MYANMAR – The WORD MISSION – Cares for children

Pastor J’s THE WORD MISSION (TWM) has cared for a small number of orphans and underprivileged children at their premises on the outskirts of Yangon since before they became a member of the Advent Christian Conference of Myanmar in 2005. They have also provided support for a number of children in other parts of the country, in tribal areas which they visit from time to time to share the Gospel with the unreached people in those areas.

In the last few months, to simplify the logistics of providing for “their” children in tribal areas and to avoid the costs, delays and difficulties of sending funds to such remote areas, and to ensure the best possible education for them, TWM has brought a number of those children back to live on their property near Yangon. The number of children has risen from 13 in Yangon and 26 in tribal areas to the present 53 in Yangon and 17 in other areas.

Pastor J reports as follows…

“The Word Mission Educational Program
Lack of education kills many children of body, mind and souls in Myanmar. Illiteracy is not ignorance; it is often the difference between freedom and bondage. A sense of shame and insecurity constantly haunts the illiterate. Many of children in the rural areas of Myanmar are deprived of their basic rights as human beings and are forced into child prostitution, just because of illiteracy. They did not have the opportunity to go to school, cannot read or write, and are isolated from the rest of the world. Each year thousands of children below the age of ten are becoming victims of slavery – uneducated because of the growing illiteracy rate in Myanmar.

The Word Mission opens and operates village schools, known as community Education Centers, across Myanmar, where a local missionary teaches neighbors to read and write their own language. The Word Mission teachers use the Bible and Sunday school books as textbooks.

Lack of education kills more people than AIDS and malaria combined. No global stability can be achieved without finding sources to provide education for the uneducated. Without education, there can be no development.

Lack of education is problem that needs to be addressed, through a joint partnership with every compassionate heart in the world. Beyond the political or other reasons, the education crisis offers every human being an opportunity to offer some comfort at the time of an excruciating pain.

Living standards for many have decreased. Families with a low income are struggling to get even the daily necessities of food and clothes. Education is a low priority, as the families cannot afford the fees. Over 10% of children between age 8‐11 and 18% of those aged 12‐15 are not receiving a formal education. We ,The Word Mission Literacy Class program has been designed to provide these children with a basic education, so they have an opportunity to enter the local schools or find a job.

Consequently, when compared to average Myanmar, many of the tribal peoples here experience a lower standard of living, are lesser educated, and are thus easy prey for drug trafficking, prostitution and illegal child labor rings. Each year thousands young girls are sold to some place to become prostitutes, beggars, domestic workers, factory workers and construction workers.

This 2014 year we have children’s hostel for tribal peoples in Yangon and in MaiPhyt. MaiPhyt is located in the midst of Golden Triangle. The children’s Hostel is currently home to 17 children, from the Lahu, Akha, Shan and Inh hill tribes in MaiPhty and 53 children from Chin Pum, ZuTu, Mara, LeTu, Asochin, Kachin, Lahu, Wa and DaiTu in Yangon. We seek your prayer and partnership with us and will enables the team at Myanmar.Children’s Hostel to make a difference in the tribal villages of Golden Triangle.

We would like to invite you to partner with us in raising up a new generation of tribal children in Myanmar . Your gift of 30$ a month will help house, feed, clothe and send one tribal child to school‐ changing their life for eternity and hope for the future in Christ. By supporting 30$ for one child you will change a Myanmar village.

Most of children of background are from animist backgrounds. They believe in demons as their gods. We do teach the Bible for three days and all children had accepted Jesus as their personal savior. They are ready to be baptise in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost. By these children we are to reach their parents, family and relatives so on.
Prayer requests:

1. Pray for the children that we are caring for their future educations. We have 53 children of tribe’s people group in Yangon and 17 children of tribe’s people in Shan State from distant land.
2. Pray for project of TWM for Private High school. (2018-2019)
3. Pray for project of TWM for private middle school. (2016-2017)
4. Pray for project of TWM for private primary school. (2016-2017) Government has allowed to have private school in the last years. We are praying to have private middle school for unreached children, and for every tribe of children from Myanmar.

