The Fruit of Faithful Years
Stepping off the plane in Myanmar was a dream-come-true. Nearly 30 years ago my parents, Methodist missionaries, had made many trips to Myanmar during their years in Asia. At the time of their missionary service, there was no Wesleyan church, only a group of Methodist pastors who by reading John Wesley’s sermons, longed for more.
Through fostered relationships and connections that only God could make, there are now 45 established Wesleyan churches in Myanmar. Praise God!
Missionaries serving in South Asia had a meaningful visit to Myanmar.
Growing up as a missionary kid in Asia, mostly in Taiwan, I watched my parents serve with steady dedication. They only returned to the U.S. after 17 years (when I was 12) because at the time, they were considered too evangelical for the Methodist Church.
After serving the local church in Ohio for ten years, they returned to Asia with Trans World Radio in the late 1980s. This allowed my dad to smuggle the Bible and training materials to many places, including Myanmar. He was also the first American missionary to go into Mandalay in approximately 60 years.
In Mandalay, he encountered many Methodist pastors who were concerned about the liberal leanings of the church, so he encouraged them to stay close to the Lord and to keep reading John Wesley.
Now several years later, my husband and I were blessed to travel to Myanmar to meet with pastors and leaders to discuss our Wesleyan distinctives. The fact that we were going to address some of the same issues my parents helped to address, but from a different angle, was very meaningful.
Since most of our pastors in Myanmar have been trained in Baptist schools, they aren’t as exposed to our Wesleyan theology. It was incredible how hungry they were to understand what Wesleyans believe on the topics of free will, holiness, the sovereignty of God and predestination. They were intentional in the questions they asked, as they wanted to be able to articulate what they were learning to the other leaders who couldn’t come.
Nineteen pastors gathered in Myanmar to discuss Wesleyan distinctives.
Traveling for these 19 pastors means navigating difficult and dangerous roads. In the midst of the civil war, any young man could be taken by force to serve in the military. Yet they not only came, they came eagerly.
On our last evening together, I quietly made my way to the community kitchen for tea and was surprised to find all the pastors informally sitting together. They weren’t playing a game or watching soccer on TV – they were planning the next steps for sharing what they had learned with their people and the other churches. Even though they were returning to a risky situation, they were animated to share the truths we had talked about.
Please pray for them.
While I was in Myanmar, I learned that my mom had been placed in hospice care. I was able to be with her when she went to be with Jesus shortly after. By the time I had gotten to her, she was unable to understand where I had just been, but that didn’t matter. I knew once she got to heaven she would understand and rejoice! It was a connection to my mom and her ministry that was important to me, even if she didn’t understand.