Welcome to the Harvest Bridge podcast. A part of our work here at Harvest Bridge is connecting local leaders in South Asia with people like you, here in the United States. Through our podcast we want to provide a place where you can hear their voices and listen to their stories in their own words. There is a transcription available for those who prefer to read these stories. You can listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or you can watch and listen on Youtube (click HERE) and press CC for captions.
In this episode, we are eager to share with you an interview that took place this month with Pastor Pan* and Pastor Thang*, the co-country leaders in Myanmar. The people of Myanmar have been living under a military coup for the past four years, and a year of the pandemic before it, so this is the first time Pastor Pan and Pastor Thang have been together since 2019.
We started by asking them what they would like people outside of Myanmar to know about their situation today. You’ll hear them share about the hardships that go beyond the violence of the coup including widespread famine, poverty and delays in education. Let’s listen:
Pastor Pan: “Firstly, the people, the believers in the Church of the people, are suffering and need the prayers of our side for our country. And because many of the believers are fleeing and moving because all of their house, properties, the animals were burned. And most of the government workers lost their jobs because they cannot follow and they cannot do under the leadership of the dictatorship. They have to stop, and they lost all of their jobs. So more and more people are suffering and struggling. The UN Food Program estimated that more than 20 millions of the people are going under the poverty line in Myanmar. If it continues, just for the next six months, more than 25 million people will go under the poverty line. That means just nearly half of the population of Myanmar will suffer famine in the near future. So I want the outside of the people to know that the Christians in Myanmar are suffering, physical needs, and more than ever before. And also, I want the outside of the people to know that I need, we need all of the prayer support for the Christians in order to stand firmly, even in the difficulties, even in the persecution time and even in the hardship time. And whatever we say, we face, so that we can overcome temptations, time to time.”
Pastor Thang: “Yes, we pray to the Lord to open the minds of the people of the outside world. Myanmar has been forgotten in the past many years. And then we were about to [be] known about during the NLD – Aung San Suu Kyi leadership. And then now the junta took over again, and life has been very worse. We are back to our 70 years. So our daily living are much more difficult. We have difficulties to manage our life and even for the children – for the future education. The education system is very worse. We’re in the bottom of our education. So we would like to pray and help us and donate for the life of – especially for the young children. And then the parents who have lost house and who have lost everything – they need food and shelter. And for the children they need education, a good education. For that, we need to back up with a lot. So we cannot do it by ourselves. We need hands to support and hands to help us for this next generation in the coming days ahead, which will be our leaders.”
An increasing challenge for the people of Myanmar has been the horrific conscription laws. Under these laws, children as young as 14 have been arrested and forced to serve in the military. The increase in conscription arrests has led to many young adults fleeing the country.
Pastor Pan: “In my country, not only fighting and not only bombing, and not only burning villages. And the conscription law is very much stronger and stronger. It is so much dangerous for the people and for…at the, at the beginning, they said that it is just between 18 years and 35 years old. Now they have extended up to 14 years old. That means all the teenagers have been included in this conscription law, and they [are] just arrested even in their home. They [are] just arrested in the checkpoint. They [are] just arrested in the bus stand. They [are] just arrested on the supply checkpoint. And whatever they do, whatever they want, they do it. As I have said, whatever comes out from their mouth is the law for the people of Myanmar since we don’t have gun. They have guns, and they can do whatever they want. They are doing. It is very difficult to the people of Myanmar. So many people have been fleeing to our neighboring countries, like Thailand, Nepal, India, and Malaysia and many other country, those who have money can flee from outside of the country, but those who do not have the money, who are not able to flee from outside of the…to, out, to the outside of the country, are suffering more and more, and now they arrested the people – the young people – and sent them for training. Those who are not in good health, they have to ask money in order to release the men and women. And so, especially that conscription law affected even our orphanage children very badly. In the last year, the first, the first part, some of our older children have gone to India in the same way. And because of that, conscription law was newly released. And now this is the second time we are – we have 16 – oh 14 children – who have been fleeing to India. Now, by today, they are going to reach their final destination with the help of my own brothers. So it has been so much affected very badly – the conscription law. If it continues like that, this conscription law will affect our orphanage home even in the future, because our children will grow. And this is one of the worst thing happening in my place. So it happened, it affected our community and even our family. But because of the Harvest Bridge, we could let them free and reach to the same place and at least get a job for their, to build, for their better future.”
