Myanmar Hope Christian Mission,...

Myanmar Hope Christian Mission, Inc. • 308 South Oxford Road • Springfield, Illinois • 62704-1258

http://www.myanmarhope.org • [email protected] • (217) 415-9187

Summer Greetings What a difference a few months make! The last time we sat

down to write the newsletter, it was a blustery cold, wet,

March day. Today the weather is perfect (or about as perfect

as weather can be in Central Illinois).

While it is not quite summer yet, it is starting to feel like it. It

has been a cool, wet spring for us, and many of the farmers in

our area have been struggling to get their crops planted. Hope-

fully things will dry out soon, and they can finally get the crops

in.

We have put in a few crops of

our own! Last fall, Palal and

Chuck tilled up a section of

our back yard, preparing it for

planting a garden this spring.

Palal did most of the work,

and has done a superb job of

cultivating and planting toma-

toes, corn, beans, peas and pep-

pers. Now, if we can just keep those pesky rabbits at bay…

Cyclone Nargis On Friday, May 2nd, a devastating cyclone smashed into the

Irawaddy Delta region of Myanmar. This was the strongest

storm to hit the country in decades, and it caused extreme

destruction and loss of life.

Even now, nearly a month after the storm, accurate figures of

the dead and missing are impossible to ascertain. Some put

the figure of lives lost to the cyclone at over 100,000, and

many people are still missing and unaccounted for.

The storm caused massive flooding along

the delta, which is one of the most densely

populated regions of the country. Whole

villages were wiped out overnight, and

scenes of the cyclone’s aftermath are both

disturbing and heart-rending.

The military government prevented foreign

aid organizations from rushing in to help,

even though they were mobilized and ready

within days of the storm. Ships full of emer-

In This Issue: Greetings.............................................................1

News Flash ..........................................................1

Cyclone Nargis ....................................................1

Storms in the North ............................................4

Support Programs Update ..................................5

Recent Speaking Engagements ...........................5

Emergency Distribution Update .........................5

Small Group Extravaganza ..................................6

Family Update .....................................................7

Matching Grants Programs .................................7

Land Purchase Update ........................................7

“The Leadership Bible” by Palal ..........................8

June 2008

Volume 2, Issue 3

Palal tilling the ground last fall

News Flash!! Vahneikim and Solomon are coming to America!

Last night, June 4th, the U.S. Embassy in Yangon finally

granted Vahneikim and Solomon visas to travel to and stay

in the United States until next June, when Palal will be fin-

ished with his studies. Read more about it on page seven!

gency food, water, medicine, and shelters, sat idly off the

coast, waiting for permission to enter the country. Aid workers

were denied entry visas, and hundreds of willing volunteers

remained stranded in neighboring Thailand, while the people

of Myanmar were dying of disease and starvation brought on

by the storm.

Only recently (the last week of May), after a meeting with U.N.

General Secretary Ban Ki Moon, did the leadership of Myan-

mar acquiesce and give permission for aid workers to enter the

country. It still remains to be seen how much of the promised

aid will actually reach the people, however. For many families,

the aid, if it finally arrives, will be too late.

Yangon Christian Church Spared

The storm downed trees and power lines all over the delta

region, which includes the largest city of Yangon, where Palal’s

wife and family reside. It is also the location of Palal’s church,

Yangon Christian Church, which meets in Palal’s home.

Communications were impossible in the days immediately

after the storm, and we tried not to worry for our family in

Myanmar as we prayed for their safety.

Finally, on Monday, May 5th, Palal was able to contact Vah-

neikim on the telephone. This was indeed a miracle, since

nearly everyone in the city was without telephone service for

weeks after the storm, and service has still not been restored

to all areas.

Not only did she have telephone service three days after the

storm, but she also had running water. People from all over

the neighborhood were coming to their home for water and to

make phone calls.

Vahneikim told Palal that during the storm they stayed awake

the whole night, praying for protection, and also praying that

we would not worry too much for them.

