http://townhall.com/columnists/kenblackwell/2014/12/09/december-7-2014-hillarys-day-of-infamy-n1929241
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Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
Pictures from Myanmar
Update from Myanmar
Below is my report that covers the last two days of our trip. I will make one more report tomorrow with some thoughts on the experience that we had on our trip.
Blessings!
Fred
Wednesday, January 29, 2014.
Our last day in Myanmar. Lazarus picked us up at 8 am this morning and we drove over to the Yangon Christian College campus (also where Lazarus and his family live). Lazarus asked us to speak to the students and share with them some of the insights that we had from our trip to Myitkyina and the conference where we spoke. Each of us talked for about 15 minutes and told them how much we enjoyed our time in Myitkyina and how encouraged we were to find such Godly men and women.
We then visited with Lazarus' family and got an update about Acha, Lazarus' wife, who was badly injured in an auto accident last spring. Thank The Lord, she has mostly recovered but does still have some issues with one of her legs that will require additional surgery. After talking with us for a while, Acha then prepared a nice lunch for us. The highlight was her egg rolls! They are probably the best egg rolls that I have ever had!!
After lunch, Lazarus took us sightseeing in Yangon and then to the market for some shopping for souvenirs. We then went back to the college and rested some before taking Lazarus' family out for dinner. We wanted to buy their dinner as a way to say thank you for all that Lazarus had done to make our trip such a great success.
For dinner we took them to the Golden Duck restaurant (I ate at this restaurant on my previous trip to Myanmar last year). The food was great! Of course, we had to have roasted duck.
After dinner, Lazarus and his family took us to the airport and we said our goodbyes. It was 8 pm and we had to wait until 9:30 pm to check-in for our flight to Seoul. So, we waited in the airport terminal and was able to get on the internet, check our email, Facebook, etc., and get updated on the news and sports from back in the US.
Our flight left Yangon at 11:55 pm for Seoul, South Korea. The plane was not full so we were able to spread out and get some rest. During the six hour flight, I must have slept for at least four hours or so.
Thursday, January 30, 2014.
We arrived in Seoul at 7:30 am. It was really foggy and on our descent into the airport we had somewhat of a scare. The altitude of the plane had been dropping for some time and the pilot had already put down the landing gear when all of a sudden he put the airplane's nose up and hit the gas. He then put the wheels back up and we made a big loop around the airport and then landed without any problem. I'm not sure what happened? The pilot never came on the intercom to tell us so we were not sure why he did what he did. I can tell you one thing. I was sure glad to get off that plane!
We had about two hours layover time before our next flight. We first had to go through a security check before going to the gate. After we did this, we started off to find our gate and then spotted a Burger King. After eating rice for 10 days, we just had to hit the "King". I ordered a whopper and a sprite. I think Dale had a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee. The whopper sure tasted good!
I was not looking forward to our next flight and having to sit on an airplane for 14 hours. My plan was to get on the plane, take a Tylenol PM, and go to sleep.
Our flight departed right on schedule which meant that we would arrive in Atlanta at about 10 am. This was a Korea Air flight and was on an Airbus A380-800 aircraft. They call this type of plane a "super jumbo jet" because it can hold up to 555 passengers and is much bigger than a Boeing 747. The plane actually has two floors! We had a very good flight and I was able to sleep about 7-8 hours as well as do some reading.
We arrived about 30 minutes ahead of schedule so we did have to wait a few minutes before going to the gate. I finally noticed all the snow that was around the Atlanta area and was even still on parts of the runways and taxi ways. Later, while waiting for our next flight, I was able to read a USA Today newspaper and find out just how badly Atlanta had been hit by the winter storm.
Once we deboarded the plane we had to go through customs. This time, unlike my last experience coming back from Jamaica, we had no problems whatsoever and zipped through without a hitch. I would estimate that it only took us 30 minutes to get our bags, clear customs, recheck our bags for the Lexington flight, and go through the TSA security check. I think that this was a record!
After this, Dale and I went to find our gate for the final leg of our journey. On the way, we stopped and got a sandwich from a burger place. I had a hot dog and some french fries. It was sure good not to have to eat rice!
Our flight to Lexington was about 15 minutes late leaving the gate but we were still able to arrive in Lexington a few minutes ahead of schedule. I had previously texted Michelle on our departure from Atlanta and she was waiting outside the baggage claim area to pick us up. Dale and I got our bags, loaded them into the back of the car, and then headed home. It was good to be back in the USA, even if it was a lot cooler here in Lexington than it was in Myanmar.
Dale and I had traveled 18,850 miles since leaving Lexington on January 19th. We had an incredible journey that neither of us will ever forget. Thank you Lord for allowing us to the honor and privilege of visiting with the Lisu Christians in Myitkyina, Myanmar and sharing with them the message of Lead Like Jesus. What an experience!
Sent from my iPad
Blessings!
Fred
Wednesday, January 29, 2014.
Our last day in Myanmar. Lazarus picked us up at 8 am this morning and we drove over to the Yangon Christian College campus (also where Lazarus and his family live). Lazarus asked us to speak to the students and share with them some of the insights that we had from our trip to Myitkyina and the conference where we spoke. Each of us talked for about 15 minutes and told them how much we enjoyed our time in Myitkyina and how encouraged we were to find such Godly men and women.
We then visited with Lazarus' family and got an update about Acha, Lazarus' wife, who was badly injured in an auto accident last spring. Thank The Lord, she has mostly recovered but does still have some issues with one of her legs that will require additional surgery. After talking with us for a while, Acha then prepared a nice lunch for us. The highlight was her egg rolls! They are probably the best egg rolls that I have ever had!!
After lunch, Lazarus took us sightseeing in Yangon and then to the market for some shopping for souvenirs. We then went back to the college and rested some before taking Lazarus' family out for dinner. We wanted to buy their dinner as a way to say thank you for all that Lazarus had done to make our trip such a great success.
For dinner we took them to the Golden Duck restaurant (I ate at this restaurant on my previous trip to Myanmar last year). The food was great! Of course, we had to have roasted duck.
After dinner, Lazarus and his family took us to the airport and we said our goodbyes. It was 8 pm and we had to wait until 9:30 pm to check-in for our flight to Seoul. So, we waited in the airport terminal and was able to get on the internet, check our email, Facebook, etc., and get updated on the news and sports from back in the US.
Our flight left Yangon at 11:55 pm for Seoul, South Korea. The plane was not full so we were able to spread out and get some rest. During the six hour flight, I must have slept for at least four hours or so.
Thursday, January 30, 2014.
We arrived in Seoul at 7:30 am. It was really foggy and on our descent into the airport we had somewhat of a scare. The altitude of the plane had been dropping for some time and the pilot had already put down the landing gear when all of a sudden he put the airplane's nose up and hit the gas. He then put the wheels back up and we made a big loop around the airport and then landed without any problem. I'm not sure what happened? The pilot never came on the intercom to tell us so we were not sure why he did what he did. I can tell you one thing. I was sure glad to get off that plane!
We had about two hours layover time before our next flight. We first had to go through a security check before going to the gate. After we did this, we started off to find our gate and then spotted a Burger King. After eating rice for 10 days, we just had to hit the "King". I ordered a whopper and a sprite. I think Dale had a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee. The whopper sure tasted good!
I was not looking forward to our next flight and having to sit on an airplane for 14 hours. My plan was to get on the plane, take a Tylenol PM, and go to sleep.
Our flight departed right on schedule which meant that we would arrive in Atlanta at about 10 am. This was a Korea Air flight and was on an Airbus A380-800 aircraft. They call this type of plane a "super jumbo jet" because it can hold up to 555 passengers and is much bigger than a Boeing 747. The plane actually has two floors! We had a very good flight and I was able to sleep about 7-8 hours as well as do some reading.
We arrived about 30 minutes ahead of schedule so we did have to wait a few minutes before going to the gate. I finally noticed all the snow that was around the Atlanta area and was even still on parts of the runways and taxi ways. Later, while waiting for our next flight, I was able to read a USA Today newspaper and find out just how badly Atlanta had been hit by the winter storm.
Once we deboarded the plane we had to go through customs. This time, unlike my last experience coming back from Jamaica, we had no problems whatsoever and zipped through without a hitch. I would estimate that it only took us 30 minutes to get our bags, clear customs, recheck our bags for the Lexington flight, and go through the TSA security check. I think that this was a record!
After this, Dale and I went to find our gate for the final leg of our journey. On the way, we stopped and got a sandwich from a burger place. I had a hot dog and some french fries. It was sure good not to have to eat rice!
Our flight to Lexington was about 15 minutes late leaving the gate but we were still able to arrive in Lexington a few minutes ahead of schedule. I had previously texted Michelle on our departure from Atlanta and she was waiting outside the baggage claim area to pick us up. Dale and I got our bags, loaded them into the back of the car, and then headed home. It was good to be back in the USA, even if it was a lot cooler here in Lexington than it was in Myanmar.
Dale and I had traveled 18,850 miles since leaving Lexington on January 19th. We had an incredible journey that neither of us will ever forget. Thank you Lord for allowing us to the honor and privilege of visiting with the Lisu Christians in Myitkyina, Myanmar and sharing with them the message of Lead Like Jesus. What an experience!
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Update from Myanmar
Saturday, January 25, 2014.
I got up at 5 am this morning. I had a pretty good nights rest and was ready for the day. It will be a short day for us. The conference leaders decided to end the conference at noon today in order to let everyone go back to their homes and prepare for their Saturday evening services. I will finish up between 8-10 am. We will then eat lunch from 10-10:30 am and after that, Dale will have until noon to do his last session.
