Myanmar: Miracles in Myanmar

On May 2, 2008, Cyclone Nargis swept through Myanmar, taking the lives of 85,000 people. Even today, 54,000 people remain missing. The 120 mile-per-hour winds and relentless flooding caused massive devastation, destroying 700,000 homes, killing three-fourths of the nation's livestock, sinking half of all fishing boats and ruining 1 million acres of rice paddies.

In the aftermath, the government of Myanmar resisted help. Ships carrying lifesaving aid were kept moored offshore for more than two weeks. This is a strongly Buddhist nation whose government is very resistant to the Gospel. Yet God somehow opened a door for World Challenge Missions to connect with Christians in Myanmar who could receive much-needed water, food, medicines and building supplies. Through the love demonstrated to the people of this nation, many have come to know Christ.

The following letter reflects just one story among many. We have left it largely unedited, other than to remove and change names as this is a sensitive area.

I am 57 years old, and live in local township. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and was baptized on November 13. I once was a strong Buddhist, and I earned my living by being a fortune teller. My husband, a Buddhist, was a Muslin convert and is addicted to alcohol. We have five children.

I used to stay in my township and mostly visited my family, who live on the other side of river. There I started to hear about the good news of Jesus Christ from an evangelist teacher from their church. I eventually attended a church service and joined chorus singing. The good news is always preached by Pastor, but I was determined not to be a Christian.

I came to learn more about Christ when one of my sons was married to a Sunday school teacher from church. This son soon suffered from stomach internal bleeding, and because church elders prayed earnestly for him the pain was finally relieved.

Then, during the last week of October, I could not relieve myself. For the first seven days I passed almost nothing, then finally I could not relieve myself at all. Doctors were unable to treat me, and surgery would cost Kyats 200,000 (equivalent to $200), which is far beyond our limit. False worship could not help me, and I stood all alone, helpless and hopeless.

Some church elders and church community visited and prayed for me. On the twelfth day of my illness at 8:30 p.m., I started to pray to Jesus Christ, "Lord, our heavenly Father and merciful God, please heal the illness in my body, and let me live a normal healthy life." Then I leaned on one post and was fast asleep. In a dream I visualized a man dressed all in white, showing me around a very beautiful place and then sent me back home. When I woke up at 10:30 p.m., I was able to relieve myself during the night. To my great surprise, all the pain and illness were gone – not forgetting to mention my diabetes, which was also totally healed. So on the third day all the statues and images in my house were put into a basket, and I let my husband throw it away.

With Jesus Christ deeply rooted in my heart, and being afraid that my relatives might protest, I requested the church pastor to baptize me immediately. But still another problem arose. I was unable to walk properly, so I started to pray earnestly again: "Oh, Lord, give me strength so that I could walk to the baptism pool by myself." My prayer was answered, and I was baptized.

Apart from understanding God's healing and forgiveness and receiving eternal life, in the midst of all my problems I also received cash assistance Kyats 100,000 ($100) from the church community as an initial investment to open a house shop and to begin pig husbandry. Even after Nargis (cyclone), I continue to receive contributions from the church community, who have shown their love and care to me all the time. My life will never be the same again.

I knelt down on my knees and prayed for my husband to give up drinking alcohol; this prayer was also answered, and now he is a new person.

May the Lord Jesus, who saved me from all troubles, reign forever.

On behalf of this precious woman and numerous others like her, thank you for supporting our mission to reach hurting, unreached peoples around the world. Your compassion has not only helped provide food, clothing, shelter and sustainable solutions, such as farming and small businesses, but has also helped pastors and churches reach people who were far from God in their communities. When these people see God's love in action, they begin to see who he is and recognize his love for them. As we continue working with the Church in Myanmar, it is thrilling to hear all that God is doing. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.