"Then the King will say to those on his right, ' Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. .. I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25: 34-36, 40
These words of Jesus come to mind when I consider FLC's ministry in Myanmar. This was particularly brought home to me when I visited Myanmar in March. First, Jung Dangshing and I travelled to Taungyi, capital of Shan State, Myanmar. This is where FLC evangelist Abraham is stationed. His home and church are based there and it is also the center for his outreach along with ten of his evangelists to many surrounding towns and villages in Shan State. The area is predominately Buddhist and includes many tribes and people groups. Renown as the agricultural basin of Myanmar and for Inlay Lake, Venice of the East, it is cool and fertile. Sadly, however, it is also steeped in spiritual darkness. Abraham and his evangelists are serving the Lord sacrificially and bringing the good news of Jesus to this very needy area. I was so encouraged and amazed by the testimonies that they shared with me. Next e-mail, I will include some of their stories.
At Abraham's church, we held for the first time ever, dental training for 12 Barefoot Doctors. They came from the west (Rakhine State), from the north (Kachin State) and from the east and south (Shan State). The dental team called M Power, arrived from the US and Jung and I from Thailand. For one week, the very professional, loving and dedicated dental team trained the Barefoot Doctors in practical dentistry. After prayer and devotions each day and dental training, they got to work treating patients hands-on. That included writing down each patient's history, carefully examining the teeth, boiling and sterilizing the dental tools, numbing pain with injections, and extracting the diseased teeth. By the end of the week, they had extracted almost 1000 teeth from over 250 patients! It was very gratifying to provide this very needed service to poor people in Taungyi and at an orphanage with many physical and mental handicapped children. The 12 Barefoot Doctors received their dental certificates - now they are also officially Barefoot Dentists! They will be providing dental care to thousands of needy people in the most remote areas of Myanmar. At the same time, they pray with each patient and share the message of Jesus' love with them. Along with the other trained Barefoot Dentist, they will transform these remote areas, steeped in Buddhism and demon worship, with the light and love of Jesus Christ!
Jung and I also taught Bible classes to the Barefoot Doctors, evangelists and Abraham's church members. They were so encouraged by our visit and teaching! They asked us to return every year and teach more Bible! It was ten years ago that Daniel and I first visited Abraham's ministry in Taungyi. I realized it is so important to encourage our evangelists and visit them regularly. I also met with each of Abraham's evangelists and l wrote down their testimonies, ministries and prayer requests. Then, I prayed for each one of them in turn. Timothy and Thinbay were my very capable interpreters. Jung, at the same time, collected medical reports from the 12 Barefoot Doctors. Our time was well spent in Taungyi! We were blessed with delicious meals cooked by Abraham's wife Zamiram, his daughters and church members every day. I was very touched by Abraham's loving family serving the Lord together, the wonderful unity and spirit in their church, and the sacrifice and dedication of our FLC evangelists and Barefoot Doctors in Myanmar.
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