Recent Trip to the Border

February 19, 2010 by A H.

Our family alongside Rakchat just returned from a great trip along the border where we were able to partner up with Pastor Samuel who has been a friend of ours for many years now.  We were introduced to this area through the Eubank family and are so blessed to be able to witness the fruit of the 50+ years of work they have done for our brothers and sisters there. It is also the same place Sinte and I started to see each other in a new light and our relationship bloomed, so it was great to return to the same area with our son now alongside us.

When we arrived in Bung Klung I was invited to preach the following day at the church which was planted there almost 15 years ago. The message I shared came from Psalm 137 about how the pain and anger that the people of Israel had against their Babylon oppressor was much like the Karen had against many of their own enemies (i.e. Burma Army).  I also shared how when Jesus is the Lord and Savior in our lives we must reach out to our enemy in love, as Christ himself did on the cross.

We then moved on from Bung Klung and arrived in Ley Tah Kuh village where in just one year 40 of the villagers have become Christian. We stayed for three days teaching the adult believers about who Jesus Christ is and what salvation means during the mornings and afternoons. In the evenings, we played games and taught the children about God and Jesus Christ. After the day was over we would have worship together. On our last night we were invited into a non believers home so they too could hear the gospel message. God is now doing so much in this village and we are blessed to have a chance to witness in His great work there.

During our trip we also met a five year old boy who was abandoned by his mother and father. We are talking with the village now and Pastor Samuel on how we might help this boy.

When we returned to Bung Klung, Sinte was invited to preach at the church. She preached in Burmese with an elder translating into Karen. Her message was based off of 1 Kings 16,17. In Bung Klung there is a great deal of development going on and while this is a good thing Sinte shared that during King Omri’s reign there was a lot of physical development but little spiritual development. She warned the people to be like Elijah and see how God provides when one is focused on Him alone.

The next day, Pastor Samuel and I visited a Karen Evangelist friend in one village and then moved onto another village to share the message of Jesus Christ and to encourage thirteen new believers there. It is so amazing that this village for years had been right next to so many Christians but only now is it starting to accept the gospel. Pastor Samuel and I returned back to Bung Klung very late that night and the next day our family started to head back to Chiang Mai.

We will be leaving on another trip soon to visit Happy’s Home and our Farm project. We will also see if this trip can be coordinated to provide some relief to over 2,000 villagers who were recently attacked by the Burma Army. They continue to remain in hiding while the Burma Army pillage their homes, destroy their schools and clinics and leave landmines behind in their wake. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering so greatly.

When we return from this next trip we hope to have a better idea on where God is leading us next. We’re not sure if a move closer to or along the border is in our future or not but we are praying a great deal about that now. Please pray for God to show us His will on how He wants to use us best for the building of the Kingdom. We thank you all for your love, prayers and support. God bless you.

Austin, Sinte and Ewing

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The Pink Wall

January 11, 2010 by A H.

Dear Friends,

Typically our blog is used for presenting Farthest Corners news and updates. But I have also found blogs to be somewhat therapeutic so please allow this little vent. I have a pink wall. It is not something I am proud of, nor did I choose this pink wall out of my own volition. Instead, I see this pink wall as one who has chosen me.

Now many of you might be concerned by my coming out and sharing with you about my pink wall. Please do not be overly concerned, we are hoping it will be covered back up (we pray) by tomorrow. I digress, I am getting ahead of this saga that deserves a telling.

A few days ago our landlord came to our home bearing joyful news. He saw how our wall, which had a puke green look for the past 4 years needed a paint job. We were thrilled until he balanced this news with an increase in our rent. Drat you greeng jai! For those who speak Thai you understand greeng jai. For those who don’t, well let me just translate as saying “I got hosed”. Still, the rent is well below most all of our friends and we are happy where we are, so of course we took the news in a balanced way thinking, well at least our will get a paint job.

This morning the landlord calls. All is well! The painters are coming in haste, open thy gate and welcome them with gifts. Actually, he just said make sure I open the gate for the painters to come that morning, but a story teller must be allowed to embellish a tad. I leave watching our painters sanding the wall, a good sign these men might actually do a half decent job. I return home seeing our painters resting drinking some cold cokes and water my wife provided (only following the customs). Time for a chat and of course I ask the question “so what color will our wall be?” They responded “Oh it will be three colors.” Hmmmm….. “Three colors you say, and what colors would they be.” They hit me with a doozy at first saying pink. Of course for those who know me, it was like getting sucker punched in the gut. However, I grimmaced only (thanks to prior Thai culture training) and continued to listen that the other two colors would be brown and white.

