With Steve* bringing 5 orphans home from the opium fields, his house was bursting at the seams. Thankfully, Steve is not only a great evangelist but also a hard worker. He has just built a bigger home to house the 8 children he and his wife are caring for. With very little cost, some community labour, help from family, the house is built next to their church. Their simple lifestyle sets them apart to make a great difference for God’s glory!
*Name changed to protect him.
Psalm 68:5-6 “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing” (NIV).
This came clear to us when an opportunity came up to help rescue a baby from a certain fate of human trafficking. In a much troubled area of Myanmar, a pregnant, tired and poor mother already had six mouths to feed. With no husband, she concluded that she had no choice but to sell the baby that was in her womb. The plight of this woman and her yet to be born child came to our attention in late 2012. Through God’s grace, we were able to help rescue this beautiful child and see her safely adopted by an indigenous Christian couple who could have no children of their own. When we saw her in late March 2014, she was doing very well! Praise God for his goodness! – Rob & Judy
This little girl is now 4 years old and is thriving in her home with her adoptive parents in Myanmar. These parents happen to be our key ministry leaders in this area. Last year, we helped them rescue a second child, an abused and very sick little boy who was about to be sold (possibly for body parts) into a nearby country. We rejoice in how God is providing for this family through our support team. Thank you to all who are giving to the Lord! These two little lives have indeed been changed for God’s glory!
Golden Triangle Outreach: Psalm 146:7-9. “He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord watches over the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the way of the wicked.”
Through frontline evangelists in eastern Myanmar, GNI Ministries aims to actively reach out to villages in a lawless area of the country. Besides the growing risks of drug addiction and production, this area is also is a source region for human trafficking and reportedly increasing sexual exploitation of children, teens and women. We want to help these children and believe God has better things for them. We believe that the Good News of Jesus Christ is the only hope for this land. Join us in praying that God would help us make a big difference through the leaders we are raising up in Myanmar.
Promise for a Better Tomorrow: There are endless needs for ministry in Myanmar. One opportunity we are engaging places a strong value of getting Christian education back into this long-oppressed land; it also seeks to reach out to many poor people in the “brown zones” (where many deeply impoverished Myanmar people are struggling to survive).
These ministry leaders have a practical plan to restore Christian education and values in central Myanmar, to resource pastors working in slums, and to provide clean drinking water and solar power in many villages where people have no access to such. From their estimates, some 70% of Myanmar is still without power. We want to get behind them and help their dreams become reality. Won’t you invest with us to help the poor and oppressed in Myanmar gain a better future?
Myanmar (Burma) is a land located north/northwest of Thailand that is no less full of beauty and mystery. With some 55 million people, Myanmar is also a resource-rich, multi-tribal land facing huge challenges.
In 2011 this troubled land began to emerge from decades of oppression under military dictatorship. Amazing steps have been taken towards seeing democracy established in this land. Many political prisoners have been set free. Treaties have been signed between warring factions (though there remains much work to do). Sanctions from western nations have been dropped, opening the doorway for big business to come in. Major hotel chains are moving in and others are looking for ways to enter a market nicknamed the world’s final frontier. In major centres, prosperity is beginning to show up. Young people are turning on to the internet and social media in droves. Freedom of expression in the media is cautiously raising its head.
Despite all these positives, many problems remain. Poverty abounds driving desperate people to take desperate measures. Myanmar ranks second in the world in the production of opium. Methamphetamines are being produced in record numbers. Collateral damage among the youth is evident. Human oppression, evidenced in trafficking and prostitution, is not going away. In some parts of Myanmar, parents are still selling their children, trading away their offspring’s innocence for a few months of food on the table. Some of the world’s most oppressed people groups live in Myanmar.
We believe is much room for the Good News of Jesus Christ in this land. GNI Ministries is actively researching partnerships with indigenous Christian workers willing to make a difference in their land. We believe God has a special place in his heart for the poor and oppressed in Myanmar and that there will be much work to do. We trust God that Myanmar’s children of today will know much more of his goodness and we want to do our best to help make this happen.