Yesterday, MaryAnn and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Pratik Vangal, a high school junior from Portland, Oregon, who contacted us last summer about a project he was working on. Here is a little background from Pratik:
“A few years ago, I visited a small village in rural India. I observed high-smoke concentrations in poorly ventilated rural kitchens from extensive solid biomass fuel use for every-day cooking. The women complained of breathing discomfort, chest-pain, cough and eye irritation from chronic smoke exposure. I was deeply moved by their plight.”
“Upon return to the US, my study revealed the serious health risks from biomass smoke and the staggering size of the problem, impacting billions worldwide. I then began experimenting possibilities for low-cost ventilation to help underprivileged families in developing countries.”
The result of his experimentation led him to develop a low-cost ventilation system made from recycled computer fans and throw-away solar panels. These could be used to help remove cooking-fire smoke from houses in the rural villages.
He and his friend, Aaron Li, decided to find an organization working in rural India or Southeast Asia that might be able to work with them to implement their ideas. They searched the Internet and found Myanmar Hope Christian Mission.
We engaged in several meetings using video conferencing, discussing the problems, the proposed solution, the materials, and ways to bring the project to a complete success.
We were very interested in his project, because we know that COPD and related lung diseases are one of the leading causes of death in rural Myanmar, primarily because of the smoke inhaled during cooking.
Early this fall, Pratik notified us that he was going to use his solution as his final Eagle Scout project. We thought that was a great idea, too! He and his father scoured the Internet to find the best deals on parts, and then he recruited the help of his fellow scouts to assemble the finished systems. Pratik’s mother, Reshma, also helped with with some expert packing! That will be very important when we transport the finished systems to Myanmar.
Yesterday we met up with Pratik and his father, Sri, at a half-way point between our homes in order to pick up the finished systems. It was great to finally meet them in person, and to get some photos.
Our plan is to bring the ventilation systems with us on our next trip to Myanmar, God willing, and hopefully get them installed in some homes where they can be of good use. We also will try to help anyone interested in starting a local business making these in Myanmar for sale to other homes throughout the region.
We are so happy that Pratik found us on the Internet, and we are thankful for his ingenuity and his desire to use his knowledge and skills to help the poor and needy.
Pratik is a junior in high school, and does not yet know where he will be attending university. Wherever that is, we are sure they will be glad to have someone of his caliber among their students!
Thank you, Pratik, and also thank you Sri, for your help in making all of this a reality. We know you are very proud of your son.
Pratik published a paper about his project in a peer-reviewed journal, the International Journal of High School Research:
I’ve been thinking a lot about the current pandemic and the many crises that it is causing all over the world. I’ve also been thinking about my own life, my faith, and my response to the crisis. I’ve been thinking a lot about our family in Myanmar, which is just now starting to feel the effects of the pandemic.
I want to share with you some of my thoughts about all of this. Will you please read on? And after you read, will you share with us how you and your family are doing, and if there is anything about which we can pray with you and for you? Thank you.
These are all words and phrases that have recently entered our collective vocabulary. As many of us watched in horror and fascination at the extreme response of the Chinese government to the virus outbreak, it was almost like watching a Hollywood movie. And while the American government has not responded with anywhere near the extreme measures of the Chinese government, our lives have certainly been impacted in ways many would never have predicted.
So, how are you handling it all? Has your life and your family’s life been completely upended? Have you lost your job? Has someone you know contracted the virus? Do you know anyone who lost their fight to the virus?
No matter how severely your life has been impacted, one thing is for sure: we are living in a new reality. Just like 9/11 changed many things in our country forever, so I predict that this current pandemic will change many things forever. Maybe some things will be changed for the good, but many things will be changed in a negative way. However, only the passage of time will tell how much our lives will be really be changed in the long term.
As gold refined in the fire…
One thing that a crisis does is reveal our true faith. The Bible often uses the image of precious metals refined by fire as a metaphor for the testing of our faith (Zech 13:9; Psalm 66:10; Prov 17:3).
As gold or silver is melted down over a hot fire, the impurities in the metal separate and rise to the top, where they accumulate as dross. This dross is then scooped off and discarded as worthless. As the metal is repeatedly subjected to the heat, more and more dross is removed, eventually resulting in nothing but pure metal.