This morning as we arrived the ladies brought Dale and I a cup of coffee. We sat down and several men came to talk with us. They told us that they really enjoyed our teaching. One young pastor, in particular, told us how much he had learned that he can take back and put into practice.
During my session this morning I reviewed the key concepts with them to make sure that they fully understood what leading like Jesus is about. I basically gave them the "cliff notes" version and it took me about 1 1/2 hours. I then took 10 minutes or so to go over the Next Steps that they could take to continue their journey to become leaders that lead like Jesus. I then opened the floor for questions. Probably a mistake on my part?
The first person that stood to ask a question took about 5 minutes to state his question. Of course, I could not understand what he was saying but I realized he was doing more than just asking a question. As it turned out, he was trying to prove a point. His question was "theoretical" and had to do more with doctrine than with leadership. In answering his question, I started out by telling him that it really didn't apply to leadership but that since we had some time that I would give him my thoughts on it. I think my answer satisfied him but it did eat up most of the remaining time that I had. I then finished up by talking about how Jesus washed the disciples feet as an example for us of what it means to be a servant leader and then read the scripture to them from John 13. After this, I commissioned them to go and "lead like Jesus" and concluded with a prayer.
Overall, my time here has been well spent. However, just like in Uganda during my first two trips there, most of the men and women that attended will probably never use what they've been taught. But, I believe a few will, so all in all I think that our time, money, and effort has not been wasted. Plus, I may have planted some seeds in the minds of some of the younger pastors and leaders that might bring about some changes that would allow me to come back and invest in a few leaders who would be able to develop others like Jesus did. Only The Lord knows for sure. So, we will see.
At noon, we went back to the hotel to rest and get ready to speak at one of the local churches this evening. We departed the hotel at 3 pm for the church. To get there, we had to go through two check points that were set up by the police and had to cross a massive bridge over a river. When we arrived at Mai Na Christian Church, the pastor and several elders met us and took us to their equivalent of a fellowship hall (a pole barn type structure with a tin roof and a concrete floor). There they had a couple of tables and 8-10 chairs that were set up. As soon as we sat down, several women from the church began bringing us food. This confused both Dale and I because we thought we were supposed to speak first and then eat dinner with them. Guess not?
The food was fantastic! They had the traditional type dishes of rice, pork, and chicken, as well as soup, greens, and other vegetables. But, what was different here was the dipping sauce and the squash, okra, and green beans (which were just slightly cooked). I asked them about the sauce and one of the men who spoke good english told us it was for dipping the vegetables in. So, I tried it and it was very, very good! The sauce had sort of a vinegar taste and had some things in it that looked like parsley, onions, greens, and cooked cabbage. Once again, I ate way too much. I was stuffed!
The evening service started at 4:30 pm and lasted for 2 1/2 hours. Lazarus, Dale, and I took turns speaking. I spoke on the "5 Things that God uses to grow our Faith" and took about 40 minutes (which was way too long). Dale spoke for about 50 minutes and Lazarus spoke for 25 minutes. After the service was over, we asked several of the elders if we were too long and they said no. Other than a couple of mothers who got up to take out crying babies, no one left early. So, I guess we did OK? They thanked us and one gentleman told us that the people really need deeper teaching and they are "like little birds in the nest who open their mouths to be fed".
When we got up to leave after the service was over, they asked us to line up at the door to shake everyone's hand. The people all lined up and and filed by to shake our hands and say "Wak wa" which is the traditional Lisu greeting and means "blessings to you".
After this, we said our goodbyes and started the drive back to our hotel. When we got back to the bridge (which is about a 1/4 mile from the church) we had to stop at the checkpoint this time through. When the officer saw me (a foreigner) in the front seat he became very upset. He ordered Lazarus to pull over. He then started to ask us questions of who we were, where we had been, etc. Finally, Lazarus got him to calm down and he explained to him that we had just attended a church service and was now on our way back to our hotel. The officer told us that we had crossed into an area that was off limits to foreigners. He told us that it was not a problem but that he needed to see our passports, record our information in his log, and report to his superiors. After about 10 minutes or so, the officer came back and gave us back our passports. We thanked him for being so understanding and then we drove off.
After we got back to the hotel, we realized what we had done and the possible trouble that we could have gotten ourselves into. Lazarus was unaware of this policy and so were we. We learned that if the officer had been a "by the book" type of person that he could have arrested us and had us thrown in jail! Evidently, there is a heavy fine, possible jail time, and even being expelled from the country as possible penalties for violating their policy. Thank you Lord for the officer at this particular checkpoint. He could have arrested us or he might even have asked for a bribe (which often happens), but he really was a nice man who was fair and understanding about the mistake we made.
Tomorrow, we are off at 7:30 am to go to church. Dale will preach at the 8 am service. I will then speak at the 11 am service at a different church, and then both of us will speak at a Sunday evening service at a third church. It will be a busy day for sure. I hope we don't have to eat a meal at every church?
Sunday, January 26, 2014.
We left this morning for church at 7:15 am. This first church was only located a few miles from our hotel so it did not take us but about 15 minutes or so to get there. When we arrived at the Sin Kyun Christian church the doors and windows were open and the pastor and several elders were there to meet us. They offered us some tea and fruit and we sat and talked for several minutes.
The service started promptly at 8 am. There were about 50 people in attendance and probably two thirds of those were women. Dale preached on the Beatitudes. Lazarus also spoke to them. With the singing and preaching the service lasted for two hours.
Our next stop was to go to the Pa Ma Di Christian Church which was located on the other side of the city. This was a large church (at least by Myanmar standards). The pastor's house (parsonage) was really nice and very large. They had a building for the sanctuary and a separate building for Sunday school and other church activities. We arrived there at 10:30 am and the first thing that we did was to eat lunch. The pastor's wife and several other ladies served us a very big meal. The food, once again, was excellent. I was stuffed and had to speak! Not good.
Following lunch, we walked over to the sanctuary. They had a very large crowd waiting for us. I would estimate maybe 350-400? The song service was great! It was good to hear them sing the old hymns in their language and be able to sing along with them (in english, of course). At this church, I spoke on the "Four Responsibilities of a Spiritual leader" (from John 17) and emphasized being a spiritual leader in the home. It took me almost an hour. Lazarus then spoke for about 25 minutes. Once again, this service lasted for about 2 hours. When that service was over we went back to the hotel to rest a few hours before the evening service where Dale and I would both be speaking.
We left the hotel for the Zion Christian Church at 3:30 pm and arrived at the pastor's home a little before 4 pm. This church is led by Pastor Timothy who is 86 years old. His daughter, who lives with him and takes care of him since his wife passed away a few years ago, fixed us a small snack before we went over to the church.
Here we learned that Pastor Timothy, along with a group of 10 other Lisu families, moved down to Myitkyina from Putao about 10 years ago and started this church. They now have 27 families that attend there. (Interestingly, they do not count individuals, they only count the number of families they have) Lazarus estimated the size of the church to be about 120-125 individual members (women, men, children).
The evening worship service started at 4:30 pm. They sang a couple of songs and then had the children's choir sing a couple of songs. This was followed by the teenagers who also sang a song. Finally, their women's choir sang for us. (They told us that the women's choir won first place at their convention in 2013 and they were obviously very proud of them!)
I spoke first and opened my remarks by telling them that I had learned three things while in Myitkyina about the Lisu people. First, their women are very good cooks. Second, they can really sing, and third, they really love The Lord. I spoke of the "Five things that God uses to grow your Faith". Dale spoke after I did and talked about the Sermon on the Mount. After Dale, Lazarus also preached. The service lasted a little longer than 2 hours.
While Dale and Lazarus were speaking, I was sitting on the front row fighting mosquitos! I did get bit once on the left elbow and I think this was the first time that I was bitten by a mosquito during the whole trip thus far.
At the conclusion of the service, Pastor Timothy thanked us for coming from the US to teach them. He praised our teaching and told us that they all had learned so much. He then told us that he did not need a picture of us because God had already placed a picture of us on his heart. It was a very touching moment for both Dale and I.
Pastor Timothy is a faithful man of God and a true servant leader. I'm very grateful that God brought us together. His example teaches me a lot about "finishing well". He is 86 years old and still pastoring a church. But, he has equipped and trained his successor, Pastor David, who is his assistant pastor as well as a number of elders and other leaders. They now do almost all of the ministry and lead the worship services, of course, under his watchful eye. What a great example of servant leadership!
After the service was over, we went back to Pastor Timothy's home where his daughter fixed us another great meal. Then, we returned to our hotel. It had been a very long day and we were very tired, but it had also been a very rewarding one. Tomorrow (Monday), we are off sightseeing and to get some much needed rest.
Monday, January 27, 2014.
This morning we were to meet Lazarus at 7 am for breakfast, as we had done every morning of our trip. Dale and I got to the restaurant at 6:50 am and by 7:10, Lazarus had still not showed up. So, I went down stairs and knocked on his door. He said he had overslept but was now almost ready. This was a first. Lazarus was always on time, if not early, to everything we did.
After breakfast, we went over to Lazarus' brother Isaiah's home. Isaiah is the director of the China Border Training Center. There we talked with him about his work at the training center and some of the needs they have. The school did not meet last year due to the civil war that had flared up in the area around the center. During the fighting, the building that houses all of their classrooms was destroyed.
