Esther was reluctant to recognise her gifts and calling to ministry in the church.

 

My name is Esther. I am from Kachin State, Myanmar. I have a brother and four sisters.

 

My grandfather was an Anglican priest. He was a good and faithful leader of the church and our community. A loyal husband and wise father, he supported and guided my parents as they raised their own children.

 

Compelled by family

 

I admired my grandfather, but as a teenager I resented his strict discipline. I wanted to go out with my friends on Saturday afternoons but he made me stay and clean the church.

 

Because I am the firstborn, my parents set me apart for church ministry as an offering of thanksgiving to God. But I insisted that I was not interested because I knew there were few ministry opportunities for women in Myanmar. My mother kept reminding me to count God’s blessings in my life rather than focus on what I could not do.

 

I was allowed to go to college. But to satisfy my family, after graduating I went to Holy Cross Theological Seminary in Yangon.

 

Called by God

 

It was not until my third year of study that I realised I was chosen for ministry—not by my family, but by God. The Holy Spirit inspired me. He showed me who I am and where I belong. I promised God that I would serve him wherever he sent me.

 

After I completed my Bachelor of Theology in 2013 I was sent to teach in a mission school located in a remote and under-developed area of my state. After three years I became the coordinator of the Christian Education Department for the Diocese of Myitkyina.

 

Eager to learn more

 

I encountered many challenges and realised my knowledge was not sufficient to fulfil my responsibilities. I prayed fervently that God would enable me to study again and elevate my capacity. I wanted to serve faithfully and to the best of my ability, just like my grandfather. I remembered the words he used to encourage me: “No turning back!”

 

In 2017 God gave me an opportunity to go to the Philippines and study at St Andrew’s Theological Seminary. Thanks to SparkLit, I now have my own Bible commentary and dictionary. Wherever I am, with these books I can continue to improve my theological knowledge. God is good all the time!

 

Please pray that I will persevere in what I have learned and be thoroughly equipped for every good work as a servant of God, using the Scriptures to teach and train in all righteousness.

 

Esther graduated from St Andrew’s Theological Seminary in 2020 with a master’s degree in divinity and has returned to serve with the Anglican Church in Myanmar.

 

$70 will provide a Bible dictionary and commentary to a graduate from St Andrew’s Seminary in Manila.

In the midst of the pandemic, you can help David Van Lian train leaders for growing churches.

 

I was raised in a Christian family. If I ever missed church, it was because I was sick. Whatever my parents believed, I believed. But there was nothing personal about my life with Jesus, so nothing prevented me from rebelling against my parents and their traditions as a teenager. I was lost in sin and darkness.

 

God answered my prayer

 

Then when I was sixteen, I suffered severe stomach pain. I went to the hospital and took medicine but nothing helped me. One night the pain was unbearable and I expected to die. 

 

I prayed: “Please Lord Jesus, if you heal me tonight, I will serve you for the rest of my life.” To my great surprise, the moment I finished my prayer, I felt a lot better. The next morning, I didn’t feel any pain at all. I had experienced the power and call of God.

 

Books are my teachers

 

To study God’s word more deeply, I decided to go to Myanmar Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (MEGST). From my first day of class, books made me think seriously about what it means to be a follower of Christ. Books encourage me to live a life consistent with Christ’s call.

 

I knew God had called me but I didn’t know exactly how to serve him. But God made everything clear. After sending me to do further study in India, MEGST gave me a lecturing position.

 

Before I teach, preach or write, I read

 

Books are essential tools for theological education, but in Myanmar our resources are limited. Thankfully, every year SparkLit presents a Bible commentary to MEGST graduates. 

 

This year, SparkLit also bought us a digital library. This is a true blessing to us especially while the pandemic stops us from visiting the college library. A digital library will also enable me to complete my doctoral studies without having to leave Myanmar again. Thank you!

 

Please pray that the Holy Spirit will enable me to make a lasting contribution to the lives and ministries of my students.

 

David Van Lian teaches New Testament at the Myanmar Evangelical Graduate School of Theology, Yangon.

 

$40 will provide a Burmese-language study Bible to a graduate taking up pastoral duties in Myanmar.

Adam Sa Kyaw Thu Ya tells us how he ended up graduating from Bible college with a Bridgeway Bible Commentary and Bible Dictionary from SparkLit.

 

“Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you.”

 

In desperation I prayed to our Heavenly Father: “If you help me pass this exam, I promise that I will go to Bible college.” When the results came out, I was relieved to find that I had passed. I intended to enrol at Holy Cross Anglican Theological College, but in the end I did not go. I broke my promise to God.

