Myanmar: a hidden harvest

Myanmar is a country probably not well known outside its borders until it was brought to our attention by the peaceful demonstrations of October 2007 and the recent devastation of Cyclone Nargis. Yet the green and fertile land of Burma, officially renamed Myanmar by the government, is a place with which Crosslinks has had close ties almost since BCMS was founded.

The country

Myanmar borders Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand. It has a landmass roughly equivalent to that of France and Belgium combined. Two key rivers run from north to south for much of the length of the country. The Salween (or Thanlwin) flows down the Shan plateau in the east through narrow and unnavigable gorges. The

Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) is navigable for much of its length and runs for more than 2,000 kilometres from its source in the Himalayas down to the broad and low-lying delta in the south -the area worst hit by Cyclone Nargis.

The largest ethnic group is the Bamar who form the majority of the people (approx 65%). There are many smaller groups, living mainly in the hills and mountains of the west, north and east, who make up the rest of the population, including Kachin, Kayin (or Karen), Shan, Chin, Mon and Rakhine. Whilst Burmese is the main and official language of the country, these smaller ethnic groups have their own languages.

About 87% of the population is Buddhist, between 6-8% are Christian, with the main Protestant denomination being Baptist, following the pioneering work of the first American missionary Adoniram Judson at the beginning of the19th century.

The country is largely agricultural, with rice the main crop, mostly grown in the fertile ground of the Irrawaddy delta. Myanmar is rich in other natural resources: teak and other hardwoods, gold and gemstones such as rubies and jade are mined in the north, and large deposits of natural gas and petroleum have been discovered in recent years.

An isolationist regime has meant that economic development has been very limited and most of the country is poor and dependent on subsistence farming.

Despite attempts by the military regime to attract foreign investment, this has been minimal. The USA and Europe (to a lesser extent) have imposed trade sanctions in response to the banning of pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988 and the regime's refusal to hand over power to the National League for Democracy. The continuing house arrest of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, and the events of the past year have brought international condemnation, further sanctions, and the withdrawal of some foreign investment.

BCMS mission in Myanmar

At the end of 1924 three young pioneer missionaries made their way into Upper Burma to find the most appropriate place to begin the task of bringing the gospel to the Kachin people of the region's remote northern hills. A.T. (Tim) Houghton, his pregnant wife Coralie and his sister Eileen, a trained nurse, eventually found themselves in Mohnyin, in a tumbledown hut of matting and cow dung plaster and from there the BCMS involvement in God's mission to Burma was to take root, blossom and grow.

Alongside gospel mission in the years that followed, dispensaries and basic hospitals were established at Mohnyin, in the remote Hawkaung valley, the Naga hills, and in the Shan states near the Thailand border. To these came a steady stream of needy people; many found physical healing, but all heard something of the good news of Jesus.

By 1939 BCMS had 50 missionaries in 19 mission centres working among Jinghpaw (Kachin), Shan, Khumi, Arakanese, Burmese and many others of the ethnic races in Burma. A Bible School had been opened in Mohnyin and in 1938 the first Kachin was ordained. In the southern Shan states evangelism in the context of medical care proved effective, and in the Khumi hills in the North-West, canoe and motor launch were the vehicles for carrying the gospel to Paletwa and beyond. In Rangoon the Mary Chapman Deaf School had been founded, the only facility of its kind in the entire country (and still one of only two today). All through this expansion the vision remained to take the gospel to all the unevangelised people of Burma. In 1942 invasion by the Japanese meant that the missionaries had to escape from Burma by sea, air or, most remarkably, by foot across the northern ranges in what has become known as 'The Muddy Exodus'. At the heart of this legendary trek was Maggie, the faithful BCMS elephant, who for years had kept communication open through the Hukawng valley in both monsoon and dry seasons. In her finest hour, Maggie helped both missionaries and soldiers through the Naga hills to safety in India.

During the Japanese occupation many houses and churches were destroyed and hospitals deserted or burnt. But amidst the tragedy the youthful church suffered and endured to emerge into a new post-war age. The work of recovery after the war was long and hard, but the churches continued to grow. Emmanuel Church in Mohnyin was rebuilt (the author had the privilege of preaching there in 2006) and the Bible School reopened. In those difficult post-war years the mission in Burma owed a great deal to the courage and devoted service of a number of men and women. By the grace of God their hard work was rewarded with continuing growth, with new churches planted and many more people turning to Christ. In 1965 the Burma government announced that it was expelling all foreigners and in 1966 the last missionaries were ordered out. They left behind many Christians and churches built on the firm foundation of God's Word.

Crosslinks and Myanmar today

Since then it has been impossible for foreign missionaries to work openly in Myanmar. However, our historic links with churches, have been maintained through local contacts. These links have led to invitations to visit the country and run Schools of Biblical Training. This has given the chance to work with others in addition to those we had contacts with. Up to 150 men and women each year have participated in a week of training in Bible teaching, and many are passing on what they have learned to others. We have also been able to help some individuals with further theological training through the Crosslinks BEST scheme. Additionally we have made annual grants to support Bible Schools, which operate on a shoestring budget to provide basic training for catechists and others.

At present, we are working with the theological college through the training of its principal, and with him we are exploring possibilities for providing more teaching support at the college, probably through our NEXT short-term scheme. The original BCMS Bible School in Mohnyin remains in operation and we would ask for prayer that a long-running dispute with local churches would be resolved so that the evangelical training it provides could be widely available once more.

When BCMS missionaries were expelled from Chin State in 1965, part of the legacy they left behind them was the New Testament translated into Khumi Chin. The majority of Khumis are Christians, and there has been an ongoing project for the translation of the Old Testament into Khumi Chin. The project is now virtually complete.