Isaiah also wanted to talk about several doctrinal issues that the churches in China have. The issues mostly relate to some confusion that has been caused among some of the churches over the doctrines of predestination and "once in grace, always in grace". We had a very good discussion with them on these two topics.
After that, they took a lot of pictures of us with the various men and women. I sort of felt like some sort of celebrity. But, I guess they don't see Americans very often in Myitkyina. We then walked across the street and visited their church. Some men from the church were building some folding tables and new church pews. It was interesting to watch them work.
Then, we were off sightseeing. Lazarus took us to where the Irrwaddy River begins. It is the longest river in Myanmar and runs from the north to the south. It divides the country right down the middle. It took us about 90 minutes or so to get there. Most of the drive was over very good roads and the scenery was beautiful, especially as we got closer to the mountains (which separate Myanmar from China). But, about three-fourths of the way the road changed. From there it was a gravel road that was only one lane and it was under construction in many places. We almost got stuck once when we had to drive around a bridge/culvert that was being worked on. Dale and I both were praying that the car wouldn't break down or have a flat tire.
Eventually, we made it to our destination. At the site where the two rivers come together they had built a Buddhist temple (pagoda) and there were several shops and restaurants there. So, the first thing we did was to eat lunch. After lunch, we walked down to the river, took a few pictures, watched as a couple of men panned for gold, and then walked back up to the car for the return trip to Myitkyina. I'm not sure how close we were to China, but it must have been only a few miles from where we were?
When we got back to town, we stopped at the Kachin Cultural Center and Park and took a few pictures. From there, it was back to the hotel. When we got back to our room the power was off and the room was very hot. So, Dale and I decided to explore some of the neighborhood shops. We walked around and looked at the things they were selling, which was everything from fruit, to food, to plastic chairs, to blankets, hardware, and anything you might want. We did stop at a restaurant to drink a coke and a sprite before going back to the hotel.
OK! What's up with the power? When we came back from sightseeing at around 2 pm the power was off. It is now 5 pm and the power keeps coming on for about 5-10 minutes, then goes off for 30 or so minutes before coming back on and going off again. We have a had a few issues with the power during our trip but today is the worst. Finally, the power came back on at about 6:30 pm and stayed on.
Tomorrow, we have some time to rest and relax before catching our flight back to Yangon.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014.
We got up at 5:30 am, ate breakfast with Lazarus at 7 am and went back to our room to relax for the morning. Lazarus had some things to take care of with his brother Isaiah, so Dale and I stayed at our hotel and rested, read, and packed our suitcases for our 5:30 pm flight back to Yangon.
At 3 pam, just as we were getting ready to check out of the hotel, Pastor Timothy and Lazarus' nephew, Dee Dee, paid us a visit to say goodbye. What a pleasant surprise!
We finally checked out of our hotel at 3:30 pm and left for the airport. We had stayed there for seven nights and our bill (for both of us) came to only $210 US, or $105 a piece! Not the greatest hotel that I've ever stayed in, but not the worst either. And, the price was pretty inexpensive.
When we got to the airport we found out that our flight was delayed for "at least" two hours. The airline people couldn't tell us the reason for the delay. We were able to check-in and get our boarding passes. Then, we drove a short distance to a nice restaurant for dinner.
Our flight finally departed at around 8 pm and arrived in Yangon at 10:30 pm. Getting our bags was quite an ordeal. Once the bags were unloaded from the plane and brought to the terminal building, it was utter chaos! People just swarmed the baggage trucks and were just throwing bags around, and were pushing and shoving trying to find their bags. It was a mad house! Fortunately, we had no problem locating our bags and with a little patience we made it out of there without getting run over by the mob.
We then went outside and caught a taxi to take us to Hotel Ruby for our last night's stay in Myanmar. Once there, we checked in, took our bags to the room and thank the good Lord, were able to get on the internet and send a note back home.
On Wednesday, we will do some sightseeing and shopping in Yangon and then at 11:55 pm we will board a plane for the trip back to the US.
Note: Tomorrow, I will post my last report on our Myanmar trip and share with you some of the lessons we learned. Thanks so much for your prayers of support and encouragement.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
I got up at 5 am this morning. I had a pretty good nights rest and was ready for the day. It will be a short day for us. The conference leaders decided to end the conference at noon today in order to let everyone go back to their homes and prepare for their Saturday evening services. I will finish up between 8-10 am. We will then eat lunch from 10-10:30 am and after that, Dale will have until noon to do his last session.
This morning as we arrived the ladies brought Dale and I a cup of coffee. We sat down and several men came to talk with us. They told us that they really enjoyed our teaching. One young pastor, in particular, told us how much he had learned that he can take back and put into practice.
During my session this morning I reviewed the key concepts with them to make sure that they fully understood what leading like Jesus is about. I basically gave them the "cliff notes" version and it took me about 1 1/2 hours. I then took 10 minutes or so to go over the Next Steps that they could take to continue their journey to become leaders that lead like Jesus. I then opened the floor for questions. Probably a mistake on my part?
The first person that stood to ask a question took about 5 minutes to state his question. Of course, I could not understand what he was saying but I realized he was doing more than just asking a question. As it turned out, he was trying to prove a point. His question was "theoretical" and had to do more with doctrine than with leadership. In answering his question, I started out by telling him that it really didn't apply to leadership but that since we had some time that I would give him my thoughts on it. I think my answer satisfied him but it did eat up most of the remaining time that I had. I then finished up by talking about how Jesus washed the disciples feet as an example for us of what it means to be a servant leader and then read the scripture to them from John 13. After this, I commissioned them to go and "lead like Jesus" and concluded with a prayer.
Overall, my time here has been well spent. However, just like in Uganda during my first two trips there, most of the men and women that attended will probably never use what they've been taught. But, I believe a few will, so all in all I think that our time, money, and effort has not been wasted. Plus, I may have planted some seeds in the minds of some of the younger pastors and leaders that might bring about some changes that would allow me to come back and invest in a few leaders who would be able to develop others like Jesus did. Only The Lord knows for sure. So, we will see.
At noon, we went back to the hotel to rest and get ready to speak at one of the local churches this evening. We departed the hotel at 3 pm for the church. To get there, we had to go through two check points that were set up by the police and had to cross a massive bridge over a river. When we arrived at Mai Na Christian Church, the pastor and several elders met us and took us to their equivalent of a fellowship hall (a pole barn type structure with a tin roof and a concrete floor). There they had a couple of tables and 8-10 chairs that were set up. As soon as we sat down, several women from the church began bringing us food. This confused both Dale and I because we thought we were supposed to speak first and then eat dinner with them. Guess not?
The food was fantastic! They had the traditional type dishes of rice, pork, and chicken, as well as soup, greens, and other vegetables. But, what was different here was the dipping sauce and the squash, okra, and green beans (which were just slightly cooked). I asked them about the sauce and one of the men who spoke good english told us it was for dipping the vegetables in. So, I tried it and it was very, very good! The sauce had sort of a vinegar taste and had some things in it that looked like parsley, onions, greens, and cooked cabbage. Once again, I ate way too much. I was stuffed!
The evening service started at 4:30 pm and lasted for 2 1/2 hours. Lazarus, Dale, and I took turns speaking. I spoke on the "5 Things that God uses to grow our Faith" and took about 40 minutes (which was way too long). Dale spoke for about 50 minutes and Lazarus spoke for 25 minutes. After the service was over, we asked several of the elders if we were too long and they said no. Other than a couple of mothers who got up to take out crying babies, no one left early. So, I guess we did OK? They thanked us and one gentleman told us that the people really need deeper teaching and they are "like little birds in the nest who open their mouths to be fed".
When we got up to leave after the service was over, they asked us to line up at the door to shake everyone's hand. The people all lined up and and filed by to shake our hands and say "Wak wa" which is the traditional Lisu greeting and means "blessings to you".
After this, we said our goodbyes and started the drive back to our hotel. When we got back to the bridge (which is about a 1/4 mile from the church) we had to stop at the checkpoint this time through. When the officer saw me (a foreigner) in the front seat he became very upset. He ordered Lazarus to pull over. He then started to ask us questions of who we were, where we had been, etc. Finally, Lazarus got him to calm down and he explained to him that we had just attended a church service and was now on our way back to our hotel. The officer told us that we had crossed into an area that was off limits to foreigners. He told us that it was not a problem but that he needed to see our passports, record our information in his log, and report to his superiors. After about 10 minutes or so, the officer came back and gave us back our passports. We thanked him for being so understanding and then we drove off.
After we got back to the hotel, we realized what we had done and the possible trouble that we could have gotten ourselves into. Lazarus was unaware of this policy and so were we. We learned that if the officer had been a "by the book" type of person that he could have arrested us and had us thrown in jail! Evidently, there is a heavy fine, possible jail time, and even being expelled from the country as possible penalties for violating their policy. Thank you Lord for the officer at this particular checkpoint. He could have arrested us or he might even have asked for a bribe (which often happens), but he really was a nice man who was fair and understanding about the mistake we made.
Tomorrow, we are off at 7:30 am to go to church. Dale will preach at the 8 am service. I will then speak at the 11 am service at a different church, and then both of us will speak at a Sunday evening service at a third church. It will be a busy day for sure. I hope we don't have to eat a meal at every church?
Sunday, January 26, 2014.
