Sent...to West Africa

It's time to hit the road again. I woke early this morning with plenty on my mind even though my flight to Lome, Togo doesn't leave until 7:15 this evening. The flight will take me from St. Louis to Atlanta to Paris to Togo. I'm a bit worried this morning that these trips are becoming so routine that I'm going to forget something. I used to make list after list of things to get ready and things to do before I was ready to leave. This trip feels different for some reason. I am packed and ready and to go but it doesn't really seem like I put in the usual effort to get to this point. Thankfully the Lord's faithfulness in all things will provide all the calm and confidence needed to board the plane this evening.

It seems like it's been awhile since I've made a trip. The last overseas trip was in July with the Mission Helper Trip to Tanzania. So I have been in the U.S. for almost three months. But those three months have been spent traveling and preaching and giving mission presentations and attending meetings and pastoral conference. I have had the privilege of preaching at and meeting with eight different CLC congregations. All in all I traveled over 5,600 miles here in the States.

While in West Africa I will be visiting Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria over the next five weeks. If you want a quick summary of my agenda you can read the first few paragraphs of my last blog post. I always look forward to being with my brothers and sisters in Christ in other parts of the world. It is such encouragement to see the Lord at work in the hearts of so many as they serve Him with such selfless dedication and zeal.

Please keep Beth and my family in your prayers while I'm away. I am so thankful to the Lord for the love and support Beth has for me and this important work that the Lord has given us the privilege of being a part of.

CLC Mission Opportunities Prayer List - 18 OCT 2018

1.    West Africa Visitation – I will be leaving for West Africa on Monday, October 22^nd. Please pray for safe and uneventful travels. Your prayers are also requested for Beth and my family while I'm away for the next several weeks.

2.    Togo, West Africa – While in Togo, I will be working with Pastor Kossi Blewu and the other pastors and students of the Mission Evangelique de Confession du Togo (MELC). I am scheduled to spend fourteen days teaching pastoral training seminars and visiting congregations. I will also compile reports for the Kinship committee concerning the orphans, Bible students, and the Children In Need projects.

3.    Nigeria, West Africa – Following the visit to Togo, I will travel to Nigeria to host the West Africa CLC Pastoral Conference in Badagry, Nigeria. Following the conference, I'll travel with Martin Essien and the pastors of the NCLC to the Efa area in Akwa Ibom State where the NCLC Bible Institute, Children’s Home, Headquarters, and most of the congregations are located. While in the Efa area I will conduct meetings with the various boards of the NCLC, visit congregations and pastors, and compile reports for the Kinship committee concerning the orphans and seminary students being sponsored. I am also scheduled to meet with the newly formed NCLC Children’s Home Board to consider future needs for the home and the children they care for.

4.    West Africa CLC Pastoral Conference – It has been several years since the CLC affiliated church bodies of West Africa have been able to gather for a conference. Through offerings to the CLC-Mission Development Fund (MDF) a conference is being funded for November 5-9 at Badagry, Nigeria. Forty pastors, students, and evangelists from Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Ghana, and Liberia will encourage each other in the Word and the Gospel ministry under the theme: “The One Thing Needed.” They will consider essays and encouragement on the inerrancy of Scripture and the sufficiency of God’s word in preaching, counseling, evangelism, and church order. Essays will be delivered by Pastors Kossi Blewu (Togo), Joseph Kiwalazu (Liberia), Bassey Udofa (Nigeria), Edwin Ukoh (Nigeria), Essien Michael (Nigeria), and me (USA). Please pray for the Lord’s blessings on this conference that all of these men will grow in their understanding of God’s saving word and that they will be encouraged in the blessed privilege of proclaiming the truths of God’s saving word! Pray also for safe travels as many of these men will be traveling from far distances in less than desirable conditions.

5.    Tanzania – the CLC Board of Missions recently approved MDF grants for books and dormitory construction and repairs along with funding for transportation to allow the CLC-Tanzania to continue to make preparations for classes to begin in January at the newly established Wartburg Lutheran Seminary in Arusha, Tanzania. There are currently twelve men from four districts who are planning to study God’s word as they prepare for the ministry. I plan to visit Tanzania in January. Pray for both students and teachers that the Lord will bless this effort and that He will provide all that is necessary for this important work to go forward. 

6.    Myanmar – Pastor Kham continues to suffer from an unknown illness that is causing clumps of hair to fall out. Pray that the doctors will find a cause and a cure and that this is not a symptom of a much more serious health problem.