Now I want you all to take that all in. Three colors brown, white and pink. On the wall that surrounds our house. Perhaps my lovely wife Sinte said it best “you know a little pink is ok in somethings, but not on the wall.

Ok, got it? Good, lets move onto the horror story. I’ve lived in Thailand a long time. So how do I proceed. I first talk with Rakchat (Farthest Corners Pastor/Evangelist/Whatever else I can wrangle him in doing) who said it looked like the color for a Thai dance show. Unfortunately, he is right but we just don’t have many Thai dancers at our house right now. Tis a sad tale that only goes deeper. I then began to talk with the painters who informed me that it would only look better when the brown was put on tomorrow. Instantly, I recognized the problem. Our painters must be color blind…we are in deep trouble. I then called our landlord who is great, we even invited him and his family to our wedding. So we love him, but this man is no Martha Stewart. He informed me to wait until the painters had finished and then if I wanted to repaint it, to feel free. Ok, ding ding ding! Good answer. I’m willing to spend another 25$ and about 5 hours to cover up this monstrosity. Unfortunately, we then dove further into the abyss. For reasons completely out of my control I then had to spend pretty much the entire afternoon sitting in a Thai Market speaking/screaming over the crowd with the landlord and painters on the phone, trying to get this one point across in Thai. I will pay the $25 and I will choose the paint color I like. My Thai ain’t great mind you. But I know that part should have been clearly understood. Yet, at the end of the day it was decided by our landlord that maybe neon pink wasn’t the way to go. So tomorrow we start anew! With a new paint color (yet again of the landlord’s choosing) that I have been assured will be nicer. Anyone want to take any bets on this?

Ahh, amazing Thailand.

Prayers for another day would be appreciated.

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A New Year!

January 7, 2010 by A H.

Dear Friends,

We greet you this season from Thailand - one member stronger. On November 8, 2009 we welcomed Ewing, a bouncing bundle of energy who is growing by leaps and bounds. Sinte had some complications following his birth requiring additional hospitalization but she is well now and we are thankful. We were especially thankful that members of Sinte’s family (sister Suite, brother Lalte and wife Dite) and Austin’s family (mother Lisa and brother Travis and wife Jamie) were able to visit to help out. We are so very blessed with the churches and community members who support our work in Thailand and Burma. We especially thank everyone for your prayers for us and Farthest Corners.

What is being accomplished in Thailand and Burma? As our ministry has increased, so has the need for help. In early 2009, we added to the Farthest Corners team when we hired Rakchat, a Karen-Thai pastor. He has been a valuable asset working along with us. Recently, he went on a mission trip to northern Karen State to check on a few of our projects. He also preached at a training session for relief workers.

While in Burma, Rakchat stayed at Happy’s Home which has grown considerably with 51 children now living there. We have added a teacher to assist the Board Master and his wife. He comes in the evenings and week-ends to tutor the children. He is a great addition as the children at the home are making improvements in their grades. We also recently put in a water-powered generator to power lights so the children now have a chance to study in the evening. Before this the children had to study by candlelight. Quite a few developed eye problems. The children continue to work diligently in their garden that is producing quite well. They are proud of the food they have grown which includes beans, melons and many other vegetables that have become a staple in their diet. We have also started a few new projects around the home. The rabbit project is going nicely and they are breeding as quickly as well…rabbits. We have also started to breed catfish and another kind of fish. As both of these projects grow we plan to pass on the knowledge and the resources for outlying villages to help sustain themselves.

One of our biggest projects is Happy’s Home Farm which was started about 2 years ago. This farm is about a 6 hour walk from the home. We were unable to get enough water this year for rice paddy fields to be developed. Instead, we started planting beans. In 2010, we are hoping to be able to complete the irrigation ditch and also be able to have enough water to develop the rice paddies.

We recently received from Australia over 10,000 books to be delivered to Burma and along the border. Teachers have already begun to come to our home to select the books for teaching children.