We left this morning for church at 7:15 am. This first church was only located a few miles from our hotel so it did not take us but about 15 minutes or so to get there. When we arrived at the Sin Kyun Christian church the doors and windows were open and the pastor and several elders were there to meet us. They offered us some tea and fruit and we sat and talked for several minutes.
The service started promptly at 8 am. There were about 50 people in attendance and probably two thirds of those were women. Dale preached on the Beatitudes. Lazarus also spoke to them. With the singing and preaching the service lasted for two hours.
Our next stop was to go to the Pa Ma Di Christian Church which was located on the other side of the city. This was a large church (at least by Myanmar standards). The pastor's house (parsonage) was really nice and very large. They had a building for the sanctuary and a separate building for Sunday school and other church activities. We arrived there at 10:30 am and the first thing that we did was to eat lunch. The pastor's wife and several other ladies served us a very big meal. The food, once again, was excellent. I was stuffed and had to speak! Not good.
Following lunch, we walked over to the sanctuary. They had a very large crowd waiting for us. I would estimate maybe 350-400? The song service was great! It was good to hear them sing the old hymns in their language and be able to sing along with them (in english, of course). At this church, I spoke on the "Four Responsibilities of a Spiritual leader" (from John 17) and emphasized being a spiritual leader in the home. It took me almost an hour. Lazarus then spoke for about 25 minutes. Once again, this service lasted for about 2 hours. When that service was over we went back to the hotel to rest a few hours before the evening service where Dale and I would both be speaking.
We left the hotel for the Zion Christian Church at 3:30 pm and arrived at the pastor's home a little before 4 pm. This church is led by Pastor Timothy who is 86 years old. His daughter, who lives with him and takes care of him since his wife passed away a few years ago, fixed us a small snack before we went over to the church.
Here we learned that Pastor Timothy, along with a group of 10 other Lisu families, moved down to Myitkyina from Putao about 10 years ago and started this church. They now have 27 families that attend there. (Interestingly, they do not count individuals, they only count the number of families they have) Lazarus estimated the size of the church to be about 120-125 individual members (women, men, children).
The evening worship service started at 4:30 pm. They sang a couple of songs and then had the children's choir sing a couple of songs. This was followed by the teenagers who also sang a song. Finally, their women's choir sang for us. (They told us that the women's choir won first place at their convention in 2013 and they were obviously very proud of them!)
I spoke first and opened my remarks by telling them that I had learned three things while in Myitkyina about the Lisu people. First, their women are very good cooks. Second, they can really sing, and third, they really love The Lord. I spoke of the "Five things that God uses to grow your Faith". Dale spoke after I did and talked about the Sermon on the Mount. After Dale, Lazarus also preached. The service lasted a little longer than 2 hours.
While Dale and Lazarus were speaking, I was sitting on the front row fighting mosquitos! I did get bit once on the left elbow and I think this was the first time that I was bitten by a mosquito during the whole trip thus far.
At the conclusion of the service, Pastor Timothy thanked us for coming from the US to teach them. He praised our teaching and told us that they all had learned so much. He then told us that he did not need a picture of us because God had already placed a picture of us on his heart. It was a very touching moment for both Dale and I.
Pastor Timothy is a faithful man of God and a true servant leader. I'm very grateful that God brought us together. His example teaches me a lot about "finishing well". He is 86 years old and still pastoring a church. But, he has equipped and trained his successor, Pastor David, who is his assistant pastor as well as a number of elders and other leaders. They now do almost all of the ministry and lead the worship services, of course, under his watchful eye. What a great example of servant leadership!
After the service was over, we went back to Pastor Timothy's home where his daughter fixed us another great meal. Then, we returned to our hotel. It had been a very long day and we were very tired, but it had also been a very rewarding one. Tomorrow (Monday), we are off sightseeing and to get some much needed rest.
Monday, January 27, 2014.
This morning we were to meet Lazarus at 7 am for breakfast, as we had done every morning of our trip. Dale and I got to the restaurant at 6:50 am and by 7:10, Lazarus had still not showed up. So, I went down stairs and knocked on his door. He said he had overslept but was now almost ready. This was a first. Lazarus was always on time, if not early, to everything we did.
After breakfast, we went over to Lazarus' brother Isaiah's home. Isaiah is the director of the China Border Training Center. There we talked with him about his work at the training center and some of the needs they have. The school did not meet last year due to the civil war that had flared up in the area around the center. During the fighting, the building that houses all of their classrooms was destroyed.
Isaiah also wanted to talk about several doctrinal issues that the churches in China have. The issues mostly relate to some confusion that has been caused among some of the churches over the doctrines of predestination and "once in grace, always in grace". We had a very good discussion with them on these two topics.
After that, they took a lot of pictures of us with the various men and women. I sort of felt like some sort of celebrity. But, I guess they don't see Americans very often in Myitkyina. We then walked across the street and visited their church. Some men from the church were building some folding tables and new church pews. It was interesting to watch them work.
Then, we were off sightseeing. Lazarus took us to where the Irrwaddy River begins. It is the longest river in Myanmar and runs from the north to the south. It divides the country right down the middle. It took us about 90 minutes or so to get there. Most of the drive was over very good roads and the scenery was beautiful, especially as we got closer to the mountains (which separate Myanmar from China). But, about three-fourths of the way the road changed. From there it was a gravel road that was only one lane and it was under construction in many places. We almost got stuck once when we had to drive around a bridge/culvert that was being worked on. Dale and I both were praying that the car wouldn't break down or have a flat tire.
Eventually, we made it to our destination. At the site where the two rivers come together they had built a Buddhist temple (pagoda) and there were several shops and restaurants there. So, the first thing we did was to eat lunch. After lunch, we walked down to the river, took a few pictures, watched as a couple of men panned for gold, and then walked back up to the car for the return trip to Myitkyina. I'm not sure how close we were to China, but it must have been only a few miles from where we were?
When we got back to town, we stopped at the Kachin Cultural Center and Park and took a few pictures. From there, it was back to the hotel. When we got back to our room the power was off and the room was very hot. So, Dale and I decided to explore some of the neighborhood shops. We walked around and looked at the things they were selling, which was everything from fruit, to food, to plastic chairs, to blankets, hardware, and anything you might want. We did stop at a restaurant to drink a coke and a sprite before going back to the hotel.
OK! What's up with the power? When we came back from sightseeing at around 2 pm the power was off. It is now 5 pm and the power keeps coming on for about 5-10 minutes, then goes off for 30 or so minutes before coming back on and going off again. We have a had a few issues with the power during our trip but today is the worst. Finally, the power came back on at about 6:30 pm and stayed on.
Tomorrow, we have some time to rest and relax before catching our flight back to Yangon.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014.
We got up at 5:30 am, ate breakfast with Lazarus at 7 am and went back to our room to relax for the morning. Lazarus had some things to take care of with his brother Isaiah, so Dale and I stayed at our hotel and rested, read, and packed our suitcases for our 5:30 pm flight back to Yangon.
At 3 pam, just as we were getting ready to check out of the hotel, Pastor Timothy and Lazarus' nephew, Dee Dee, paid us a visit to say goodbye. What a pleasant surprise!
We finally checked out of our hotel at 3:30 pm and left for the airport. We had stayed there for seven nights and our bill (for both of us) came to only $210 US, or $105 a piece! Not the greatest hotel that I've ever stayed in, but not the worst either. And, the price was pretty inexpensive.
When we got to the airport we found out that our flight was delayed for "at least" two hours. The airline people couldn't tell us the reason for the delay. We were able to check-in and get our boarding passes. Then, we drove a short distance to a nice restaurant for dinner.
Our flight finally departed at around 8 pm and arrived in Yangon at 10:30 pm. Getting our bags was quite an ordeal. Once the bags were unloaded from the plane and brought to the terminal building, it was utter chaos! People just swarmed the baggage trucks and were just throwing bags around, and were pushing and shoving trying to find their bags. It was a mad house! Fortunately, we had no problem locating our bags and with a little patience we made it out of there without getting run over by the mob.
We then went outside and caught a taxi to take us to Hotel Ruby for our last night's stay in Myanmar. Once there, we checked in, took our bags to the room and thank the good Lord, were able to get on the internet and send a note back home.
On Wednesday, we will do some sightseeing and shopping in Yangon and then at 11:55 pm we will board a plane for the trip back to the US.
Note: Tomorrow, I will post my last report on our Myanmar trip and share with you some of the lessons we learned. Thanks so much for your prayers of support and encouragement.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Greeting from Myanmar (January 29, 2014)
Since we've been out of contact for almost a week, I've got a lot of catching our to do on my blog posts. We are now back in Yangon and will be leaving for the US this evening at 11:55 pm.
Thanks for your prayers. Hope you enjoy reading about our experiences here in Myanmar.
Blessings!
Fred
Tuesday, January 21, 2014, continued...
This afternoon we flew from Yangon to Myitkyina. What an experience! Lazarus was a little late in picking us up but we still had plenty of time to get checked in before our flight. We did check with the airline and found out that indeed our return flight on January 27th had been cancelled. We also learned that they had not automatically rebooked our flight for the 28th. So, we asked them to do that and they rebooked us and gave us new confirmation/receipts.
Flying in a country where almost no one speaks english is a real experience. Thank The Lord for Lazarus! We realized very quickly after arriving at the airport that there is a separate terminal for domestic flights and we found that it is nothing like the international terminal. It is old, outdated, and pretty dirty. The ticket counters are not automated with computers. They check you in by checking your name off the passenger list they have on a clip board.
