By Mark Ellis —
Joe and his wife are from the Mro tribe in Myanmar, near the border of Bangladesh. He grew up in a strong Buddhist family. But in 1990, his family heard the Good News about Jesus, believed, and began to follow him as their Savior and Lord.
Joe’s life changed dramatically. He wanted to share this Good News with his own people, so he went to Bible college, studied hard, and finished his studies in 1999.
“He married San. She was also Mro and loved Jesus. She had completed Bible studies. Together, they shared the same dream: to tell their people about Jesus,” Simon Thaung, with Asia Christian Services, told God Reports.
After they finished school, they returned to their village, and surprisingly, the village chief invited them to be teachers in the village. They were happy to serve there as teachers and evangelists.
Every morning, before class, they had a short time of worship. They read the Bible, prayed and explained the meaning of the Word to the children.
“They did this for seven years. At first, no one responded. But they kept teaching faithfully. After seven years, some of their students believed in Jesus and were baptized in the river. It was a joyful time,” Simon recalled.
One day, Joe and his wife left for their summer holiday. When they returned, they found a Buddhist monk living in their home. The village chief had invited the monk to stay there. The Buddhists did not want Christians and their evangelical witness in their village.
Joe and his wife were shut out from their own home!
They complained to the authorities, and a military general called a meeting with Joe, the village chief, and other leaders. The general asked Joe, “Who invited you to be a teacher here?”
“The village chief invited me,” he replied.
The general was angry with the chief, and yelled at him, calling him “a double-minded man.” Then he picked up a stick and tried to beat the chief.
But Joe stepped in front of the chief and cried, “Please don’t beat him!”
Amazingly, Joe protected the chief, even though the chief had been unkind to him.
The general then stopped the meeting told them all to go home.
The chief was taken aback by Joe’s kindness. In a surprising turn, he sent the Buddhist monk away from the village and gathered all the people together. He said, “Now you are free to choose. You can worship Buddha or you can worship God.”
From that day, people were free to worship God at Joe’s home and a small church was born.
But in 2017, the civil war that has raged on and off since 1948 came to their area. A rocket hit their school. Nineteen children were hurt and one child died. It was a terrible day. Joe and his wife had to flee with other villagers to a safe place, leaving all their property behind.
They landed in an IDP camp, a safe zone for people who had lost their homes, operated by Asia Christian Services.
Even in the camp, Joe and his wife did not stop spreading the Good News. They started teaching the children and began a new church in the camp.
“Their faith is very strong. They have faced many hardships. People opposed them. They lost their home. War came. But they still love God and serve the people. They need our prayers,” Simon says.
“Please pray for Joe and his family. Pray for their safety and strength. Pray for the children they teach. Pray for peace in their community.”
To learn more about Asia Christian Services, go here
