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In this edition 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.

Long time, no see!

My dear friends, I want to begin with a heartfelt and HUGE thank you to everyone who was praying for me during my exams. They’re all over now and I’m amazed at how much I remembered and wrote. Before the exams I was sure they were going to be too difficult and that I’d be hard pressed to even pass, but thanks to God they weren’t so bad and He helped me get through them. I’m sure I didn’t ace any subjects, but I’m confident I didn’t fail any either. So again, thank you so much, you’re an impressive and wonderful team of prayer supporters. God bless you!

Now I know you’re keen to find out what’s been happening and where I’ve been these last few months so I’ll try to fill you in but not bore you with too much detail.

The last you heard from me was back in May when Thang Bwee and I did the video update. We got some good feedback after that so we’ll definitely be doing more; the next one should probably appear around the end of October. May was the second of two months off uni (mid-academic-year break) in which I attempted to catch up on all I’d learnt in the first semester as well as do some lecture preparation for teaching at RBI/GBS. Both the catch up and the preparation went really well and I felt quite well prepared for the second semester of uni which started in June. My catch up was well worth it, but the learning we embarked upon during the second semester was more focussed on writing the language rather than speaking the language, and as it turns out there are a whole lot of new rules for writing the language compared to speaking it. For example, in the phrase, “I will go to the market for some rice”, there is a new word/grammar structure for 5 of those 9 words. A friend of mine in class said, “It’s like learning another language.” I agree, and though I was grateful for the time to catch up in April and May, I fell behind again fairly quickly and floundered my way through the semester. By mid-August I was no longer enjoying the process and was keen for it all to be over. I’m grateful for my time of learning and for the experience but I have to say again, I’m no classroom learner. I learn ‘on the job’ and through kinaesthetic/tactile (hands on) methods, so sitting through 5 hours of lectures each day listening to the talking heads didn’t really work for me. As a result, I’ve not learnt anywhere near enough to even survive a trip to the market, so more learning is a must. I’m not, however, going back to the classroom but will instead look for a language tutor. I’m not sure where I’ll find said tutor but I’m trusting that God will provide the right person at the right time.

Since arriving last December I was asked by Thang Bwee if I could preach monthly on topics of my choice. The first couple of months were random but since February I’ve been preaching on a series inspired by John MacArthur (the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church and president of The Master’s College/Seminary, both in Santa Clarita, California, also known by his ministry Grace To You) focussing on Keys to Spiritual Growth. I’m planning to put some snippets of these sermons up as blog posts once the series is is finished, but as I only preach once a month I think I’ve still got another 4 months of stuff to teach. Consider this a very early teaser.

I also preach monthly at the church where James is the minister, the Free Reformed Church of Myanmar (FRCM), but I’ve not been working through the same series. The maturity of the congregation is somewhat different to the folks at ERC so I’ve been preaching on some general principles of the Christian life and trying to aim just a little above their level as a way of encouraging them to stretch themselves and to try out a little meat amidst their diet of milk. James seems happy with the teaching so I’m continuing on in that vein. Yesterday (Sept 25th) I preached on Malachi 3:16-4:3, a seemingly strange text perhaps but one in which we find the gospel message and plenty of encouragement for believers.

Along with my monthly preaching I’ve also become a victim of my own good ideas. Around January I suggested to Thang Bwee that it’d be good if people had a way of asking questions, anonymous or otherwise, and for him to take some time after one of the church services each month to go over these questions briefly for the benefit of all. He thought it was a good idea and put it into place. The questions were slow to come in but eventually he had enough for the first round of answers. As we were talking once day he handed me a wad of note-papers and said, “Here, these are for you.” I asked what they were and he explained that he’s been answering questions and giving advice to his flock for years with little response or change. He said that if they heard answers to these questions from me they might be more inclined to sit up and listen, and maybe even change where change was necessary. Though surprised that he’d give me such responsibility I accepted, and so, on the second Sunday of the month for the last 4 months, I’ve been answering about 3 questions after the service (takes about 20 to 30 minutes including translation from English to Burmese). The questions have been challenging and have given me some great study time in preparation for answering them and I’ve really appreciated it. Thang Bwee also seems thrilled so it looks like we’ll continue this trend for quite some time. As of October I’ve decided to post the questions and answers here on the website, just one each week, and I would welcome your feedback, encouragement, correction, and instruction related to the answers I’m giving. I know enough theology to be dangerous, much like my Burmese, so I know there’s room for discussion and learning for us all. Please check out the website often to see what I have to say and post your comments whenever you can. If you know what RSS is then that’s the best way to get the posts coming to you, rather than you having to go to them. Just click the RSS link at the top of the right-hand column.