7.    Nepal – Pastoral training classes have recently begun with ten men in the Dang district. This district is located in a rather dangerous area west of Kathmandu. The dangers involve travel on roads that are very susceptible to landslides. Many individuals have been killed on these roads in the past few years since the earthquake. Pastor Raju and his father plan to make the 30+ hour bus ride to Dang for one week of training each month. Pray for safe travels and for the Lord’s blessings on the classes so that these men will become faithful preachers and teachers of the truths of God’s saving word.

8.    Mexico – Two men who were studying for the ministry recently died rather unexpectedly. One suffered a massive heart-attack at the age of thirty-nine. The other student was mistakenly killed by the drug cartel. The CLC Board of Missions and others in the CLC have sent monetary help for funeral costs and to assist the widow and children of one of the men. The other man was not married. Pray for their families and for those they were serving with the Gospel. Pray also for Pastor Olvera that he will not be discouraged in his work of proclaiming the Gospel and training men for the ministry.

9.    Zambia – Pastor Ibrahim has recently moved from Lusaka to Livingstone. The main pastor in the Livingstone area died rather suddenly over a year ago and the congregation is in need of more training and pastoral care. He will also be able to spend more time working to prepare men in the area to serve as faithful preachers and teachers of God’s saving Word in area preaching stations. The congregations in the Livingstone area are working together to purchase land and to build and structure that could be used for a church, Bible Institute, and apartment for Pastor Ibrahim.

10.  Missionary to India – Progress is being made on applying for a new visa for our missionary to return to India. Pray that the Lord will bless this process so that he can return to India as soon as possible to continue to the work of training and encouraging the men who are working as and training to be faithful preachers and teachers of God’s saving word.

11.  D.R. Congo – It has been more than a few years since our missionaries have been able to visit D.R. Congo. Recently, my visa application was denied. With an MDF Bible Institute building project underway and two new contacts it is important that a visit take place soon. Pray that the Lord will clear whatever obstacles are currently preventing a visit.

12.  CLC Online Theological Studies – continue to pray for the following individuals who are studying God’s word through email correspondence courses as they train to be faithful preachers and teachers of God’s saving word:

1.    Pastor Idahosa Eghosa (Senegal, Africa)

2.    Pastor Jacques Pondi Lumiangu (D.R. Congo, Africa)

3.    Pastor Evariste Kendi Ilunga (D.R. Congo, Africa)

4.    Pastor Monotosh Banjaree (Bangladesh, SE Asia)

5.    Pastor Liberty Atawa (Zimbabwe, Africa)

6.    Samuel Benson Edwards (Myanmar, Asia)

7.    Ivan Edwards (Myanmar, Asia)

8.    Evangelist Eliewaha Mshana (Tanzania, Africa)

The CLC Kinship Program...

Mid-West Mission Travels...

Starting Saturday morning (08 SEP 2018) I'll begin a trip here in the good ole' mid-west of these United States of America that will take me 3,100 miles before I return home on September 24th. No frequent flyer miles on this trip...just lots of hours behind the steering wheel!

I'll have the privilege and opportunity to preach and give mission presentations at three different CLC congregations, see my grandchildren briefly, spend a few days with my mom, help do evangelism work on the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Indian Reservation, attend CLC Board of Missions meetings, and give a foreign missions presentation to the students at Immanuel Lutheran High School, College, and Seminary.

What a privilege to be about our Father's business of sharing in the opportunities He provides to proclaim the truths of His saving word!

CLC Mission Opportunities Prayer List - 16 AUG 2018

1.    Myanmar – the annual monsoon season brought more rain than usual in July. Over 100,000 people have been forced from their homes due to extensive flooding. There have also been several deaths. The CLC Board of Missions was able to provide some financial support through the Mission Development Fund (MDF) to provide basic assistance to several families in Yangon.

2. Nepal – There has also been extensive flooding in Nepal. A few HCLCN families have lost crops and farm land due to heavy rains and landslides.

3. Nepal – A new “anti-conversion” law goes into effect on August 17. The anti-conversion law is a part of article 36 of the newly adopted constitution that reads:

"no one attempt to change or convert someone from one religion to another, or disturb or jeopardize the religion of others, and such acts/activities shall be punishable by law."

Some have offered a rather strict interpretation of this new law that would forbid baptisms and any preaching of or explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone who is not already a Christian. Pray that the Lord would thwart these attempts of Satan to eliminate the proclamation of the Gospel and use this persecution to strengthen the faith of His children in Nepal. "Thy Kingdom Come..."

