On November 8th, 2015, Myanmar (Burma) elected its first democratic government in 53 years.Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948. In 1962, a coup ushered in a military dictatorship, which held power until it was officially dissolved in 2010. A quasi-civilian government took its place, but the military retained much influence. Nevertheless, implementation of some reforms began.
On March 30th, 2016, power was transfered to the country’s new government, dominated by the National League for Democracy (NLD). The NLD, led by Nobel Laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi, captured 86 percent of available parliamentary seats.
Walking the streets of the country, in the largest cities or smallest villages, one can sense optimism. After decades of repression, civil wars, refugee crises and economic stagnation, Myanmar’s people are hopeful the new government will bring change.
“Our missionaries are not affected with the war directly, but so many of their mission fields are affected with the war. Many people became refugees, having no place to live and no food to eat.
Our missionaries are so much concerned about those refugees – especially the school-aged children – to help supply their needs and share the good news of Jesus Christ to them.
Please pray with us, that the Lord would open a door for us to stand with those refugees who are urgently in need of help.”
~ Pastor Shwe*
We invite you to join us in praying for Myanmar and its new government.
Yet, no government comprised of sinful humans can be the ultimate solution. Only the Gospel can change hearts and bring healing at the deepest level. As with all brokenness in our fallen world, the root issue is human sinfulness, so the core solution must be The One who saves us from that sin.
The great majority of Myanmar’s population has no access to the Gospel. No personal relationships with Christ-followers who can share and demonstrate the truth.
Despite having very little ministry support, our partners are on the front lines of the battle to make lack of access to the Gospel a thing of the past. They continually forge into unevangelized areas, focusing on people groups least-reached with the Good News.
Will you join us in helping them? At this time, support for our Myanmar ministries will be directed toward refugee assistance in Shan State, a sparsely evangelized state where most of the fighting is occurring.