I mentioned in the April newsletter and the May video update that we were gearing up for some deliberate discipleship for the congregations of ERC and FRCM. First though we needed to put the structure of leaders in place and then train them so that they felt equipped and ready to tackle this all-too-vague subject of discipling. On each of the Saturday’s in June we had discipleship training at my apartment. There were 14 students from both ERC and FRCM plus Thang Bwee and me. We had 4, 3-hour sessions over 4 Saturdays and then let them loose on their disciples. The training went really well and all said they were ready to get started. We’ve now had 3 months of weekly discipling of almost every person in the congregation and though small, we’re starting to see some measurable growth. We knew it would be a slow process and one that we’d have to commit to for the long-haul, but we’re all still keen and still anticipating some great results from it. The leaders who attended the training in June meet with me monthly to de-brief their experiences, both good and bad, and this allows us time for some top-up training and an opportunity to iron out any kinks that may be developing in the process. A really encouraging wind of change is blowing through the congregations of ERC and FRCM, so please pray that we might continue this discipleship with vigour and enthusiasm for many years to come.

So that kind of brings you up to speed with what’s been happening. I’ve not got anything startling to report as it’s been pretty much head-down, tail-up since about May, but I trust the news of what we’ve been up to over the past few months is of some encouragement to you and fuel for your prayer times.

But I’m not done yet. Let me share with you what we’ve got coming up over the next couple of months.

Next week will see the arrival of Betty Murray and her friend Jan Turner, both from Presbyterian congregations in QLD. Betty will be leading them both in English teaching for the entire month of October. The training will take place on the RBI campus and the students from GBS will bus their way over each day to join in. This will be a great opportunity for the students to improve their English as Betty is a veteran English teacher with years of experience and expertise. I’m hoping to sit in on a number of the sessions to learn how it’s done. I might have finished my TESOL training but I’ve not had any practical training, only theory and methodology. I’m hoping to pick up some very important techniques from these ladies so that I can carry on the English teaching next year.

Also visiting in October is a friend of many, many years, David Trounce. David’s the minister of a church in Tanilba Bay, Newcastle and has a brilliant mind when it comes to theology and the practicalities of church structure and order. We’ve had some brief chats via Skype over the past few months pertaining to various ministry related topics and we’re both keen to continue our discussions. He’s not coming so much to be involved in the ministry to the churches here but rather to support and encourage me. I expect that his visit will prove most helpful in areas of biblical understanding and practical church life and order. Though he’s only here for 1 week, I think his visit will be quite the shot in the arm one needs during their first year on the field.

After the month-long English extravaganza that Betty and Jan bring, the colleges of RBI and GBS will settle back into routine with the more usual weekly schedule of lectures. This will be my first full-time role as a lecturer at the RBI college and I’m quite excited about it. Thang Bwee has put me down for 2 subjects so far (I say “so far” because he has a habit of finding ‘new work’ for me to do) which are Practical Evangelism and Post-Reformation Church History. As I’m only fresh from my final exams at uni I still have a lot of preparation to do for both, so please pray that I’d be thorough as I prepare.

December will be much the same schedule and then in January we’ll have more visitors in the form of Peter Barnes (Revesby Presbyterian Church) and Peter Barber (Townsville Presbyterian Church). They both may be bringing other folks with them but we’re not sure yet. I’ll update you in the next newsletter.

