Chin Religion is Christianity

Canadian Group Protests

Of course as those who read the MTMblog know, we have been working with the Chin people for nearly five years. We do not object to the removal of crosses from mountain tops in the Chin State, but of course we object to the erection of Buddhist payas (pagodas).

But we must understand something that many do not understand in Burma. Political action is not the answer to the longrange problems of either the Burmese majority or the Chin minority in Myanmar. The only hope is in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As I prepare to leave for Burma tomorrow, please pray for me that God will enable this humble servant to bring hope to both the Chin people and the Burmese people -- not in the form of democratic reform or other political action, but in the proclamation of the rights of King Jesus over all the nations of the world (Psa. 2:6-12).

Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

RB

The Visa Is In Town

Praise the Lord, the entry visa came in this morning. I just now received a phone call from my visa expeditor and the visa is in town. So, I will be going over to pick it up this morning. My thanks go up to God for all those who have been praying for this matter.

So as things stand right now, I will leave the ground at 8:00 AM on Tuesday and will depart LAX around noon the same day. Because of crossing the international dateline and the length of the flight, I will touch down in Yangon, DV, on Thursday AM. That is after spending about an eight hour layover in Bangkok on Wednesday PM (local time).

I've heard from my contacts in Yangon that the plane that goes to Kalemyo/Tahan is very irregular, so it does not sound good for me to make it all the way to the orphanage on this trip. Nevertheless, it is my hope that Rev. Moses will perhaps be able to meet with me in Yangon for a season.

RBI will be meeting with me at the Golden Guest for part of the time so I can teach the students. Hopefully Rev. Thang Bwee will be able to do the bulk of the translation work for me. RBI has an English teacher, so we may use him as interpreter.

Again, Hallelujah (Praise ye the Lord).

RB

Whatever Happened To Military Intelligence?

There have been a number of changes in Myanmar in the past year. None of them rival the changes in Iraq either in scope or direction, but there are some reports coming from that part of the world. Ron Corben of the Voice of America reports,

Burma has begun holding trials of associates of former Prime Minister Khin
Nyunt. Most of the defendants are accused of corruption and economic crimes.
The trials are expected to last six weeks.

[snip]

Several members of Khin Nyunt's family, including his two sons, were detained
and are reported to be among the dozens of people on trial. In addition to
members of the military, some police officers are being tried.

Of course, it is far too early to say that this is some sort of move toward democracy. What is far more likely is that these trials are intended to consolidate power in the hands of the present ruling junta, led by Sr. General Than Shwe. Khin Nyunt was head of MI (military intelligence), and with his fall from power the MI has lost some of its internal grip. However, there were some who regarded Khin Nyunt as something of a reformer. This trial may reflect more of a Stalinist type purge than anything else. It was shortly after Suu Kyi's re-arrest that Khin Nyunt was first accused of corruption.

Meanwhile the UN's darling, Aung San Suu Kyi remains incommunicado under house arrest.

At the end of the day, Myanmar's hope does not lie with reformers like Khin Nyunt or democratic leaders such as Suu Kyi. The only hope for Myanmar is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The leaders of the country have lost hope; the would-be reformers are aging away in prison. The answers to the questions of the Burmese people are answered only by the sovereign salvation of God and it is only as the gospel permeates the thinking of the Burmese that they will have any hope for the future.

Please continue to pray for my visa. It still has not arrived as of this morning (1/27).

RB

As Of Today, Still No Visa

No, I don't mean the credit card! The Myanmar embassy still has not given us firm word on my visa. Yes, I know this is something we go through everytime. I think the closest we have come to the "last minute" before was Elder Seekamp's visa when we went together in November 2000.

Anyway, for those reading these blog updates, I hope you will make the arrival of my visa a matter of prayer. The sovereign God hears prayer and he is often pleased to make use of his people's prayers to work his most holy will. Please join us in prayer concerning this matter.

