�မန�မå
MYANMAR2022|REMARKSMINISTRY|YOUTHWITHAMISSIONPERTH
Myanmarhasbeenincivilwarforthelast70years;it isthelongestongoingcivilwarintheworld.Addto thattheimpactofCOVID-19andthe2021military coup,andonemightthinkthatitwouldnotbeeasyto preachthegospel.Soweweresurprisedasweheard manygreatreportsofGodmovinginpeople’slives andmanymiraclesoccurring,andwewerewondering ifitwasalltrue.
WetraveledMyanmarin2022,fullofhopetohear storiesandtoencourageGod’sworkersinthefield. ThroughoutMyanmarandNorthernThailand,we heardtheconsistentreportthatGodhasbeenmoving greatly!ThousandswerecomingtoknowtheLord.
Manyoftheirtestimoniesaresimple,suchasvisiting asickwitchdoctoratahospitaltoshowlove.Others requiredgreatboldness,suchasonemansharingthe Gospeltovillagersastheywereliterallychasinghim withknives.Wesawthecreativityofthetwosisters pioneeringadeafministryinacountrywithonlythree schoolsfordeafpeople.Andwewereamazedbythe courageandresilienceofthebelieversinMyanmaras manyfacedbeingcastoutoftheirvillagesorworse.
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Thestoriesinthismagazinearethedirect testimoniesofthepeoplewemet,transcribed word-by-word.Theseareordinarypeople,with manyhopesanddreams,butwithaheartto followJesusthatisevidentineverythingtheydo.
Theaimofthismagazineistoinspireustomove inaction,togive,andtopray. Wehopethis magazinewillstiryourheartforMyanmar.
YouthWithAMissionPerth
RemarksMinistry
*Forsecuritypurposes,theirnamesandphotosarenotlinked.
©RemarksMinistry
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Habakkuk2:14
Fortheearthwillbefilledwiththeknowledgeofthe gloryofthe LORD asthewaterscoverthesea.
Page6-Faithful>Fruitful
Page7-SharingtheGospelEverywhere
Page8-GodusesTourism
Page9-HowGodSaves
Page10-MuslimCommunityAcceptsMissionary
Page11-‘Godblindedhereyesbecausewewereworshipping’
Page12-ServingthroughChildcare
Page13-‘GodpreparedeverythingIneeded’
Page14-MinisteringtoaWitchDoctor
Page15-BibleTranslatorLearningaboutJesus
Page16-GodTransformsLives
Page18-WitchDoctor ComingtotheLord
Page19-DeafMinistry
Page20-BuddhistNunsBringUnexpectedTreasure
Page21-WorkingTogetherinMinistry
Page22-‘Wedon’thaveastory,onlyJesus!’
Page24-RefusingtoBowtoBuddha
Page25-HopeforMyanmar
Page27-‘EverydayIbecomemorejoyful’
Page27-DesiresFulfilled
Page28-God’sProtectioninanUnreachedVIllage
Page29-HowtoRespond
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ပиတå| Peter
HereinMyanmar,wehavealotMuslims,likethe Rohingya.Theyareneglected;theyarethemost persecutedgrouphere.
Iwasatthecampsixmonthsagoandtherewerealmost 50,000peoplethere.Idrovethemotorbikewithmyson andkeptdoingBibledistributionwiththeSDcard.Iwas tiredandexhausted.Iwasatacrossroads.
Forthatparticularcamp,I’dalreadybeengoingfor10 years,sharingtheGoodNews.Notevenoneperson hadcometoknowChrist.
MysonwasbehindmeandIwasprayingsoftly,Isaid, “Lord,Ialreadyservedherefor10years.Lord,helpme. WhatshouldIdonext?Whydon’tyougivemeone convert?Whydon’tyousendmoreworkerswithmeto reachouttothem?”
GodalwaysspeakstomeinawayIunderstandthrough theinnervoice,Hesaid, “Icalledyoutobefaithfulin sharingtheGoodNews.TheharvestbelongstoMe.”
ThatwasabigrevelationandIhadalotofpeace withouthavingtheburdenorpressurefromanybody.
