Lost Generation

Love For Myanmar Ministries Update

Christ Centered, Servant Hearted, Myanmar Focused

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world”. Malala Yousafzai, youngest ever Nobel Laureate 2014

The Rock Quarry Children

It was a human ant bed with its top off. Dirtied shapes were scurrying about at all levels of this man-made opening in the middle of a deserted field. What, at first, appeared to be random movements by these figurines was revealed upon closer observation to be a well-orchestrated enterprise. Each tier of workers was in rhythm with the others, getting the material over the edge and into the hands of another legion of underlings.

We stood in shock peering into a scene below us more appropriate for a previous century when barbarism was a business and profits were routinely squeezed from the labor of abused commoners. For a few minutes, we were mesmerized by the rarity of this unimaginable occurrence. With all the activity inside the depths of this massive hole, our presence had not been noticed.

Sadly, no one from a family (except infants) could be spared from the exhausting work as it took everyone’s effort to make each day’s quota. This reality, coupled with their continuing need to relocate for other seasonal work, resulted in a caravan of weary souls plodding towards the next dead end; no home or land to claim as their own, no stable employment, no educational opportunities for their children.

What was going through those children’s minds as each bucket of rock and soil passed between them? Is there a doctor or nurse among them? A teacher? A shop owner? What value does hope have for those who dare not lose their focus upon just surviving the week?

This experience was a reminder of the generation of children especially in Myanmar’s rural areas without any meaningful educational opportunities. The longer the junta is in power, more children will be deprived of a meaningful education. Beginning in the rural areas of our ministry areas and only with the expressed interest and support of a core group of parents and guardians, we are trying to initiate an education program to address the severely disrupted education of Myanmar’s children, especially in the challenging environments of rural Myanmar. If you are interested in helping us with this effort, we encourage you to learn more by clicking here.

“Education should train the child to use his brains, to make for himself a place in the world and maintain his rights even when it seems that society would shove him into the scrap-heap.” Helen Keller

Gary Watkins, LFM Co-founder

Prayer request

Please pray that God covers our teachers with His patience and wisdom to handle whatever obstacles come their way while instilling in the students a joy for learning and the confidence to persist in understanding their lessons. Please protect everyone from the junta’s hostilities and allow our schools to be positive, supporting places of learning.

Myanmar coup day: 1,916

1. Let’s not forget that Myanmar’s military has battled its civilian population for more than 78 years — the longest ongoing civil war in the world. Myanmar’s current parliament is controlled by a coalition of parties loyal to the military, as well as by the military itself, which occupies a constitutionally mandated 25% of the seats. Together with its allies, the military controls nearly 90% of seats across the bicameral legislature. Min Aung Hlaing and the new parliament came to power on the heels of an election widely criticized as unfair. The main opposition parties were excluded, and polling was effectively impossible in areas outside the military’s control.
2. Kim Aris, the youngest son of Myanmar’s jailed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has issued an urgent plea to the regime in Naypyidaw to provide “proof of life” for his 80-year-old mother on Monday. Aris has had no direct communication with Aung San Suu Kyi since the military seized power in a military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 and detained her.
3. The Myanmar junta Ministry of Electricity and Energy has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Russia’s “RC Investments” to secure a long-term, continuous supply of crude oil and petroleum products. The agreement aims to provide Myanmar with discounted Russian energy, including LNG, LPG, and fertilizers.
4. The junta military is showing no signs of relenting in its campaign to punish civilians in areas under the control of anti-regime forces. Over the past week, it has targeted a Buddhist ceremony, monasteries, and a busy market. While some resistance fighters were among the casualties of these attacks, most served no serious strategic purpose.
5. In the Chin State, the junta is pushing hard to retake Falam in a bid to regain access to the state’s only airport. Given its heavy reliance on air power to wage war across the country, this could have a major impact on the course of the conflict in Chin State.

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