The guy that checked our luggage just took it and went off with it without giving us a receipt or baggage claim number or anything. I looked at Dale and told him that "I hope that guy knows what flight we are on so that our bags end up in the right city". When we went through the security check we didn't have to take off our shoes, belt, or take out our computers, or things out of our pockets like we do in the US. The only one that received additional checking was Lazarus and it is because he had a small knife in his carryon bag, which they let him keep after they scolded him for having it.
Our flight was with Air KBZ. The plane was a twin-engine prop plane that seats about 80 people. They had two (2) young female flight attendants. The flight was relatively short, lasting only 2 hours. Soon after they took off the flight attendants served us drinks, which they pre-poured, giving us a choice of water, cola, or juice. Not long after they did this they served us a snack. The snack box came with a chicken salad croissant and a small piece of strawberry swirl cake. After this, they came back and refilled our drinks and offered us coffee or tea. Dale and I couldn't believe that they gave us a snack on what in the US would be a commuter or regional flight! The plane was new and in very good condition. The flight was very smooth even though we did fly over some really major storms and cloud formations.
When we started our descent into Myitkyina in order to land, I noticed that it looked like we were about to set this thing down in the middle of a river. I would guess that the last 2 miles or so of the flight was over the water. The runway had to have been only a couple hundred yards from the river in that just about the time we cleared the water and saw land again, we touched down. The runway is probably about three lanes of traffic wide and very short. The terminal building looks like it came out of an old 1940's movie.
Once we got off the plane, we entered the terminal and had to go through an Immigration checkpoint. There they wrote down our VISA and passport numbers and asked us where we were staying at in Myitkyina. After that, we walked across the parking lot to pick up our bags. We waited for about 15 minutes during which time Lazarus introduced us to six or seven men from the churches who had come to the airport to welcome and greet us. The baggage carts that they loaded our bags on as they took them off the plane are just like the ones they use at US airports, except for one thing...they are generally pulled by a small tractor/truck. Not here. The baggage carts were pulled by one man, who guided them along the road from the tarmac in back of the terminal to a small building out front, and were pushed by three or four other men. But, once they got to us, we had no problem finding our luggage and loading them up for the trip to the hotel.
After a 6 mile drive that took about 20 minutes, we arrived at the Xing Xian Hotel. It is a four-story building and is fairly well kept. Dale and I are sharing a room with two double beds. When we got arrived there was no power in the building, but after an hour or so it came back on. We do have A/C, a small flat screen TV, and a small refrigerator. But, we do not have any internet in the building.
After we unpacked our clothes, we walked across the street and ate dinner. Dale had sweet and sour chicken and I had sweet and sour pork. It was very good and there was plenty of it. We were stuffed and it only cost about $11 US for both of us.
Later, Lazarus came to our room and we made plans for tomorrow morning. I will start off at 8 am and teach until 10 am. There will be a 30 minute break for lunch. Then I will teach for 1 1/2 hours until noon. They will take a one hour break until 1 pm and then Dale will teach from 1 to 4 pm. We will do this from Wednesday through Saturday.
We'll that is my report for Tuesday's adventure. More to follow from Myitkyina. Hopefully, I will be able to get to an Internet cafe tomorrow evening and send this report to you.
Blessings! Thanks for your prayers.
Fred
Wednesday, January 22, 2014.
This morning we got up at around 5:30 am, cleaned up, and went to breakfast. Same breakfast as in Yangon. Two fried eggs, toast, butter and jelly, fruit, and coffee. We finished breakfast and then were off for the conference.
Traffic in Myitkyina is really bad. There are way too many motorcycles and they are constantly cutting in and out of traffic. Here there is an absence of traffic lights. I probably only counted about a half dozen or so. On top of that there are no stop signs. None. What this means is that "its everyman for himself". Very dangerous driving conditions. We were almost hit 3 or 4 times on the way to the church.
We arrived at about 7:45 am and they were ready for us. Things were set up and people were singing songs. I was up first, so I gathered my stuff and got ready. Our schedule for the day looked like this:
8-10 am - Lead Like Jesus
10-10:30 am - Lunch break
10:30- 12:00 - Lead Like Jesus
12:00-1 pm - Break
1-4 pm - Roles/Responsibilities of Pastors and Elders
This would be our daily schedule through Saturday.
My session went very well. I was able to finish everything that I had planned for on the first day even though everything that I said had to be interpreted (word for word) by Lazarus. In my second session, I finished with about 10 minutes left so I opened the floor for questions. After my second session, we took an hour break and then Dale taught on the Relationships and Responsibilities of Pastors and Elders.
We had a very good number of people that attended. I would roughly estimate having around 125 people in the room and around 30 or so (mostly women) who sat outside on picnic type tables and listened through the open windows. We had two (2) men who traveled from western Myanmar to attend the seminar. They lived in a village near the India border. They told us that it took them four (4) days to get to Myitkyina. Can you believe that someone would be so hungry to learn to become a better leader that they would travel that far? In our country that would never happen. We also learned that we had two men from China. Amazing!
At the first break, Timothy, a 90 year old pastor, presented me with a handmade burmese shirt. Pastor Timothy was well acquainted with the Morse family who were longtime missionaries with the Lisu people here in Myanmar. I also met a man whose son now lives in Florida. The son is a political refuge who asked for asylum to come and live in the United States. The father has not spoken to his son for over five years but has received occasional letters from him. He asked me if he gave me his son's phone number would I be willing to call him. I told him that I would to that for him.
They had a great lunch for us. The women prepared and served it to all of the men. We had chicken, pork, cooked vegetables, rice, small tangelos, sliced apples, grapes, and something that looked like cole slaw (I passed on that). They served us bottled water and hot water (yes, hot water without coffee or tea?). The food was really great! I thanked the ladies and told them that if I kept eating like this that I would become very big. They laughed.
During our second break, a couple of the younger pastors came to sit at our table. They thanked us for coming to Myitkyina and told me that the message of servant leadership is desperately needed in the church here. The pastors and church leaders struggle with how to equip and prepare their people to do the work of the ministry, witness, and teach others. In other words, they (just like most US churches) are not making disciples. Definitely, the message of Lead Like Jesus is needed here.
I learned that most of the churches are not adequately equipping believers. Most of them do not have Sunday school for adults (only for children and teenagers) nor do they have small groups, so the only "teaching" their church members get is from the Pastor's sermons on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and during Wednesday evenings.
We also learned of some conflict that exists here within the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. These churches, in order to provide some oversight and help for one another, formed an association to fulfill that function and they select a 16 man committee to accomplish it. The biggest thing that causes problems is that they have a "policy" that pastors can only serve for three (3) years in a church. After that, they must move to a new congregation. There are no exceptions and no waivers. The committee also selects and appoints the pastors for every church. The elders of the churches have no input. It is hard for me to understand their reasoning for doing this, but I'm sure they have some good reasons.
These policies do cause some problems. Elders will often get into conflict with the pastors over seemingly minor issues. Pastors often feel like they are a "hired hand" or just an "employee" because many of the elder boards make all the decisions, often without any input from the pastor. The relationships between many of the pastors and their elders are not good. As a result, most of the churches are not growing, they are not planting new churches, and the people are not being discipled.
The weather was really cool when we started out. It was probably in the upper 40 degrees or maybe in the lower 50's. Both Dale and I wore our jackets and most of the people wore winter coats. Later in the day, it got up to about 70 degrees or so. It was very comfortable for teaching. I hardly broke a sweat. Much different than it was in Jamaica last week.
We ended the day by going to a Thai restaurant in downtown Myitkyina. The food was really good. I had ginger chicken, Dale had sweet and sour chicken, and Lazarus had some sort of dish with fried intestines in it? While we were waiting for our dinner, a female cat came up to us. It rubbed on my legs as many cats will do. Dale petted it on the head a few times and then the cat went over to Lazarus, who just ignored it being there. All of a sudden, the cat just jumped from the ground beside Lazarus and landed in the middle of his lap and then laid down. All of us laughed. The cat just sat in Lazarus' lap for 15 minutes or so until our dinner arrived and then Lazarus shoo'd him out.
After we returned to the hotel, I changed my clothes and laid on the bed to watch a little TV and to read. I read a couple of chapters in my book and realized that I was done for the day and decided to go to sleep. It was only 8 pm but I was very, very tired. Dale was still up but he too went to bed very early.
Thursday, January 23, 2014.
We got up, cleaned up, and went to breakfast at 7 am. We had the same two fried eggs, toast, etc., that we have had everyday. It is much cooler than yesterday and we decided to wear our heavier jackets. We arrived at the church at about 7:45 am and I was set up and ready to begin at 8 am.
We started right on time. This is one thing that I've noticed, they start and stop on time. This is unlike much of the other developing countries that I've been in. Each day when we start they generally begin with a song. Then someone gives a few announcements and another person will pray for us. All this takes about 15 minutes. So, I started my second session at around 8:15.
On the way to the church Lazarus reminded us that he had to leave at 10 am to perform a wedding ceremony and that he would have another person interpret for me. I told him that if would be no problem for me. He then dropped the "bomb"....and asked Dale if he would accompany him and preach the wedding sermon! Of course, Dale had no time to prepare for this. But, Lazarus insisted and Dale didn't want to say no. So, while I taught my first session, Dale sat in the corner of the room and made some notes. He and Lazarus left at 10 am and was supposed to be back to the conference by noon.
