Dear brothers and sisters,

Greeting from the Golden Triangle, Thailand. This is my very first newsletter as Field Staff of CBM. I joined CBM on April 1st of this year. Currently, my family is living in the Golden Triangle Region in Thailand. Despite some inconvenience due to the pandemic, everything is going well by the grace of the Lord. My wife, Lilian, and I work from home and our daughter, Sophia now in grade 6, is also learning online at home.

In this letter, I would like to share with you the ministries and our mission partners in the Golden Triangle Region.

The Lahu tribe in Myanmar prefer living in high mountains, and in a smaller community. Pastor Thaw Thu has the vision to share the Gospel to the Lahu people living in the mountainous area in Myanmar. He has overcome a lot of difficulties in order to engage this unreached group, starting by providing free medical treatment and living supplies. Through his ministry, God’s love has touched the people’s hearts and many of them were baptized in Jesus’ name.

One man worked as a wizard for over 50 years before he came to know Jesus. He shared his testimony after he gave his life to Christ, saying, “I used to work as a wizard. I helped villagers to hold the worship ceremony worshiping the spirits. I was respected by the villagers. Later on, I realized that the gods that I was worshiping couldn’t really protect me. Instead, they attack me. I had the opportunity to hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but I refused to accept it for nearly three years. During that time, I often saw Pastor Thaw Thu came to preach about the Gospel and my heart slowly opened, understanding that I am a sinner and knowing that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour. I came to realize that he will wash away my sin. I shall not be perished but will have eternal life. I decided to accept Jesus Christ as my Saviour on 4 May 2021. And I decided to follow him and worship him for the rest of my life.”

Pastor Thaw Thu and the team continue to reach out to more Lahu villages even though they have to face many obstacles caused by the political situation and the pandemic. Pastor Thaw Thu said, “ Even though the paths are tough and far, seeing more and more people come to Christ encourages me and the team to carry on with this journey.”

Many churches in the Golden Triangle Region have to stop holding in-person services because of the pandemic. Church members are facing economic difficulties in this unusual time. The donations of the church have greatly decreased and a large number of pastors are facing financial problems. The good news is some local churches and churches abroad are generously extending their helping hands to these pastors. CBM’s pastor support project also helps pastors without income and the pastors who were infected by COVID.

The political situation in Myanmar has caused civil wars in certain places, so many people have become refugees. Some refugee camps have existed for more than 10 years. That means the political unrest is not new to some places in Myanmar. The military coup on February 1st has escalated the situation – there was fighting both in the jungle and the urban areas. Many helpless and innocent people became victims. One pastor who is living in the refugee camp said, “We can hear the warplanes hovering over us every day. We also can hear the gunshots and explosions. Every family has to get ready to take refuge at any time.” A pastor who is taking care of the refugees told me that there were 700 more refugees who moved into his town a few days ago. Some of them went to temples and some to churches to take refuge. His church has now received 102 people, among those are 28 children under 10 years old. The pastor said, “There is fighting in town almost every other day. When we see the tank pass by, that means there may be a vicious war again, so please pray for us.”

CBM has responded to the needs of Myanmar refugees and has planned to help 400 families in Myanmar. We hope there will be peace in Myanmar very soon.

As a citizen of Myanmar, when I saw my country and people in trouble, I started to hold an online prayer meeting for the nation. This prayer meeting is held every Wednesday night, and has been joined by pastors and church members from Myanmar as well as other countries. There is an average of 30 people in the meeting,  sharing and praying together for Myanmar. We pray that God’s will be done in the land of Myanmar. Besides the prayer meeting, I also lead a mission fellowship group every Monday night to help the young pastors in Myanmar to grow in mission knowledge and ministry. We learn together and encourage each other to serve God faithfully in this difficult age.

• Please pray for Myanmar as many people are living in danger and fear. May God’s mercy be upon this land.
• Please pray for Thailand to have enough vaccines to fight the pandemic.
• Please pray for Pastor Thaw Thu and his team to have the strength and courage to continue the mission trips into the mountains.
• Please pray for the relief project in Myanmar, that the transferring of supplies will go smoothly and reach the people in need.
• Please pray for me and my ministries as I serve God in different meetings online and in person.