The Apostle Peter prays that when our faith (which is far more precious than mere gold) is tried, the result will be “praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet 1:6-7)
You and I are currently being tested by the COVID-19 pandemic. How are we handling the heat? Is my pure faith in Christ shining through, and am I allowing the dross to separate and fall away?
Focus on the main thing
Jesus told us to focus on the things that are truly important, and to let go of the dross. He told us not to worry about tomorrow, or about money or material possessions. In contrast, He said that we must first and foremost concern ourselves with the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.
He said, “Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:25) And then, after telling us why we shouldn’t worry about these things (verses 26 – 32), He commands us:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt 6:33–34)
“But what if I lose my job?” Don’t worry about tomorrow!
“But what if the stores run out of food or supplies?” Don’t worry about tomorrow!
“But what if I catch the virus?” Don’t worry about tomorrow!
“But what if…?” Don’t worry about tomorrow!
Is my faith genuine?
History has proven over and over again that in times of crisis or trouble many who once claimed to be Christians will fall away because their faith was never genuine to begin with. It is burned away in the fires of adversity.
True believers will stand firm in their faith, regardless of what comes their way. Now, this doesn’t mean there will be an absence of pain or fear. On the contrary, pain and fear are sometimes part of the refining process. But true faith will endure through the fear and pain, and it will come out of the fire stronger and more pure than ever before.
So, I ask again: how are you doing?
Do not let fear or anxiety over the future determine how you live out your faith today. The things that were important in the Kingdom of God before the virus hit are still important today, and they will still be important after the virus has run its course.
At MyHope we are so very thankful for all of our friends who have not allowed fear to determine their actions. These believers know that their regular love gifts to help the Myanmar Christians are just as important now as they were before, and therefore they have not stopped giving, or even cut back on their giving. These believers are truly “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
We also know that some of our friends have lost their jobs, or have lost business income, and therefore have had to scale back or even stop their giving to MyHope. We understand, and are not casting judgement. We each have to live our lives in the sight of God and we all must make decisions according to the wisdom He has given us.
I do want to plead with you, however, not to make such decisions lightly or to make them based on fear or anxiety over the future. Our brothers and sisters in Myanmar are just starting to feel the effects of the pandemic, and their lives will probably be impacted in a far worse way than we could ever imagine.
There are no Walmarts, Costcos, or Amazons for the people in the villages. There are no government programs like unemployment insurance, and no stimulus checks will be forthcoming. The Myanmar health care system is already ranked as one of the very worst in the world, and they are woefully unprepared for anything like the COVID-19 pandemic.
In short, they still need our help, and now perhaps more than ever before.
If you are now, or have been, considering decreasing or cancelling your current giving to our family in Myanmar, will you please reconsider? And will you even consider increasing your giving? Think about how your gifts have so greatly impacted the lives of those living in extreme poverty!
You have saved lives, you have fed the hungry, you have clothed the naked, you have quenched the thirsty, you have healed the sick, you have enabled prisoners to be visited with the Gospel of Christ. You have enabled believers to grow deeper in their faith and in the knowledge of the Word. You have furthered and strengthened the Kingdom of God in so many ways, ways too numerous to count.
You have already laid up great treasure in Heaven. Please do not stop now, when your love is needed more than ever.
Those who endure will be saved
In Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, He said that some believers will endure for a while, but when when tribulation or persecution arises they fall away because they “have no root.” (Mark 4:17) I pray that you, and I, and all who read this will be “rooted and grounded in love” and that we will all “have strength to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” and that we would be “filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph 3:14-21)
Thank you for “enduring to the end” of my little speech. Will you please let us know if there is anything we can pray for you about? Send us an email or message us on Facebook. We will pass your request along to our family in Myanmar who will also be praying for you. And I can guarantee you, because I know from personal experience, that when the children and staff at Hope Boarding School pray, God listens to them and answers their prayers!
God bless you, and may you experience the true peace that passes all understanding.
My lovely wife MaryAnn, whom I sometimes affectionately refer to as “my editor,” has reminded me several times that it’s my turn to write a blog post about our recent trip to Myanmar (March 1 to March 16, 2020). And since I always do what my editor tells me to do, here it is, for better or worse.
