Pastor Paw’s Testimony
I was born on January 1, 1969, at Eh Thar Duh Chaung village, Yalun township, Delta Area. My parents were U San Thein and Daw Yin Shwe; there are eight brothers and sisters in my family. I am the fourth son. When I was born, my family was an active Buddhist family. My father was a local pharmacy doctor, and my mother was a gardener. I was taught Buddhism from my childhood, and I became a staunch Buddhist.
I attended government education from Elementary to High School at Hintarah town, Ayawady division (Delta Area). My parents always encouraged me to be a monk. I entered into one monastery and became a monk in 1998. I preached Buddhist beliefs to our people, and I also built one Buddhist Temple. I served as a Buddhist monk for ten years. During this time, I had no peace and no reality in my heart; my confidence for life after death was not there. So I resigned.
After I had resigned, I went to my relatives in Shwe Pyi Thar, Yangon. In the year of two-thousand, I heard a pastor preach from the book of John, he read verse 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” This passage touched my heart deeply, and I believed it. An evangelist named Benjamin shared about Jesus and the salvation story. I was touched and decided to believe in Christ. I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord. I was baptized on February 13, 2011. After that, I had joined the Myanmar Power Mission Training School for one year. I was appointed as a church planter on June 1, 2012, by the Myanmar Christian Mission. I attended the Word Bible Seminary from 2013-2014, and I completed a Bachelor of Ministry degree and, after that, a Master of Ministry. My wife’s name is Daw (Mrs.) Saw Si Hlaing (SiSi). We have no children.
I felt in my heart that I have a responsibility for my people, specifically those who do not know the love of God and the salvation of Jesus Christ. The love of God compels me to be a witness for Him throughout my life. Thus, I have been sharing the gospel to non-Christian in Htan Chauk Pyin, Shwepyithar Township, Yangon. The Lord saves souls through my ministry. Praise the Lord. In my area, there are mixed tribes; they are the Karen tribe, which is about twenty percent, Burmese is sixty percent, and the remaining twenty percent are other ethnicities. I rent a house for the worship service and as my family residence. I reach my community by visiting and praying for the people and inviting them to attend the worship service. Presently, I have about thirty to forty attendants every Sunday. Please do continue to pray for me and my ministry. Thank you very much. May God bless you all.
Recent Ministry:
Recently several pastors including Paw Oo met with the Whitefields Field Director, Pastor Thawn, to baptize several members of their churches. Citizens of Myanmar have navigating a civil war over the last couples of years. I can only imagine how that must affect people living there now. It warms my heart that Paw Oo and Thawn were able to impact the lives of residents.
The Lord is faithful in keeping and feeding His children even in times of difficulty. By the grace of God, my family and all my members’ families are safe. Our weekly services are doing well, and we can continue our prayer meetings, home cells, and worship services regularly.
We conducted a salvation teaching program for new believers and non-Christians during the water festival holidays. Nine non-Christians joined us. James and I taught adults, and Miss Flora taught children. We emphasized the salvation story.
I also went to another place in Dala township, Takyi Ward, and taught about the salvation of Jesus Christ at one church gathering. About fifty people attended the gospel rally on April 27, 2024. Praise God that people are interested in hearing what I am sharing.
Praise God for the successful gospel training during the water festival holidays. Praise God for our weekly services, which were done regularly. Pray for the extension of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for our country to cease civil war and to have peace.
Your prayer is very effective in ensuring that we are safe. Our weekly services, such as home cells, prayer meetings, and worship services, are done regularly. Our prayer meeting is conducted every Friday. Several young people from our area ran to another place because of the new military law. Our situation is worse because all the prices are very high, and finding a job is very hard, too. People are struggling in their daily lives. Pray for us and our country.
I had the opportunity to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to one mission church. I praise God that thirty people gathered. Amongst them, three people received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. The mission church will take care of them. I also conducted one day of training at Winber Housing apartment. Ten people attended and listened to my sharing. They were Buddhists. Though they did not respond, they listened to me with interest. Please pray for them, too.
I plan to conduct gospel camping during the water festival holidays. We will invite people to church. Please pray that nothing will hinder our programs.
Give thanks to God for the conversion of three people to Christ and pray that they may grow in faith. Give thanks to God also for our weekly services, as we can meet regularly. Pray for my outreach ministry that the Lord may open more doors for me. Please pray for our country; only God can change and give us peace.
Update from Pastor Paw Oo
Greetings to you all in the name of Jesus Christ. Due to your prayer help, my ministry is doing well, and we can conduct worship services and prayer meetings regularly. We need to do God’s ministry in or out of season, as Jesus said, “I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” KJV; (Matthew 10:16).