RB

Hundreds of Myanmar fishermen likely killed

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Geneva
Hundreds of fishermen were probably killed in Myanmar by Indian Ocean killer waves, the World Food Programme said Tuesday, as Yangon put the tsunami toll at 53 killed and 21 missing. ‘We are afraid that hundreds of fishermen may have died,’ a WFP spokesman, Simon Pluess, said. ‘Some 30,000 people are in immediate need of shelter, food, drinking water and medical drugs,’ he added. Yangon made an appeal for international aid on December 30, four days after the tsunami devastated Indian Ocean coastlines after initially believing that the problem could be resolved by local means, said the spokesman. On Saturday, official Myanmar media reported that 53 people had died in the waves in 17 fishing villages. Another 21 people were reported missing, 43 injured and 778 homeless.

RB

Myanmar & Tsunami News (Jan 1, '05)

A Reuters report says death toll is now 53 in Myanmar. It is amazing that on both sides of Myanmar, geographically, the death toll was orders of magnitude higher. The article states, "'The Andaman Islands seemed to have protected the Coco Islands as natural barriers,' a geologist said of India's Andaman and Nicobar islands where 712 people were killed and some 3,000 missing and presumed dead."

The Coco Islands belong to Myanmar, while the Andamans and Nicobars belong to India. There are accusations that the government is covering up the true extent of the damage, but my sources in Yangon report something very similar.

RB

Here is one of five pictures sent to me by Rev. Jose Peter from India. The devastation in South India is overwhelming (no pun intended). I think the other pictures are AP wirephotos and are therefore probably copyright and I'm disinclined to post them for that reason. We have reason to be thankful that this has not befallen us.

"There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

RB

More On The Tsunami

I have not heard from everyone in MM as yet, but here is our contact in Yangon (Rangoon) with the most immediate access to the internet:

"Thank you so much for your concern and we all are doing fine here and it didn't effect our daily routine work.No power cut off. We only felt mild earthquake and no damages and no one injured. I believe that because of your prayer we all are safe.
Best regards to Mrs. Bacon and Matt as well.
See you in February."

RB

Very Few Reports on Tsunami

Most Blog readers have already heard of the earthquake that took place off the northeast coast of the island of Sumatra (Indonesia) and the resulting devastating effects of the Tsunami that came from the earthquake. There is a lot of news coming from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and from Phuket, Thailand. But little is coming from Myanmar.

The one thing I've seen was a link from the Myanmar International Times to the Reuter's News Service. I've sent emails to several friends and contacts in Myanmar and hope to hear back from them soon. Of course, even without a Tsunami the power situation in Myanmar is not 100%.

RB

It Is Winter In Tahan

I have been in Tahan in the winter, and though it is in the tropics, it is also at a somewhat higher elevation -- around 4,000 feet above sea level. It does get "chilly" there in the winter and the hours of darkness are longer. The darkness is not so long as it is the temperate zones, but it is appreciable. So the schedule changes somewhat for the orphans.

A Day At New Life Orphanage

The following is the routine from Monday to Friday for the short daylight hours during the winter season.

1) Wake-up time 5:30 Am
2) Devotions 6:00 Am
3) Breakfast 7:00-7:30 Am
4) Laundry 7:30-8:30 Am
5) School starts 9:00 Am
6) Recess 10:00-10:15 Am
7) School Resumes 10:15-11:00 Am
8) Lunch 11:30 Am
9) Aftermoon school 1:00 Pm
10) Recess 2:00-2:15 Pm
11) School Resumes 2:15-3:00 Pm
12) Playtime 3:00-4:00 Pm
13) Bathing time 4:00-5:00 Pm
14) Dinner 5:00 Pm
15) Evening prayers 6:00 Pm
16) Study 7:00-9:00 Pm
17) Lights out 10:00 Pm

RB

Here is a previous conference at RBI. Yours truly is in the blue shirt in front. To my left is Rev. Changwon Shu and to his left is Dr. Thang Bwee. 

Time For Another Trip

It is hard to believe it has been nearly a year since my last trip to Myanmar, but time does get away from us sometimes. It has been a profitable year. The New Life Orphanage continues and with more support could easily double the number of orphans we presently have. At the present we are supporting 75 orphans, including food, lodging, and education. As the orphans become older they also learn trades (generally sewing, farming, and carpentry). Our biggest "structural" need at present is for a carpentry shop. We have the space to build it -- it would go on about 1/3 of the 7.5 acres that we are presently using for rice. But we need the funds (yes, that is a hint).