Return (verb): to come or go back to a previous place.
I write this from our current place of residence in Spanaway, Washington, USA. We returned here from Myanmar a few days ago. The day after we got here I returned to work. I work from home as a computer programmer on contract, so it was pretty easy to pick up from where I left off and continue working on “my” module of the system we are building.
Normally, returning to our daily routine after a trip to Myanmar takes several days, and sometimes longer. The jet lag hits really hard travelling west to east, or so it seems to us. But this time we had a thirty-three hour layover in the Seoul Incheon International Airport and we were able to get a good night’s sleep in the wonderful transit hotel located inside the airport. That seemed to make a big difference.
The world around us is struggling with how best to deal with the exploding COVID-19 pandemic. Washington was the first state in the USA to have a confirmed case of the virus, and since then there have been hundreds more, with several dozen deaths attributed to the virus so far. Now many other states are reporting cases and deaths, with New York taking one of the worst hits.
People are being told to stay home and avoid contact with other other people. Schools and businesses are closed, worship services and other public activities are cancelled, and life in general is being disrupted for most.
MaryAnn and I are homebodies and since we both already work from home, our lives are not that much different than before.
This is the life that we returned to when we came back from Myanmar.
However, when I think of the word return I cannot help but look forward to returning again to Myanmar. With each trip back from our friends and family in Myanmar it seems more like we are leaving home and going away on a temporary exile, and counting down the days until we can return again to our home in Myanmar. We don’t own a home of our own there, but it feels to us like home, and I know our family there would say that their home is our home, too.
(MaryAnn literally counts down the days to our next visit using an app on her phone. Ask her anytime and she can tell you the exact number of days until our next trip.)
Return (verb): to give, do, or get something after something similar has been given or done to you.
Many people over the years have asked us why we go to Myanmar. It’s hard to answer that question in just a few short sentences. Depending on who’s asking, sometimes I’ll just say, “To visit family and friends.” If the questioner seems really interested, and is not just being polite, I will expand on that to talk about the people that we love, the family that we cherish, and the work that we do there.
All of those are truly reasons why we go. But there is a greater reason, and it has to do with the word return. We want to return some of what we have been given.
We were blessed with love and friendship when Palal, Kikim, and Solomon came and shared a home with us for a few years. We want to return that love and friendship with them and with their other children, Cherry, Noah, and Mary.
We are blessed by our Father in Heaven with material wealth (relatively speaking) and we want to return some of that back to Him through our giving and loving and going.
We are blessed with eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, and we want to share that life with those who don’t yet possess it by proclaiming the Gospel of the King. We want to teach others how to live in it, at least to the best of our knowledge and abilities. This is our way of returning the blessings.
And we are most certainly not only on the giving side of this equation! The people of Myanmar return to us so many gifts of indescribable worth. Gifts of love, joy, hospitality, freedom, respect, honor, commitment, faith, and so much more. We always feel like we receive back so much more than we have ever given, and that feeling compels us to return again and again.
Return (verb): to happen again.
Another definition of the word return means to “happen again.” As in, “When I think of our family in Myanmar, and our wonderful visits there, many good feelings and memories return.”
But my favorite definition of the word return was the first one I mentioned: “to come or go back to a previous place.”
As in, “I can’t wait until we return to Myanmar again!”
Though I’ve given thought to the idea of a blog post over the past 2 weeks, and even struggled more with the idea during the night, I’m not doing well with expressing myself! During our time in Myanmar, regardless of where we were, I had such a sense of being overwhelmed by the love of God. So that is what I titled my blog post and I wrote it in the form of an acrostic:
Overwhelmed by God’s mercies, that He enabled me, of ALL the folks with Myanmar Hope ministry, the opportunity to actually be in His presence worshipping with hundreds of Kuki Christians. A foretaste of the event in Revelation 7:9!
Victorious church: THANKS to so many who are helping our Myanmar brothers & sisters in the process of building one another up. I see many changes demonstrating God is answering prayers and gifts are definitely well-spent! Praise the Lord!
Engaged & energetic: The Hope Boarding School students are an absolute delight – such fun to observe & interact with them & see their personalities emerge as they got past their initial shyness with us!