I was invited and conducted a gospel training for ten non-Christians gathering at Hlawka, Swepithar township, on February 4, 2024. I taught the whole day about salvation compared with Buddhist belief; they were pleased to hear it. I also had the opportunity to reach out to more people at Yile Kyautdan, TanLin township; 35 people were gathering in one place. They were both Indians and Burmese; I taught them the whole day about the salvation story, and they responded to me by some people that they had first heard about it, and they were interested in knowing more about Jesus and His salvation story.
We thank God for our weekly services, which we do regularly. Give thanks to God for the success of two gospel campaigns in different places. Pray for those who heard the gospel that they may come to know Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Savior and Lord. Pray for our country; only God can change and give us peace.
Prayer requests:
Due to your prayer help, my church’s weekly worship services, prayer meetings, and home cells were held regularly. Though our political problem is not changing, the Lord allowed us to reach new people. I conducted a one-day gospel campaign from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on January 19. Twenty-three people joined us; amongst them, 15 people are of non-Christian background. Praise the Lord that Daw Thidar, Daw Chaw, Sandar, and U Kyaw San Htay were interested in my teaching. They promised to join our home cell programs and Sunday worship services. I was invited to teach the salvation story at Ye-kyaw village, Hlawka, on January 24. I had the opportunity to teach the great salvation of Jesus Christ to fifty new people whom we invited to join our training. I hope they all may repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
Give thanks to God for our weekly services.Give thanks to God also for the success of two gospel campaigns.Pray that God may open more doors for outreach evangelism.Pray for our country; only God can change and give us peace.
I bless you all in the Name of Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless you with abundant blessings in this New Year 2024. Your prayer changes things in ministry. In the last week of October 2023, my church was closed by authorities. We were apprehensive about it, and I requested my overseers and all prayer partners to pray hard for us. The Lord answered our prayers. I met the leader of authorities in our area, and he allowed me to re-open for worship service. Praise the Lord. In November and December 2023, we could continue our weekly ministries without fail. I had reached out to three new family members near our place. I meet them and teach salvation stories every Sunday afternoon. They joined our worship service on Sunday. Pray that they may genuinely believe in Jesus Christ.
We celebrated Christmas on December 24, and about 80 people came and joined us. I also invited our area authorities and gave them Christmas gifts; they were pleased. We also celebrated New Year on January 1, 2024, with my neighbors and members. Praise God that He provided all our needs and kept us safe. I also plan to conduct gospel camping in the early month of 2024 and hope to invite at least 25 new people. Pray for us.
Thanks to God for the re-opening of our worship service. Thanks to God also for the success of our Christmas season services. Pray for the gospel camping for non-Christians. Pray for the ministry in the new year. Pray for the peace and freedom of our country, Myanmar.
I would like to express my thanks for all of your prayers and financial support. Due to your prayers, my family and all my church members are doing well and are safe from all kinds of evil and illness. There are tropical diseases in our area, such as eye diseases, flu, dysentery, and fever.
I did my best to reach some new people by visiting neighbors with gifts of rice. Insein Church helped us with some bags of rice, and I shared with the people about the story of Jesus Christ. I was invited to share at a gospel rally which was conducted by my friend Yekyaw Ukphu. It is about a thirty-minute drive from my place. I thank God that many came and were interested in my teaching.
We ask for a special prayer request of U. (Mr) Maung San and Daw (Mrs.) Mar Mergret, they are Burmese nationals. Their house was destroyed and they were chased out of the place because it belongs to one rich man. He had allowed them to stay a build a small house there for many years and many poor people had made tents and stayed there. Maung’s family are faithful members and were converted from Buddhism. They need a house for their family, and they tried to build a small tent. Pray for them. They need a house for their family residence.
Our weekly prayers occur regularly, including the home cells, prayer meetings, and Sunday services. I visit my members and pray for their family’s daily needs. Pray that we can continue in our ministry without hindrance. Some of my new converts went back to their hometown in the Delta area, if they can get a job, they will return to Yangon again.
I had the opportunity to teach the gospel to seventy people Cherry Street, Planning Ward, South Oklapah, Yangon this past month. I also preached the gospel to Alat Chaung, Ngiang Dung Village in the Delta area, about ninety people were gathered there. They were all very happy and listened, I also was happy for this opportunity.
- Give thanks to God for the two places where I had the opportunity to hold a gospel rally and preach the whole day.
- Give thanks to God for our weekly services and the safety of our members.
- Pray for my member’s daily food. Pray that they may grow in faith.
- Pray for our new church building fund, and for the peace and freedom of Myanmar.
- Pray for my members’ daily living; many are finding it difficult in daily survival and are struggling for food.
- Pray for our country, we trust in God that He alone can change our country