I completed my session and we took our second break at noon. We waited until 1 pm (when Dale's session was supposed to start) but Dale and Lazarus had not yet returned. One of the leaders came up to me and said that we needed to start on time and asked me to continue teaching. So, I got the binder with my lesson notes and took up where I had left off. It was about 1:45 pm when Lazarus and Dale showed up and after a couple of minutes I finished the topic that I was talking about and turned things over to Dale.
During the second break that day, I was approached by several men and asked to come back and teach them more about Lead Like Jesus. I then explained to them the four stage/phase process and how it works. They said that is exactly what they need. So, I told them that I would discuss it with Lazarus and see how we might be able to work out the details to implement this in their country.
I had a chance to talk more with Pastor Timothy (who is age 82) and several of his church leaders, to include his assistant Pastor David (who interpreted for me while Lazarus was at the wedding). I learned that this man of God had trained and mentored the four men that were sitting with me. All of them were either pastors, elders, or leading a ministry. What an amazing legacy that this man was leaving! It was Pastor Timothy that first asked me to come back and teach them more. He even offered to buy my plane ticket from Yangon to Myitkyina! Wow!
I am truly impressed by many of the leaders that I have met here. They love God and want to serve him faithfully. Many of them are not Bible college trained and they lack knowledge, but their heart is good and they (for the most part) really want to lead like Jesus.
On the way back to the hotel, Lazarus took us to an Internet cafe. We were hoping to send Michelle and Anna to let them know we were alright and to explain why we couldn't communicate regularly with them. Dale was unable to log on. I was, but the connection was very, very slow. I was able to send Michelle an email and to post a small comment on my blog. I then let Dale use my email to send Anna a note.
After the day's sessions were over, we came back to the hotel. We later ate dinner at the little restaurant across the street. I had intended to come back and read for a while, but I was tired and so was Dale, so by around 8:30 pm we were ready to go to bed.
Friday, January 24, 2014.
Last evening the power went off just after we went to bed and did not come back on until 5:30 am as we were just getting up.
I woke up at 4:30 am and laid in the bed for a while thinking about the future possibilities of coming back to work with the Lisu Christian leaders. I prayed and asked God for wisdom and guidance. I also prayed about the work that Luke Kuepfer and I are doing in Liberia, Ghana, Uganda, and maybe also in Jamaica. I believe that we have worked ourselves into a place that we are now over our heads (so to speak) and need help from God to guide us, provide resources, and other people to join with us. The work is far bigger than we are and we need to start equipping others to join us.
As far as coming back to Myanmar? I'm not sure if we can really help the leaders and churches here as long as they have the structural barriers they now have in place. It may be that our time and resources may be better spent elsewhere? I will discuss this with Lazarus before leaving Myanmar, explain our 4 stage/phase process, give him my concerns and then let him discuss them with the pastors and association leaders. If The Lord wants me to return, I am confident He will work things out.
My lesson this morning went very well. They were particularly interested in how to develop and equip their people. As part of the lesson, I covered the "Way of the Carpenter" and then discussed each stage of development in terms of discipleship. I believe that this was especially beneficial for them and opened up some of their eyes.
They were really interested in the "Lincoln Story" and the "Power of an Apology". As I told them the story, they intently listened to every word. I watched their faces and could tell they were taking it all in. Several men told me later that they were very touched by Lincoln's story and how an important man like him could admit that he was wrong and apologize.
Because I taught longer yesterday when Dale was at the wedding, I was able to not only finish the Hands section but also the Habits section. This means that tomorrow, I will have time to review the basic concepts from each section and finish by covering the Next Steps and doing the "Greatest Management Tool" exercise.
At lunch, Lazarus informed us that Dale and I would be preaching several times on Saturday evening and again on Sunday. Both of us will preach on Saturday evening at the same church. Then, on Sunday, Dale will preach at 8 am. We will travel to another church where I will speak at 11 am. Finally, both of us will speak at another church on Sunday evening.
We learned that the Lisu people love to go to church. They have worship services on Saturday evenings, Sunday morning at 8 am, then again at 11 am or noon, and finally, they have Sunday evening services. All of these services last at least 2 hours. They also have Wednesday services. But, most of them do not have any adult Sunday school or Bible classes.
After Dale finished his session, we went back to the hotel, changed clothes, and again ate dinner at the restaurant across the street. I had hot and sour chicken. It was a little spicy but very good. Our combined meal, with soft drinks, came to about $14 US. Very inexpensive!
After we got back to the hotel, we each worked on putting together our notes for the talk that we would have to give on Saturday evening's church service and then went to bed.
Sent from my iPad
Thanks for your prayers. Hope you enjoy reading about our experiences here in Myanmar.
Blessings!
Fred
Tuesday, January 21, 2014, continued...
This afternoon we flew from Yangon to Myitkyina. What an experience! Lazarus was a little late in picking us up but we still had plenty of time to get checked in before our flight. We did check with the airline and found out that indeed our return flight on January 27th had been cancelled. We also learned that they had not automatically rebooked our flight for the 28th. So, we asked them to do that and they rebooked us and gave us new confirmation/receipts.
Flying in a country where almost no one speaks english is a real experience. Thank The Lord for Lazarus! We realized very quickly after arriving at the airport that there is a separate terminal for domestic flights and we found that it is nothing like the international terminal. It is old, outdated, and pretty dirty. The ticket counters are not automated with computers. They check you in by checking your name off the passenger list they have on a clip board.
The guy that checked our luggage just took it and went off with it without giving us a receipt or baggage claim number or anything. I looked at Dale and told him that "I hope that guy knows what flight we are on so that our bags end up in the right city". When we went through the security check we didn't have to take off our shoes, belt, or take out our computers, or things out of our pockets like we do in the US. The only one that received additional checking was Lazarus and it is because he had a small knife in his carryon bag, which they let him keep after they scolded him for having it.
Our flight was with Air KBZ. The plane was a twin-engine prop plane that seats about 80 people. They had two (2) young female flight attendants. The flight was relatively short, lasting only 2 hours. Soon after they took off the flight attendants served us drinks, which they pre-poured, giving us a choice of water, cola, or juice. Not long after they did this they served us a snack. The snack box came with a chicken salad croissant and a small piece of strawberry swirl cake. After this, they came back and refilled our drinks and offered us coffee or tea. Dale and I couldn't believe that they gave us a snack on what in the US would be a commuter or regional flight! The plane was new and in very good condition. The flight was very smooth even though we did fly over some really major storms and cloud formations.
When we started our descent into Myitkyina in order to land, I noticed that it looked like we were about to set this thing down in the middle of a river. I would guess that the last 2 miles or so of the flight was over the water. The runway had to have been only a couple hundred yards from the river in that just about the time we cleared the water and saw land again, we touched down. The runway is probably about three lanes of traffic wide and very short. The terminal building looks like it came out of an old 1940's movie.
Once we got off the plane, we entered the terminal and had to go through an Immigration checkpoint. There they wrote down our VISA and passport numbers and asked us where we were staying at in Myitkyina. After that, we walked across the parking lot to pick up our bags. We waited for about 15 minutes during which time Lazarus introduced us to six or seven men from the churches who had come to the airport to welcome and greet us. The baggage carts that they loaded our bags on as they took them off the plane are just like the ones they use at US airports, except for one thing...they are generally pulled by a small tractor/truck. Not here. The baggage carts were pulled by one man, who guided them along the road from the tarmac in back of the terminal to a small building out front, and were pushed by three or four other men. But, once they got to us, we had no problem finding our luggage and loading them up for the trip to the hotel.
After a 6 mile drive that took about 20 minutes, we arrived at the Xing Xian Hotel. It is a four-story building and is fairly well kept. Dale and I are sharing a room with two double beds. When we got arrived there was no power in the building, but after an hour or so it came back on. We do have A/C, a small flat screen TV, and a small refrigerator. But, we do not have any internet in the building.
After we unpacked our clothes, we walked across the street and ate dinner. Dale had sweet and sour chicken and I had sweet and sour pork. It was very good and there was plenty of it. We were stuffed and it only cost about $11 US for both of us.
Later, Lazarus came to our room and we made plans for tomorrow morning. I will start off at 8 am and teach until 10 am. There will be a 30 minute break for lunch. Then I will teach for 1 1/2 hours until noon. They will take a one hour break until 1 pm and then Dale will teach from 1 to 4 pm. We will do this from Wednesday through Saturday.
We'll that is my report for Tuesday's adventure. More to follow from Myitkyina. Hopefully, I will be able to get to an Internet cafe tomorrow evening and send this report to you.
Blessings! Thanks for your prayers.
Fred
Wednesday, January 22, 2014.
This morning we got up at around 5:30 am, cleaned up, and went to breakfast. Same breakfast as in Yangon. Two fried eggs, toast, butter and jelly, fruit, and coffee. We finished breakfast and then were off for the conference.
Traffic in Myitkyina is really bad. There are way too many motorcycles and they are constantly cutting in and out of traffic. Here there is an absence of traffic lights. I probably only counted about a half dozen or so. On top of that there are no stop signs. None. What this means is that "its everyman for himself". Very dangerous driving conditions. We were almost hit 3 or 4 times on the way to the church.
We arrived at about 7:45 am and they were ready for us. Things were set up and people were singing songs. I was up first, so I gathered my stuff and got ready. Our schedule for the day looked like this:
8-10 am - Lead Like Jesus
10-10:30 am - Lunch break
10:30- 12:00 - Lead Like Jesus
12:00-1 pm - Break
1-4 pm - Roles/Responsibilities of Pastors and Elders
This would be our daily schedule through Saturday.