Reflecting the humility of Jesus Christ: that describes the MyHope workers, whether in the New Hope Prison Outreach, the East/West Garden, the New Pathway Home for widows, or Hope Preschool. Those of you who work with preschool and children’s ministries would be impressed by how these sweet ladies quickly bring children into readiness for an activity and help them understand what to do! Lord, You continue to teach me what true humility is!
Wonder: on the faces of men, women, teens, and children as thirty-one individuals (from age 14 to age 75) quote the entire Psalm 105 from memory; groups sing praises; others perform in unity – even as the temporary wooden platform shakes and bounces up and down with the slightest of steps.
Hospitality: In a home simply built of bamboo with a tin roof I lay on a thin mat recovering, while they kept watch, offering hot tea & soup, and swinging their dozing infant in a woven cradle nearby. Precious memory!
Ever patient: Palal and Kikim, Chuck and MaryAnn as they showed us various aspects of the ministry, told stories of the developments, answered questions, answered MORE questions, and cared for our physical needs. Lord, thank you for these amazing leaders!
Loved: Extravagantly loved by God, we live in His forgiveness, His grace, His desire that all might come to know, love, and glorify Him – we are compelled to share HIS story! The landscape is dotted with golden Buddhist pagodas and the stillness of the night is broken by loudspeakers droning the Buddhist teachings… my heart breaks for them as they are like lost sheep without the Good Shepherd.
Melting in the heat: and ever so thankful when the girls chose a water ride that drenched our hot faces!
Empowered: by our encouragement in coming alongside, they are growing and changing – just as we who partner, are also changed!
Daily diligent prayer: on behalf of our Myanmar brothers and sisters – a necessity, for we battle not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms! Keep praying!
We are currently somewhere over the Andaman Sea between Myanmar and Bangkok, on our first of three flights back to the US. As we wrap up our two-week trip with MyHope, there is so much to reflect on and process
It is a humbling feeling to be flying back to the United States in my comfortable plane, eating my tasty food, headed for my insulated, air-conditioned, and decorated home knowing that I just spent two weeks being taught so much about life and godliness from people who live in abject poverty. I assure you – I am so thankful for the many opportunities and gifts I have been given, yet there was something soul-wrenching and perspective-shifting about living with the beautiful people of Myanmar for this short time.
For those that can’t go to Myanmar and experience what our team had the honor of experiencing, I’d like toshare five things I have learned from the Kuki Christians in Myanmar.
1. Wealth is Relative
This isn’t a mind-blowing observation, but the point can’t be overstated. I could’ve told you before we left for Myanmar that there is more to life than money and financial wealth. However, my limited perspective still wasn’t able to fully grasp the true richness these people possess.
HBS Worship Service
In Myanmar I experienced joy, thankfulness, appreciation, and gratitude at levels that are hard to express with words. As embarrassing as it is to admit, it can be hard for my first-world mind to comprehend how someone can be so happy when they lack most of the things that bring me happiness. We spent a lot of time at Hope Boarding School, which houses 50 students from 5th-10th grade. None of those students have phones, video game systems, cool trendy clothes, or the newest back-to-school gear; however, the happiness and glee that permeated every pore of their bodies was clearly visible.
The things which they do have they are so thankful for, but they don’t attach value to them like we do with our material things. We were able to bring some gifts for the students and adults workers (sports equipment, shoulder purses, personal notebooks), snacks and candy, and the students were very excited. But I also saw students and adults offer to give their gift to someone else because they thought that person would like it more. Countless times we were invited into people’s homes, and these weren’t what many of us would consider a home. These are no-running-water, no-air-conditioning, holes-in-the-bamboo-walls-for-doors-and-windows, open-fire-for-a-stove kind of homes, yet the people welcome you and are honored to have you as a guest. In the US we often don’t want to have guests over until our floors are deep cleaned, windows spotless, and everything tidied up, and even then we feel “embarrassed” or insecure about our modest arrangements.
Adam hanging with some of the boys
We spent time at the Kuki Christian Convention in the rural northwest of Myanmar, where the average monthly income is around $20. The people there sang, danced, and prayed to the Lord with a heart of joy that you could feel in your bones. The way they live in community and love their neighbor as themselves is beautiful. The Kuki Christians in Myanmar are some of the richest people I have ever known, and it had nothing to do with finances.