Pastor Thang: “Yes, it is very nightmarish to our people. We don’t expect that because of the pandemic and the coup happens, many young people are not in school. They left the school and then now the conscription happens. Now they are afraid, and not only the children, but the parents are afraid of their children to be taken by the army. And because the army is losing in on the ground fightings, so these young people has been sent without training, and even many lives have [been] lost now. So many parents and children are now fleeing to Thailand, to Malaysia to escape from this conscription. So they don’t want to support. They want, instead of [being] taken by the army, they want to go outside of the country. Even though it might be illegal – but there’s no way, there’s no option for them. So they have to leave. So, day and night is our nightmare. We cannot stay calm and quiet. We are always worried about our children.”
With the atrocities happening throughout the country, we also asked if the people were resisting the junta’s power. You’ll hear them mention the PDF, or People’s Defence Force, the umbrella resistance group that has been fighting against the junta. Resistance for individuals is extremely dangerous, but even everyday people are finding small ways to push back.
Pastor Pan: “Actually this is a very difficult thing to do, even though we wish to be done very soon. And since [we’re] under their control, it is very, very dangerous for the people, even just for the pastor like me it is very dangerous. And just to get their power and just to move, to remove, their power, is so difficult and so dangerous because they want only their power. They don’t even care for the people of Myanmar. They work for themselves. They work for their family. Just, they work for their power only. So actually, I don’t have much idea [how] to remove them from their power. But what I am seeing is that the PDF growth is coming closer to closer and occupying the land slowly by slowly. And when their power is just like smaller and smaller – their control is smaller and smaller – in that way, we can have the PDF just to come in under their power to work with them. So that this will be, this will be the easy, the easiest way, to remove them from power.”
Pastor Thang: “The people are not supporting the junta. So how do they show about, against the junta? Myanmar is a Buddhist country. They have feast every season, every month. So the army, the junta, want to celebrate and make feast every month, just to show to the world that Myanmar is calm, it’s normal. But the people [are] against, so they don’t want to participate in any feast when they have been organized by the army, the junta. So they try to stay back home. So that is what they support – the people’s army – the PDF. And that is what they show that they are not supporting the junta, by staying at home and not going to the feast.”
Not only has the coup impacted daily life, but it has made the ministry of Harvest Bridge leaders and missionaries a challenge. Navigating checkpoints, curfews and other restrictions can make traveling to share the gospel extremely dangerous. Despite these obstacles, God is still working through the faithfulness of these leaders.
Pastor Pan: “Yeah, the military coup has affected our ministry very badly, in a way that when we go for outreaches, there are travel restrictions, curfews and many checkpoints. When we have, we are crossing all those things, if we are suspected by them, we will definitely be beaten or be put in a jail or maybe, who knows? We may be killed. That’s the problem. Because of that, our ministry is always delay to reach the gospel to the villages. And it affected us – the missionaries and their families also as well – because since there are many restrictions, the family [is] also suffering a lot. So it has been affected us very badly. But till today, the Lord has given us some opportunity and to at least share the gospel to some of the places and villages.”
Pastor Thang: “I think our ministry has been badly affected because our missionary partners has to flee from the village and town that they live. Some of them even lost their house by fire, and then now they have been scattering into different parts. But it’s a great challenge that they meet different kinds of people as they flee. So they are fortunate, despite the coup, [that] they have the ability to witness the gospel to different kinds of people and tribe, even though they are not a Christian. It has, there has been so [much of a] challenge in terms of reaching the people, some of them who never heard about the gospel. So that has a lot of impact, despite the military coup. So, still they are fleeing, and they could not return back yet. So we have difficulties in terms of connection, communication due to the power cut, the telephone line cut, the internet cut. So we have a big problem still today.”