This year we began financial support for two seminary students in Yangon. We will continue to support these and others as our budget allows. Providing educational assistance forges a partnership with these students that when they graduate they will complete a one year mission, preferably in Chin State, an area Austin would be unable to visit because of Visa restrictions. We would like to offer the same financial assistance opportunity to Farthest Corners supporters who would be willing to contribute $25 per month for this mission.

Most recently we partnered with the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People, a good trustworthy group, to deliver nearly $1,000 in rice relief to Burma. Being able to partner with groups like this one allows us a wider reach with our relief money.

The upcoming year looks promising and challenging. We are praying about a few ministry opportunities and we will most likely know in the coming months if this will require us moving closer to the border area or if we will remain in our current home and focus on building a stronger national team. Our family is also hoping to send spend some time together at Happy’s Home in Karen State and the farm in the coming months. That is, of course, if our new son Ewing is up to the challenge. We won’t do anything unsafe. We covet your prayers. Please know that we are also praying for you. We love you and hope you have a healthy and happy new year. God bless you and thank you.

Austin, Sinte and Ewing

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New Happenings!

October 26, 2009 by A H.

Sinte and I have definitely settled back into our work and lives here since we returned in June. We have been busy reconnecting with our friends all over Thailand and Burma. Of course the news many of you want to hear is how Sinte’s pregnancy is going. She is doing fine and we’re expecting the baby any day now. Stay tuned! We had a great time at our skype baby shower just a few days ago and would like to thank everyone for coming! We are looking forward to many sleepless nights and dirty diapers. Sinte says her job is to feed, my job is to handle the other end. I’m still new at being a husband, but one thing I have learned these last few months, don’t ever attempt to argue with a pregnant wife.

A few week ago I completed my Masters of Divinity. With my classes coming to an end I look forward to doing more mission work inside Thailand and along the border area with a Master of Divinity under my belt.I’ve also the last couple weeks attended a training to receive a TEFL degree teaching english. It has been great having experienced teachers critique my teaching style in Thai classrooms and they helped me to see some new techniques to educate children here.

In August, we started to provide full support for two Bachelor of Theology students at a seminary in Yangon. We learned about these two students through a professor friend in Yangon who was concerned they would not be able to complete their studies, because they came from poor families.  To pay for their tuition, books, food as well as providing some pocket money is about $300 a year for each student. In exchange for this support the students at the end of their studies will serve for at least one year in a ministry with their home church, do mission work or possibly have an option to work alongside Farthest Corners in some form of mission. We are also hoping next year to add more students, but we will do so as God provides.

Sinte recently received word from her friends in Burma who live close to the Bangladesh border. Its difficult to get news from there because of it being so remote. They shared with us about how the aid we provided a few months back has really encouraged many of the people to see God’s love.  The churches are growing in those areas and we praise God for that growth. Real suffering is happening there and we’re hoping to respond in the coming weeks to provide relief. When we give a little, God tends to do a lot!

Rakchat, the Thai-Karen pastor who works with Farthest Corners is now on a one month mission relief trip. He called me yesterday and informed me how the trip is going well. He has been teaching the bible at a training, linking up with leaders to provide some rice relief and also visited Happy’s Home and the Farm. He brought with him 12 rabbits and some fish for Happy’s Home too.  We’ve been working with breeding fish and rabbits for over 6 months here and so we think we got the hang of it. A few great escapes were made by some of our rabbits in the past with a suspicion that our neighbor was involved. I say suspicion because there was no hole in the cage and our neighbors now just happens to have the same color rabbits as we use to have.

That covers a little bit about what is happening here. The next couple of days are going to be exciting ones for us and we look forward to sharing more news and pics with you soon. Thank you all for your love and support. We could not be serving in the way we are without you. Please keep praying for us, the Farthest Corners team here and the work we are involved in. To God be all the glory!

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Returning Home

July 15, 2009 by A H.

To our family, friends and churches,

It is difficult sometimes when I think about the meaning of home. Sinte and I were able to return to our home here in Thailand about a month ago after being in my home in the US since April. For us both Thailand is not our home country, but where we are called by God and it has become home to us. Still, while my heart is here in Thailand/Burma it was great being home in the US having my wife alongside me. Meeting family and friends whom not only I love but now she loves too.