ItoldHim,“Lord,IwillfaithfullysharetheGoodNews;I willdomypartfaithfully.”
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Atfirst,Ididn’tknowhowtosharetheGospel well,butIattendedaSundayschoolcourse whereIlearntaboutsharingtheGospel. Now IsharewheneverGodopensthedoor.
WheneverImeetchildren,Ishare.Onthetrain tothepassengers,Ishare.
Buyingsomethinginthemarket,Ishare.
Tothepeoplelivinginthetrasharea,Ishare. Tosomebackpackers,Ishare.
Tothepeoplesellingthings,Isaytothem,“Oh, whatareyouselling?BeforeIbuyit,youhave tolistentome.IwilltellfirstthenIwillbuy…”
eစ�ဝå�| Saywah
OnethingthatIlovedaboutdoingthetourismministry wasaboutbuildingbusinessandhelpingpeopleinthe village. Wehelpedthemtogeneratetheirdailyincome throughbringingintourists.Thentheycouldmakeanormal incomeeveryday.
ForBuddhistpeopleinthatarea,itwashardtogodirectly andsharetheGoodNews,butbusinesscreatedaplatformto gointotheirvillage.Webuiltrelationships.
Iwasinvolvedinthatministryforalongtime.Icouldhelp themphysicallyandalsospiritually.
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လင��eမ| LinMay
Iwasbornasocialistbecausemyfatherwasasocialist.Our maingoalwastofindmoneyandtodogoodthings.Ihadfive brothersandonesister.Myfatherwastheprincipalofthe governmentinstitute.Hewasanengineerandheliked teachingyoungpeople.Hetrainedustoworkhard.
EverydayIworkedveryhardinthemorningandsleptvery late.Asayoungchild,toomuchworkmademedepressed.I hadtowork,work,work.Ididn’twanttolive;Iwantedtodieat thattime,whenIwasaround10-years-old.
BythegraceofGod,around12yearsago,aministercalled metodoaBiblestudy.IstartedstudyingtheBiblewiththis man. IreceivedChristanditchangedmylife. NowI wantedtoserveGodwithmylife.
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ဖiu�နи|
Poni
ရ�ဝင�� YelWin
TherearealmostnoChristiansaround.Myareaisa Muslimcommunity,almosteveryoneisMuslim. It’srare thattheywanttohavemeinthecommunity. These Muslimfamiliescometomeandaskmetoteachthemthe Biblelessons.So,Iteachandsharewiththem,sharethe homewiththem.TheyareinterestedinreadingtheBible.
Lastmonth,Ididachildren'sprogramandaround100kids attendedit,MuslimsandBuddhistchildren.Theyhave acceptedme.
Iwanttoopenapreschool.Thepeopleinthecommunity wanttosendtheirchildrentoaChristianpreschool.They aresendingtheirkidsabitawaytotheChristianschool outsideofthecommunitybecausetheylovetheteaching andthevalues.
Thisyear,Iwanttobeginaworshipserviceatmyhome. WhenIshareandpeopleacceptJesusChrist,theyhave noworshipservice.OnSundayevenings,Iwanttoopen myhomeforthecommunity,“Pleasecomehereand worshipGod!”
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eလ��ငယ�| Hwlay
Whenwearestartingtheschool ministry,thevillagerstoldusthat wecannotdoChristianworship, sowehadtoworshipatnight.
Atthetime,weworshippedevery nightbecausewethoughtwe wantedGodtobeapartofour school.Wewouldfellowshiplike youdoathomewithyourfamily.
Onemorning,weworshippedand sangasongandweprayed.The villagerscameandtriedtomake trouble.Godblindedonelady’s eyesaswewereprayingand worshippingintheschool.
Shecalledoneverydoor,“Are therepeoplehere?”Wedidn’t knowshewasoutside.Whenwe finished,weopenedthegateand shewassittingthere.
Shesaid,“Wherewereyouguys? I’vebeenlookingforanhour.” I thoughtmaybeGodblindedher eyesbecausewewere worshippingHim.
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eနå�eစ�eစ�
Nawsaysay
Itwasaverydifficulttimebecause therewasnotenoughfoodin Myanmar.Itwasaround1988.I tookcareofchildren,likea daycare,becauseIhadaheartto takecareofthem,toblessthe children,andtotellthemabout God.