My session went very well. I was able to finish everything that I had planned for on the first day even though everything that I said had to be interpreted (word for word) by Lazarus. In my second session, I finished with about 10 minutes left so I opened the floor for questions. After my second session, we took an hour break and then Dale taught on the Relationships and Responsibilities of Pastors and Elders.
We had a very good number of people that attended. I would roughly estimate having around 125 people in the room and around 30 or so (mostly women) who sat outside on picnic type tables and listened through the open windows. We had two (2) men who traveled from western Myanmar to attend the seminar. They lived in a village near the India border. They told us that it took them four (4) days to get to Myitkyina. Can you believe that someone would be so hungry to learn to become a better leader that they would travel that far? In our country that would never happen. We also learned that we had two men from China. Amazing!
At the first break, Timothy, a 90 year old pastor, presented me with a handmade burmese shirt. Pastor Timothy was well acquainted with the Morse family who were longtime missionaries with the Lisu people here in Myanmar. I also met a man whose son now lives in Florida. The son is a political refuge who asked for asylum to come and live in the United States. The father has not spoken to his son for over five years but has received occasional letters from him. He asked me if he gave me his son's phone number would I be willing to call him. I told him that I would to that for him.
They had a great lunch for us. The women prepared and served it to all of the men. We had chicken, pork, cooked vegetables, rice, small tangelos, sliced apples, grapes, and something that looked like cole slaw (I passed on that). They served us bottled water and hot water (yes, hot water without coffee or tea?). The food was really great! I thanked the ladies and told them that if I kept eating like this that I would become very big. They laughed.
During our second break, a couple of the younger pastors came to sit at our table. They thanked us for coming to Myitkyina and told me that the message of servant leadership is desperately needed in the church here. The pastors and church leaders struggle with how to equip and prepare their people to do the work of the ministry, witness, and teach others. In other words, they (just like most US churches) are not making disciples. Definitely, the message of Lead Like Jesus is needed here.
I learned that most of the churches are not adequately equipping believers. Most of them do not have Sunday school for adults (only for children and teenagers) nor do they have small groups, so the only "teaching" their church members get is from the Pastor's sermons on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and during Wednesday evenings.
We also learned of some conflict that exists here within the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. These churches, in order to provide some oversight and help for one another, formed an association to fulfill that function and they select a 16 man committee to accomplish it. The biggest thing that causes problems is that they have a "policy" that pastors can only serve for three (3) years in a church. After that, they must move to a new congregation. There are no exceptions and no waivers. The committee also selects and appoints the pastors for every church. The elders of the churches have no input. It is hard for me to understand their reasoning for doing this, but I'm sure they have some good reasons.
These policies do cause some problems. Elders will often get into conflict with the pastors over seemingly minor issues. Pastors often feel like they are a "hired hand" or just an "employee" because many of the elder boards make all the decisions, often without any input from the pastor. The relationships between many of the pastors and their elders are not good. As a result, most of the churches are not growing, they are not planting new churches, and the people are not being discipled.
The weather was really cool when we started out. It was probably in the upper 40 degrees or maybe in the lower 50's. Both Dale and I wore our jackets and most of the people wore winter coats. Later in the day, it got up to about 70 degrees or so. It was very comfortable for teaching. I hardly broke a sweat. Much different than it was in Jamaica last week.
We ended the day by going to a Thai restaurant in downtown Myitkyina. The food was really good. I had ginger chicken, Dale had sweet and sour chicken, and Lazarus had some sort of dish with fried intestines in it? While we were waiting for our dinner, a female cat came up to us. It rubbed on my legs as many cats will do. Dale petted it on the head a few times and then the cat went over to Lazarus, who just ignored it being there. All of a sudden, the cat just jumped from the ground beside Lazarus and landed in the middle of his lap and then laid down. All of us laughed. The cat just sat in Lazarus' lap for 15 minutes or so until our dinner arrived and then Lazarus shoo'd him out.
After we returned to the hotel, I changed my clothes and laid on the bed to watch a little TV and to read. I read a couple of chapters in my book and realized that I was done for the day and decided to go to sleep. It was only 8 pm but I was very, very tired. Dale was still up but he too went to bed very early.
Thursday, January 23, 2014.
We got up, cleaned up, and went to breakfast at 7 am. We had the same two fried eggs, toast, etc., that we have had everyday. It is much cooler than yesterday and we decided to wear our heavier jackets. We arrived at the church at about 7:45 am and I was set up and ready to begin at 8 am.
We started right on time. This is one thing that I've noticed, they start and stop on time. This is unlike much of the other developing countries that I've been in. Each day when we start they generally begin with a song. Then someone gives a few announcements and another person will pray for us. All this takes about 15 minutes. So, I started my second session at around 8:15.
On the way to the church Lazarus reminded us that he had to leave at 10 am to perform a wedding ceremony and that he would have another person interpret for me. I told him that if would be no problem for me. He then dropped the "bomb"....and asked Dale if he would accompany him and preach the wedding sermon! Of course, Dale had no time to prepare for this. But, Lazarus insisted and Dale didn't want to say no. So, while I taught my first session, Dale sat in the corner of the room and made some notes. He and Lazarus left at 10 am and was supposed to be back to the conference by noon.
I completed my session and we took our second break at noon. We waited until 1 pm (when Dale's session was supposed to start) but Dale and Lazarus had not yet returned. One of the leaders came up to me and said that we needed to start on time and asked me to continue teaching. So, I got the binder with my lesson notes and took up where I had left off. It was about 1:45 pm when Lazarus and Dale showed up and after a couple of minutes I finished the topic that I was talking about and turned things over to Dale.
During the second break that day, I was approached by several men and asked to come back and teach them more about Lead Like Jesus. I then explained to them the four stage/phase process and how it works. They said that is exactly what they need. So, I told them that I would discuss it with Lazarus and see how we might be able to work out the details to implement this in their country.
I had a chance to talk more with Pastor Timothy (who is age 82) and several of his church leaders, to include his assistant Pastor David (who interpreted for me while Lazarus was at the wedding). I learned that this man of God had trained and mentored the four men that were sitting with me. All of them were either pastors, elders, or leading a ministry. What an amazing legacy that this man was leaving! It was Pastor Timothy that first asked me to come back and teach them more. He even offered to buy my plane ticket from Yangon to Myitkyina! Wow!
I am truly impressed by many of the leaders that I have met here. They love God and want to serve him faithfully. Many of them are not Bible college trained and they lack knowledge, but their heart is good and they (for the most part) really want to lead like Jesus.
On the way back to the hotel, Lazarus took us to an Internet cafe. We were hoping to send Michelle and Anna to let them know we were alright and to explain why we couldn't communicate regularly with them. Dale was unable to log on. I was, but the connection was very, very slow. I was able to send Michelle an email and to post a small comment on my blog. I then let Dale use my email to send Anna a note.
After the day's sessions were over, we came back to the hotel. We later ate dinner at the little restaurant across the street. I had intended to come back and read for a while, but I was tired and so was Dale, so by around 8:30 pm we were ready to go to bed.
Friday, January 24, 2014.
Last evening the power went off just after we went to bed and did not come back on until 5:30 am as we were just getting up.
I woke up at 4:30 am and laid in the bed for a while thinking about the future possibilities of coming back to work with the Lisu Christian leaders. I prayed and asked God for wisdom and guidance. I also prayed about the work that Luke Kuepfer and I are doing in Liberia, Ghana, Uganda, and maybe also in Jamaica. I believe that we have worked ourselves into a place that we are now over our heads (so to speak) and need help from God to guide us, provide resources, and other people to join with us. The work is far bigger than we are and we need to start equipping others to join us.
As far as coming back to Myanmar? I'm not sure if we can really help the leaders and churches here as long as they have the structural barriers they now have in place. It may be that our time and resources may be better spent elsewhere? I will discuss this with Lazarus before leaving Myanmar, explain our 4 stage/phase process, give him my concerns and then let him discuss them with the pastors and association leaders. If The Lord wants me to return, I am confident He will work things out.
My lesson this morning went very well. They were particularly interested in how to develop and equip their people. As part of the lesson, I covered the "Way of the Carpenter" and then discussed each stage of development in terms of discipleship. I believe that this was especially beneficial for them and opened up some of their eyes.
They were really interested in the "Lincoln Story" and the "Power of an Apology". As I told them the story, they intently listened to every word. I watched their faces and could tell they were taking it all in. Several men told me later that they were very touched by Lincoln's story and how an important man like him could admit that he was wrong and apologize.
Because I taught longer yesterday when Dale was at the wedding, I was able to not only finish the Hands section but also the Habits section. This means that tomorrow, I will have time to review the basic concepts from each section and finish by covering the Next Steps and doing the "Greatest Management Tool" exercise.
At lunch, Lazarus informed us that Dale and I would be preaching several times on Saturday evening and again on Sunday. Both of us will preach on Saturday evening at the same church. Then, on Sunday, Dale will preach at 8 am. We will travel to another church where I will speak at 11 am. Finally, both of us will speak at another church on Sunday evening.
We learned that the Lisu people love to go to church. They have worship services on Saturday evenings, Sunday morning at 8 am, then again at 11 am or noon, and finally, they have Sunday evening services. All of these services last at least 2 hours. They also have Wednesday services. But, most of them do not have any adult Sunday school or Bible classes.