Its incredible to be able to talk and share with each other now about how blessed we are by God, to be loved by so many. When our time came to leave we were sad while at the same time we felt it was time to go home. I believe this last trip confirmed with many of you that it is God’s will for us to be here and we are so glad to be in His call.But being in God’s call doesn’t mean our lives will be perfect.

When we returned to Thailand our roof had a large hole in it and we found in one of our rooms about an inch of water (its monsoom season here now).  We also lost our home telephone line and Internet because we did not pay the bill while we were away. Worst of all on our return home a couple of items were missing, and while we know who the thief was, we ask for prayers on how best to handle it.

Happier news in our lives is that our expected baby is doing well with Sinte being four months pregnant. We visited the doctor and did our sonogram and everything looks great. Sinte feels the baby moving and with this being our first, we are excited for this wonderful gift God has given us.

Also, my seminary studies are going well and I won’t bore you with all the details of that.  But oddly enough I am getting Greek so far, which I equate to a miracle.We’re getting into the routine of things here at home with all its strangeness. Sinte’s sister last week came to visit us and she was ironing some clothes when a snake came out of a pair of my jeans she was ironing. She screamed and I ran into the room laughing asking what it was. Then I realized there was a snake in the room. Thank God, Sinte was not there in the room or ironing because that would have meant our immediate move to another home.  After killing the snake (which turned out to be a very small cobra) I kept telling Sinte’s sister, “Don’t tell Sinte, don’t tell Sinte, don’t tell Sinte!!!” What is worst though is that those clothes had been in a chair in our house for a couple days, who knows how long that had been there, or if we have any more guests. So this is home for us.  A strange picture with strange stories for maybe many of you in the US. But for us its normal, except for that cobra popping out of a pair of my jeans, that was sort of crazy.

We’d like to ask for you all to continue to pray for our friends and family in Burma. Last month about 4,000 new refugees fled into Thailand due to attacks by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) whom are supported and aligned with the Burma Army on the border. There are many organizations trying to assist now and do so because they have crossed into Thailand and the Thai Army is allowing these refugees in. Unfortunately, there are many thousands inside Karen State who are under attack and getting nothing at all. We scrounged up some used clothes and also purchased 300 plastic buckets so people can keep clean water and also use it for other needs. But the people in Burma need our prayers the most, please pray for them.

We want to thank all of you for all of your love, prayers and support that you have given us. We praise God for all of you and while we are separated from each other now, we know this is only temporary for we have a great deal of time in heaven together to be with each other. May our gracious Lord continue to guide us all as we seek to glorify Him!

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Honeymoons and Prayers

March 8, 2009 by admin.

 

As I sit down to write this letter I am filled with joy and thankfulness for all God is doing here.  Praises Abound!

 

1. Our last trip to visit Happy’s Home went very well. My wife and I made this jungle trip our quasi-honeymoon. I had no problem considering this walk in the jungle our honeymoon, she thought otherwise. Hence, my carefully chosen terminology of quasi-honeymoon. Happy’s Home has faced some challenges in the last couple of years but each one has been overcome through God’s grace and wisdom. In the next two years Happy’s Home will be undergoing a transition, becoming more self-sufficient as the farm and garden projects they have developed continue to grow. This will allow us to focus mission money in a new direction and expand our focus.

 

2. In January, a Thai-Karen couple was hired to join with us in our work. Rakchat and his wife Sen Tien worked in a Karen church along the border for many years and have a great deal of ministry experience. They are a first step in our vision for Farthest Corners to be more national based. Currently, they are doing work for us on the border working alongside friends there. When their children have completed classes in March they plan to move to Chiang Mai. Then a great amount of training and new opportunities for ministry will begin.

 

3. The seminary education that I have been blessed to receive these past few years should be completed this year. My classmates and I finished our comprehensive examinations last week which tested us on everything we have learned the past three years.  The next couple of weeks are filled with writing papers and final examinations for this semester.

 

4. My wife and I plan to be in the US from mid-April – mid-June. I look forward to introducing her to many of you. We also plan to be officially married. (Unfortunately, her country does not allow their citizens to marry foreigners and so we cannot get the paperwork needed from her embassy.) We plan to have a marriage blessing ceremony and reception on April 18. For more information about this or if you would like for us to visit you, your church or an organization feel free to contact the Board at info@farthestcorners.org

 

As praises in our lives and those we serve abound, so do our prayer needs.