4. Tanzania – the CLC-Tanzania continues to work on plans to start the Wartburg Lutheran Seminary in Arusha, Tanzania. There are currently twelve men from four districts who are planning to study God’s word to prepare them for the ministry. Pray that the Lord will provide all that is necessary for this important work to go forward.

5. Missionary Peter Evensen/India – The majority party in India is called the BJP. This party currently has the most political influence. The prime minister of India represents the BJP. The BJP has a Hindu Nationalist platform that promotes the idea of making Hinduism the official religion of India. The government in India is making it more and more difficult to spread the Gospel. All of this has led to more scrutiny by immigration officers as individuals enter and leave India on a regular basis. Pray that Missionary Evensen will not be hampered as he prepares to return to his work in India.

6. Zambia – Pastor Ibrahim will be moving from Lusaka to Livingstone soon. The main pastor in the Livingstone area died rather suddenly over a year ago. By moving to Livingstone, Pastor Ibrahim will be able to spend more time serving and instructing the congregation in the truths of God’s saving word. He will also be working to prepare men in the area to serve as faithful preachers and teachers of God’s saving Word in the preaching stations in this area of Zambia.

7. West Africa (Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Ghana, Liberia) – It has been several years since the CLC affiliated church bodies have been able to gather for a conference. A conference is being planned for November. Pray that the Lord will bless efforts to organize a West Africa Joint Pastoral Conference this fall.

8. Mission Festivals – Several congregations will be hosting Mission Festivals over the next couple of months. Missionaries Evensen and Ohlmann have been invited to preach in many of our CLC congregations. Thank the Lord for these opportunities to rejoice in and consider the privilege we have all been given to be His ambassadors. Pray also that the Lord will grant them safe travels and that the truths of God’s saving word that they preach will serve the purpose for which God gave it.  

9. CLC Online Theological Studies – continue to pray for the following individuals who are studying God’s word through email correspondence courses as they train to be faithful preachers and teachers of God’s saving word:

·         Pastor Idahosa Eghosa (Senegal, Africa)

·         Pastor Jacques Pondi Lumiangu (D.R. Congo, Africa)

·         Pastor Monotosh Banjaree (Bangladesh, SE Asia)

·         Pastor Liberty Atawa (Zimbabwe, Africa)

·         Samuel Benson Edwards and Ivan Edwards (Myanmar, Asia)

·         Evangelist Eliewaha Mshana (Tanzania, Africa)

CLC Mission Prayer Opportunities - 30 May 2018

1.    Uganda – Visiting Missionary Michael Gurath reports: “Pastor Tanas Wangira has recently fallen ill.  His wife, children, and mother all depend on him for support.”

2.    Myanmar – Pastor Thang, president of the CLC-Myanmar, was recently involved in a serious motorcycle accident while returning from Chin State where he was conducting Gospel outreach and pastor training. As of May 29^th, Pastor Thang was in the hospital being treated for injuries to his head, collar bone, toe, and ribs.

3.    Nepal – Outreach seminars and baptisms are currently taking place among new contacts in areas south of Kathmandu. Pastor Raju and others will be traveling extensively during June and July before the rainy season begins when travel becomes very difficult due to annual landslides and flooding.

4.    Nepal – A new “anti-conversion” law goes into effect on July 1^st. Pray that the Lord would thwart the attempts of Satan to diminish the proclamation of the Gospel and use this persecution to strengthen the faith of His children in Nepal and to enlarge His kingdom.

5.    CLC Mission Helper Trip to East Africa – The following twenty-three individuals are making final preparations for a July 9^th departure to East Africa...

Team Kenya:	Team Zambia:	Team Tanzania:
Ted Quade	Lucas Brown	Todd Ohlmann
Paul Nolting	Matthew Kranz	Carl Reim
Phil Strike	Sam Schierenbeck	Henry Lau
Carl Strike	Adam Brown	Jonah Albrecht
Blair Sydow	Kirsten Brandle	Katherine Reim
Nyibol Kuan	Nichole Brandle	Lydia Albrecht
	Rebecca Krause	Olivia Albrecht
	Danielle Gerbitz	Emma Mueller
		Leah Mackensen

Please pray that the Lord will continue to bless their preparations to proclaim the Gospel in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Also, please pray for the pastors, teachers, and leaders in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia as they make the final arrangements for the Mission Helpers’

6. Missionary Peter Evensen – will be traveling back to the U.S. soon from his home in Chennai, India for his summer vacation and furlough. Pray that the Lord will grant safe and uneventful travel, a time of good rest, and a blessed time of fellowship with friends and family.

