Send forth Your Word, Lord
Under strict military rule and a socialist government for 50 years, Myanmar’s political and socio-economic developments were held back for many years. Internal wars with ethnic minorities are among the longest-fought in the world. Buddhism is deeply rooted in the culture.
Through various forms of persecution, the Church and the believers have endured, and kept the faith. Their persistent cry is for the salvation of the nation and the youth, which make up 20% of the population.
According to reports, 65% to 70% of young people, especially in the northern and northeastern regions, have easy access to illegal drugs. Many lives are destroyed in this country ranked as the world’s second largest producer of opium.
When social media was allowed in 2013 and obtaining entry visas became easier in 2014, more young people became lost in the flood of worldly influences that rushed into this once-isolated country.
Myanmar needs a pure and life-saving flood to touch its people.
“Flood this nation with grace and mercy. Send forth Your Word, Lord. And let there be light.”
One million MENT (Myanmar-English New Testament) Bibles for one million youth to be won for Jesus Christ. For every MENT Bible given out for free, one Myanmar soul will be added to the Kingdom of God—this vision was birthed even before the government of Myanmar adopted reforms for the country in 2010.
What followed were years of prayer for the vision to hit the ground. In 2017, the first allotment of 100,000 MENT were printed, safely delivered and distributed to churches, schools and universities.
Because many young people want to learn English, Christian students find the MENT helpful in sharing the Gospel. A private high school uses the MENT during daily devotion and non-Christians students read the Scriptures every day. A training school for monks has requested copies of the MENT. God’s Spirit is opening these doors!
May our prayers and support be answered with more floods of grace and keep the MENT coming into Myanmar. This generation needs vibrant life, not brought by the world but given by the Word of God.
Myanmar: Transforming Lives through the Word
Myanmar is the second largest opium producer in the world. In view of this, a mission school was opened in the famous Golden Triangle area, where most of the world’s illicit opium cultivation has originated since the early 1950s. The Golden Triangle Mission School has invested in the lives of children, enabling them to become useful citizens instead of being involved in drugs. Almost twenty years later, many of these youngsters have achieved top marks in government exams and graduated as nurses, pastors and teachers. One of them is now a village chief; another is a Bible College tutor. Another major problem destroying lives of the youth in Myanmar is drug addiction. According to the Kachin Baptist Convention, 80% of ethnic Kachin youth are addicts. By their estimates, more than half of the students at the local university are addicted.
Churches, government and the private sector have helped the setting up of drug rehabilitation centers. However, many who are rehabilitated are lured back to drugs. To address this, the AfterDrug Care Development (ADCD) initiative was launched in 2014 in Kachin State, the northernmost part of Myanmar. This program was designed to provide a halfway haven for former drug users to prepare their re-entry into society after their treatment. The aim is to help them define and pursue their life’s purpose and equip them with life skills, to enable them to support themselves and be confident to help others with the same problem. Seeing how these youth have been transformed by the program, parents started bringing their young people in for after-drug care. Besides learning life skills, some of these young people have given their lives to Christ, eventually enrolling in Bible schools for further studies.
Many more young lives need to be changed. A few years ago, the Lord gave the vision to bring one million Myanmar-English New Testaments into Myanmar within five years. The first 100,000 were printed in 2017 and being distributed. The vision is to reach one million young people who will help shape the nation through the Gospel. One student who received a New Testament has already started sharing God’s Word through social media by posting verses in Myanmar and English
Pray for drug-dependent young people to be set free and find their hope in the message of God’s salvation in this predominantly Buddhist nation. Pray for the Word of God to reach more youth.
“Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19 (NIV)