 

1. Sinte and I are considering a couple of opportunities to take some relief and ministry work trips either separately or together in the coming weeks. Prayers for safety and doors to be opened would be appreciated.

 

2. While our lives are busy here we will need to slow down on March 8, 2009 for a time of prayer for Burma. We ask you to please share with your church, family and friends prayer concerns for our brothers and sisters in this country.  Please pray for:

 

• • Victims of the Cyclone that killed over 150,000 people last year and traumatized over a million more in the delta region of Burma.
  • The oppression against those who resist among the ethnic minority groups as well as those like Aung San Suu Kyi and many others who are in prison or under house arrest for their stance on freedom.
  • The famine that exists in western Burma due to a rat plague that has destroyed many crops.
  • Please pray for us and our many friends here too, who continue to reach out to serve those in need of hope and love.   

 

Thank you for your prayers and love for us. We look forward to seeing many of you soon!!!

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A MISSIONARY’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

December 21, 2008 by admin.

As you read this Christmas letter, Sinte and I are now inside Burma with the children at Happy’s Home. We wanted to spend our first Christmas together in the country we are called to serve, alongside the people we love. Friends and family have often asked why I serve as a missionary to a country like Burma?  Why don’t I become a pastor in America? After all, Americans need help too.  I now know that I am here to do what all of us are called to do; to be messengers of hope. Too often we focus on the aspect of love that God has for us and we for Him, but we forget the hope God gives us. Hundreds of years before Christ was born the prophet Isaiah wrote, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)  In a time, with little hope, the prophet Isaiah received a gift, or perhaps a glimpse, that ‘Immanuel’ (God is with us) will come.

The people in Burma face hardships that few of us could ever imagine, but they also have hope. God is truly in Burma in a powerful way because there is so much evil that must be faced there.  This past year you have read in the news about protests being stopped, a cyclone killing hundreds of thousands, famine raging in western Burma and a bogus voting process for the constitution. You read how the military dictatorship holds onto power and how the people of Burma suffer. Yet, you hardly ever hear anything good about Burma. You don’t learn about the teachers serving in hiding places, giving children an education for their future. Nor do you see the medic who runs from one village to another giving what little medicine she has to help the people; or the resistance soldier who serves for no money, but protects family and friends from those who wish to do them harm.  These men and women are great messengers of hope in this country.

So Sinte and I and join alongside you and our brothers and sisters in Burma to proclaim the good news full of hope. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14) May we never forget the great message of Christmas.  God is with us, and because of this we have hope.

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God Opening Doors for Selma and for Our Ministry.

November 9, 2008 by admin.

To my friends, family and church,

 

I would like to first begin with how Farthest Corners recently experienced a loss.  Selma Corder, who passed away not to long ago, was a man who believed in me.  When I was young Selma would have candy for me and many of the other kids at church.  He also taught me how to give by handing me quarters before the offering plate came down our pew.   Since I have been on mission I made it a point to visit Selma whenever I was home. In recent years he wasn’t able to get around as much and he and my father would joke about his transmission being broken.  Through all the years there was one certainty about Selma:  He was always encouraging. I believe when Selma passed on he went before our Lord and was welcomed into His kingdom saying “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  I can only pray to live a life to inspire others like Selma did.

 

I think last week Selma would have been especially proud if our Lord allowed him a peek at what was happening here. Recently I had an opportunity to travel with my mission and evangelism professor, Allan Eubank to visit Ley Tah Kuh a village of the Tey Lah Kone Karen people.  I have come to this village many times before, but this was the first trip I had been on with Allan, and it was eye opening.  Allan, who is now 79 years old, has been coming to this village for almost 50 years sharing about our Lord’s grace and mercy. This year God has blessed Allan by allowing him to see the fruit of his labor (a true gift for any missionary). After 50 years of work, he was able to baptize the first believer in this village.  This baptism opened the door for thirty-three more Tey Lah Kone people (10 families) to be baptized. The key to this transformation is that many of the Tey Lah Kone are tired of the spirit worship they have been enslaved to.  As families turn to Jesus as their Lord and Savior they no longer need to worship these spirits, instead they are free!  During the trip, we were able to visit  two homes where families also wanted to be free in Christ. We burned the objects they used for Spirit worship and went through the house praying and laying on hands calling for God’s protection . I know this may seem strange to some westerners but for me the proof is found in the change of our brothers and sisters. God is truly working here and I am excited to just be invited and play a very small role in this work. 