She said that they prayed that the two large mango trees in

the front yard would not fall into the house. She could hear

trees falling all around, and she feared that if the mango trees

fell into the house, they would all be killed or seriously injured.

When they went outside the next morning, their trees were

still standing, even though trees all around them were lying on

the ground or smashed into houses and buildings. They

seemed to be leaning over toward the house, but at least they

were still standing! She said she believed that two angels were

outside the house, holding those trees up. We believe her!

Even as we mourn the many victims of Cyclone Nargis, we

praise God for the fact that every member of Yangon Christian

Church came through the storm safely. Not only that, but the

house/church in Yangon suffered only minor damage to the

roof. Just one small section of the tin roof was lost, thanks to

the owner of the building putting on a brand new roof only

weeks before the storm hit.

Many of you will remember that just about one year ago, we

raised funds to move Vahneikim, Solomon, and the rest of the

family to a better house in a higher location. Had we not done

this, the story would have a very different outcome. The old

house suffered extensive damage from both the wind and the

floods. Vahneikim said that she cried when she saw the dam-

age the storm had done to the old house.

MYanmar HOPE Christian Mission, Inc.

Volume 2, Issue 3

My Hope Responds!

As soon as we heard from Vahneikim, we began making ar-

rangements to secure emergency donations to send over. Also,

people began contacting us, asking how they could help. By

the end of the first week, we were able to send over about

$2,500 to purchase rice, water, candles, salt, and cooking oil

for as many families as possible.

Our home church, West Side Christian Church, was very gener-

ous, and allowed us to set up a table for collecting donations

for disaster relief. The funds collected over two weeks were

distributed to three mission organizations working in the area,

and that are supported by West Side.

With the generous donations that have come in so far, we

have been able to help dozens of families. We are still sending

the donations over, a couple thousand dollars at a time, and

will continue to do so as long as the emergency funds last.

The Current Situation

For most people in Yangon, their situation is desperate. Food

prices, which were already on the rise due to the global food

shortage, skyrocketed in the days after the flood-

ing. Thousands of tons of rice were destroyed by

the storm, and there is much speculation regard-

ing whether or not Myanmar will be able to put

in a full rice crop the first two weeks of June.

A 100 pound bag of rice, which is barely enough

to feed a family of four two meals a day for one

month, nearly doubled in price. The cost of

drinking water, salt, cooking oil, and many other

staples likewise shot up. Those who were already

living on the edge of utter poverty were pushed

over that edge. The poor who were already mal-

nourished and living in desperation are now liv-

ing close to death.

It is difficult, if not impossible, for Americans to

truly grasp the nature of the poverty in a country like Myan-

mar. When we hear about prices increasing, we think we un-

derstand, because we, too, have experienced sharp increases

in the price of gasoline, dairy products, and the like.

However, even with our recent price increases, most people in

America can still afford to buy food. Those few of us who are

living at or below the poverty line have many government pro-

grams to help, and there are a plethora of community food

banks, and other private organizations to turn to for help. Not

so in Myanmar.

In a recent email update, we sent the following information to

try to help people here grasp just how difficult life is for the

people in Myanmar to whom we minister (see the table below,

“The High Cost of Living in Myanmar”).

As you can see from the numbers in the table, it is nearly im-

possible for most poor people in Myanmar to survive, let alone

thrive. Can you imagine having to spend two months of in-

come just to feed your family for one month? You can see why

your financial gifts are so critical to these needy folks.

1. The average annual income in Myanmar is about $222.00, or 19.00 per month.

2. The average annual income in the U.S. is about $46,500.00, or about $3,875.00 per month.

Item

Actual Price

Myanmar

Kyats

Actual Price

American

Dollars

% of Avg.

