It has been a privilege and pleasure to get to know my
students a bit more. I will tell you a little bit about them. One is a teacher
in a Bible college. Her English is excellent, and she teaches in both English
and Burmese. (Most seminaries here operate in English because there are almost
no Christian books available in Burmese. It turns out that the task of
translating is very hard and expensive, even when they can get the rights to do
so.) When I asked about what people do for fun, she said that they like to play
games. When I asked what games, she said, “Uno!” I was very surprised! And then
I was even more surprised when she said her favorite game is Dutch Blitz! It
turns out that she spent time with an American missionary family (in India, I
believe) and that is where she learned Dutch Blitz. (She also learned that she
didn’t like having pancakes for breakfast every day!)
Another student is a pastor in a church of about 150 people.
They actually have 7 full time pastors, which in part explains why they don’t
get paid very much. There are very many Baptist churches in Myanmar because of
the influence of Adoniram Judson. Unfortunately many of them are very liberal,
and this man was led astray by a liberal seminary here. So while he was a
pastor, he had become a universalist (believing that everyone will be saved, no
matter their religion). He said that the members of the church patiently prayed
for him, and he has come to realize the unique claims of Christ and that there
is salvation in no other Name. It seems that perhaps some of the courses from
this seminary which whom I am teaching were helpful to him in that growth.
Another student has been a gift of God for our class. His
English is exceptional, which helps us a great deal since he often translates what
others don’t understand or what they want to say but are not sure how to say
it. But more than that, he has a pastor’s heart and is very quick to understand
what I am teaching. So he is regularly looking across the classroom, trying to
decide how best to help the class with its learning. He has been married less
than a year, and he and his wife live with his parents. That is important since
he is one who only makes about $720 in a year as a pastor.
Each of these people, along with the others in my class,
also has the typical struggles in life of health and conflict. And yet they are
seeking to serve God by serving His church. What a great thing they are doing!
And I am so thankful for the opportunity to offer some equipping and
encouragement as they seek the Kingdom of God first before other things.
If you would, please pray for them. And pray that these last
days of class would help solidify some of what they have learned and that, as
they return to their churches and their teaching, they will find these things
to be useful to be more effective in teaching and discipling their people.
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