 

A few days later I was on another part of the border and was called to meet with a Karen leader.  Usually, when I receive a call from him, it is to discuss the need for medicine or rice in a certain area of Karen State. But it turned out our meeting had little to do with relief,  I was instead called to talk about theology and to pray with him.  He has recently semi-retired from his leadership position and now wants to go out into the jungles to encourage and preach the gospel to the Karen IDP’s.  So, instead of talking about rice and medicine we talked about theologies dealing with hope and liberation which I have studied at my seminary.  He wants to develop a theology for his people so they too can see God in new ways. During the meeting I prayed for another Karen leader who was about to return to his home. He asked if I was a Pastor, I said no but I was studying the bible and was a brother to the Karen people. He answered “well you pray like a pastor.” I don’t know if this was a compliment or not, but I’ll take it nonetheless. 

 

God has really started to open up doors for the ministries here. But none of this is possible without people like you. I wish you could see the faces of those you have given rice and medicine.  I wish that you could meet the children at Happy’s Home who have been given a place to live and study due to your support. Please know God sees your love and efforts. Thank you for all you do.

 

May we continue to seek out opportunities to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. To Him alone be all the glory.   

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God’s Work in My Life

September 3, 2008 by admin.

To my friends, family and church,

It has been a whirlwind of activity since my last newsletter. I wish I could list everything that has happened here in the field but, I think the task is too big so I have decided to change the focus of this newsletter. Today’s letter will be more of a witness to God’s work in my life.

I remember many years ago friends of mine in Georgia would tell me “no man is an island.” Deep down I was always thinking “I’m pretty darn good at being an island.” That all changed in the Spring of 2007 when I invited some classmates from seminary to come with me to deliver some roofing for a house along the border. One of the classmates, showed me what a woman of God can be like. During the trip my eyes were opened to see her as beautiful in so many ways that my heart truly changed. A small courtship began (well, in my eyes anyway). She ever so graciously informed me that Chin women were difficult to get and I was considered a long shot at best. She used the analogy that Chin men are like hunters, always chasing women but never bringing any home. It is with some pride that I can say she underestimated my patience and my ever growing love for her. On August 8, the hunt came to a close and we were engaged in a small ceremony with her family and friends present. We are now planning our wedding on November 22. While she is in Yangon I have become the wedding planner. For many of you this is beyond funny. I wish you could have seen my bewildered face when I was told by friends that yes, she really does need a hairdresser and makeup person for the wedding. Some things I just will never understand. If she needs a makeup person…why don’t I get one?

Of course there are more important questions happening than makeup and hairdressers in our lives. The first in my mind is what does this all mean for Farthest Corners? For one I know it means I will take on the additional responsibilities of being a husband, but I am thankful this woman will be at my side to correct me when I make a mistake (which I so often do). I also know that we will be making many tough decisions together as both of us are called to serve in the building God’s kingdom. Her role as a professor will continue until February and then she will come to Thailand for at least a year while we discern God’s will together. We ask for your prayer during this time.

Meanwhile, the work of Farthest Corners continues. I am leaving for the border soon with a shipment of educational books. During the same trip, I will meet with our contact at Happy’s Home. Our locator program has been revamped by the efforts of a friend in Partners who is using our database to help update Children profiles in the refugee camps and along the border.

The situation on the border areas of Karen State has been relatively quiet with no new attacks recently. This is primarily due to the monsoons., The attacks on the people in the jungle are likely to start again when the dry season starts in just a few months. One ministry that really has taken off in the last couple of months has been my work at the Wa Hostel in Chiang Mai. I am now leading a team of seminary students every week and it has been an amazing blessing to see the children respond. I have also started to do some preaching in Thai and a couple of Karen churches have asked me to preach as well..

There is so much to write about! What I really need now is prayer to recognize that in the end God does all the work and I am just one of many he has called to do it. Please remember to change your prayers to include both of us as we plan to serve our Lord together and follow His will and way. Again, thank you all for your love and support.

