Mission to Myanmar
September 23-27, 2007
During our stay, the military had a crack-down against the largest pro-democracy protests in Myanmar in two decades. After the government increased fuel prices in August, public anger turned to mass protest against 45 years of military dictatorship. Soldiers responded by opening fire with automatic weapons on unarmed demonstrators the very day we left Yangon.
For decades, Myanmar’s army waged a brutal war against ethnic groups in which soldiers have razed villages, raped women and killed innocent civilians. Especially hard hit have been the Karen, one of several minorities.
It is with such a background, God had put compassion in our hearts and a desire to go to Myanmar to minister to His people there
Group photo of the MLM Participants
Our team consisted of Senior Pastor Richard Toh and wife, Pat, Deacon K.C. Wong and wife, Sally, Elder Tan Beng Teong, Brother Steven Cheah and Brother Jeremy Teoh. It was a first trip to Yangon for the last three brothers. Our mission was to teach the Million Leaders Mandate, Books One and Two, to the local leaders.
On the morning of September 24, we took two taxis to the Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC) premises, a distance of 15 minutes away. We were encouraged to see some 20 old faces who had returned to do Book Two, and another 38 new participants for Book One. The Team divided into two groups to deal with the first day’s curriculum. Compared to the first group in March of basically clergymen and seminarians, the new participants were from varied backgrounds – businessmen, doctors, a dentist, corporate executives, and even para-church workers. Our sessions were very well participated and we were able to play a few games and have lively discussions in between the teachings.
Lunch served at the MCC was traditional Myanmar cuisine, consisting of salad and some meat. Those who had to wean their taste buds to the local grub, consumed additional bananas to fill their stomachs! That became a daily affair for the next two days. Incidentally, the bananas were very delicious.
On the first day, at tea time, we heard noises coming down the main road. Watching from some 100 meters away, we saw a center column of Buddhist monks marching between 2 rows of civilians holding hands to protect the monks, moving peacefully but purposefully to make their statement of protest against the military government.
On the MLM training, the participants were very responsive and that
encouraged our team tremendously. It was heartening to see the first
batch of trainees, who came last March, had made effort to train others
(a total of 355 trainees.) This time round, most participants indicated
their commitment to further train others, as that was our requirement
for them if they want to continue in the program. Our next training is
scheduled early next year (2008), God willing.
Jeremy: Tasted some very good food in Yangon - Lai liu har; mutton briyani & Thai dishes.
Pat: I note that food was a favorite subject amongst the team members. It was at a dinner one night that I mentioned the Indian food found in this Indian street, very near by. Little did I know it struck a chord in Jeremy. As we were walking back to our hotel, he disappeared quite quickly. Destination – Indian Street. He actually bought a portion of succulent curry mutton with briyani rice for his supper!
Our last night in Yangon, we were advised not to go anywhere by the F&B Manager, due to the curfew. We wondered whether it was a ploy to make us spend money at the hotel for our dinner. Anyway, after some deliberation, we decided on Chinese cuisine. We had a room to ourselves, which was a blessing as our team was very talkative and loud. We chose a set dinner and it turned out to be the right choice as every dish was sumptuous. To top it up, the F&B Manager presented us with a durian puff each! What a treat. Later, having a craving for more, I discovered each puff sold at the hotel bakery was US$1 each!
Jeremy: Yes, at least a small sense of direction in carrying out their every day chores.
Jeremy: Checking into hotel - 2 brothers found new “wives”; airport toilet bidet wets Richard's buttocks and face!
Pat: Not being able to play his favorite spot, Richard went to the hotel sauna every evening. On his first visit, since he did not bring a pair of thongs, he slipped into a pair of leather Japanese slippers, thinking they were supplied by the Spa. He did not hesitate to wear them back to the hotel room. As he had some trouble with one of his regular shoes, I even encouraged him to wear the Japanese slippers when we went downtown for dinner. On our last night at the hotel, Richard decided to return the slippers – not to the Spa, but to the front desk, thinking it would be OK. When the attendant saw them, he exclaimed, “Oh! These are the very slippers that were missing for the past few days! Our staff has been searching high and low all over the hotel for them.” How embarrassing!
Jeremy: Beautiful country & people. Pray for God to establish a government of Integrity, Honesty and Love for the people; Leadership skills to bring changes to benefit the nation. GOD PLEASE HEAR OUR CRY FOR MYANMAR.
Pat: Tension mounted further in Yangon even as we landed in KLIA. Watching Cable News, our prayers went out for that nation. Is a change in government due? Many think so, even the Myanmaris who work in Malaysia think so. I believe God has heard the cries of His children, especially of those who are oppressed. May we continue to uphold Myanmar to Christ and see His glory descend on that nation in the near future.
The morning after we arrived back in Malaysia, Pastor Richard received a call from the Equip office in Atlanta, USA. They wanted a statement from him regarding our training in Yangon. On October 4, 2007, Equip released this news:-
EQUIP NEWSROOM |
Amidst Crisis in Burma, EQUIP Works to Train and Empower Local Leaders of Faith to Be Positive Influence in Region
ATLANTA, Sept. 27, 2007 – This week, as riots continued in Burma and monks were killed during peaceful protests, U.S.-based international leadership development organization EQUIP was on the scene training local leaders of faith to positively impact their community during this critical time and beyond.
Because the government in Burma monitors religion very closely and is attempting to ban Christianity, EQUIP, headquartered in Atlanta, has partnered with Singapore-based Equipping Leaders for Asia to leverage their understanding of the political situation and their shared Asian heritage with Burma.
This week, armed with EQUIP’s Million Leaders Mandate leadership curriculum, trainers have returned to Burma.
“Our team could see the demonstrations from windows in our room and we paused several times to pray for the tense situation,” said one of the trainers, a pastor from Asia who cannot be named for safety concerns. “We see first hand the desperate need for God to work through effective leaders during this critical time in Burma’s history.”
Since EQUIP began work in Burma last year, this trainer reports that, “Great progress has been made through the spreading of the ‘Million Leaders Mandate’ training in churches and communities of faith throughout Burma over the past 12 months.”
EQUIP’s Million Leaders Mandate is a global initiative to train millions of Christians worldwide with the necessary leadership skills to effect positive change in their communities, workplaces, and churches. Since 2003, nearly two million leaders in over 100 countries have participated in the Million Leaders Mandate.
Founded by leadership expert and best-selling author John C. Maxwell, EQUIP’s expertise is training Christians worldwide with the skills necessary to become leaders. In more than 100 countries, EQUIP conducts conferences, creates and provides and maximizes technology to produce effective leaders.
EQUIP Web site: www.iequip.org