ThevillageIaminnowusually kicksoutChristians. Theyaccept mebecauseItakecareofthe littlechildren.Icomeandcare forthem,givethemloveandtell themaboutGod.
Thepeopleseethat,theyseemy love,anditisveryusefulforthem tohavesomebodycareforthe babiesandfeedthemwhilethey work.Idon’tonlywatchthem,I lovethemwell.
Becauseofthat,theydon’taskme toleavethevillage.
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NawNelly+BauwNaw
Onedaymyhusbandwenttoanothervillagetosell charcoal.Whenhearrived,aPalaungmanaskedhim, “CanIborrowyourmotorcycle?” Godalwayswarnedme ifsomethingwasgoingtohappen. Thatmanalways borrowedfrommyfamily,butthattimeIfeltsomethingin myheartandtoldmyhusband,“Ithinkweshouldn’tlet themborrowthistime.”
Onthatdayat6pm,mystomachveinsexplodedandIwas onemonthpregnant.IwasinextremepainandIasked God,“Please,pleasetakemylifenow,Idon’twanttolive.” Thenextdaymyhusbandwenttofindpeopletocarryme onsomethingtosendmetothehospital.
BythegraceofGodwhenIgottothehospital,Ihadan operationassoonasIgotthere,butotherpeoplehadto wait.WhenIwenttothehospital,Ididn'thaveanymoney, soIwenttherebyfaith. GodpreparedeverythingI needed. IneededsixbottlesofbloodandGodprepared peoplewhowoulddonatetheirbloodforme.
Aftertheoperation,whenIwentbacktothevillage, wheneverIsawapatient,IhelpedthembecauseIfaced thatsituationtoo.Evenifapatientcameatmidnight,I wouldhelp.
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eနå�န�eလ၊eဘåက�eနå�
KhuGayandDeePhawLay
Therewasawitchdoctorfamilyinavillageandwe lovedthemlikefamily.Theywelcomedus.The villageleaderdidn’tacceptusverywell,butthewitch doctorfamilyacceptedus.Theysentourchildrento schoolandtookcareofthem.
Whenpeoplegotsick,theywouldgotothewitch doctorandhehelped,butwhenhegotsicknoone wasaroundhim.Hehadtogotothehospitalalone. Atthattimewewenttohimandshowedhimloveand broughthimmeals. HehadheardaboutJesus,but nowhesawJesusthroughusandherealisedthe lovewehad.
Atthattimeabibleoutreachgrouparrivedinthe villageandIbroughtthemtothewitchdoctor.They helpedhimwitheverythinghedid,includingfarming. Thegrouphelpedhimandthenhecouldn'tsayno anymore,sohechanged.
Hewasthehighestwitchdoctorinthreevillages.The wholefamily,withthewitchdoctor,acceptedJesus Christandwerebaptised.Wehavethissayingin Burmese,“Whenyougettheleader,youget everything.”Hewastheleader.Whenheaccepted JesusChrist,hisbrotherandniecefollowed.
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ခ�eဂ�၊ဒи�eဖåeလ�
eအ�စå| AyeSandar
Agroupcametomyvillageandtheyoffered meajobtotranslatetheBible.Istarted translatingandIcametoknowwhoJesusis. IrealisedthatJesusisalive.
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ကiuတင�| KoTin
Whenwestartedourministry,wefocused moreonthechildrens.Wewenttothevillage anddidchildren’sprograms,gamesand Jesusfilms.Theparentswouldcomeandbe involved,sowestartedtodothingsforthe parents.Throughthat,somepeoplebecame Christians.
WhenwesharedaboutJesus,wealso challengedandencouragedthemtoaskthe
Lord,“IfJesusisaliveandHeiswithYou, youcancallHimandHewillansweryou.”
Sometimeswhentheyhaddifficultiesand familyproblems,theystartedtocallonthe Lordandtheysawmiracleshappen.After
thattheywantedtoacceptJesus,andtheysawthat Hewasdifferent.