I learned that wealth is truly relative.
2. The Faith of a Child is Something to Behold
Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:16-17)
I’ve never been able to read passages like Luke 18 and fully grasp the picture Jesus was painting… until this trip. The students at Hope Boarding School and the kids in the northwest at the convention possess a boldness of faith that I lack. Below are pictures of them singing and praying, but the snapshot in time doesn’t do it justice. The humility, trust, and innocence that those kids bring to the foot of the cross is something I desire to see in myself.
Christian worship at the 2020 Kuki Christian Convention
I’m not much of a crier (i.e. I’m often an emotional wreck; I cry at Hallmark commercials), but I was so overcome with emotion watching those kids sing with everything they had and pray like they knew it was being heard. I’ve heard Chuck and MaryAnn say that when the HBS students pray for something be ready to see God move. I know that God works in ways that I can’t comprhend, but I can totally understand what Chuck and MaryAnn mean. These kids pray with the confidence that there is a God who knows them and is listening to them. Most Christians I am around, including myself, don’t possess that kind of confidence even though Scripture affirms to us that it is so.
I learned that the faith of a child is something to behold.
3. Worship is contagious
After being around me for more than ten minutes it becomes apparent that I’m not much of a singer and I dance as though I have two left feet. Despite my clear lack of talent, I dance and sing like I believe I’m the love child of John Travolta and Adam Levine. Although I like to make a fool of myself, there are some settings where I hold back those unbecoming qualities because of appropriateness and not wanting to embarrass myself in front of certain people. A church gathering is one of those settings.
Children taking a play break at the 2020 Kuki Christian Convention
However, I don’t care who you are or what talents you do or don’t possess, you can’t gather together with the Kuki Christians and not dance and sing with a heart of joy! The first night of our convention the choir and worship team were leading songs and various people would come up and sing a special song. I kept being distracted by the people who would come up front between the chairs and stage and dance freely as they sang. At first, I was super uncomfortable and couldn’t help but be turned-off, as I felt it was probably distracting to others at the convention like it was to me. Oh, how shallow is my perspective of worship.
More and more people would work their way forward to dance and sing as the weekend convention went on, and on the last night I was right up there with them dancing their traditional Kuki dance. Did I look absolutely ridiculous? For sure! Did I or anyone else care? Not at all! Their heart for worshiping the Lord was so pure and overflowing from their soul that it didn’t even matter that I couldn’t understand the words which they were praying and singing. The heart of worship transcends language barriers. I was far from my comfort zone, yet I couldn’t help but join in the communal worship happening around me.
I learned that worship is contagious.
4. The Church Was Given a Mission Not a Model
In the northwest we gathered at the convention with over 1,200 followers of Jesus from many different villages and at least 10 different church denominations. The boarding school was an equivalent representation of diversity. Not one time while we there did we meet inside a church building. In all of the times that we had sessions and Sunday services, we didn’t once take communion. (At least not as we see it in American Christian churches. More on this in the next thing I learned). We didn’t follow any kind of liturgy and there definitely wasn’t any value put on “production quality”. No fancy lights, only a sound system which we wouldn’t find suitable for our services.
Praying for and dedicating the newly constructed second floor at the New Pathway Home for Widows
Although much of what felt like “church”, as I knew it, wasn’t present, what was present was the gathering of believers, the intentional discipleship of the people, prayer for the nations, proclamation of the Gospel, and making a joyful noise to the Lord. Sometimes we confuse Church with the model of “church” that is familiar to us, but the living out of the Gospel that I have read and conversated about felt supernaturally real to me for the first time in Myanmar.
Jesus said to go and make disciples of all nations, and He also said that we had a new command to love one another in the same way that He loved us to the point of dying on the cross. This is our mission – tell the world about the Good News of Jesus Christ and, in doing so, love one another in a way that shocks those around us. I witnessed this lived out in Myanmar.
I learned that the Church can have a mission without a model.
5. Breaking Bread Breaks Barriers
The fifth thing I learned was by far the most unexpected and was also the perspective shift that I am still processing the most.