Myanmar

Monthly

Income1

Equiv. Price

American

Dollars2

Rice (100 pound bag) 40,000.00 $39.00 215% $7,960.00

Cooking Oil (1 liter) 5,100.00 $5.00 27% $1,015.00

Bottled Water (2 liters) 1,020.00 $1.00 5% $203.00

Candles (Pack of 5) 815.00 $0.80 4% $162.00

Gasoline (1 gallon) 8,000.00 $7.84 43% $1,600.00

The High Cost of Living in Myanmar

Storms in the North Even as the storm was ravaging the southern coast, a different

type of storm was terrorizing the villagers of Bokkan, in north-

west Myanmar. As many of you know, Bokkan Village is the

home-town of Palal, and is where his mother, father, brother

and several other family members live. It is also the home of

Bokkan Christian Church, which My Hope helps support.

There is on-going military activity in the area around Bokkan

Village, and the week after the cyclone hit, Bokkan was being

hit with mortars from the Indian army. They were trying to

drive out a group of rebels from the Meitei tribe, who had fled

across the India/Myanmar border to relative safety. (The Meitei

pay large bribes to the local Myanmar officials so that they can

take refuge across the border whenever necessary.)

There are over eight hundred families in Bokkan, and several

people have been killed and many more injured by the mortars.

Many of the villagers took refuge in Pastor Jonah’s house, not

because it was any stronger than the other houses, but because

they wanted to be near their pastor during the shelling. Thank-

fully, no one from Bokkan Christian Church was hurt.

The next week, another storm hit the village.

Palal’s elderly father and mother were in their one-acre field,

working, when a group of rebels approached them and forced

them, at gun-point, away from their land. They wanted to use

the spot as a staging area for raids on the nearby Asia Highway.

They threatened Palal’s mother and father with death if they

reported the rebels to the police.

Needless to say, Palal’s mother

and father were very frightened,

and went back to their home in

the village. They were devastated

by this sudden turn of events. Not

only had they lost their land to the

rebels, they could not do anything

about it. Their lives revolved

around working the land, and they

were very sad to have to stay at

home all day long.

A few days later, they heard that

the military had chased the rebels

off their land. Apparently they had

been stopping vehicles along the

busy Asia Highway, demanding

money in order to let the vehicles

pass. The military found out about it, and came with force to

capture them, but they escaped into the forest.

In America this would be a good thing, but everything is back-

wards in Myanmar. The next stop the military made was to the

home of Palal’s parents.

The officials assumed that his parents had voluntarily allowed

the rebels the use of their land, and they spent an entire day

harshly interrogating them, trying to get them to admit to a

crime they had not committed. Finally, at the end of the day,

the police said they would not be arrested this time. However,

they told Palal’s mother and father that if the rebels ever came

back to the area, or showed up on their land again, Palal’s par-

ents would not be arrested; they would just be shot and killed.

Now they were afraid of being killed by the rebels, because the

police had found out about them, and they were afraid of being

killed by the police.

As soon as we found out about this, we sent money to Pastor

Jonah to enable him to purchase plane tickets for Palal’s

mother and father, so they could fly to Yangon to stay with

Vahneikim for a while. A flight to Yangon costs about $100.00

and takes between two or three hours. A trip overland would

cost almost the same, but would take two or three days, and is

very dangerous.


Bokkan Christian Church

Palal’s elderly parents

Save a Village Campaign

Please be watching your email for a very important Cyclone

Update. We have just identified a village in the Irawaddy Delta

that was almost totally wiped out by Cyclone Nargis. My Hope

wants to help this village try to get back on their feet, and we

need your help to do this. We have an incredible opportunity

to save an entire village, but we have to act fast!

Volume 2, Issue 3

It took close to a week for Pastor Jonah to get permission to

buy the tickets, and then actually purchase them, but the ar-

rangements were finally made.

On Sunday, May 25th, Palal’s parents were picked up at the

Yangon airport by Vahneikim, Solomon, and several other

members of the family. Palal’s mother cried with joy when she

arrived, and she and her husband were both very relieved to

be away from the danger in Bokkan. Needless to say, Palal was

relieved as well (as were we all).