Wealsoworkedwiththechurchesinthelocation. Peoplecoulddoathree-dayintroductionfor salvation.Afterthat,ifpeoplewantedtoget baptised,theycouldgetbaptised.
Somepeoplecamebecausetheywantedto understandandknowaboutsalvationandtoaccept Jesus.Somecameonlytolearnandtoobserve. Evenwiththepeoplethatcametoobserve,after thetraining,theyacceptedJesus.
Forsomepeople,theiroldlifewasaboutdrinking andsmoking.WhentheybecameChristians,we helpedthemtounderstandtheWordofGod, teachingthem,“WhenyoubecomeChristians,you can'tlivelikeyouroldlife.Youhavetolive accordingtoGod'swill.”
Therewasthisonefamily,theyallgotbaptised. Theywerereallypoor.Eventhoughtheybecame Christians,theydidn’tknowwhattodonext.We helpedthemstartafriedchickensmallbusiness. Nowtheyaredoingthat.Thefatherwasan alcoholicbefore.WhenhebecameaChristian,he changed. Nowwewanttosendhimtoa missionarytrainingschool.
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Myfatherwasawitchdoctorandwhenhecametofaith, wehadthesedemonbooksandresources.Theywere veryexpensivebecausepeoplewantedthatkindofpower. Onebookwouldsellfor$10,000.Whenthevillagefound outmyfatherhadbecomeabeliever,theywantedtoget thosebooks.Theywantedhimtogiveittothelocal monastery.
Myfatherwasthinkingofsellingittogetmoney.ButI challengedhim,“Thiswillbeacurseforanyonewhotakes it.Youneedtoburnit.Youneedtogetridofit.”He acceptedandwedestroyedthebooks.
Soonafterhegotbaptised.Whenhegotbaptised,the villageunderstoodthathewasdrawingtheline,theysaid, “Ifyougetbaptisedandifyoubecomeabelieverofficially, youaregoingtoloseeverythingyouhaveinthisvillage.”
Itwasadiscouragingtime,itwasdifficult.Welostour lands,ourlivestock,ourresources,ourhome,everything wasreclaimedbythevillageandwehadtoleave.We movedanhour’swalkoutsideofavillage.Formanyyears wewerelivingthereanditwaschallengingforus.Butmy fathergrewinhisfaithandrealisedwhenwearefinished onearth,wecannottakeanythingwithustothenextlife.
Previously,ourcommunitywasagainsttheGospel,but throughourexampleandoursuffering—andmyfather havingbeenoneofthevillageleaders—moreandmore peoplehavestartedcomingtousaskingforhelp. Slowly theirheartsareopeningupbecausetheyrealisethat thetestimonyofourlivesisreal.
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အiuက�ခ�ယu| Aikeyu
BoynoandNgaihNgaih
AftermydeafauntybecameaChristian,deafministrywas onmymind.Atmymissionarytrainingschool,IknewIhad todosomething. AfterIfinishedschool,Iwaspraying abouthowtoblessmycountry.SoIstartedthis ministryfordeafkids.
Inourdeafhouse,everynightwedoBiblereading.Oneday, wehadavideocallwithoneofthefamilies.Beforethat,I hadbeensharingaboutwhatheavenisandhowtobelieve inJesus.
Whenwedidthevideocall,Iaskedthem,“Whatdidyou guyslearn?”OneofthemsharedhowifwebelieveinJesus, thenwewillgotoheaven.
WhenIheardthat,IalmostcriedbecausewhenIshare, oftentimesIdon’tknowhowmuchtheyaregetting.WhenI heardhowmuchheexplainedaboutJesustohisparents,I feltthatGodisworkinginthem.
Thisisnotourwork.HeisworkingHispartandweare workingourpart.
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ဘ�iuင���iu+ငiuင��ငiuင��
Oneday,wewererunningoutofriceandthekids hadexamsthenextday.Thecookcametomeand said,“Weonlyhaveninecupsofrice.”
AndIreplied,“Iknow,Iknow.”ThatmorningIwas readingintheBibleinIsaiah45whereitsaid, “God hashiddenatreasureforyou.Thereisa treasureforyou.” Ithought,“Oh,Godhashidden it.Thattreasuremightbesomewhere.”
