On May 2nd of 2008, the beautiful nation of Myanmar (also called Burma) was hit by the deadly Cyclone Nargis. More than 138,000 people were killed and 2 million were left homeless.
The task of rebuilding the nation was daunting. We did not know exactly what God had in store for Myanmar (a closed country at the time); however, we knew the Holy Spirit was leading us to begin equipping the local church for a day when their country would in fact open. Now it is clear that Myanmar was not just in for a physical reconstruction, but a spiritual and political one as well.
Aung San Suu Kyi, a political activist, acquired a platform and voice on the grounds of human rights in Myanmar. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, Suu Kyi has been capturing the hearts of the people of Myanmar for decades now.
Suu Kyi’s party, The National League for Democracy, won the majority of seats in both the lower and upper levels of parliament in the recent 2015 election. Suu Kyi herself was elected into the House of Representatives. For the first time in a long time, Myanmar is finally experiencing the reality of democracy.
This April is a very important month for Myanmar as it is the month the National League for Democracy officially takes office. Please remember to keep this beautiful nation in your prayers as they are undergoing some very crucial transitions.
World Compassion has been heavily invested in developing Myanmar for the past eight years, both physically and spiritually. We spent years translating and developing our ABC discipleship program into the Burmese language. In the past year, we enrolled the first 1,000 students from over 100 different churches with a waiting list of hundreds of eager disciples of Christ.
We will very soon be graduating our second class of 40 students who are now trained for full-time ministry. Many of these graduates as well as those who will graduate for years to come will serve as leaders in local churches or church planters all over Myanmar.
To finance the next 40 enrolled students, the cost will be $25,000 (£17,280) a year. If you break it down, that’s $52 (£36) per student a month. We would encourage you to prayerfully consider sponsoring one of these students.
With your faithful partnership, the goal for us this year is to enroll another 1,000 students. The price for each student to complete the two year discipleship program is about $141 (£98) which in total will cost about $141,000 (£98,000).
Another exciting new endeavor World Compassion is thrilled to be a part of is the building of the first dormitories for the Ministry Training Center students. Although construction is well underway, there is still a large amount of the funding still needed for completion. The total additional cost needed to finish construction which will include living furnishings, library/study area, and a recreation space is $35,000 (£24,487).
Please consider being a financial partner in the exciting work God is doing in Myanmar.
Additionally, we will soon be choosing our next church planter from our Ministry Training Center and building a new church facility where they will reach a new city with the message of Jesus Christ. Each of these facilities costs roughly $41,000 (£28,392) to construct.
We serve a big God who has a heart that longs to be in a relationship with His sons and daughters in Myanmar. Our ABC discipleship program equips believers in Myanmar to effectively reach their communities. Our hope is that you would prayerfully consider partnering with us financially to see the Gospel saturate the nation of Myanmar. The Lord truly is transforming this nation, and he’s letting us play a part in this transforming work.