MaryAnn thoughtfully sent over enough money to purchase

another mattress so that Palal’s mother and father would have

a place to sleep when they arrived. When Palal’s mother saw

the mattress, she dropped to her knees and cried. She thanked

and praised God, and dedicated the new mattress to the Lord,

while tears of joy ran down her face. Neither she, nor Palal’s

father, have ever slept on a mattress before, even though he is

70 and she is 65.

Support Programs Update

FAMILY AND PASTOR SUPPORT We are always looking for people to adopt a Myanmar family

or pastor. By sending regular, monthly support, you are help-

ing to change the lives of people who really need our help.

These are the poorest of the poor, and many have no regular

source of income. Your monthly donations can really make a

huge impact on these families, and can help them out of the

extreme poverty which keeps them in a constant state of mal-

nutrition, sickness, and anxiety. Please consider becoming a

sponsor today!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A SPONSOR? If you are interested in sponsoring a family or a pastor’s family,

we would love to talk to you! Give us a call at (217) 415-9187,

or email us at [email protected]. By becoming a spon-

sor, you can change the life of an individual or a whole family!

You’ll be glad you did!

OTHER WAYS TO HELP There are many things that you can do to help our brothers

and sisters in Myanmar. Here are some ways:

• Purchase a bicycle for a pastor ($80.00)

• Purchase a short wave radio for a village ($35.00)

• Purchase one or more Kuki language Bibles ($5.00 each)

• Purchase a pig ($150.00)

• Purchase a mithun (water buffalo) cow ($500.00)

Recent Speaking Engagements We are so thankful for all of the churches and organizations

that have allowed us to share the ministry of My Hope. We are

especially grateful for the compassion and generosity of these

groups and individuals for the suffering people of Myanmar.

• Hill’s Home Group; Lincoln, Illinois (4/13)

• Tuesday Morning “Alive With Christ” Bible study; West

Side Christian Church, Springfield, Illinois (4/22)

• Springfield Christian School, Springfield, Illinois (5/7)

• College Park Christian Church; Normal, Illinois (5/11)

Upcoming Engagements:

• Palal is Camp Missionary at Prairie States Camp, Watseka,

Illinois (6/8—8/15)

• Witt Christian Church VBS; Witt, Illinois (6/27)

• North American Christian Convention; Cincinnati, Ohio

(7/1—7/4)

• Bartonville Christian Church; Bartonville, Illinois (7/20)

• World Convention; Nashville, Tennessee (7/30—8/3)

• ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International)

Convention; Denver, Colorado (10/2—10/3)

• National Missionary Convention; Tulsa, Oklahoma

(11/19—11/23)

If your church or group would be interested in hearing

Palal’s story, please contact us. No group is too large or too

small. Call us at 217-415-9187, or send an email to our

engagement manager at [email protected].

Palal speaks to a Sunday school class at College Park Christian Church

Emergency Rice Distribution In April, Pastor Jonah and other church leaders completed an-

other emergency rice distribution to New Canaan Village. This

is the village that was displaced last year by a government dam

project near their original location. When the government

forced them off their land, the villagers relocated, with Palal’s

help, to the area where they are now living. At that time they

renamed the village “New Canaan.”

They were forcibly removed from their land just after planting

season last year, so they were not able to harvest any crops

last fall. They were in desperate need of help, so we appealed

to I.D.E.S. for an emergency grant to purchase rice. They gra-

ciously sent us $5,000.00. We have made three rice distribu-

tions so far.

There is enough money for one final distribution, which we will

make this summer, between planting season and harvest,

when the people will be the most needy.

Small Group Extravaganza! On April 25th, West Side Christian Church held a Small Group

“Extravaganza,” to celebrate the end of our small group sea-

son. This year we had a trivia night, and over forty small

(home) groups participated.

Each group chose a different theme, and wore costumes and

brought along props and “mascots” to go with their theme.

Our small group chose a Myanmar theme, and we all wore

traditional longees (wrap-around skirts, pronounced “lon-jee”)

and t-shirts. Our mascot was our miniature schnauzer, Schat-

zie, who also wore a miniature longee and t-shirt!

