Tears in Myanmar
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - rflory
I
will never forget the day we traveled away from Yangon to a local
village and visited a small church. The pastor of the church had
recently walked away from everything, leaving behind a heart-broken
wife and a community of believers. Despite their grief, the women of
the church welcomed us with joyful hearts, serving us their best food
and fanning us as they told stories and gave each of us Burmese
nicknames.
When
the meal was finished, we gathered in an upstairs room and were asked
us to share some words of encouragement to the women who had so humbly
served us. The Lord led me to speak about my little brother and how
just before I left for the internship my brother had given his life to
Christ. I shared with them the burden of my seemingly inadequate
attempts to show Christ to him. Yet in his testimony, he told everyone
that he was thankful for me, his big sister, and how
I told him about Jesus. Before I could get those last words out, tears
overwhelmed both me and my translator, and no words were needed. The
tears and transparency formed a connection with my Burmese sisters in
Christ. I left not knowing the impact of my story or its relevancy to
these women, but I have faith that God’s purpose was fulfilled.
By Amanda Evans, 2009 summer intern, Myanmar/Thailand
Filed Under: International