Those that know me well may or may not refer to me as a germaphobe (and by maybe, I mean they’d absolutely call me a germaphobe :-)). I’m not the kind of germaphobe that is constantly using hand sanitizer or avoiding public places, but I do avoid any kind of potluck, and I’m cognizant about the sanitation of anything I might touch or be near. I share this because I was nervous going into Myanmar due to the lack of FDA and health department standards, especially in the villages where I knew we’d be going. Remember, I’m the guy that doesn’t even eat food at large family gatherings, because I don’t know who made what. (It’s a problem, I know.) However, what I experienced as we ate meals together in Myanmar was the most spiritual part of the trip, in my opinion.
I remember studying table fellowship in seminary as we discussed the role of eating meals together in Scripture, like at the Last Supper (where communion has it’s biblical roots) and, while the idea was invigorating and inspiring, I couldn’t wrap my mind around how that translated to today. That changed in Myanmar.
The people there were the most hospitable I’ve ever met; they were constantly feeding us and bringing out fruit and nuts to snack on as we sat and talked. We would all sit around a big table and have life-giving conversations as though we had been close friends forever. Our cultural, spiritual, and personal backgrounds were all washed away as we ate meal after meal with each other. At the conference people from all the different villages would sit around during the breaks as they ate food and engaged with one another.
Yes, we sang, and we prayed, and we studied Scripture together, but there was something about sharing the table with one another that was so unifying and growth orienting. Although we didn’t take “communion” once in two weeks, we did commune together along with hundreds of others every day of the trip.
Jesus was at the center, His sacrifice was remembered, His kingdom was expanded, and His church was unified as we sat on plastic chairs around a table covered in fried rice and Shan noodles.
I learned for the first time that breaking bread breaks barriers.
You wouldn’t think that traveling halfway across the world to spend time with an impoverished people group would change much about your life in America. But, like me, you’d be wrong! In the villages of Myanmar I learned more about what it means to be human and what it means to love people like Jesus. I’ll never be able to see the world in the same way. Thank you, Kuki Christians, for that gift.
Will you join me in praying for the people of Myanmar? Pray that Jesus will be glorified and His name made great. Will you pray for Myanmar Hope Christian Mission, that the Spirit of God continues to open doors and show the leaders of MyHope where He is leading?
If you ever have a chance to go visit and be encouraged by the Kuki Christians in Myanmar then I strongly recommend you take that opportunity. If not, then here are a few more pictures that can give you a glimpse at these beautiful people.
All the love,
Adam Hamerlinck
Annie Hamerlinck with a child from a remote villagePraying for the new second floor at the New Pathway Home for WidowsA traditional Kuki home. This is the home of one of the HBS students.An ariel view of a remote village high up in the northern Chin hills.
My time in Myanmar thus far has been visually about what I expected. Different culture, many things that raise the eyebrows, including infrastructure, economic activity, lifestyle, living standards, etc. But nothing really SHOCKING.
However, I am here, on the ground. Add in the other six senses to the pictures you see on TV or the internet, and your soul is tattooed in a different way, and in a very short time. I am speaking mostly about smells, tastes, touches and hearing. All really different, and that doesn’t always mean less or bad.
I like to think I don’t believe I am BETTER than anyone on earth. But, I must say, living in America all my life, in that culture, I can tell you it is impossible to FULLY test that belief. We just pat ourselves on the back, sing “Jesus loves me” and declare it so.
I think that belief of myself has been turned on its head in 5 short days. Regrettably, I do believe I am better than many on earth. Not outright, but reviewing thoughts and actions, that attitude can be revealed, especially here.
Prior to this trip, in my VISUAL, I would say, “Ahhh, look at the poor little guy. I want so much to help. He has nothing and I do. I will send a check and he will be better.” And I will have scratched my itch of making sure I’m the same as him, I am no better than him. “Here is some money, now run along poor little guy, I have Cardinals baseball tickets and a game to go to.”
Tip: that pour little guy appreciated the help, but that isn’t the NEED. These people need your love. Sure, you can love them with your money, but that needs to be second to your love with your heart, your smile, your voice, your hands, your fellowship.