I think that brings you completely up to date with the what’s been and the what’s to come, but if you have questions please feel free to ask. And if you’d like something special covered in our October video update then now’s the time to send in your requests.

News & Events

• We’ve not had any overseas visitors since February but next week (first week of October) will see 3 Aussie visitors on our doorstep. The first two are long-time friends of the work here, Betty Murray and Jan Turner, both from QLD Presbyterian Churches. They’ll be here for a month and will be teaching English to the students of both RBI and GBS. It’s expected that there could be about 30 people in attendance for the lessons so they’ll be taking place in the lecture room at the RBI campus. The room can fit 40-50 students comfortably so it’s an ideal set-up for this group. The third Aussie visitor is my long-time closest friend David Trounce. He’ll be here for just one week and we’ll spend it together talking and encouraging one another, as well as a little sightseeing and shopping.

• The whole of October will be taken up with the English seminar so there won’t be any other classes taking place. Come November, the second semester roster of classes will kick in and the lecturers will resume normal teaching. This will be my first time as a permanent fixture of the RBI teaching team and I’m very much looking forward to it.

• There has been a lot of news about Myanmar and the progress that is being made by it’s new government. As with all news it takes a bit to digest and to sift through the spin and opinion. There’s way to much to list here (and commenting on some stories could bring me unwanted attention), but I’d like to suggest that, if you have the time, you might like to connect with some of the news sources available to keep your finger on the ever changing pulse of what’s going on in and around Myanmar. Please visit my Myanmar News page for some of the sources I suggest as good places to start.

Things to Pray for

For me:

• Thank God for his patience, grace, mercy, and loving hand upon my life.

• Thank God for the opportunity to learn the Myanmar language. I thank him for what I’ve learnt and for the encouragement of my friends here to “jaw za”, which means keep trying.

• I’m grateful to God that the university learning is over and that I can now focus on that which I came here for – teaching, preaching, and evangelism.

• I’m preparing for lectures that will begin in November. I’ll be teaching two subjects, evangelism and post-reformation church history. Please pray that I’d prepare well for these lessons.

For ERC:

• Thank God for his continued blessing upon the work and ministry of ERC.

• Thank God for the many new students this year at RBI. They’re a keen lot and, like sponges, ready to absorb everything. They’re obedient and willing to learn and follow, and they’re good students too.

• The ongoing discipleship (which started in July) is proving to be helpful to everyone with growth already evident in many.

• Pray for Thang Bwee’s translation work on Concise Theology by J.I. Packer.

• For guidance and protection for the English teaching classes to be held at RBI during October by Betty Murry and Jan Turner from QLD pressie congregations.

• And for God’s ongoing providence for all the essential needs of Thang Bwee’s family.

For FRCM:

• Thank God for some significant financial blessing over the past couple of months that has helped them out of debt.

• The injection of funds also allowed them to finally get a concrete floor put in throughout the house. This is where James and his family along with all the GBS students live. They’re thrilled to no longer be walking through the muddy, slippery floor inside and that things aren’t so dirty any more.

• Please pray that God would provide the needed funds for the daily needs (food, water, etc.) of the FRCM community.

• That the students would learn well and be properly prepared for future ministry.

• For the safety of GBS’s leaders and students as they travel around Yangon. Particularly, there is a lot of travel required during October when the students of GBS will travel about 1 hour each week day to attend the English classes being held at RBI by Betty Murray and Jan Turner (and then an hour back again).

• The financial needs of this fledgling church plant are many at this time. Please pray that there would be an outpouring of generosity toward these folks so that they may be equipped and ready to grow in number, maturity, and influence.

For some of the more regular prayer items, feel free to ask me for a Prayer Calendar. Additionally, you can visit this months Prayer Points page.

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

Remember too, if you’d like any Mission Information Sheets, Prayer Calendars, or to get in contact if you’re not near your e-mail, you can do so by using the Contact Martin page.

And finally, if there are any acronyms or initialisms used in this newsletter that you’re not familiar with, have a look at pages like “The Work” and “The Workers” and you’ll find the info you need.

Grace be with you,

Martin
http://matt2819.com/myanmar