The Ticket Has Been Purchased

So, the plan is presently for me to leave Dallas-Ft. Worth on February 1st. The trip this time takes me through Los Angeles, Osaka, Bangkok, and then to Yangon (Rangoon). I will arrive in Yangon, DV, mid-morning on the third. We "lose" a half day when we cross the Int'l dateline, so it doesn't really take 48 hours to get there. It only takes 33-36 hours on the trip -- but about 8 hours of that is a layover in Bangkok.

And For Those Who Have Prayed With Us In The Past...

The next step is that of receiving an entry visa from the government (embassy) of the Union of Myanmar. I have been there seven times now -- this is my eighth trip. So the immediate temptation is to think of the visa as a "given." But the fact is, "man proposes, but God disposes." We have received the visas in the past, it is true. But we have also undertaken to pray with hundreds of people that those visas would be granted. So God has been pleased to go before us in the past, just as he went before the Israelites in the desert. But we dare not think we should quit praying for his will to be accomplished in us and through us.

Actually, Myanmar visas are very hard to get. I know of others who have gone there and been turned down for subsequent trips, so it is not "automatic." Please do be in prayer -- remember this as you pray for missions. And please pass along this request to others in your congregation's membership and leadership as well.

The Psalter Is Ready To Go

The digital file has been brought up to date. We simply need to compile all three portions into a single document for the "final review." This will be the first complete Psalter available for singing in any of the languages of Myanmar. There are over 100 distinct languages and dialects used among the tribes of Myanmar, and we have been helping in getting Psalters for two of them. Most of the work being done on the Burmese language Psalter is being done by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Myanmar (EPCM) and the Protestant Reformed Churches of Myanmar (PRCM). We are happy to be of some help to them. But most of our work has been done on the Falam language Psalter. That is the "family" language of most of the Christian Chin in Myanmar.

And We Hope To Do Some Teaching

We will be getting to Yangon just at the end of the school year and hope to teach at the Reformed Bible Institute (RBI) under the presidency of U Thang Bwee. In two weeks, it will be difficult to teach much in depth, but I will have the students for six hours per day and six days per week. So the lecture time will actually be comparable to 3 or 4 semester hours. Please pray for understanding. The men I will be training will be carrying the gospel to the villages of Myanmar for the coming generation.

More later as the day of departure approaches.

My wife suggested that I paste the following letter into my blog. Please keep in mind that this letter was likely written originally in the Mizo tongue and translated into English. Thus in order to "prevent misunderstanding," the translator will often use a series of synonyms for a particular Mizo word. Here is the letter, just as it came from the children of the orphanage.

To,
First Presbyterian Church, Rolet Texas
Sunday School Children.

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

We are reformed children;
Jesus loves us, this we know;
For the Bible tells us so:
Little ones to Him belong;
We are weak, but He is strong.
(Yes, Jesus Loves us ) 3
He also Loves you too!

We have heard that you are doing your best for us and also praying for us; so we thank you and God Who plans and arranges all things.

Your ministry in serving the Lord has strengthened us very much. It has been and still is a great blessing for our bodies and our souls. While we were yet fatherless and motherless, our God, the Great Designer aranged and planned it so that just as you have fathers and mothers, God gave us Mr. Bacon and Mrs. Bacon (Dabby) to be our father and mother. He also gave you all to us to be our many brothers and sisters. It fills our hearts with gratitude mirth and glee.

We have high hopes that God the eternal Designer will arrange it so that one day, hale and hearty and happily, we will meet face to face with you. We pray for your always. Let us pray for each other, you in your corner, cubby hole and niche, and we in ours.

May the Lord continue to bless your ministry. Amen.


Your brothers and sisters in Christ
New Life Presbyterian Church Children
____________________________________________

RB

A Few of the NL Orphans 

Here is Pasiang (Siang Lian Hope)

Invitation Declined

Rev. Thang Bwee recently invited me to join the first graduation class of Reformed Bible Institute (RBI). Sadly, it was necessary for me to decline at the present time. I have previous commitments in this country at the same time that RBI is graduating its first class. RBI is the school that is sponsored by the Korean Presbyterian Church of Rev. Changwon Shu (pron. "saw"). Thang Bwee was recently awarded a D.Min., so it was my hope to be able to be with him, but as we say, "man proposes, but God disposes."

