Eyes Wide Shut

Love For Myanmar Ministries Update

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

As we have previously mentioned, since January of this year, we have had 57 baptisms. We have another 30 who have recently indicated they believe in Jesus Christ and are now in our orientation program to ensure they fully understand their decision. However, what we have neglected to mention is that in many of these instances, it was the provision of food supplies or serving meals that generated an interest among the villagers in learning more about the God who the servers followed.

Converting from Buddhism is an extraordinarily difficult process in Myanmar where laws are designed to perpetuate the religion. Every week our staff comes across people who are either scared or shamed into preserving religious beliefs they sense are myths. Those who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ as their personal Savior have had their spouses leave them, their parents disown them, their villages ostracize them, and their sisters, brothers, and other relatives ridicule them. Nonetheless, these new Christians have shared that they “no longer fear what men can do to them. We shall rely on God, not people.” There is no doubt that showing God’s love by providing free food supplies and other survival items has an immeasurable positive impact on people who feel forgotten.

• Prayer Request: Please pray that we, as Christians, understand these words of Henri Nouwen: “We are not called to save the world, solve all problems, and help all people. But we each have our own unique call, in our families, in our work, in our world. We have to keep asking God to help us see clearly what our call is and to give us the strength to live out that call with trust. Then we will discover that our faithfulness to a small task is the most healing response to the illnesses of our time.”

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Ministry thought

“As Christians we are tempted to make unnecessary concessions to those outside the Faith. We give in too much. Now, I don’t mean that we should run the risk of making a nuisance of ourselves by witnessing at improper times, but there comes a time when we must show our Christian colors, if we are to be true to Jesus Christ. We cannot remain silent or concede everything away.” C.S. Lewis

I remember my awe at learning about Jesus Christ as a child, never questioning my worth as one of His children. In the beginning, the simplicity of the relationship comforted my young heart with a love that quieted my need of belonging.

As I aged, my understanding revealed that such a relationship provided a spiritual bridge between believers that thankfully allows us to reach beyond ourselves to a true place of shared harmony. At the heart of this harmony among Christians is the recognition of our incompleteness, that our characters have limitations, but each in our own way found the missing piece in our search for meaning, God. It is this spiritual bond among Christians that gifts us the courage and patience to face the uncertainties of this world as imperfect but purpose-filled creations.

It is through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we have a portal to connections with other Christians that undergirds our daily lives. It is the divinely-guided power of these connections which help provide clarity amid confusion and temper our emotions which try to redefine our faith. Christians are one another’s emissaries, affirming the joy of being a follower of Jesus Christ while encouraging one another to sift through our behaviors for those motives we have kept sealed from others.

It is our bond as Christian brothers and sisters that anchors our human fragility to God’s grandeur; that reminds one another that no matter how quickly our circumstances worsen, God can continue to shape our respective lives for His Good through His compassionate, trustworthy networks of followers who He specifically created around each of our lives. Our Christian friends deepen the meaning of our lives and empower our service to God’s Kingdom. It is with a profound sense of grace and joy we should welcome to be with Christians at every opportunity. These precious members of our earthly Christian families are not chance acquaintances, but are the visible reminders of God’s blessings upon His children.

Gary Watkins, LFM Co-founder

Myanmar coup day 1,244: click on article titles for complete stories

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” Proverbs 3:27

• Myanmar’s 10/27: Operation 1027 has resumed in northern Myanmar, eight months after the rebel offensive dealt a surprise hammer blow to the coup-installed State Administration Council military regime. In over four months of intense fighting, the rebels captured 18 towns and 36 military bases, including battalion-sized bases and Military Operations Command 16. The rebel operation killed several hundred Myanmar Army soldiers and compelled over 4,000 troops, including several brigadier generals, to surrender.
• Myanmar/Thailand agreement: Thai and Myanmar police have agreed to the extradition of suspected criminals from each other’s countries, but the deal will NOT apply to Myanmar citizens who have fled to Thailand to avoid serving in the junta’s military. We’ll see!
• Myanmar violence: Myanmar is the most violent place in the world, ranking just above Syria and Palestine, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. Since the 2021 coup, the international community has imposed economic sanctions to restrict the military generals’ ability to enrich themselves from Myanmar’s natural resources and business ventures. One strategy that the military employs is circumventing sanctions to sell timber to international buyers.
• Power cuts: Prolonged electricity outages have taken a toll on businesses already struggling with rising costs and shortages of materials and labor. In its latest report on Myanmar’s economy, the World Bank said about 33 percent of the companies it surveyed in April reported power outages as their biggest challenge.
• Defectors: Shortly after the Myanmar military staged a coup, it began brutalizing, imprisoning and killing individuals at peaceful protests throughout the country. The ruthless treatment of civilians by the military and police did not go unnoticed triggering a surge of defections. Since the coup, a total of 12,341 junta personnel – 3,015 soldiers and 9,326 police – have defected to the Civil Disobedience Movement.
• Airport seized: One of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic minority groups battling the military government said it captured Thandwe Airport, also known as Ma Zin Airport in the southern part of the western state of Rakhine. It’s the latest major setback for the military government.
• Jet fuel: Shipments of aviation fuel are reaching Myanmar despite calls to deprive its military of the resources needed to carry out unlawful air strikes against insurgents battling to end army rule. A Chinese-owned oil tanker transported jet fuel from Vietnam to Myanmar and fuel traders based in Singapore appeared to have played a role in the supply chain according to Amnesty International.