Since Myanmar’s military coup in 2021, Pastor Yang* and his young family have moved multiple times in their search for safety. Here, Yang shares about the trials and challenges of ministering to believers while on the run.
SCRIPT:
Pastor Yang – Myanmar – named changed for security reasons.
It is so painful that you know the life of Myanmar that we are running from our houses and leaving all our properties and stay in the forest is very difficult. Sometimes we are running for days. Sometimes we are running the whole week. On the way it is not safe. We cannot predict our future.
Since Myanmar’s military coup in 2021, Pastor Yang and his young family have moved multiple times in their search for safety.
Airstrikes have often targeted churches and Christian areas, killing many and displacing tens of thousands more.
They shoot us and they bomb our houses. Unlike the monastery, they always target and attack the Christian churches. Whenever we run on the forest, in the forest we just make this type of tarpaulin. And we just cover and we are staying inside. If they see it, they will bomb it again. That’s why we are, you know, keeping some leaves on that tarpaulin.
There’s no water and there’s no food. And the children are crying and they want to eat. They want to drink, but there’s nothing. Even our clothes there are only the clothes we are running in. And even in my family, when we all fleeing in the forest during that time, my wife delivered a baby. For us as parents what can we do?
Please help us. You know, we pray with tears.
As well as the day to day suffering pastors like Yang faced dangers and difficulties as they try to keep serving the church.
Being a pastor in Myanmar right now is very difficult and there are lots of challenges. My house members are scattered everywhere. We don’t know where they are because there is no internet access and there is no phone like the pastor and the church member are.
No, not able to connect each other, are not able to communicate with each other. So the church members are coming down in their spiritual life and are mentally. At the same time for the pastors it is very difficult to visit them because if we go outside and anything at any time, at any place, bombing and shooting can happen.
Pastors who risk visiting believers face dangerous checkpoints. Yang himself has been stopped and questioned at gunpoint. But Open Doors local partners are equipping pastors in my Myanmar through persecution, preparedness, training and fellowship groups.
In that training they motivate us with the Word of God and how to encourage others, how to help the people who are suffering. Seeing all those godly friends remind us that we have still friends who are praying for us.
That is our strength. Because we are human beings sometimes we want to cry out. Sometimes you know, we want to give up. But all those things encourage us to keep on moving and serving the Lord.
Lord, this is your people that you have given given us to lead out of this danger. So please be with us and please help us to live for you and so that we will be able to share your glory.
Story Provided By:
Open Doors UK
Producing Organization
Open Doors UK – www.opendoorsuk.org
Recording Location
Myanmar
Organization featured in this Story
Open Doors UK – www.opendoorsuk.org
People Interviewed and their Titles
Pastor Yang – name changed for security reasons.
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