REVIVAL IN CHAOS
Displaced villages built temporary shelters in the jungle.
Two years have passed since the military coup in 2021, and the armed conflict has displaced many people in different parts of Myanmar. 2022 was a year of struggle. Over a million people have fled their homes to take refuge in the jungle, without basic facilities but a place which they deem safe. Military army defectors have confessed the atrocities committed against civilians on the orders of their superiors. War crimes were reported. Some survivors lived to tell of their ordeals at the hands of the government soldiers.
Throughout all this, free countries have tried but have not successfully convinced Myanmar’s military junta to stop attacking their people and go through a peace process.
We continue to hear reports from our team inside Myanmar. Here are some updates:
Arakan, Chin, and Kayah States: Fighting continues every day. People are not allowed to carry basic food, e.g. rice, salt, oil, or even medicines because the military thinks these will be used to support the People’s Defense Force (PDF). Farmers are not allowed to harvest their rice fields due to the war. If they do not harvest it, the military armies gather them. They expect the price of rice to increase this year. Many people are jobless, which leads to increased robbery and theft. This has been happening every day since June last year. The military has also confiscated all cars and motorbikes without a license, affecting people’s mobility.
Besides the above situation, people had to deal with the spread of the Covid virus, which mainly affected children.
Mandalay: 39 houses were burned two weeks ago as the military tried to find members of the PDF who they thought were hiding there. One of our country team’s nephew, a Chin Baptist pastor from Mandalay, was accused of supporting the PDF and sentenced to 23 years in prison. He has been in prison for over a year now.
Karen State: The military continues to carry out airstrikes against villagers, the latest of which killed five civilians two weeks ago. Attack helicopters and jet fighters hover over the region, targeting key places like schools and churches.
Despite the chaos in many parts of Myanmar, our Bible delivery coordinator reported the clamor for more copies of the Myanmar-English New Testament (MENT). He has had over 27,000 requests for copies. Pray for the printing and distribution of 100,000 copies of the MENT this year.
Another interesting report he gave was about the Wa tribe, which is currently experiencing revival amidst the chaos. Many have become Christians and have also asked for copies of the MENT. They said they were very grateful to escape their religion and be released from the evil spirits which they used to worship.
Let us pray for Myanmar. We may never understand everything that is happening to this nation, but we can trust God, knowing that He is still at work. His glory will be revealed.
“I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from
my enemies.”