The whole event was a lot of fun for everyone involved. Points

were awarded for a number of things, such as the whole group

getting a photo snapped with Eddie Lowen, our Senior Minis-

ter, as well as with the Director of Small Groups, Melissa San-

del. Points were also awarded for costumes, mascots, arriving

to the event on time, and so on. There were nine rounds of

trivia questions, and many of them were quite challenging!

Each team earned

points for the number

of correct answers

given during each

round.

About half way

through the evening,

the MC’s announced

the standings to that

point, and, much to

our amazement, our

group was in the top five! We started to get excited because

the grand prize for winning the contest was quite good!

When the final trivia round was ready to begin, they an-

nounced the standings again, and we were in second place!

Only four points separated us from the first place team. We all

decided then, as a group, if we won, to donate any potential

winnings to Myanmar Hope Christian Mission. Then we pre-

pared to give it our best for the final round.

When the final scores were tallied up, we learned that we

came in second place. Our team was a little late getting to the

event because of a sudden downpour, and the other team

received points for being there on time. But, all in all, we had a

great time together as a group, and it was an evening we

would remember for a long time to come.

Imagine our surprise early the next morning when we read an

email from the Director of Small Groups, telling us that a mis-

take in the scoring had been made, and that our group won

first place after all!

The group voted that we ask for the cash value of the first


The Cherry Small Group posing in their longees.

Schatzie in her longee, waits patiently for a treat...

Villagers of New Canaan gather to receive their “manna”.

Volume 2, Issue 3

place prize to be donated to My Hope. The SG Director

thought that was a fine idea, and before the end of the week

we had a check for $400.00 made out to Myanmar Hope Chris-

tian Mission. After consulting with Palal, we all decided to use

the money to purchase ten piglets, for $40.00 apiece, and do-

nate one each to ten needy families. These families will raise

the piglets, and then breed them or sell them for income later

on.

We thank God for giving us such a wonderful small group, and

for allowing us to win the contest for His glory, and for the

people of Myanmar!

Family Update Finally! After trying two previ-

ous times to obtain a U.S. visa

from the American embassy in

Yangon, we are extremely

happy to announce that Vah-

neikim and Solomon have their

visas, and will be traveling to the

U.S. within a matter of days! In

fact, for some of our readers

who receive our newsletter in

print version, they may be here

already as you read this!

Thank you, everyone, for your

prayers for Vahneikim and Solo-

mon, and the whole, long, gruel-

ing visa process. Needless to say

we are all very excited, and are

anxiously awaiting their arrival

at Chicago’s O’Hare airport.

The whole family will be attend-

ing camp this summer, as the

official camp missionaries of the

Prairie State Camp in Watseka,

Illinois.

We also hope that as many of you as possible will get a chance

to meet them while they are here for the next twelve months.

For those of you living in and around the Central Illinois area,

we will be holding an open house at our home in Springfield,

so that our friends can have a chance to meet Vahneikim and

Solomon, and visit with them in a more relaxed atmosphere. If

you are interested in this opportunity, give MaryAnn a call at

(217) 415-9187.

Matching Funds Programs Does your employer offer a matching funds program for chari-

table donations? If so, this could be a way for you to maximize

your donations to Myanmar Hope Christian Mission, and po-

tentially double your impact for God’s Kingdom.

One of our generous donors works for a company that has a

100% matching grant offer. Every time this person donates to

a recognized, 501(c)3, non-profit organization, his company

matches his donation with an equal amount, dollar for dollar.

His donations to My Hope are effectively doubled!

Not all companies have such a generous program, but even if

they match a small percentage, it could make a huge differ-

ence in the lives of the poor and needy in Myanmar.

If you are not sure whether or not your employer offers such a

plan, it would be worth checking out. Contact your human

resources department today, and perhaps your next gift to My

Hope could have an even greater impact!