7.  Liberia -- Pastor Joseph Kwiwalazu is also currently traveling to Guinea again for exploratory work, albeit he should be back in Liberia by the end of the week. 

8. CLC Online Theological Studies – continue to pray for the following individuals who are studying God’s word through email correspondence courses as they train to be faithful preachers and teachers of God’s saving word:

·         Pastor Idahosa Eghosa (Senegal, Africa)

·         Pastor Jacques Pondi Lumiangu (D.R. Congo, Africa)

·         Pastor Monotosh Banjaree (Bangladesh, SE Asia)

·         Pastor Liberty Atawa (Zimbabwe, Africa)

·         Samuel Benson Edwards and Ivan Edwards (Myanmar, Asia)

·         Pastor Emmanuel Julien (Haiti)

·         Evangelist Eliewaha Mshana (Tanzania, Africa)

CLC Mission Prayer Opportunities... 14 MAY 2018

1.    Nepal – Training with a group of twelve new pastors in the Dang district will begin soon. Since this west-central district of Nepal requires a 30+ hour bus ride to reach, Pastor Raju will visit the district four times a year for the next few years to provide training rather than have all of these men travel to the Himalayan Bible Institute in Kathmandu each month. Pray that the Lord will bless these men in their desire to faithfully proclaim the truth of God’s saving word. Pray also for safe travel for Pastor Raju.

2.    India – Ten days of Vacation Bible School was held among several congregations of the BELC with several thousand children in attendance. Praise the Lord for this opportunity and pray that these children will be led to place their faith in our Savior Jesus Christ!

3.    Haiti – Board of Missions member Steve Leinberger and Missionary Ohlmann recently conducted a visit to Haiti. They met with Pastor Emmanuel Julien and the fourteen pastors who are working to establish a church body that faithfully proclaims the truths of God’s word. Pray that the Lord would bless the study of His word as we work toward declaring fellowship. The Board of Missions has been in correspondence with these men in Haiti since 2013.  

4.    Nigeria – Kinship funding was recently approved and sent to provide job training for three of the older children at the Nigeria Children’s Home. Thank the Lord for this opportunity to help our brothers and sisters in Christ provide for the future needs of these two young men and one young lady. Pray for the Lord’s blessings as they receive this training to support themselves.

5.    Nepal – Pray for the Gospel outreach in Nepal as new anti-conversion laws come into effect in July. These new laws are open to the interpretation of those who are charged to enforce them. The law states that those who publicly preach or teach the Bible to those of another faith with the intention of conversion are subject to punishment of five years in prison and hefty fines. Some have interpreted these laws to even prevent parents from bringing their children to baptism and Sunday School until the children reach the age when they can decide on their own if they want to hear God’s word. Pray that the Lord will embolden His children during these troubling times. For more information go to: http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/october/nepal-criminalizes-conversion-christianity-evangelism-hindu.html

6.    CLC Mission Helper Trip to East Africa – Twenty-Three individuals are participating in the up-coming Mission Helper Trip to East Africa in July. Please pray that the Lord will continue to bless their preparations to proclaim the Gospel in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia.

7.    CLC Online Theological Studies – continue to pray for the following individuals who are studying God’s word through email correspondence courses as they train to be faithful preachers and teachers of God’s saving word:

·         Pastor Idahosa Eghosa (Senegal, Africa)

·         Pastor Jacques Pondi Lumiangu (D.R. Congo, Africa)

·         Pastor Monotosh Banjaree (Bangladesh, SE Asia)

·         Pastor Liberty Atawa (Zimbabwe, Africa)

·         Samuel Benson Edwards and Ivan Edwards (Myanmar, Asia)

·         Pastor Emmanuel Julien (Haiti)

·         Evangelist Eliewaha Mshana (Tanzania, Africa)

Foreign Mission Prayer Opportunities...March 16, 2018

1.    Myanmar – Pastor Kham and his wife have taken the appropriate legal action to adopt and care for a Seventeen-year-old Buddhist convert who has been rejected by her family because she converted. Thank the Lord for His grace in calling this young lady out of the darkness of idol worship and into the marvelous light of the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness through our Savior Jesus Christ! Pray that his young covert will continue to grow in her faith as she studies her Bible with the Kham family and the members of the CLC-Myanmar.

2.    Myanmar – Three pastors of the CLC-Myanmar have passed away in recent months and another pastor had to resign due to health problems. Five young men have been identified and will receive training to replace these four men. Pray for their training and for congregations they will serve.

