We spent a total of 23 days. For four days we were inside the Bus and we were on the river driving and pushing boat for three days. We walked on foot for nine days. However, we praise the Lord for the difficulties that were transformed into joy when we saw the hospitalities we received from each of the village. As a token of their warm welcome, they showed us their cultural dance followed by reading the Bible and prayer. After these, we then were led into the village and finally to the house.
We thank the Lord for lives that have been touched and fruits we witnessed in churches God has established since 2007 and for funds invested in lives of elderly peoples. There remain yet many villages that have asked us to visit and to share His words but we were not able to do at this time. But we are determined to enter into these doors that God has opened in other villages.
The Team
Philip was the leader and he was assisted by Habakkuk, Samuel and Joshua who are teachers of our Yangon Grace Bible School. There were 5 students who also joined us on the trip. They are, Joshua R.C Thang, David Lailianthanga, Robert Sianramchuana, Amos Zamte, James R.T Lian, Myo Hteh Naing. There were also two missionaries who joined us. They are Timothy Yar Htun Hla (pastor), Sui Van Sum (missionary). I was so much impressed and touched by the love and commitment these people have demonstrated throughout the trip. It was obviously their love for God and commitment to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus that made this trip possible. The people that we met said, “you’ve got one of the best teams we have ever seen in our places”. I thank the Lord for the fun-filled moments and powerful messages backed by their lives and good works shown to the elderly people by the team. It was the unity and relationship within the team that was most touching to the people we ministered to. And as a leader, I simply stood in amazement as I watched us working together under the direction and leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Khummi People Group And Their Hospitality
This people group lives in hilly area. Their population is about 70,000 to 80,000. The majority are Christian even though there are few who remain animist to this day. If we are asked about the one thing that touches us the most, it would be their hospitality to strangers and especially to God’s people. In every meal that we had, we experienced the joy of having food brought to us by other families. In each of the village that we stopped by and proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus, they killed their pigs and gave their cows as a token of their gratitude to God and to us. We got so many eggs given to us by widows and elderly peoples. We were humbled by their generosity to us. Particularly at Ouh Sin Ki village, the people spread white linen for us to stand on as we waited and listened to their welcome song. Some of us could not help our eyes and hearts filling with tears of gratitude to God and to the people. We remain thankful to God even to this day for those warm welcomes, hospitalities and relationships that He built while we were there.
The Ongoing Work
The work in this area was initiated by God when He led my wife and me to invest the little money that He has blessed us with every month by sending out native missionaries. The investment we made in those years of 2007‐8 was only about 50 $ per month. As we began that work of investing what we have, God began enlarging our territory of service even to this very day. People have been brought to Christ and churches have been established in villages. My wife and I cannot believe that God would do so much among the people there through that little investment that we entrusted to Him. May I encourage you to pray and to begin looking at those extra margins or extra incomes and to start investing them in His kingdom by supporting people who are active in evangelism, planting churches and developing leaders or other works. Just like us, be captured by the joy of witnessing what God will do through your investment in His kingdom.
Future Plan
We would like to buy a piece of land in Sami. This is meant for the purpose of Developing Tribal People. If and when God provides $2000, we will buy and build bamboo house and start three months training for young men and adults and children as well. Teachers and students from our school will go there to teach the word of God and to provide educational helps. Those leaders that we work with in this area, we will meet in this place for spiritual edification. This will be used by our leaders there for Bible teaching. This land will belong to the Khummi people that we work with and will allow God to use it as Samaritan House to provide home for strangers and eventually for the gathering of the believers.