Land Purchase Update

So far, we have received $17,500.00 toward the purchase of

land in Yangon for the building of a school, church, home, and

office for Myanmar Hope Christian Mission. Praise God!

In order to make a down-payment, and secure the land for

later purchase, we need to raise an additional $7,500.00. Pur-

chasing this land is a critical first step in establishing our pres-

ence in Yangon, and we hope to have this accomplished prior

to Palal returning to Myanmar in June of next year. The total

purchase price is $40,000.00. This is a huge amount of money,

but we know that God will supply all of our needs according to

His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).

We thank God for what has already come in, and look forward

with anticipation as we wait on Him to supply the rest!

Myanmar Hope Christian Mission, Inc. 308 South Oxford Road Springfield, Illinois 62704-1258


June 2008

Volume 2, Issue 3

Bringing the eternal hope of Jesus Christ to the people of Myanmar in a holistic manner

by addressing their spiritual, physical, emotional and educational needs

Web: myanmarhope.org Email: [email protected] Phone : (217) 415-9187

Myanmar Hope Christian Mission, Inc. is a federally recognized, not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Illinois. All donations made to this organization are 100% tax deductible according to the Internal Revenue Service Code, Section 501(c)(3).

Federal Tax Identification: 26-0324244. NGO License Number: BU-1679.

The Leadership Bible By Palal

On Friday evening, March 14, a friend gave me a ride back to Spring-

field from my class at Lincoln Christian Seminary. In her van, I saw a

book with a nice cover. I picked it up and saw that it was a Bible with

the title, The Leadership Bible. This is specifically writ-

ten from a leadership view. I am taking classes for

church/parachurch leadership at LCCS, and I was so

interested to have a Bible like that for my own. I prayed

to God and asked Him where and how I could get a

book like that.

That evening I was able to communicate with my wife

and I told her about the Bible. I asked her to pray for

me to receive a Bible. She asked me, “Don’t you have a

Bible? Do you want me to send a Bible from Myan-

mar?” I told Vahneikim that, yes, I have a Bible and I do

not want her to send one from Myanmar, but I was

desiring a copy of The Leadership Bible by John C. Max-

well, which I saw in my friend’s van. Right then we prayed together

that I might receive that Bible. I did not know how, or where, or

when, I might be able to find a copy.

The next morning at Prayer Meeting at West Side Christian Church,

one of our sisters in Christ gave me a nice card as a way to comfort

me because she sensed I was discouraged and frustrated over the

U.S. Embassy’s denying visitor’s visas for the second time for my fam-

ily to come to the U.S. When I opened the card, I saw that she had

written Scriptures in the card, and also enclosed a twenty dollar bill

for my personal use. I praised God that He provided this money be-

cause I could use it to purchase The Leadership Bible.

After prayer meeting, my friend, Don asked me to join him for break-

fast. Afterward we stopped at Family Christian Bookstore and looked

on the shelves where all the Bibles are displayed, but we could not

find the Bible I was looking for. A store employee asked if he could

help. When I told him, he could not find it either. Then

he walked to the front of the store and picked up a

book from a table.

He asked me, “Is it the Bible you want?” “Yes!” I said.

My eyes immediately went to the sticker price on the

front cover, and I was discouraged. The price was

$34.99, but I only had $20.00. I was disappointed until

the clerk informed me that he found the Bible on the

50% off table. I quickly calculated the cost to be

$18.86 and realized that I was able to purchase The

Leadership Bible after all! I praise God that He pro-

vided the money for me to purchase it. He is so good!

As I read my new Bible, I came to the topic of the 21 Laws. I couldn’t

remember where these 21 Laws came from, but I recognized that

they were familiar. I checked my bookshelves and found a book called

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. I had pur-

chased this book earlier for $1.00 at the Goodwill store down the

street. It has been so helpful for my study and ministry.

It amazes me how God allowed me to get both The Leadership Bible

and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. We

see an example of how God gives us what we need for our life and

ministry!

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