Pray with us and stand with us.

J
Ambassador to the children”

“The work of The Word Mission begins, to find the lost, to heal the broken and sick, to feed the hungry and bring Christ into the hearts. We have three days seminar for children of unreached people. The Word of God has power to change their lives to Jesus and transform any mind and soul for the Lord. These children are eager to learn the Word of God. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail.”

Mission to unreached orphanage/ children
Work report

The Word Mission started caring for children in 2001.This orphanage home is opened mainly for orphans
and children. This is a place where the hopeless orphans and children find hope, parentless children find
parents and family care, and illiterate orphans and children will become literate and educated.

i. Purpose
To share with the children the answer to their eternal need, the Lord Jesus Christ, for the building up of the
Body of Christ. To reduce poverty, illiteracy and instability.

ii. Vision
To uplift the children in the realms of their education, social, spiritual and physical lives. To help them
reach their destinies. To give them some practical training to support themselves in the future.

iii. Why they are coming to The Word Mission? Because:
1. Parents died
2. Divorced parents
3. Poverty
4. Educational needs
5. Their parents’ inability to work due to physical infirmities.
6. Imprisoned Parents
7. Their parents have abandoned them
8. Illiteracy
9. Social life of the community

iv. What is The Word Mission doing for their future?
a. We care for their needs
b. We support for their education
c. We try to help them reach their destiny in some way.
d. We give them some practical training to support themselves in the future.

This ministry is one part of The Word Mission. Our work is teaching the children about the salvation of
Jesus and the Bible, helping to feed and clothe them, along with assisting the child with school and
anything they need including medical needs. This gives the child an opportunity to be introduced to a
local Bible preaching church where they can also grow spiritually in Christ.
By doing this ministry TWM
can reach much soul for the Lord.”

Bringing the additional children to their Yangon base has of course necessitated the building of new, extra accommodation to house them. TWM/Pastor J has borrowed heavily to begin to build the necessary facilities – he commented as follows when I asked him for details …

“Dear my leader, supporters of AC(US) and NZL

We need your prayer support.

By your help and prayer support we have pay the land. And we build the building for boys hostel. Please
praise with us. {see below – already surrounded by current floodwaters!}

“Below the building is for church as well as for girl hostel, for studying and so on. I have asked prayer request to all you. Till today we have half completed but still we need your prayer support. Without you, we are nothing, with you, nothing can stop us. By your supporting you can change the lives of unreached children forever.
J”

At my request, Pastor J has advised that the cost to complete both new buildings for the children is about NZ$9,300 (US$7,800). He also advised that the average cost to care for – house, clothe, feed and educate – each child is NZ$36 (US$30) per month..
They also need furniture and equipment to make these new buildings habitable for the children – as follows…

“We need 26 beds (two children can sleep in one bed) – one bed NZ$119 (US$100)
We need 53 chairs – one chair NZ$12 (US$10)
We need 17 tables – one table NZ$34 (US$28)
We need 70 blankets – one blanket NZ$3.60 (US$3)”

I have pictures and brief bio-details of 49 children from 8 different tribal areas – Pastor J notes the reasons why these children are in TWM’s care – reasons like “Mother Die. Her father have abandoned to them. She will stay forever at TWM”; “His parents’ inability to work due to physical infirmities. He will stay forever at TWM”: “Poverty”; “Mother Die. Her father gets remarriage.”

If you or your group or church is led by the Lord to assist TWM with these costs, either on a “one off” or continuing basis, I would be happy to discuss details with you.

Please pray regularly for the children Pastor J/TWM cares for and the 168 other children cared for by the other three member organisations of the Advent Christian Conference of Myanmar.

Ernie Schache
(ernie.schache@acmissionz.org.nz)