Isearchedinthepot.Ithoughtthatmightbeit,but Ifoundnothing.Itcametoeveningandtherewas nothingspecialyet.
AgroupofBuddhistnunsarrived.Usuallythey wouldcometoaskforsomethinglikerice.Itoldthe children,“Go,go,go.Say,‘I’msorry,wecannot donate.’”
Theywentandthenunswerecarryingmany baskets,andtheysaid,“Oh,weweredoinga donationatourtemple.Therewasaweddingand wecookedIndianspecialriceandchicken.”
Themonkswantedtogiveittoanotherhostel,butit becameveryheavyandtheydidn’twanttocarryit anymore,sotheycametoourhostelinstead.So, wehadaveryspecialfeastwithchickens!
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ဖရиeစ�လå| Priscilla
�ပည���ဖiu�eအåင� PyaePhyoAung
BeforetheyheardtheGospeland acceptedJesusChrist,theywere alcoholics.Theirliveswerebrokenand theywerenotokaywithneighbours.
Ibuiltatentinthevillagewherewedo regularweeklyworshipandchildren programs;wearedoingsimplechurch. Peoplecomeregularlytokeephearing thewordofGodtogrowtheirspiritual lives.Weputthetentinthepoor, immigrantworkerarea.Theycome fromdifferentplacesandtheycome here,therefore,wedomanydifferent ministries.
Wedopreschool,evangelism,church planting,wealsodoyouthand children’sprograms.Togetherwith youthfromdifferentchurches,wedo revivalevents. Therearechurches thatareveryinterestedinworking together.Weareunitedwithother churches.
အက�ခ�| Eak
Inthelast10years,manyShan peoplehaveacceptedJesus. Theycometoourchurchand thenmove,sometimesto Bangkok,southernThailand, somemovedbacktoShanstate butnotsomuchnowbecauseof themilitarysituation.
Ayearago,oneofthefamiliesin thevillagesreceivedJesus.They movedouttoThailandandjoined ourchurch.Theycameandgave theirtestimonies.Theywere superhappyeventhoughthe villagesdidn’tevenwanttoeven lookatthem.
Thewholevillagedidn'twant themandtheygotkickedout.The villagewantedtokeepthehouse andtheland.Theleadercalledall ofthemtogether,“Whatdoyou think?ThisfamilyreceivedJesus. Theyarenotlikeus.”
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Thentothefamily,“Doyoustill believeinJesusornot?Ifyousay no,thenyoucancontinuetostay. Butifyousayyes,thenyouhave togoout.”
Immediatelytheysaid,“Yes!We stillwanttofollowJesus!”
Afterthatthewholevillagewas nothappy.Theysaid,“No,you can’tdothat.Youhavetoleave.”
“No,thisisourhouse,ourland, fromourfatherandmother.”
“Youcannotdothat,youneedto choose.”
Theleadersaid,“Ifpeoplecome andvisityou,don’ttalkabout Jesus.Don’ttalkaboutGod.”
Andtheysaid, “Ifpeoplecome andvisitus,whatstorydowe havetotellthem?Wedon’t haveastory,onlyJesus!”
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Iwasinahostelandwouldgotoa Christianyouthgroup.Iwasonfirefor God.Myfriendswereimpressedbymy willingnesstofollowGod,butthey worriedthatIwouldgetintrouble.
IhadtobestrongbecauseIwouldgoto schoolandalltheBuddhistswouldbow downtotheBuddhastatue,butIsaid,“I amnotdoingthisanymore.”Myteacher calledonmeandasked,“Whyareyou notbowingdowntoBuddha?”Itoldher, “IhavebecomeaChristian,I’mnot prayingtoBuddha.”
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eအåင�eအåင� AungAung
Inthepoorarea,alotofladiesinourcountryaretaught nothing.Theywanttofindajobandgetaskill.Whenthey gettooold,factorieswon’tacceptthem.Theyhaveno money,theyhavenorice,sotheydon'teat.
Whenweheardthosethings,wethought,“Ohthat’sso sad.Wealwayseatrice,buttheyhavenorice.”Their familiesareindifficultsituationsandtheyhavenojob. Manypeoplediedinthatarea.
