SEND! magazine Second Quarter 2005: Living in the 'Land of Gold'
Living in the 'Land of Gold'
Life, Death and a Debate
Incessant questions plagued Biak Chan. One of millions of Buddhists in his nation of Myanmar, Biak never found the peace he was searching for until he attended the funeral of a Christian friend.
Biak grew up in a strongly Buddhist family. His father worked for the government and raised their family in affluence.
"I was captivated by the teachings of Buddha," Biak recalls. Around the age of 12, he lived in a monastery for a time, a coming-of-age tradition for all Burmese boys. He was very devout, yet his religion left him with questions. As a Buddhist, the goal of Biak's religious endeavors was to avoid being reincarnated into the next life of suffering by merging with the universe. But his efforts brought him no peace.
"I spent time acquiring knowledge of other religions," he says, "which led me to discover that there is life after death." But Biak explains, "There was no emphasis on life after death in the teachings of Buddha."
Ironically, he would find his answer at a funeral. The two speakers were GFA missionaries who shared that Christians have everlasting life. The assurance offered in Jesus' redeeming death drew Biak, and he gave his life to Christ. "At that instant," he recalls, "the joy and assurance of salvation flooded my heart." Following his salvation, he made a public declaration of his faith.
When his parents heard of Biak's decision, they disowned him, cutting the strong family ties of Burmese culture. Biak stood strong, finding comfort in Psalm 27:10: "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me." In 1999, he enrolled in a GFA Bible college. Upon graduating, Biak was sure of God's call to full-time ministry.
Knowing firsthand the emptiness in Buddhism, Biak was burdened to spread the message of the Gospel in his nation. He and his wife went to a remote village and began holding a worship service. After a year of outreach—giving out tracts, preaching, using whatever opportunities came to share about Christ—just one new believer had joined them. Something from the past was preventing these people from listening to Biak's message.
During the period of British rule, missionaries like Adoniram and Ann Judson planted the first seeds of the Burmese Church, and Christianity became a threat to the ancient strongholds of Buddhism. During the tumultuous times of the military takeover, Biak discovered that a group of Buddhists in that area had challenged the local Christians to a debate. The educated Buddhist majority won, and Christianity had been considered an inferior religion ever since.
Biak and his wife kept praying and ministering in the face of this legacy of prejudice. Slowly, the church grew as the Lord softened hard hearts. One family came to Christ through the healing of their son, whom they couldn't afford to take to the hospital. The Lord delivered many from demon possession. Within two years, Biak was pastoring a church of 40 believers.
Biak's desire is to educate and teach the believers so they can overcome the stigma of the debate with Christ's love. Biak studies the questions the Christians had to answer so he can graciously give an answer to those who confront him.
Like Biak, each of the 688 Gospel for Asia missionaries in Myanmar has his own unique struggles to overcome. Church members are thrown out of their villages for refusing to revert to Buddhism. Pastors are often forced to maintain growing fellowships in homes because they have been denied permission to construct church buildings.
Injustices still occur throughout Myanmar, but because of the commitment of these native missionaries—and the prayer and support of thousands of faithful partners in the West—the Word of God is spreading and bringing light and freedom to the Burmese who still remain in darkness. In 2003, 171 churches and 198 mission stations were planted.
"The Lord is leading . . . beyond my dream, beyond my vision, beyond my intention all the time," says GFA's leader in Myanmar. God is doing wonderful and amazing things as native missionaries seek to reach the lost in their nation. They see, by faith, their nation of Myanmar one day filled with the knowledge of the Lord. And it is their joyful privilege to be a part of this movement of God.
Read more online about Myanmar and GFA's work in this nation at www.gfa.org/myanmar
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