Trust God with your heart

Love For Myanmar Ministries Update

Christ Centered, Servant Hearted, Myanmar Focused

“God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.” David Livingstone

Thousands of Myanmar people remain without shelter, water or medical care more than a month after the deadly earthquakes. The junta has severely hampered humanitarian relief efforts from reaching vulnerable populations. According to the United Nations, humanitarian workers have been stopped, interrogated and extorted at military checkpoints, while soldiers opened fire on a convoy by the Red Cross Society of China. The junta has blocked access to opposition-controlled areas, including in the Sagaing region, which was severely impacted by the earthquakes and where populations continue to face airstrikes.

The humanitarian crisis has grown even more urgent in the wake of the set of earthquakes, with projections estimating that over 21 million people may require aid in the coming months as access to food, water, shelter, and medical care becomes increasingly limited. Compounding the suffering, the junta resumed its campaign of airstrikes and drone attacks on civilian populations immediately after the quake, continuing without pause in the days that followed.

We are a small enterprise with no identifiable large vehicles, no noticeable caravans; just a collection of courageous Christians who navigate through a trusted network of believers delivering supplies and God’s loving hope to the hurting Myanmar people.

It has been stated that sacrificial service softens hearts, strengthens faith, and declares the gospel in action. Such service opens doors, and showcases Jesus Christ’s compassion for all.

Imagine the difference it would make if each of us considered this devastating set of earthquakes as creating opportunities to serve the Lord himself by helping strangers on the other side of the world. Place the fruit of your work in God’s hands where He is faithful to bring it to fulfillment. Trust God with your heart, and He will heal others through your sacrificial giving.

Gary Watkins, LFM Co-founder

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1. The military junta is reportedly reinforcing its positions in Karen State with thousands of troops, using both land and river routes—particularly the Gyaing River—to maintain control. In addition, airstrikes have continued, leading to a rise in civilian casualties. Due to the ongoing clashes, thousands of residents are fleeing for safety, while others remain trapped as the junta military has blocked all access.
2. There are 42 IDP camps in Waingmaw Township located in villages such as Nawngching, Labang, Inkan, Gwi Htu, and Hkangchiyang, on the Waingmaw side of the Irrawaddy River, near to the Bala Min Htin Bridge that connects the townships of Myitkyina, on the west bank of the Irrawaddy and Waingmaw, on the east bank. These 42 camps house about 20,000 people from approximately 2,200 households who fled fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and the junta.
3. Between March 28 and April 24, the junta military launched at least 207 attacks, including 140 airstrikes and 24 artillery barrages, according to data from the U.N. Human Rights Office. More than 172 attacks have occurred since the ceasefire, 73 of them in areas devastated by the earthquake.
4. Naypyitaw (Myanmar’s capital) reported the second-highest earthquake death toll after Mandalay, with heavy fatalities among government employees and their families as hundreds of staff buildings collapsed. More than 70 percent of government buildings in Naypyitaw were allegedly damaged by the earthquake, including the presidential residence, parliamentary complex, War Office and other military buildings, various ministries and government staff housing.
5. A Chinese ceasefire monitoring team recently arrived in Lashio to oversee the handover of the northern Shan State capital to the Myanmar military after Beijing pressured the ethnic Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, also known as the Kokang Group, to withdraw from the city. Analysts have described this as one of the most blatant ever examples of Chinese interference in Myanmar’s domestic affairs. China has essentially helped the Myanmar army achieve an outcome it could never have achieved on the battlefield.
6. Junta officials in Ward 4 of the Karen State capital, Hpa-An, are demanding monthly payments from both young men and young women to guarantee they will avoid service in the junta military.

Please pray that our God changes the hearts of the junta leaders in Myanmar, and they wisely and fairly allow humanitarian relief teams to respond to the earthquake disaster using resources justly to restore hope and rebuild lives.