Nothing earth shattering, but as we sit and tell ourselves we are no better than anyone else, prove it to me WITHOUT using your checkbook.
Our time in Tamu (Northwest part of Myanmar), was full of memories and joy. We gathered with hundreds of Kuki people to sing songs, laugh, and talk about Jesus being Lord of our lives. We had the chance to eat lunch with Dr. T. Lunkim, the man who translated the Bible into the Kuki language for his people, and the man who put into motion the work that led to Myanmar Hope Christian Mission. We were able to walk the streets of Tamu, interact with the people in an organic way, visit the Buddhist monastery, and take pictures with young men and women wanting proof that they were in the company of white people. 🙂
The average income for a family living in northwest Myanmar is $20 a month or less. (This number is a rough estimate as jobs are sparse and rare in this region.) The unemployment rate in Tamu and surrounding villages is anywhere between 85 and 90 percent. A 100 pound bag of rice costs about $30. This one bag of rice is enough to feed a family of 4 an average of 2 rice meals a day for about a month. Poverty. As we walked around the city of Tamu, we see signs of this poverty everywhere: cows in the middle of a busy street feeding on a large pile of trash, people bathing and washing laundry in the same dirty water, untreated wounds and infections on the people, and trash littering every space of land you can see. This is the harsh reality for the families in the northwest.
A general lack of infrastructure and basic services is the daily reality for most people in Myanmar.
But the people! The Kuki Christians are full of joy and faith. Joy in the midst of what seems like a hopeless situation. Their smiles are contagious, and their laughs are constant. Their worship bleeds from their souls as they sing and dance for their Jesus. Their faith is awe inspiring. Praying fervently and continually and believing without an ounce of doubt that their prayers are heard and answered. They are dedicated to a life of worship to their God, knowing and believing that He is a good God.
The Kuki people live life together. Not together like we understand together – sitting in the same room or meeting together for short, scheduled visits – but eating together, sitting and talking together for hours and hours (without a phone in their hands), singing together, and even sleeping huddled together.
A Kuki worship service
Even in the midst of their extremely low means and access to virtually zero resources, pregnancy and new life is celebrated and honored. A new baby is cause for celebration and joy, not thought of as burdensome or an inconvenience.
Their homes are filled with lots of empty space, not having the money to purchase useless (or even useful) stuff. Even still, their hospitality rivals what we would call “southern hospitality” in the west. They certainly know how to make someone feel welcome and at home.
Worship. These people know how to worship their Jesus. They sing from their souls, they dance with no embarrassment, and they have no care for what other people might think. Even the children close their eyes and speak intently and passionately to God. With barely any finances or hope for an upcoming paycheck, they even give an offering to help those in need in their community. What an image of true sacrifice – all with joy! In song, in prayer, in life these people are a true example of what worship truly looks like.
Even though they are poor in worldly wealth, the Kukis are rich in generosity.
In America, we have access to clean water – to drink, to bathe, to wash our clothes, to waste. In America, we are surrounded by stuff – both to use and to live among and take up space in our homes. In America, we have all forms of entertainment at our fingertips. In America, we have access to communicate with whomever we want whenever we want. In America, we have the luxury of job opportunities (with exceptions). In America, we do not have to worry about ourselves or our children starving to death (with exceptions). In America, we have access to band aids and soap within a 10 minute drive.
In America, we don’t live in community like these beautiful people do. In America, we put our faith in ourselves, in our money, in our healthcare system. In America, we are desperately lonely people.
So who actually is living in extreme poverty? From my perspective, the Kuki people are the richest people in the world. We have so much to learn from this “impoverished” culture and these “poor” people. In this land, my faith is strengthened and my prayers are longer. Jesus seems to exude and pour out of these people who have nothing – but still have everything.
We leave tomorrow for the Kuki Christian Convention in Tamu. I was told I would be asked, and forcefully encouraged by my good friend Charles R. Cherry to stand before 1,500, maybe 2,000 people, most who speak zero to very little English and who I am culturally ignorant of, and give them some encouragement. That makes me a little nervous. I am speaking to my Denver Church people here… you all know Thad Kaylor.