After Dale finished his session, we went back to the hotel, changed clothes, and again ate dinner at the restaurant across the street. I had hot and sour chicken. It was a little spicy but very good. Our combined meal, with soft drinks, came to about $14 US. Very inexpensive!
After we got back to the hotel, we each worked on putting together our notes for the talk that we would have to give on Saturday evening's church service and then went to bed.
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Hello from Myitkyina
Just a quick note to let you know that Dale and I are doing OK. We do not have any internet connectivity at our hotel and just this afternoon found an internet cafe. The connection is really slow. We probably will not be able to post again until we get back to Yangon on January 28th.
Everything is going well with our teaching and we are having a fantastic time with a wonderful group of people. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. PS the food is great!
Blessings!
Fred
Fred R. Waggoner
Fred R. Waggoner
4221 Forsythe Drive
Lexington, KY 40514
Home: 859-223-7972
Cell: 859-312-5334
Soli Deo Gloria - "For God's glory alone".
Everything is going well with our teaching and we are having a fantastic time with a wonderful group of people. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. PS the food is great!
Blessings!
Fred
Fred R. Waggoner
Fred R. Waggoner
4221 Forsythe Drive
Lexington, KY 40514
Home: 859-223-7972
Cell: 859-312-5334
Soli Deo Gloria - "For God's glory alone".
Monday, January 20, 2014
Greetings from Myanmar (January 21, 2014)
Sunday and Monday, January 19-20, 2014.
Dale Sanders and I left Lexington at 6:15 am on Sunday for Myanmar. The first stop was Chicago where we would catch a flight to Seoul, South Korea. We had about a five hour layover in Chicago. Not much was open when we arrived so we just sat, talked and waited.
The plane for Seoul departed right on schedule. It was a 13 hour 50 flight. The plane was very comfortable and had more leg room than most. Additionally, it was not a full flight and both Dale and I had an empty seat next to us so we were able to spread out. The food was really good as well. For the first meal, I had vegetables, rice, and soup (a traditional Korean dish). It was very good. I had chicken and rice for the second meal, which also was very good. It came with a small salad and chocolate cake for dessert. I was most of all impressed by the service that the very smartly dressed young flight attendants gave to us. All in all, this was a very good flight.
Before leaving on Sunday, Eloise, my mother in law, gave me a book she wanted me to read: "Exodus to a Hidden Valley" by Eugene Morse. It tells the story of the Morse family, who were missionaries to the Lisu people of Myanmar (Burma) and China, and details their trials and struggles as they ministered to the people of northern Myanmar in the Kachin state and how they dealt with persecution and ultimately deportation. What a great book! I read the entire 225+ page book during this flight. I couldn't put it down. Reading this book is especially timely in that Dale and I will be speaking at a pastor's conference in the city of Myitkyina and it is the Morse family who were responsible for planting most of the churches that these pastors represent.
We arrived in Seoul on time but it seemed like it took forever to taxi to the gate. Once they let us get up and start to deboard the airplane it was a mad dash by everyone it try to get off and catch their next flight. We had to go through security screening again and the lines were terribly long. When we made it to our gate we had just 10 minutes before they started to board our flight that would take us on to Yangon. This flight would be six hours long. By now, my hips and back were already hurting.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014.
The flight to Yangon was uneventful. I read a little while and was able to sleep probably four of the six hours. I gave Dale the book on the Morse family and he read part of it on the flight to Yangon. When we get to Yangon it will be about 10:30 pm local time and most likely after getting our bags and going through customs, it will be about midnight when we will leave the airport for the hotel. Lazarus Fish, and most likely several of his family members, will be at the airport to meet us and take us to our hotel. We should be able to get some rest because we do not fly out for Myitkyina until 1 pm tomorrow afternoon.
Our flight did not arrive until almost 11:30 pm. We were late getting out of Seoul because the plane had to be de-iced before we could take off. Once we landed in Yangon, we had no problems getting our luggage and going through the customs check. Lazarus and his three daughters and his son were there to meet us. We loaded up our bags in his new (slightly used) van and headed to the hotel. Lazarus informed me that we would be staying at the Hotel Ruby, which is the place we stayed at last year. He did not say why the change in hotels, but at midnight who really cares. Hotel Ruby is not a four star hotel but it is clean, safe, has hot water and A/C, so it works for me. Plus, it is really inexpensive.
We got checked in and went straight to bed. It was about 1 am. I woke up a couple of times during the night but overall slept pretty well for being in a new place. I got up at around 7 am and went to check on Dale to see if he was up. We decided to do breakfast at 8 am, so I went back to my room to get a shower and get ready. Breakfast was good. They give you the standard thing: two eggs (fried), two pieces of toast, butter, jelly, and apple slices. I tried last year to order my eggs scrambled but they still brought me fried eggs, so this morning I just went with the flow.
At least we do have wifi here at this hotel. I'm not sure that we will come back and stay here when we return from Myitkyina. By the way, Lazarus informed us that our flight that is scheduled to bring us back to Yangon has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 28th instead of Monday the 27th. He said that they are working on the runway and have cancelled all flights on that day. We will check with the airline to confirm that and make sure we have seats on the Tuesday flight when we get to the airport this afternoon.
Well, that is my first report from Myanmar. Lord willing, we will have some internet connectivity at the hotel in Myitkyina. I plan on posting again this evening after our flight. So, stayed tuned. More to follow from Myanmar.
Please be in prayer for us and for those who will be attending the conference that we will be speaking at starting tomorrow. I pray that God will give us the right words that we tell them what He wants them to hear.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
Dale Sanders and I left Lexington at 6:15 am on Sunday for Myanmar. The first stop was Chicago where we would catch a flight to Seoul, South Korea. We had about a five hour layover in Chicago. Not much was open when we arrived so we just sat, talked and waited.
The plane for Seoul departed right on schedule. It was a 13 hour 50 flight. The plane was very comfortable and had more leg room than most. Additionally, it was not a full flight and both Dale and I had an empty seat next to us so we were able to spread out. The food was really good as well. For the first meal, I had vegetables, rice, and soup (a traditional Korean dish). It was very good. I had chicken and rice for the second meal, which also was very good. It came with a small salad and chocolate cake for dessert. I was most of all impressed by the service that the very smartly dressed young flight attendants gave to us. All in all, this was a very good flight.
Before leaving on Sunday, Eloise, my mother in law, gave me a book she wanted me to read: "Exodus to a Hidden Valley" by Eugene Morse. It tells the story of the Morse family, who were missionaries to the Lisu people of Myanmar (Burma) and China, and details their trials and struggles as they ministered to the people of northern Myanmar in the Kachin state and how they dealt with persecution and ultimately deportation. What a great book! I read the entire 225+ page book during this flight. I couldn't put it down. Reading this book is especially timely in that Dale and I will be speaking at a pastor's conference in the city of Myitkyina and it is the Morse family who were responsible for planting most of the churches that these pastors represent.
We arrived in Seoul on time but it seemed like it took forever to taxi to the gate. Once they let us get up and start to deboard the airplane it was a mad dash by everyone it try to get off and catch their next flight. We had to go through security screening again and the lines were terribly long. When we made it to our gate we had just 10 minutes before they started to board our flight that would take us on to Yangon. This flight would be six hours long. By now, my hips and back were already hurting.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014.
The flight to Yangon was uneventful. I read a little while and was able to sleep probably four of the six hours. I gave Dale the book on the Morse family and he read part of it on the flight to Yangon. When we get to Yangon it will be about 10:30 pm local time and most likely after getting our bags and going through customs, it will be about midnight when we will leave the airport for the hotel. Lazarus Fish, and most likely several of his family members, will be at the airport to meet us and take us to our hotel. We should be able to get some rest because we do not fly out for Myitkyina until 1 pm tomorrow afternoon.
Our flight did not arrive until almost 11:30 pm. We were late getting out of Seoul because the plane had to be de-iced before we could take off. Once we landed in Yangon, we had no problems getting our luggage and going through the customs check. Lazarus and his three daughters and his son were there to meet us. We loaded up our bags in his new (slightly used) van and headed to the hotel. Lazarus informed me that we would be staying at the Hotel Ruby, which is the place we stayed at last year. He did not say why the change in hotels, but at midnight who really cares. Hotel Ruby is not a four star hotel but it is clean, safe, has hot water and A/C, so it works for me. Plus, it is really inexpensive.
We got checked in and went straight to bed. It was about 1 am. I woke up a couple of times during the night but overall slept pretty well for being in a new place. I got up at around 7 am and went to check on Dale to see if he was up. We decided to do breakfast at 8 am, so I went back to my room to get a shower and get ready. Breakfast was good. They give you the standard thing: two eggs (fried), two pieces of toast, butter, jelly, and apple slices. I tried last year to order my eggs scrambled but they still brought me fried eggs, so this morning I just went with the flow.
At least we do have wifi here at this hotel. I'm not sure that we will come back and stay here when we return from Myitkyina. By the way, Lazarus informed us that our flight that is scheduled to bring us back to Yangon has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 28th instead of Monday the 27th. He said that they are working on the runway and have cancelled all flights on that day. We will check with the airline to confirm that and make sure we have seats on the Tuesday flight when we get to the airport this afternoon.
Well, that is my first report from Myanmar. Lord willing, we will have some internet connectivity at the hotel in Myitkyina. I plan on posting again this evening after our flight. So, stayed tuned. More to follow from Myanmar.
Please be in prayer for us and for those who will be attending the conference that we will be speaking at starting tomorrow. I pray that God will give us the right words that we tell them what He wants them to hear.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
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