MISSION TO BURMA

I want to give you an update on our new mission to Burma. This past summer when I was in America I talked to many people about our new ministry there. What I discovered is that many know little or nothing about Burma. I want to give you an overview of this very remote and closed country, which has a population of around 56 million. It is a country in Southeast Asia. The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, with the Andaman Sea defining its southern periphery. It is estimated that 89% of the population practices Buddhism. Other religions--Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, and animist 1%--are less prevalent. The Military rulers changed the name of the country to "Myanmar" in 1989, but some members of the democratic opposition and other political activists do not recognize the name change and continue to use the name "Burma." Out of support for the democratic opposition, and its victory in the 1990 election, the U.S. Government likewise uses "Burma." According to Burmese Government budget data, public health expenditure has accounted for less than 1% of total government spending. High infant mortality rates and short life expectancies further highlight poor health and living conditions. Tuberculosis, diarrheal disease, and malaria pose serious threats to the Burmese population. Burma remains an authoritarian country dominated by active or former members of the military. The military remains an institution unto itself, and the head of the armed forces retains the right to invoke extraordinary powers including the ability to suspend civil liberties and abrogate parliamentary authority. Cyclone Nargis hit Burma on May 2-3, 2008. The storm devastated a huge swath of the Irrawaddy Delta region, wiping out entire villages, leaving an estimated 138,000 Burmese dead or missing, and affecting approximately 2.4 million people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Burmese authorities were criticized for their initial reluctance to grant access to the affected region by international donors, though such access was granted in the ensuing months. Last year I received a letter from a pastor in Burma. He had heard of our ministry, and invited me to come to Rangoon to help with his ministry. Several years ago he had slipped across the border into India, and made his way to a Bible college in Hyderabad, India, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, where I first started WFM 39

years ago. He then returned to Rangoon, Burma. It was there that I met him last January, and spent a week of ministry with him. I was deeply touched by his gentle Christian spirit and his dedication the Jesus and his desire to reach his people with the Gospel. Pastor Siang joined our mission in January and was issued ordination papers by WFM. The country remains as one of the most isolated countries in the World. Most countries have an embargo on Burma, and as a result the capital city of Rangoon looks as if most of the buildings have not been painted in 50 years. I am including a photo of the street where I stayed in a small hotel. I choose to travel as frugally as possible, and Pastor Siang and I located this hotel in the heart of the city where the rooms are just $10 per night. He has rented a building where he holds Sunday services and has a small Bible school to train pastors. Because he has become a Christian minister, the government stripped him of all his civil rights, and he cannot vote or engage in other activities. During the time I was there he suspected that we were closely monitored by the secret police. There is no Internet connection with the outside world. However he knew of a shop that is able to bypass the blackout, and make limited connections to the Internet. The government has tried to wipe out Christianity. Please pray for his safety, and that the Lord will continue to bless our new ministry there. The Bible says, "Where there is no vision the people perish." God has given Pastor Siang and me a vision for a Children's Home in addition to our church. I ask you to pray much for this new outreach. It will take at least $10,000 to establish the Home and mission station. We have already received over $1,000, and God is our Source. We wait on the Lord for fulfillment of this vision. Again I express to you my deepest gratitude for your faithful support as we do our best to obey the Great Commission to reach the World for Jesus. Johannes Maas