aNOTHER dAY

Today is another day. Another day of life, another day of being built up, another day of being wearied, another day of celebration, another day of reflection, another day to taste of the present, another day to hope for what’s to come.

I did get to go up to Rhakine State. It was awesome! We first arrived to the island capital, Sittwe, which was extremely hot and sunny, very underdeveloped, with electricity only operational between the hours of 7 and 10pm (and this was the capital!). The first night in our motel room I thought Lily and I would die of suffocation, but praise God we made it through, with an hour or so of sleep to spare! During our stay at Sittwe we visited with 2 different villages, each wanting to school their children but struggling to find the resources to compensate their teachers. Walking through their community reveals little more than loving families and kids playing, which, really is gold. There are no real physical comforts to note, there are no jobs for income nor tangible markets for miles. I saw one plastic toy gun in the dirt path, maybe a village toy obtained long ago somewhere. Young and old alike spend much of each day just bringing water to their homes, water from a dirty swamp outside the village. They seem all but forgotten, as the government makes no provisions of support for them. But the families don’t want to leave; this land is their home, and has been for generations. And the great thing to me was their teamwork in talking through what they could all contribute. The fact that they wanted education and valued that was in itself a great asset. Really, I was privileged mainly to listen, and to ask questions occasionally and let the villagers talk. We brainstormed some ways to use the resources they do have and they are going to draft a business plan for their ideas (weaving longyis and running a rice shop) and a building plan for the school house. The local monk who oversees that area is going to subsidize one of the villages with a rice mill he has raised donations to open. This monk is quite amazing, as he has actually said that “Jesus is the Way to [Nirvana]”! My friends working up there have gone out to homes with him and shared the truth, and he assents and says, “Yes, you’ll never get there on your own. Jesus can take you there.” Truly AMAZING…so, we had our community meetings in the monastery, which looks like a miniature golf course with all the giant statues (all you need is the giant windmill for the ball to go through!)…I’ll try to post a picture when I get one.

We had to leave Sittwe earlier than we hoped because of the limited departure options…either Thursday or Sunday, and one of my friends had to be back in Yangon by Saturday. So, we left Thursday and went south to Ngapali Beach…not a bad place to spend a few ‘hang-out’ days! It was beautiful, perhaps the most relaxing beach I’ve been to…with clear blue water, powder white sand, mountains in the distance and rocks close to shore for the waves to hit to make a majestic spray of white. We just rested, which was such a gift to me. In the past few weeks I’ve felt quite tired, worn down, energy depleted, physical health waning. So, to have almost 4 days at the beach to rest and read and run was wonderful. I thank the Lord. We rode bikes, ate delicious fresh fish, read books, swam, went kayaking, hiked up a mountain and found a lake just a few yards from the beach, and then on my last night, when I was lying on the sand and reflecting about a lot…feeling still and needing to know Jesus’ love…I looked up and in the distance I saw a white horse galloping toward me…And it wasn’t a mirage! The horse and rider came right to me and asked if I wanted to ride…[Michaela, I know you would have loved it!] So, into the sunset I rode, and though the horse walked slowly, steadily when I wished it would race, I thoroughly soaked up the views on all sides…waves, sky, sun, people playing futbol on the sand, the promise of nightfall approaching to reveal myriads of stars.
Wow. It was a great time. Also great to go to the Chin/Karen church on Sunday and fellowship with the small but alive group. Pray that Rhakine people would also come to worship the Lord. Pray for unity and a church movement. (Chin, Karen, Rhakine are 3 of the many ethnic groups in Myanmar. Historically, the groups have remained quite separate in their cultures, dialects, worship).

Well, this week in Yangon has flown by. I head to Thailand on Monday to renew my visa and then take a bus to visit our border work for a week before our MTI staff retreat starts. When I return to Myanmar I will only have 6 weeks left. Each day is important.

Celebrate it!
-Soun nhin pyuh (“Winter Snow White”, my Burmese name given by friends)


Day by day His tender mercy
Healing, helping, full and free,
Sweet and strong, and oh, so patient,
Brought me lower while I whispered,
"Less of self and more of Thee."

Higher than the highest heavens,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord, Thy love at last hath conquered:
Grant me now my spirit's longing,
None of self and all of Thee.