Christmas greetings to all in the name of Jesus Christ. May the peace from the Father rest upon you all. Due to your prayer help, our political situation is a little bit better than in the previous months. The Arakan Army and the Government Army are making temporary ceasefire agreements. Some roads are open but may are still closed so the price of goods is still very high and expensive. People are still encountering hardship. As we were under military control, we were unable to go to many places in the Paletwa township, so we did our best to share the gospel with our immediate neighbors.
Pastor Lunpah is working hard to reach new people with the message of salvation by giving our tracts and sharing the Word of God with neighboring people. Lunpah has been working at the refugee camp in Longkadu, some of our members from Temawa village were shifted to Longkadu as refugees. Pastor Lunpah is sharing the gospel with those who do not know Christ and inviting them to attend worship.
Pastor Jacob’s ministry in Bong Wee Church is doing well. They are not currently increasing in the number of members, but they are increasing in Christian life and their trust in God. Due to the political crisis, we were under such pressure that we could not fulfill our plan for ministry. However, we regularly worship God on Sundays and hold prayer meetings on Saturday mornings. It was amazing that we could conduct Christmas celebrations on Christmas day and the whole village came including non-Christians. I had the opportunity to share the good news that Jesus brought us for the whole world.
In Paletwa Town, David Joy is continuing his ministry. He reports that due to your prayers, the church is increasing in members. Weekly services are occurring regularly, including prayer meetings, worship services on Sundays, and Bible study programs. Christmas celebrations were conducted successfully on Christmas day and eight new people came to join us. They were people reached during the outreach ministry and they received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Praise the Lord!
- Give thanks to God for His goodness in keeping His children safe till the present day.
- Give thanks to God for our Christmas celebrations which were held successfully.
- Pray for more people to come to faith in Christ in this new year.
- Pray for our country Myanmar and pray specifically for freedom and peace.
Water Festival Holidays Camping Event at Bong Wee Church
Pastor Jacob’s Ministry
(Editors Note: Pastor Jacob works in an extremely remote area that lacks basic infrastructure, telecommunications, and roads. War and insurgency in his area continue to complicate matters. Due to these difficulties, updates from Pastor Jacob are posted as they are received.)
Pastor Jacob works in the township of Paletwa deep in the mountains of Chin State. He and a few other pastors diligently go from village to village, sharing the Gospel. Because of Government restrictions, it is difficult to travel in this region, and foreigners are forbidden from even being in the area Jacob works. The villages in this area are incredibly remote located in the Arakan Mountain region. The primary source of travel is by boat, which can take two or three days to reach a village.
In the last year, Muslim rebels from Bangladesh infiltrated areas of Rahkine and southern Chin state, attacking the local populace and battling the police. Myanmar’s Army, in a bid to eradicate the rebels and re-establish peace, entered into the conflict. Widespread violence has taken place, and the farms and villages our pastors work in have become the battlefields. Mines laid on farmland as well as pitched battles have caused both Buddhists and Christians to flee as refugees into neighboring towns and cities.
On top of this, a plague of mice destroyed the rice crops of several towns in this area, making a challenging situation even worse. Still, Pastor Jacob and others like him continue to pastor in their villages and go out and share the Gospel.