 

A broken promise

 

My name is Adam Sa Kyaw Thu Ya. I was born in Mya Goe Gyi, a Karen village on the Irawaddy Delta. I am a fourth generation Christian. My parents, my four brothers and my two sisters all serve the Lord. Before he retired, my father served as an Archdeacon in the Anglican Church.

 

I left home to go to secondary school in Myaung Mya. I stayed at a church hostel. I first felt that God was calling me to full-time ministry while I was studying for my final high school exam. I was very worried that I would not pass this exam. So I began to pray to God by reminding him of what Jesus says in Matthew 7:7–8.

 

Exile

 

Instead of going to Bible college I returned home and spent four years working in the village bakery. In 2004 I went to Malaysia to look for work. In the city of Johor Bahru I attended a Baptist church and became involved with the Myanmar Christian Fellowship. The fellowship is a network of home-based Bible study groups. My group met every Wednesday and Friday.

 

In Malaysia I met a lot of nonbelievers from Myanmar and had many opportunities to proclaim to them Jesus Christ and his Good News. I helped grow the Myanmar Christian Fellowship in two other cities, in Masai and in Johor Jaya. I am very fond of this ministry and stay in touch with my Myanmar Christian Fellowship colleagues.

 

God is faithful

 

In 2008 I returned to my village in Myanmar. I worked on farms and in workshops. Whenever I had the opportunity, I helped at our church. However, I faced many troubles and felt very restless. During this season I sensed God’s calling again and remembered my broken promise. I finally decided to give my life fully to the service of Jesus. I enrolled at Holy Cross Anglican Theological College and by the grace of God I graduated this year. Studying at college was the most enjoyable experience of my life.

 

Being a disciple means being a disciple-maker. I have a vision for participating in God’s mission in Myanmar. I hope to disciple laymen and train them to disciple others. Please pray that I will faithfully build up the body of Christ in love.

 

I thank God for giving me the opportunity to serve him and I appreciate your interest in my testimony. God bless you.

 

Adam Sa Kyaw Thu Ya is a promising graduate from Holy Cross Anglican Theological College in Yangon.

 

$40 will provide a Bridgeway Bible Commentary and Bible Dictionary to graduates as they take up their pastoral duties throughout Myanmar.

Stephen Than Myint Oo’s courage and vision are God’s timely gifts to the people of Myanmar as they prepare for historic general elections.

 

I decided to tear a strip off my longyi and hang myself. Prison had broken me. Torture petrified me. Cruelty depressed me. Why do human beings oppress and torment each other? I was a Christian leader and Bible teacher. My heart trusted God but my mind was full of doubt. I had lost hope. It was time to die.

 

Through the darkness

 

I had always intended to be a priest. I was born in a Karen village on the vast Irrawaddy Delta. As a child I loved singing choruses and learning about Jesus and I admired our archdeacon’s flowing robes.

 

When I was four years old fighting broke out and I was sent to Yangon for protection and schooling. As my family was poor the Burmese Air Force was my only prospect of gaining a tertiary degree.

 

In 1982, when I was 24 and close to completing my training as an Air Force engineer, I was arrested. I was accused of being a spy and sentenced to death. I had no idea why this was happening.

 

Every morning, cells would be opened and prisoners were taken. They were never seen again. When a voice cried out we assumed someone was being hanged.

 

Into the light

 

It was midnight. From my cell I could hear church bells ringing. So, I was going to die on Christmas Eve. I had always been a Christian. Now, I was going to die like a Christian. I knelt down and started praying.

 

I opened my eyes and I saw a tiny cross coming towards me. I tried to catch it, but it flew away. Again I tried to catch it, and again it eluded me. It became bigger and faster. As soon as I caught it, I fainted and fell into a deep pit. When I hit the bottom I was enveloped in light. I heard a very soft voice say, “My son, I am with you always.”

 

I woke suddenly. The doubt in my mind had gone. I shouted, “My God is real! God is with us!” The guards threatened to kill me, but an officer said, “Don’t worry, he’s mad!”

 

A prisoner started singing a Christmas carol. Others joined in; Communists, Buddhists, everyone! A Korean started singing in his own language. Then a Baptist pastor began preaching. Others sang Karen songs. I was so happy. I was no longer afraid of dying.

 

Please pray that English and Burmese editions of a biography of Archbishop Stephen will reinforce his leadership and inspire his people as he guides them through this time of transition.

 

The Most Reverend Stephen Than Myint Oo is the Archbishop of the Church of the Province of Myanmar.

 

Adapted from Dancing with Angels by Alan Nichols.

 

$5,000 will finance the publication in Yangon of the Burmese edition of the biography Dancing with Angels.