In His Love,

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A Visit to Yangon

June 25, 2008 by admin.

To our friends, family and church supporters

This letter is difficult for me to write as my emotions cannot be properly expressed, especially in a Christ like way. As I witness what is happening in Burma the anger inside me has risen up that I have not felt in many years. It has driven me to a point where I have a hard time recognizing the Burma Army dictatorship as even human and I struggle with many questions. How could these dictators be human with their neglectful attitudes and their power hungry hearts trying to take advantage of this disaster in order to make them selves richer? . How can these men be worthy of the title human? Or are we truly this bad as sinners? Are these men the perfect example of sinners without boundaries or is it more? I must admit my walk in faith as of yet does not provide me with adequate answers. Or maybe it does and I am just afraid to be obedient. One thing I do know is that I must continue to pray and in this prayer the words of “How long O Lord, How long?” must be shout out.

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to obtain a Visa to visit Yangon and meet with friends about their relief efforts, as well as volunteer and teach at a local seminary there. Within hours of my arrival I was shuttled to a number of meetings to discuss the Cyclone Nargis tragedy with Christian Church groups. The stories and pictures that were shared were horrifying if not shocking.

The most memorable meeting was with a Karen couple. The husband had been in the delta region when the storm had hit. The well educated man heard the warnings from the government a few hours before the cyclone made landfall. Still, he said, the Burma Army gave no instruction as to what to do and never said to move to higher ground. He said that if he did not understand the magnitude of this storm that was coming, how could the simple farmers surrounding him know any better? He believed that this was the primary reason for the high death toll.

His wife told me how she had been a teacher but during that time she was suspected of being an enemy of the state and was placed in prison without trial for three years. It was during this time She met her husband who was a jail guard. Knowing that she was innocent, he took pity on her during her incarceration. After she was released they were married. Still she could not teach in her village because of the risk of being imprisoned again. It was at this time that she began serving in the church. She shared with me that her village which is on one of the many islands just off the coast of Burma’s Delta, now has nothing left. All of the houses are gone and many bodies remain afloat in the flooded fields. Yet some of the people have survived. Those that remain face problems caused by the water that flooded over the dikes of their rice fields

As the woman talked I came to grips with how bad this situation really is. After receiving perhaps the greatest strike possible in this disaster, now her people are faced with the tragedy of not being able to plant their rice this year.

The men and women I met on this trip humbled me with their efforts. Truly they are the heroes as they continue to risk being imprisoned (for some another time) to bring essential relief supplies and aid to their people. I was also amazed at how our emotions fluctuated during the meetings. One moment we would be laughing together and then in the next moment there would be complete silence. At the end of our meetings, I would lead the groups in prayer asking God to help us all to do what is right in the face of diversity. May our Lord be glorified by our meager efforts.

In the past month, Farthest Corners has been able to raise over $5,000 to help with the cyclone relief effort. Thanks to brothers and sisters like you, this has been done while we also must continue to maintain our service and ministries in the war torn areas of Burma. Our cyclone relief aid has assisted pregnant and now widowed wives who are in desperate need for care; it has provided rice and shelter for every household in one village; it has given money for church groups; and it has outfitted a relief team that as I write this letter they are attempting to reach and serve in areas who have yet to receive aid.

This week we are now looking at the purchase of farm equipment and 18 horsepower tillers that must be sent soon. By July, the tilling season will be too late and the crops can no longer be planted. Unfortunately, most villages are unable to plant or are too scared to return to the fields where there are still so many decomposing bodies. However, all decisions I believe should be made by the people closest to the problem so I await the team’s safe return and report in the coming days. But please know and be in prayer for that the next year or two will be probably the hardest this country will ever face economically and emotionally.

I continue to ask for your prayers as we as an organization move ahead in response to this tragedy. I ask for your prayers for our brothers and sisters there who are in desperate need in the country of Burma. I also personally ask for your prayers for me as I wrestle a great deal with what I have seen and how God calls me to see my enemies. The Burma Army has become the greatest of enemies in my heart and the challenge of how Christ calls me to respond is a difficult step for me. Your support as always is overwhelming and I am humbled by it. Thank you so much and may God guide us all!

Pictures received during the trip from our national network of friends are available here

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