3.    Myanmar – A young man named Sam who is the son of Pastor Charles Edwards of the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar will begin Online Theological Training to prepare him to assist his father. He has recently earned a bachelor’s degree in information technologies and has good job. He is committed and dedicated to serving His Lord and working with his father in the Gospel ministry in the Yangon, Myanmar area.

4.    Myanmar – Thanksgiving to God for new the religious freedoms that have come from the new government in the past couple of years. Both the CLC-Myanmar and the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar report that they no longer receive any interference from the government, military, or police that was once common-place.

5.    Myanmar – Thanksgiving for the completion and dedication of the new buildings that the CLC-Myanmar was able to build with help from the CLC-Mission Development Fund.

6.    Myanmar – two men of the CLC-Myanmar are actively working to evangelize Buddhists in villages around Kalaymyo. Ten Burmese Bibles were purchased for their use as they conduct Bible studies with contacts.

7.    Nepal – Thank the Lord and ask for His on-going blessings on the four men who graduated on March 7^th from the two-year Himalayan Bible Institute.

8.    Nepal – pray for God’s blessings on the new students and those who continue their studies at the Himalayan Bible Institute of the HCLC-Nepal.

9.    Nepal – There are ten men in distant districts of Nepal that are requesting Bible training. A visit is being planned. Pray that the Lord will bless this meeting and that these men will be dedicated to the truth of God’s saving word.

10.  Nepal – Visits are planned to the far-west regions of Nepal to meet with pastors who are interested in learning more about Lutheran doctrine and training to be faithful preachers of God’s saving word. Christians are very far and few between in these regions. Nepal is less than 2% Christian. Most of those Christians live in the Kathmandu area so it is great to see to the Gospel reach far beyond the Kathmandu valley!

11.  Nepal – Pray for the Gospel outreach in Nepal as new anti-conversion laws come into effect in July. These new laws are open to the interpretation of those who are charged to enforce them. The law states that those who publicly preach or teach the Bible to those of another faith with the intention of conversion are subject to punishment of five years in prison and hefty fines. Some have interpreted these laws to even prevent parents from bringing their children to baptism and Sunday School until the children reach the age when they can decide on their own if they want to hear God’s word. Pray that the Lord will embolden His children during these troubling times. For more information go to: http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/october/nepal-criminalizes-conversion-christianity-evangelism-hindu.html

12.  India – Mary Benjamin, the wife of Pastor V.S. Benjamin has suffered from diabetes for several years. She has been released from the hospital and is home resting after trouble with her kidneys. She will undergo more tests.

13.  India – A Hindu nationalist party currently holds the majority in the Indian government. Part of their platform is to promote Hinduism as the national religion of India. New rules and regulations that govern the transfer of money to India from foreign countries has created a great deal of difficulties for our CLC Treasurer and our brothers and sisters of the CLCI.

14.  India – Even amid the government crack-down on Christianity mentioned above, the doors of opportunity to train faithful pastors to proclaim the truth of God’s saving word and start new congregations is overwhelming. There is seemingly no end to the opportunities before us. Pray that the Lord would provide the necessary resources, man-power, courage and zeal to continue in this harvest field that is so ripe for harvest.

15.  Pray for the individuals in Senegal, DR Congo, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and Myanmar who continue CLC Online Theological Studies correspondence courses.

Sent to Myanmar...FEB/MAR 2018

The two weeks in Myanmar went by rather quickly as Pastor Dave Koenig and I worked with the church leaders of the Church of the Lutheran Confession of Myanmar in Kalaymyo in the West and the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar in the east.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NGbYXIGM7pbaBIQp6ZLa0mUrTeC0nibK&usp=sharing

Pastor Koenig arrived in Yangon on February 18th from the U.S. and I arrived from India the next day. Our flights from Yangon to Kalaymyo had already been arranged by a local travel agent for the next day. 

We spent the next three days in Kalaymyo teaching at an outreach seminar with the pastors, leaders, and over one hundred church members and guests. Most of the congregations of the CLC-Myanmar are located in mountainous regions of Chin State that borders India to the west. For a variety of reasons that have to do with the socialist and then military dictatorships that, until recently, have ruled this nation for the past several decades, this state is very underdeveloped with poor roads and infrastructure. Until recently, foreigners were not allowed to travel throughout the state. 

