Welcome to the slightly new-look, cut-down version of my newsletter. In this edition I’ll be sharing with you what’s been happening since the last newsletter and sharing some prayer points. You can find links to ERC & RBI news by following this link.
To and Fro, Here and There
You’re a dedicated group of followers and I thank you for your patience. Sorry this edition has taken so long to put together, but I kept putting it off, waiting for whatever was happening to come to some sort of conclusion so I could tell you about it, only to find that the next interesting thing I wanted to tell you about was under way and I should wait for it to finish so I could then tell you about it. Suffice it to say, that’s not a good plan. There is a new plan though, and that is this: shorter updates, but monthly updates. Can you believe it? Me … writing regular updates? Unimaginable? Impossible? Amazing? Well, time will tell, but I’ve been ‘encouraged’ by the powers that be to get info out to you more often, so that’s what I plan to do. Sincerely though, thank you for being patient, and thank you to those who continue to keep in touch and initiate contact with me during those silent months. I’m encouraged and feel very cared for.
But now, on to the news.
Since the last newsletter there have been many and varied things come my way. Some good, some challenging. Here’s a whirlwind, snapshot, overview (though not particularly short)…
In October I took a week off to spend with my friend, David, who came to visit from Australia. We frequented many coffee shops (he loves his coffee like I do my tea) and had lots to catch up on and talk about. It was great to have him here and he was very encouraging and supportive. A nice boost to morale after such a trying and challenging year of language learning. After his visit I got stuck into lecture preparation whilst continuing to chase various options to try to secure a long-term visa. The lecture prep was slow but progressing nicely, however the visa avenues were more like cul-de-sacs than through roads. None of the options was what I was looking for, so I was reluctant to commit to any of them due to how they would interrupt the work and plans I had with ERC and RBI. Unfortunately, all this delaying was bringing me closer to the deadline of my residency expiry, and around mid-November a decision had to be made.
After talking with Thang Bwee, and tossing up various options, we came to the conclusion that I should take up an offer that came my way earlier that month. Late November saw my dear Mum turn 80, and in early November my equally dear Sister, Helen, e-mailed me offering to fly me back to attend the celebration. With the deadline of my residency approaching and the unlikely outcome of me securing a long-term visa before that deadline, I decided to take Helen up on her offer and return to Australia for Mum’s party, but also so that I could secure a short-term visa to get me back in to Myanmar for round 2 of the visa hunt-down.
We kept my return to Australia a secret from almost everybody, most especially my Mum, and she was delighted and incredibly surprised to see me. First, she thought I might have been deported from the country, as she was aware of the visa issues and approaching deadline, but I assured her that I left of my own volition and would be returning as soon as I could. We had a great day together and she later said it was one of the best days of her life. A wonderful outcome.
I stayed with my sister in Sydney for about a week whilst I visited a couple of friends, as well as having a meeting with Kevin and Alex, the Director and Treasurer of Mission Partners. The following week I headed to Newcastle to spend some time with Mum while I waited for my visa application and passport to return from the Myanmar embassy in Canberra. This happened around the second week of December, so I made the decision to stay on and have Christmas with family. What I didn’t take into consideration though, was the cost of flights after Christmas. I was astounded when I tried to make a booking to get back to Myanmar. The flights were about 3 times their normal cost. As it turned out, I ended up booking my return on January 8th, the first day of the cheaper flights. So what was intended to be about a 3 week trip to Australia turned out to be a 7 week trip. It was good to spend that time with Mum and to see a few friends and family, but it was quite a long time away and, though I took work with me, it wasn’t a particularly productive time.
Because the trip was to be short, I hadn’t planned any visits to any churches or supporters, however I did get a chance to update my home congregation at Revesby, as well as a brief presentation at Cronulla on the same day I flew out to head back to Myanmar. Had I known at the outset that I was going to be back as long as I was I might have planned my time better and been able to see more of you, but it was a bit of a messy trip in regard to dates and seeing people, so I’m sorry to the many that I couldn’t catch up with. My next planned return is my 3-month Home Assignment (new name for furlough and deputation) starting in March 2014, and I’ll be sure to give you all plenty of notice and opportunity to have me visit and update you.
I flew back via Perth, where I visited family for a few days, and another stopover in Malaysia, where I visited a dear Myanmar friend who’s having his own visa-wrestling issues as he tries to get to America to see his aging and frail father. He’s a new Christian and was in desperate need of some encouragement and friendship. Please remember him in prayer, that the Lord would bless and keep him and make His face shine upon him and make him strong in all the fruits of the Spirit. His name is Jaw Mo Lwin.
I landed back in Myanmar on January 14th and began again the process of hunting down this long-term visa. At the same time I knew Thang Bwee wanted me to start teaching the Church History subject I was supposed to have started back in November, so I continued my preparations for that, along with 2 sermons, and various articles and other lectures. As you can imagine, it was quite a busy time and I was finding it difficult to properly focus on anything. Thang Bwee recognised that this was happening and very generously postponed my teaching schedule until next semester so that I could focus on getting the long-term visa before my short-term one ran out. It was good that he did, as it took me right up to nearly the last day to finally secure the long-term visa I was looking for. After many phone calls, even some back to Australia, and a number of visits here and there around Yangon, I managed to get all the paperwork together to apply for the new visa. This had to be done in another country, so I booked a flight to Thailand; the closest and apparently the easiest embassy to get a quick turnaround for a visa. Well, it wasn’t exactly easy, but I suppose it wasn’t that difficult either. I, along with a couple hundred other people, queued up in the sun, humidity, and heat of Bangkok to apply for our various visas. I eventually got seen and the chap took my application papers and visa and advised that it would be processed and ready for pick-up the next day (for a small extra fee, of course). Flights, hotel, and visa, all-up cost around $500, and I have to repeat this process every 10 weeks. Oh joy.
