has provided me with a nice new set of reading glasses (I left him an arm and a leg as payment).

Then came second semester – one I’d be happy to forget. I never really got on top of it and, as a result, can’t boast of first-semester-like success. Suffice to say I’ll be re-doing some of those subjects this year.
End of year break, the one I’m at the end of now, was spent in Newcastle at my Mum’s house. It was a great place to be and afforded me, not only some much needed rest and recuperation, but also an environment conducive to catching up on things like TESOL (yes, there it is again).

So, it’s a new year and a new start. I’m in the process of simplifying things and pushing aside distractions so I can focus almost entirely on Bible College. Lord willing, I’ll be finished my studies at the end of this year and ready to head off mid-2010.

There have been some changes
You’ll have noticed a change in the design of the newsletter. The reason is to simplify it and make it easier to compose (and therefore send out more regularly).

The website has changed too, which some of you will have already read in an e-mail I sent out.

What you need to know …

me.malleeblue.com is now being redirected to

matt2819.com/myanmar

which will be the new website relating to my efforts, and the efforts of mission partners, in Myanmar.
My 2009 Myanmar prayer calendar is also available on the website or by requesting a copy, or copies, from me.

The new website address is more relevant I think, and the new design will hopefully make it easier for everyone to find the information they’re looking for. I hope you like it.

There are other changes too with the prayer and support cards, and also with the “Learn of the Lord’s work in Myanmar” brochure (now a double-sided card). If you’d like some of these new cards please let me know how many and I’ll have them in the post ASAP.

In the Media

There has been much concern about news that came out on January 8th about…

Christians in Burma’s former capital of Rangoon find themselves in a precarious state as local authorities on Monday banned the holding of regular church services and threatened to seal off churches if congregations failed to comply.

In short, our partner churches are not affected by this, though that may change. Please pray that the Lord would give them guidance and wisdom, and that He would look after them as He always has. Please also pray for the people in the churches which have been affected, and that the Lord would be made known as a result of this persecution.

Please Pray

Mon: My year ahead at Bible College. Pray that the Lord would sustain me and keep me focussed.

Tue: Our partner churches in Myanmar. Pray for the leaders (Thang Bwee & James) and their helpers.

Wed: Students attending Bible Colleges in Myanmar. Pray for their learning and as they evangelise.

Thur: Evangelism of Buddhists in Yangon and Chin State. Pray for wisdom and boldness.

Fri: The Myanmar government. Pray for the Lord to change hearts and to bring justice, peace, etc.

Sat: Health & travel safety, here & in Myanmar. In particular, some students have Tuberculosis.

Sun: Pray that God would continue to lead all those involved in the Myanmar work (in AU and in MM).

And praise God daily for the opportunities he’s opened up in Myanmar and for his constant blessing and abundant provision thus far.

Grace be with you,
Martin