Pastor Pan: “The church is also facing many, many challenges, and they burn, they bomb and they destroy the church and took many properties, even from the church – the guitar, the lights and the sound box and the mics, whatever they want. They took it away from the church. And after that they burned [and] destroyed. And right now, even though the church is physically persecuted by the junta government, spiritually, the church is growing by facing more difficulties. The Lord has shown His love to us, and we came closer to him in our daily living. Physically, we have, we have seen, we have been faced many challenges, but spiritually, we saw the love of God in our daily living. I believe the Bible says we are in the end time, [so] such things will come. But even though many more – 99% people want to destroy even the church, I don’t believe they can do because God is living. Right now in my country, the church is – the church also, [is] persecuted by, let’s say, by the junta government – but it will stand forever. We can build a stronger community. We can build a stronger church. We can build a bigger church in the future, I believe.”
Next we asked Pastor Pan and Pastor Thang what their thoughts are on the future. This is what they shared:
Pastor Pan: “And of course, as you said, nobody knows the future surely. But as I am in the field, in the battleground, and just for the next few, the next few years, it might be very, very challenging time for the people of Myanmar. It might be very hard for, especially for the pastors, for the missionaries, because we can’t do the work as we wish, and because of those ongoing problems. And why I say that would be a very challenging time for the people of Myanmar, because as the resistance are stronger and stronger, the junta government is doing whatever they can – bombing, firing by rockets, and by air strike. Actually, there is no, there is no more bigger weapon in the country which they can use. They have used already. They have fired [on] all their people already. That is why I’m saying that just the next few years will be very hard and very challenging time for the people of Myanmar. When they do all those kind of things. The inflation will be more and things will be cut off more and more, and there will be more danger for us. But I believe after a few, a few months or a few years, the Lord will bring back a good country for us. This is what I still believe. I strongly [believe] the Lord will bring back peace in our country, but we must prepare for some more challenging.”
Pastor Thang: “This is has been four years now. So we always expect things will be changed very quickly, but it does not happen as we are expecting. Because we don’t have any international support for the people. The Army has everything that they need and has been supported even by China government. So if they don’t support us, I think they will be quickly finished. So we are expecting if there’s no change, things will get worse. Lives will be losing more and more, villages will be burned, and fired [on], even bombed. So we have been keeping in prayer to the Lord to change as soon as possible. If not, even hope and future will be lost of the people.”
With the situation growing more difficult everyday, how do these leaders find hope?
Pastor Pan: “In starting from the pandemic till today, and now it’s been four years already – the coup. And by humanly speaking, many of the time we lost our hope for our future. We lost our future many of the times. But the Lord has been teaching us through His words all the time, even in the difficult time, and He strengthened our faith, and He increased our faith so that we can work with Him. Even though there were many trials, many challenges, the Lord still taught us His Word, encouraged through His Word, and He worked with us, and that is why we have found peace and joy in our lives.”
Pastor Thang: “Yes, we are so thankful to the Lord, especially to Harvest Bridge. Due to the suffering that we face – the pandemic and the military coup – – so the Harvest Bridge have been supporting us – providing the food, the need for the people who has fled, and who has lost their home, and who has lost their loved ones. So, through all this crises, we are able to provide the physical needs through the help and support of Harvest Bridge throughout this pandemic and the military coup. So, it’s a great challenge for us to do and demands [we] reach more people in the near future. We have been asked to do and help them, even to reach them in terms of the gospel, preaching, encouraging, whatever we have time. So they are asking and requesting to us to come and visit very often and bring the gospel to them also.”
You just heard Pastor Thang mention the support of Harvest Bridge. Because of people like you and your generosity, Harvest Bridge continues to send support to the leaders in Myanmar as they support their communities. Here is what the pastors shared when we asked about tangible help in this difficult time.