So with visa in hand I returned to Myanmar to begin the next part of the process, that being to try to secure permission with the local authorities to allow me to move in to my apartment. Firstly they said that I couldn’t live there without having a business visa, which is what I got in Thailand, but upon my return they now require a handful of other papers stating one thing or another. I’m still in the middle of this process and await the outcome. I hope for something to happen this week but really, who knows. One of my problems though has been that since returning I’ve had to live in a hotel. It’s a cheap hotel, at around $25 a night, but still, it’s adding up somewhat. Even more of a hassle though is how disruptive hotel living can be. I’ve been travelling and living out of a suitcase since late November last year, so I’m pretty desperate to get ‘home’ and settle down. Fortunately, since returning from Thailand I’m allowed to visit my apartment during the day, so I’ve been able to unpack boxes and get things set up. For the past 3 days I actually been able to sit down at my own desk in my own apartment and get some work done. It’s been wonderful!
So challenges and ambiguity abound here in Myanmar. Though somewhat unsettled I’m in very good spirits and am learning to ride the waves of good and bad, convenient and inconvenient, and everything in between.
NEW
HOME SUPPORT COORDINDATORS
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Finally, and on a different note, I would like to let you know that Chris Athavle, who’s been my Home Support Coordinator for nearly 3 years has now moved into his own full-time ministry role. He passes the Home Support Coordinator baton on to Tim and Bree Davis, a delightful young couple from my home church, Revesby. Tim and Bree are dead keen on mission work and they’ve always been very supportive and encouraging for the work here in Myanmar. Unfortunately I don’t have their photos just now, but I’ll ask them to send me some to put in the next newsletter. If you need anything related to the work here in Myanmar, Tim and Bree are the people to talk to. Prayer calendars, Mission Information sheets, updates, live presentations; you name it, they’ll do it. You can contact them by email at timted2 [at] hotmail [dot] com or call Tim’s mobile, 0422429546.
So that pretty much brings you up to date. I can’t think of anything else to write so I’ll sign off. However, if this “whirlwind, snapshot, overview” has left you with questions, please feel free to write back as I’d be happy to answer any questions. And if you don’t have a question you could always write back and tell me how you’re doing and what you’ve been up to.
Grace be with you,
Martin
http://matt2819.com/myanmar
Recent Articles
Below are links to some of the recent articles I’ve posted on the website.
The posts lately have been to share with you some of the answers to question I’ve been asked by the parishioners of ERC.
For Prayer
- Praise God for the time in Australia with family
- Praise God for the safe return to Myanmar (the place I truly call home)
- Praise God for the long-term visa (10 weeks is considered ‘long’ here)
- Praise God that very soon I’ll be able to move in to my apartment and to get properly settled
- Praise God as I now have almost 4 months of preparation time for next semester’s lectures (they start in June). I’ll be teaching 3 or 4, 32-hour subjects and each one takes about a month to research and write if I do around 6 hours of preparation each day. Pray that I would quickly settle into the routine of study and research needed for this.
- Praise God for opportunities to begin some regular (hopefully weekly) evangelism. This will probably take the form of ‘on-the-street’, walk-up evangelism and I’ll have a native speaker with me. FYI, evangelism in Myanmar is not illegal.
- Thank God for the excellent effort of my previous Home Support Coordinator, Chris Athavle, and thank God for the new Home Support Coordinators, Tim and Bree Davis, who are very keen about missions and about the work here in Myanmar.
- Pray for boldness and courage and wisdom when doing evangelism
- Pray that I might find a good Myanmar language tutor (I’ll start looking late Feb)
- My Bible reading and prayer times have not been very regular or deep over the past few weeks. Please pray that I would get this routine on track quickly. It’s easy to feel dry very quickly when you’re not drinking enough living water.
- And finally … I’ve had this as a prayer point since last April but I want to keep including it as it’s so very important. Please pray, as Paul did for the Colossians …
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Col. 1:9-12)
YOURS FOR THE ASKING
Always available is the Prayer Calendar. Feel free to ask for some to be mailed to you or visit the Prayer Calendar webpage. |
DISCONTINUED
The separate Prayer Points page that usually accompanies this newsletter. From now on, all my prayer points will be listed inside each newsletter, just like they are above. |
Early on in March I had the pleasure of being able to help Moses, an RBI final year student, with typing up his thesis for final submission. The subject was “The Sovereignty of God for Salvation”, and he’d done a very thorough job of it. English is his third language, and he’s quite a good speaker, reader, and writer of it, but when I read the first part of it I decided to offer some help in cleaning up the grammar and making some of the points a little clearer. We worked together for about 5 hours each day for 3 days and got it all done, printed, and submitted on time. He’d learnt a lot from preparing the thesis and I learnt a lot from his efforts too. We enjoyed a good time of fellowship and it was a great opportunity for me to get to know him more. He has now returned to his home village in Chin State where he expects to spend the next 6 months or so in church and evangelistic ministry. After that he thinks he might return to Yangon and undergo some further preparation for ERC’s church-planting work.
If you’ve been following posts on the website you’ll remember a couple from last October on “a vital ministry” (posts are 
Bree and I were married in November 2011. We have been attending Revesby Presbyterian church for about 4-5 years. I work for myself as a carpenter and have done so for about 8 years. I am now attending 