Work On Psalter Progresses

Some of my readers know that we have been working for some time on a Burmese Psalter. At present we are actually working in two distinct languages. One is the Burmese tongue, which is the "universal language" of Myanmar. That translation is being done primarily or exclusively from The Psalter (UPC 1912 version). At the same time we are working on a Falam language Psalter based upon The Comprehensive Psalter (a version of the 1650 Psalter) settings, with comparison and additional translation from the Hebrew.

On my last trip to Myanmar, last Feb, we updated all the settings. There was a committee of about 21 or so Chin men. We also "translated" the musical notation from standard staff notes to "Sol-Fa" notation. We are now in the process of updating the digital file to incorporate all the committee's changes. We hope to have this work finished by next February. Right now it is progressing, but very slowly. Anyone who would like to make a (financial) contribution to this project can send his or her check to the address at the end of this blog entry.

Siang Hope In India

Pasiang (a diminutive or "nickname" for Siang) has journeyed partly by foot and partly by rail to get to Dehra Dun, India to attend the Presbyterian Theological Seminary (PTS) there. All courses at PTS are taught in English. It has already begun to stretch him not only in his theological studies, but in his English study as well. For a picture of Pasiang, see the picture "Here is Pasiang." It should be just above this entry.

Pasiang's tuition comes to about USD 900 per year. This does not count expenses for clothes, bedding, books, and supplies. It does cover bed and messing (board). If anyone would like to help with Pasiang's education, a gift in any amount would be welcomed. First Presbyterian Church's deacons are currently keeping a fund for Pasiang's education. If you would like to contribute to this cause, please send a check in any amount to:

Mission To Myanmar
c/o First Presbyterian Church
8210 Schrade Road
Rowlett, Tx. 75088

Please make your checks or money orders payable to First Presbyterian Church and indicate if this is for the New Life orphanage or for the education fund.

New Life Orphanage

I received an accounting from Rev. Moses Dawnga just this morning for their expenses through the month of September. Because they raised rice on a 7 acre paddy this year, their rice expense was lowered by about 25%. We are presently housing, clothing, feeding, and educating in the reformed faith, 75 orphans in the northern part of Myanmar for about $135 US per year per orphan. They are learning not only basic "3 Rs" education, but they are also receiving training in various trades as they get old enough to be trained in that way. Rev. Moses Dawnga loves these children and was keeping about a dozen orphans in his home when we first heard of his ministry.

Sadly we cannot simply adopt the orphans and bring them home with us. We have quiet and diplomatic arrangements with the local authorities that the children can be educated in the Reformed Christian faith and not attend the Buddhist run schools. If we were to bring these children to the attention of national authorities, they would immediately give them to the Buddhists, who use them to go house to house begging rice. So we have adopted a course that we believe is best for the orphans themselves. They are quietly educated in the Reformed faith, a Christian worldview, and given trades by which they can "give back" to those who follow them.

If you would like to help with this effort, please let us know you are praying for them; and if you can give financially, please send any contributions to the above address. Simply let us know that it is for the New Life Orphanage. A gift of $135 will support an orphan for an entire year.

REB

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

The website that supposedly was going to be able to handle my visa application now appears to be "for sale." Or rather the domain name is for sale. I've written to the email addy on a few occasions and have yet to receive any sort of response. At this point, it seems the best approach would be for me to obtain my visa in the usual way. I sent off last week by local expeditor for a new visa. I hope the readers of this blog will be in prayer that a visa will be forthcoming.

Company and Yet...

It seems that there will be a few friends of the gospel in Myanmar during the month of February. I mentioned in my last installment that Jeff Easley of The Aquila Project expects to be there. However, there will be some other reformed people there as well and although the particular people group with which they work is different, I hope to be able to spend some time fellowshipping -- perhaps a meal. This trip will be quite short and the time of overlap will be even shorter still, so we shall see what we shall see.

Yesterday I Heard From Pasiang

Things are lined up at the City Star Hotel for us to have their large meeting room. It seems that there will be about 22 to 25 people involved in this final review and revise meeting. All are qualified in both Falam and English languages to be able to look over the documents.