I knew I could give them some good Kaylor gift of gab…that scared me as well. I prayed for God to put something significant on my heart – his words. Not mine. The only Bible verse I can see, right now, stamped in my soul by Pete Zeien when I was 13 or so in Sunday school youth class is 1 Corinthians 10:13.
No that can’t be right. There has to be some verse more profound than that. I closed my eyes and thought about the Apostles and the Saints, what would they say to a Church far away? But the Apostles and the Saints – all praised decade after century, would not come to my head.
I am very fearful to put names on paper, for I might forget someone, but names and faces did start coming to mind, each nodding their head at my selected verse. Pete Zeien, Leota King. Cuba Vilander, Laverne Melvin, Betty Clark Hellyer, Sonja Mabry, Mom, Chuck and Elly Q-Webb, Sandy LittleArlis Dittmer, Leroy Kaylor, all of my peers in Denver Church, all those in our little Community growing up who serve one another, who trade off Sunday school classes, communion preparation, building and grounds…all important, but none so much as doing what the Bible tells us: serve one another in love and bring up your children in the Lord.
Thank you all for your Christ like love and mercy, and in my case, for not giving up on me. In the next few days this Denver Church Kaylor kid is taking 1 Corinthians 10:13 to the edge of Magellan’s map.
Yes, I am fully drowning in my own tears right now.
Yesterday’s theme can only be described as “Fellowship”.
It started out with the team praying together after breakfast. We were the only ones in the Pinlon Hotel restaurant, so we were able to hold hands and pray out loud. We prayed for our families back home in the U.S.
Everyone has concerns and burdens for their loved ones, whether it’s health issues, spiritual well-being, loneliness, anxiety, whatever – it is such a blessing to bring these things to the Throne of God knowing our Father, Who loves them far more than we do or could ever imagine, is watching over them and providing for them.
Then we prayed for the Khongsai family and the upcoming convention. We thanked God for those working so hard behind the scenes to make everything ready, and prayed safety for those traveling to the convention. Again, what a blessing to be able to lift them all up to the Father!
At HBS we enjoyed a time of singing hymns together, accompanied by Katy on the guitar. Solomon, Cherry, and Noah each sang a solo accompanied by Solomon on his guitar. They all have beautiful voices, and Solomon has been quite adept at playing the bass guitar he received for his 15th birthday last November.
After spending some time visiting with Palal and Kikim, the students returned home from taking exams. Annie showed some of them how to make friendship bracelets, and pretty soon everyone wanted to make them.
Adam’s father, Todd Hamerlinck, donated sports t-shirts and matching caps. Kikim distributed them to all of the students and staff. It was so fun to watch them each receive their t-shirt and cap, leave the room, then return wearing the t-shirt and cap. Noah (4) and Mary (2) were thrilled to also receive their own t-shirt and cap. Now if that wasn’t just the cutest thing ever! Thank you, Todd. You made them all very happy!
This morning we head to Yangon International Airport to catch a two-hour domestic flight up to Kalay. After a night in Kalay, we will drive to Tamu, stopping along the way at the New Hope Prison Outreach guesthouse and the East/West Garden. Tomorrow evening (Friday) the 8th Kuki Christian Convention will begin. We can hardly wait! It will be wonderful for Sunny, Annie, Chuck, and I to see our beloved Kuki brothers and sisters again, and for Adam, Thad, and Katy to meet them. And the fellowship will continue!
Thank you all so much for your prayers, and for following our trip via Facebook and this blog.
Thank you for your prayers. We arrived safely in Yangon in the middle of the night, greeted by smiley faces. Everyone is eager to help us get settled. It is a hard shift transition to a new time zone, but we’re up and at ‘em in the morning to spend the day with the kids at Hope Boarding School. Fried rice for breakfast is the best! 🙂
We got to meet our sponsored children in person. You can’t help but LOVE these kids! We got to play street games like hop-scotch, sidewalk chalk, limbo, soccer, tennis balls, and jump rope. Plates and plates of fresh fruit, snacks, savory/sweet/spicy dishes are spread before us to graze on. We are well loved on here.
Today is another day at the boarding school, prepping and fine tuning for the Christian Convention. We leave tomorrow for the northwestern part of Myanmar. Pray for those coming and teaching that the Word of the LORD would not return void. Jesus is LORD of our lives!
