Now that K.C. has accounted the
important bits of our Myanmar trip, I shall share some interesting
muses of our 5-day stay there.
Our trip was partly prodded by the MAS special fares to Myanmar, which
included accommodation at the prestigious 5-star rated Traders Hotel.
That aside, our main purpose was to go and teach 52 rising leaders from
various churches. Little did we realise even professors of seminaries
enrolled! It was a humbling experience.
Malaysians will be Malaysians where food is concern. On one hand, we
were adventurous to try out Myanmar food; on the other, we craved for
stuff that satisfied our stomachs! Thai food was our dinner the first
night, Chinese, the second and third, and back to Thai, our last night.
As Traders offered buffet breakfast, we ate our fill each day so that
we need not worry if lunch was not palatable, as we had no clue what
will be served at the MCC. Breakfast was always sumptuous because
Traders had such a variety. We even made friends with one Chinese cook,
who favoured us by making special treats to our prescription. We wrote
our appreciation to the hotel management on the last day, so that when
we return in October, he will still remember us, hopefully!
While the main ‘actors’ of the trip were the facilitators, I need to
mention our 4th member of the team – Sally Wong. Her presence made all
the difference to us. She carefully packed all the little comforts,
like ‘Aik Cheong’ kopi, herbal tea, sweets and knick-knacks. Her demure
gentleness and care was of the highest standard. Throughout the trip,
we would be served endlessly. She was there to smoothen the rough
patches, and to her, I want to say, a BIG THANK YOU, SALLY!
One incident to share – on our last evening in Yangon, we walked Indian
Street. The smells of curry and Indian stuff exuded from all
directions. As we manoeuvred over pot holes and evaded the endless flow
of people from every direction, Sally suddenly felt faint. She couldn’t
walk anymore and in a twinkle, K.C. had to grab her. Sally passed out!
We were at a lane near a side stall. An Indian hawker brought a chair
for Sally to sit. As we prayed over her, we wondered how we will get
back to the hotel, which was another 10-minute walk away. Our Father
knew how; He arranged for Trader’s Hotel vehicle to come by this side
road! “Stop!” We called out to the driver. He recognized us. Praise
God, we hopped onto the air-conditioned MPV, and in a jiffy, got back
to the hotel. God is GOOD!
The team posing with the obedient and cheerful children
One evening, we decided to visit the Children’s Home. These children
have been adopted by Sister Levi’s parents. They have come from very
poor homes or they have been abandoned. We thank God for letting CBC
partner in this Home in providing the resources for their schooling,
food, clothes and child care. This has been found to be Biblical as
these children now have a home, family and a new name. Praise God!
When we arrived, we were introduced to 15 of them, who range from 6 to
12 years old. They were well-behaved but a bit shy. We were entertained
with a couple of songs. In turn, I taught them an 8-step Praise Hand
movement to be sung with any song that had a 4/4 beat. The children
were doing fine in school and they were taking the first three
positions in their respective classes. What a testimony for the Lord.
We prayed for the children before departing. Please continue to pray
good health for them and that they will grow up to be strong witnesses
for the Lord Jesus Christ and be the ‘salt and light’ in Myanmar.
We look forward to our next trip in October, and we pray more CBC
members, who are burdened for Myanmar, will come along. We need more
facilitators for the MLM program, teaching Book 1. And when we return
in 2008 to teach Book 3, these will teach Book 2, and a new batch will
teach Book 1!
By
Pat Toh Facilitator at the MLM workshop in
Yangon.
