One of the more common phrases that our trip leader Kevin used during our week of devotions was that the God we serve is a 'big' God. In our week of living in Myanmar I got a better understanding of how big God is.
"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him"
Psalm 103:11
How does one approach sharing all that went on in two weeks? Here is the plan; four posts over one week (ambitious!) - varying from the serious to fun.
- Sunday (today) A look at the Myanmar people and culture with a focus on the mission we partnered with for a week.
- Tuesday October 7th: A focus on the work that Engineering Ministries International completed while in Myanmar.
- Wednesday October 8th: A list of 'firsts' that I experienced while in Asia, and;
- Saturday October 11th: Five lessons learned from being outside of NA for the first time.
Meet David and Nancy
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| David and Nancy Biakkung with their youngest daughter Judy. |
We were not quite sure of who we were going to meet while working in Myanmar. Our communication with David Biakkung had been limited at best before entering the country and our team was excited to see what (and who) we would be working with. We arrived in Yangon International Airport close to midnight on Friday September 19th, tired but thankful that the entire team had all arrived safely and without missing any luggage!
David is a man who wears many hats. One of his roles is the acting director of Myanmar Mission College. About ten years ago, David was given a vision from God to train disciples within the country of Myanmar in order to spread the gospel in the country. Myanmar is one of the least reached countries in the world but to think of Myanmar as one, unified nation would be only telling half the story. There are several distinct states within Myanmar and within those states there are smaller still townships. The diversity of languages is stunning! In order for David and Nancy to have come to Hle Gu (a township just north of Yangon) they have had to learn two new languages - English and Myanmar (their native language is Chin - from Chin State). The differences between the states would be greater than those of comparing Quebec with British Columbia.
Married to this passion to spread the gospel is Nancy's deep heart for the orphan children of Myanmar. In 2008 Cyclone Nargis devastated the nation of Myanmar, killing over 80,000 people and causing inestimable damage (over $10B US) to the land. The devastation left many orphans without a place to live. As a mother of 3 and with Christ's heart for the lost, Nancy felt called to help these poor and powerless with everything she had. The sacrifices this couple has made for the sake of others has been one of the themes that I have been mulling over ever since I have come back from Myanmar. Jesus' words in Mark are particularly poignant here;
Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father of children or farm for my sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much and in the age to come, eternal life.
Mark 10:29-30
David and Nancy have forsaken riches and a comfortable life for the sake of so many - it will be an amazing thing to join them again with the throngs of singers in heaven. Their vision to spread the train the people of Myanmar for the people of Myanmar, teamed with a heart for the displaced and forgotten children in that country has made their college a small town of the kingdom here on Earth. It was a limitless blessing to have joined their fellowship for a short week. Care to learn more about it? Read on!
God's People in Myanmar
The Engineering Ministries International team was quickly grafted into the body of believers with MMC by joining in on their daily chapel service Saturday night. It was a joy to join in worship to the same God but in multiple languages!
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| A shot of the children's sandals when entering chapel service! |
These people sing! They have learned a few songs in english and it was a great joy to join in heartily on those tunes. Their prayer time is also a little unique when compared to Western Church styles. I think the best way to describe it would be 'one voice'. Each individual speaks to the LORD simultaneously, but God hears them all (amazingly - still trying to comprehend that fact). It was initially overwhelming to join in with the Myanmar when praying but as the week progressed praying to God became easier. In this style, you have to 'fight' to hear yourself speak to the LORD but that situation seemed to make the prayers more earnest, heartfelt, crylike. There was desperation and intimacy, utter dependence heard from these dear students and children as the prayers of the people were spoken. Do we cry out to God with that same dependence here in North America? Have we been lulled to sleep by lesser things and have forgotten the greatest thing?
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| Prayers of the People. |
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| Earnest cries to Father God |
God's Heart in Myanmar
I would be remiss if I did not share about our fantastic cooks that served us at the college! All the students we interacted with had a spirit of humility and service that exuded Christ's character - for example, while I was bucket showering one morning a student willingly dropped everything and washed my feet, despite my protestations.
These women treated us like kings and queens - no offense mom but it was five star dining each day. Myanmar cuisine starts and ends with rice (not a problem to this guy) surrounded by a main meat dish with several vegetable and meat curries with various spice level. Top tip - if you come to Myanmar, the smaller the dish, the more you taste buds will be attacked. Lastly, the fruit that we consumed all week was like candy. The mangoes in particular were stunning.
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| I forget the name but this is a traditional breakfast. |
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| Lunch - rice with pretty much everything else. Note the presentation. |
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| Juicy grapes the size of golf balls. |
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| Fresh mangoes - a culinary highlight. |
A Word about The City (and Taxi Drivers)
In the days before we left Myanmar, we had the opportunity to tour around the commercial capital of the country - Yangon (the 'n' is silent apparently). When I think of the city now I think of it's character, from the plentiful taxis to the palm trees to the sweltering humidity. The British had invested much time and energy into the city in the 19th century, which was reflected in some period architecture, a city wide commuter train, and some rudimentary architecture.
But once again, it was the people of Myanmar that left me floored. One situation in particular stands out. After getting back to our hotel after a day of sightseeing, I had realized that I had left my wallet in our taxi. Shoot. There was nothing to do but pray that somehow the wallet would make it's way back to our hotel. Miracle of miracles it happened! Our taxi driver was waiting for us as we got back from dinner that night, wanting to hand the wallet to me personally. I was stunned and left a hefty tip for the thoughtful man. Praise God for providing a lost wallet despite my forgetfulness!
So what is there left to say really? To have lived in a foreign country for 10 days really opened my eyes to how big our LORD truly is. To think that He can perfectly attend to all those prayers of the people simultaneously or plant in a couple men and women the passion to spread His gospel or simply the provide assurance of his comforting presence to needy orphans. Truly our God is a great and mighty God.
To close, I'll let some photos do the talking. I look forward to sharing in a few short days of what eMi did to help the college in the week that we had with the ministry.
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| Bike taxi driver looking out on the town road. |
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| Buddist parishioners offering prayers at the central pagoda. |
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| Catching a few zees before work on Monday morning. |
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| Local dice game observed on the streets of Yangon. |
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| One of the landmarks of Yangon - a tall Buddist temple called Shwegadon Pagoda. It was started in 600 BC and has been increasingly more golden ever since. |
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| One of the more terrifying parts of driving in Myanmar. Right hand drive + right hand lanes = nobody can see anybody. Horns used often, seatbelts completely optional. |
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| I liked this shot of Yangon's rail terminal. |
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| Note what a little bit of TLC can do to your average 18th century British building. |
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| Ye olde governors house. |
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