Wewanttoseethattheskillstheylearncanbecometheir ownpersonalbusiness.Becausetheyarepoor,wewant totakethemoutofpoverty. Myhopeforthecountry,for theministry,isforpeople’sbody,mind,andspiritto grow. Alotofareaslackhealtheducation;peopledon’t knowhowtocleantheirenvironmentorhowtocleantheir homes.
Wewanttohelpthem,butsomepeopleareresistant becausetheyfeelashamed.Wedon’twantthat,soIkeep askingGodhowtodoit,howtoreachthesepeople, askingGodfortheinstructions.
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လuဘu| LuBu
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ပиeခ| PK အက�စတå Esther
BeforeIacceptedJesus Christ,Iwasstressedand depressedbecausethere wassomuch.Untilthis year,Ididn’thaveafamily life.Ilivedtogetherandate togetherwith40peopleas myfamilylivedonourfarm withmanychildren,people thatcametolivewithus.
WhenIacceptedJesus,I feltjoyfulandIwas happy. NowIenjoylifea lot.It’sdifferent.EverydayI becomemorejoyful.
IwantedtogotoKaya state.Atthattime,Ididn’t haveanyfriendsandI didn’tknowanyoneinthat state.
ButIgottherethrougha weddingandthenImeta minister.Theminister said,“Oh,youareaBible teacher.Wedon’thave thatinhere.”
Ilivedthereandtaught thereandthenfromthere GodsentmetotheKaya borderandtheThai border,andthenfinally intoThailand.
WithoutGodleadingme, thenIwouldn'tbehere.
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တန�ဂ�န�| TangGoon
Therewasavillagecalled Nanuionthemountainside andthatvillagedidn’taccept strangers.Ifastrangercame theywouldbekilledand buried.
Iwentthere.WhenIstarted goingintothevillage, everyonecameoutholding knives.Isawthattheywere coming.Iwenttoaverybig plainandtheyfollowedme.
Thevillagersgatheredaround me;theywererunningand chasingafterme.Iwaswaiting forthemandfacingthem. Theywereaimingtheirhands tokill,butwhentheygotclose tome,theirhandsstopped.
Iorderedthem,“Putyourknife down!”Everyoneputtheir knivesdown.Istartedsharing theGospel. Theywere amazedwhentheyheardthe Gospel.
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HowtoRespond
Asyou’veread,GodismovingpowerfullyinMyanmar!Thepurpose ofussharingpeople’sstoriesistomoveusintoaction.Webelieve thereareacoupleofwaystorespondimmediatelytowardtheneeds inthisnation.
Pray Give
Prayerispowerful.Wewanttoencourageyoutogather withfriends,family,orwithyourchurchtocontinuallypray forMyanmar.Togetregularupdatesonwhatis happeninginMyanmarandhowtopray,signupfor www.prayforMyanmar.org/.
Tomakedonationstotheministriesprofiledinthis magazine,usethislink: https://tinyurl.com/tomyanmar, andput‘MyanmarStories’inthecomment.Pleasesend anemailto remarks@ywamperth.org.au withthereceipt ofyourdonationsowecanconfirmthatyourgiftis receivedbythecorrectministries.
Itissurprisingthatmanypeoplearenotawareofwhat's happeninginMyanmar.Ifyouwantthestoriesyou've readheretobringinspirationtoothers,sharethislink: https://tinyurl.com/myanmar2023.
“Theharvestareplentifulbuttheworkersarefew.”Theneeds areoutthere,andourencouragementisforyoutoactively engageinmissions.Thepeopleinthismagazineseethat wherevertheyareandwhatevertheydo,theycanpreachthe GoodNews.Inanyprofession,theycansharetheloveofGod toothersandthroughthat,manywillseeChrist.Ifyouwantto inquiremoreaboutmissions,write remarks@ywamperth.org.au and myanmar.ywam@gmail.com.
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Share Go!
�မန�မå
ApictureofahousefromavillageformedfromChristiansthatwereforcedtoleavetheirvillageswhentheybecamebelievers
30 MYANMAR