And The Digitizing Is Finished

Matthew informed me that the digitization has been finished and the results compared with the original of the Falam Saamhla. Lord willing I will have the digital "product" with me on the HD of my laptop, but also on CD for distribution. As things stand right now, this is the only item we have to do on this trip. We do hope to investigate further the resources necessary for an English Language school and other projects, but nothing other than exploratory work will be accomplished. The bulk (90% or more) of the time will be spent on the Saamhla.

RB

Newest News

We (Mission to Myanmar) now have a new, but very short, trip planned for next month -- February 2004. The single purpose of this trip is to review and revise the wording of the Falam language Psalter. The "philosophy" of translation that we have in MTM is that it is better to have those who are native speakers of the target language do the revising -- and the translating where possible. So, this trip should finalize the wording of the Samhla Theihthiamnak.

I will be going to Myanmar alone this trip, but do hope to meet for a short visit or two with Jeff Easley of The Aquila Project. Jeff is a former Marine and he and I have had a number of good experiences together in Myanmar at the Golden Guest Inn.

The visa procedure has actually joined the 20th/21st century! In the past we have always used a visa expediting firm here in the Dallas area. I lost confidence in them because of the way they handled my last trip. I was getting less and less service each time for more and more money. That is usually a sign in the capitalist world that a company no longer wants one's business. So, in doing a "Google search" for another company that could handle my visa I came across a site that has been set up for the Myanmar Immigration Department. The MM immigration dept sends, via email, a letter of approval and then charges for the visa at the Yangon airport. Very handy. The procedure takes a minimum of seven days, however, so should not be used for an "emergency." Only when the flight numbers are known and there is plenty of time, it looks like a great option!

Best Intentions

It is my intention to keep blog postings while I am in Myanmar again this trip. For those who would like to see some of the past work that MTM has done, please log into the FPCR Website. Also, for those who are on my regular "Burma Mailings" list, I will let you know as there is new activity on the Blog here.

RB

Back to Yesterday

Whew! I think I'm finally through lagging. We crossed the international dateline last Wednesday, and so we landed in DFW in mid-afternoon on Wednesday, the 15th. Like most of these trips, the jet-lag took a few days to overcome. But yesterday, being the Lord's Day, I propped my eyes open with toothpicks (it seemed) at times and thus had pretty much of a full night's sleep last night. The difficulty of lagging for me is not that I continue to have days and nights turned around, but that I can seldom get more than a few hours sleep at a time. So I'm hoping that a full night's sleep last night has been the turning of the corner.

Short Report

During the Biblical Institutes hour yesterday evening I gave a brief synopsis (overview) of the trip and of how this trip builds hopefully into future ministry in MM. As soon as Chris (our webmaster) has the report up as RA file, readers should be able to access it via the FPCR Website. If the Lord wills, I will bring a longer report, including photos, next week. That report will also go on the website, so readers will have some photos as of next week.

RB

On The Way Home

I am now sitting in the Tokyo Narita airport waiting for this evening's flight. If I've figured my schedule correctly I may be home in time to watch game seven of the cubs v. marlins. I would have expected to type that about the same time or year as I typed "I'm typing this from the permanent space station...." The trip has been a good one, overall. There were some disappointments, to be sure. But there were also some excellent "gains" on this trip. The key gain, IMO, will be the fact that the Falam Psalter is on its way to becoming a reality. Additionally, however, we see a number of improvements in relationships between the various reformed denoms in MM, including the PRCM, URCM, ERCM, and MRPC.

Our Colds During the Last Week

After a relatively healthy trip -- at least for my part -- I managed to come down with a "summer cold" last Thursday. We certainly take things for granted in the USA. There we were in a country that had almost no idea what an antihistimine is. Anyway, just about the time I got over my scratchy throat (which almost had me sidelined last Friday), Mrs Bacon got it. I'm still "sniffling" and using a lot of facial tissues. The trip is quite uncomfortable for Debby, however. We found the "internet room" here at the Narita airport and Matt and I are updating this and that (including, of course, checking the baseball scores), while Mrs Bacon is in the other room nursing her cold.

Speaking of Baseball

Maybe next week, if the Sox and the Cubs end up playing, I can get together with a friend of mine from Mass (RI actually) and fly back and forth to one another's cities to watch the games. That could be fun! Now with the Cubs and the Sox in the series, it would have to go to game seven. And then the game would never end.... A baseball fan's dream come true (or would that be a nightmare?)!

RB