The CLC-Myanmar has fifty-six congregation that are served by seven pastors. They serve these congregations on a monthly basis by bicycle. In recent months three pastors went to be with the Lord and a fourth pastor found it necessary to resign due to hearing, sight, and other health problems. Pastors Kham and Thang are in the process of interviewing men and developing a process for training men to fill these vacant pastoral positions. They currently have five young men who are interested in this training. They also hope to train men to reach out to the many Buddhists who live in the area around Kalaymyo. 

Many of those in attendance at the seminar traveled several days to get to Kalaymyo for the seminar. Each day we held classes from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm with a lunch break in the middle. In the evenings Pastor Koenig and I took turns preaching at the special evening worship services that were held. These services were well attended as this gave many who were working during the day the opportunity to come hear the word. On Sunday a final worship service was held and it too was attended by more than one hundred and fifty people with at least fifty children in attendance!

Church Building and Orphanage of the CLC-Myanmar

Dedication and Ribbon Cutting for the New Church Building

Pastors Kham (L) and Thang (R), Secretary and Chairman of the CLC-Myanmar

Gathering for the first day of the Seminar

Pastor Kham (L) , his wife (R) and son, and the eleven children they care for

Pastor Thang, his mother, his wife, and their five children

Group picture on the last day of the outreach seminar for the CLC-Myanmar in Kalaymyo

Pastor Koenig teaching in the newly dedicated church building of the CLC-Myanmar in Kalaymyo

After our time in Kalaymyo came to an end we boarded a flight on a local airline back to Yangon to repeat the outreach seminar with the members of the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar along with friends who had also been invited. There were around eighty in attendance each day for the three day seminar. 

On March 2nd, the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar celebrated their 30th anniversary as a church. Pastor Charles leads this small church body. He spent many years working for the national transportation department until he took an early retirement with benefits so that he could spend more time working in the ministry. His grandparents immigrated to Yangon (then Rangoon) from Tamil Nadu, India. They were Lutherans and brought their Lutheran heritage with them. His grandfather was instrumental in starting some of the first Lutheran churches in Myanmar. Pastor Charles received training from and was ordained by the LC-MS affiliated church in Asia. He left this fellowship for doctrinal reasons. Over the course of a few years, beginning in 2007, he found agreement in doctrine with the CLC and was accepted into fellowship. He serves one main congregation and three preaching stations. His brother (who lives with his two sisters in the family home) conducts services every Sunday as well and Pastor Charles serves the congregation with the Lord's Supper once a month. Pastor Charles oldest son, Sam, has now completed his bachelors degree in information technologies, has a good job, and would like to train for the ministry through our developing Online Theological Studies website. He plans to assist his father in the ministry and eventually take over his father's pastoral duties when the need arises. 

Our last couple of days in Yangon (Saturday and Sunday) were spent visiting and offering devotions at member's homes and preaching stations, and attending and preaching at the worship service on Sunday. Sunday afternoon gave me the opportunity to spend some time with Pastor Charles and to see some of the sites around this old city of Yangon. I went to see the old market, the Shwedagon Buddhist Pagoda (some 2,500 years old), the original church building that Pastor Charles grandfather helped to establish, and the banks of Ragoon river that leads to the Bay of Bengal.

Shwedagon Pagoda

The Shwedagon Pagoda complex

The Shwedagon Pagoda is impressive to see with its millions of dollars worth of gold, diamonds, and precious jewels. As the story goes, it was originally built as a shrine to house eight hairs from the Buddha that were brought to the king by monks. Many of the people there were like me, simple tourists seeing a World Heritage site. But many/most were there as dedicated Buddhists. This was made evident as I watched many dressed in Buddhist monk's garb and others bowing down and praying and performing other rituals to the hundreds of idols contained within the complex. It truly breaks my heart to see this kind of thing. These individuals, who Jesus Christ died for, are blinded by the darkness of idolatry. They bow down to wood and stone and in turn reject the blood bought forgiveness and salvation that our Savior provided on the cross and empty tomb. According to the 2014 census reported on a Wikipedia page, the nation of Myanmar is 87.9% Buddhist and only 6.2% Christian. Let those statistics break your heart and pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who faithfully proclaim the Good News of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life through life, death, and resurrection of our Savior!  

Attendees of the Outreach Seminar for the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar in Yangon

Pastor Charles Edwards (L-R) his son Sam, two sisters, brother Ivan

Sunday morning worship at the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar in Yangon

After two full weeks in Myanmar, Pastor Koenig and I both flew out on Monday, March 5th. Pastor Koenig flew home to the U.S. and I flew to Nepal.

For more information about the opportunities the Lord has opened to us in Myanmar go to: http://lutheranmissions.org/nation/myanmar/