Pastor Pan: “The most helpful thing that we received was just to do the relief for the poor people. Since the pandemic and after the coup, many people, more and more people, are suffering and struggling. And there is no proper job, there is no proper income, and the people of Myanmar are more and more suffering. But when we receive help from the Harvest Bridge, these reached to many people, this fed many people, and also [they] hear the Gospel from us. And we are not only feeding them the physical need, but also preaching [to] them the Word of God to the poor people. And the relief… and the second is just the women empowerment also. It works very well in my place, after the coup, because the women are doing at their home – they don’t need to go out here and there. So they are safe in doing at their house. So I need more support for this women empowerment in the future, if God willing, because right now, in my place and some of the surrounding villages they are doing very well, and that is their main supporter, even for the family. Even though these are the women [who are] working, because men are very [in] danger to go for work, especially in my place. So, the third one is we could have some of the emergency medical help also through our ministry in the past year. And one is my wife also, and another three missionaries will have so that they could pay all of their hospital bills and all those things. And the fourth one is that the economic plan for our missionaries. Six of them received already. They’ve been trying to [become] sustainable – self-sustainable – ministry in the future. But they have not yet reached up to their aim, because of all the ongoing problems in my country. But in the future, they are trying to reach to be a self- sustainable ministry in the future…. and also and more than 19 missionaries are supported throughout the year. And 56 orphan children were supported throughout the year, and another two children’s home [with] more than 140 children also were helped in time of their need. And these people were fled from their home because of the fighting. And when they reached one place, a village, they have no food to eat. At the time when I appealed, when I appealed for help for these children, and the Harvest Bridge, and the Lord blessed these children and their families through our ministry. And they were so happy with us. And there were many things, good things happening throughout the year, through Harvest- the help of Harvest Bridge ministry..”
Pastor Thang: “Yeah, I came across, talked to our partners and talk to people who have been fleeing and lost everything – the house and everything they have. So most of the first priority that all people respond to me is that for their daily needs – the physical food and shelter. So these are the most important housing needs that they are asking, requesting to us. Because there’s no farming, we have a very bad inflation – it’s about more than 10 times higher than the previous, before the coup. So I think the food is the most important part, and second will be about shelter and a place to stay. And then, water, clean water, something like that. So these are very important.”
In addition to financial support, both Pastor Thang and Pastor Pan shared their gratitude for your prayer. Let’s listen as they share more about how we can be praying for them:
Pastor Pan: “You can pray for us in two ways, as I mentioned already. For our physical as well as for our spiritual [needs]. And these, both of these must be healthier, otherwise the challenges we face is not easy. So I want all the people to pray for our physical needs as well as for the spiritual growth. And now, nobody knows yet whether we’ll be going through another hardship or not. We are not sure yet about all those things, but what we hope is [for better things] for our future. But we must prepare also for the worst things, because we are still under the control of the dictatorship, who [is] never concerned for his people, its people, and who kill its own people and so and so. So, please pray for the PDF to get victory soon, and also pray for the physical needs as well as the spiritual needs. And at this time, when I say the physical need – there are many needs – but what I want you particularly to pray is just to have food, just to have for the daily food. For the Christians as well as the non-Christian who do not have food in their lives. Because in my country, just the rice is the very basic food, and so please pray for this rice to be supported so that our people may have food and will hear more gospel from us.”
Pastor Thang: “Yes, we would be very thankful if you keep in prayer, especially for our leaders. Because the leaders who have to support our people, mentally, spiritually. If they are down in their mind, I think we will lose the future. So it is important to pray for the leaders especially, and then the needs of the people. Whenever we have small amounts of support we send to our leaders. So they are not enjoying themselves. They distribute it to other people who are in need. So the leaders are the most important part in our ministry, so that they can even support them emotionally and spiritually and physically to the needs of the people, because many people have been fleeing from their home to stay in the forest without a proper bed and house and clean water. So the leader has to be bold and be solid in their faith. So please do pray for them so that they will be the person who help and support the needs of the people. And also pray for us, for the needs of the people. As I always say, there’s no farming, no work to do. So everybody has been homeless and jobless. So we need your prayer and your support financially.”
In these dark and difficult days in Myanmar, every dollar and every prayer makes a difference. We would like to invite you to join us today. We believe we are moving into a new stage in the war. The People’s Defence Force is certainly making progress and major gains on the ground. This will eventually be won by the people, but the military still has the strength of aircraft and bombs. Weaponry continues to come from Russia and money is coming from China to support the Junta. Additionally, in the last few weeks, because of sudden cuts in international funding, non-Junta controlled media has lost some funding, removing a reliable news source for our pastors. Scholarships were cut that had been helping young people have options to study abroad, while also escaping forced conscription. Several refugee camps in both Thailand and Bangladesh have also lost a major portion of their international funding. Our leaders have expressed that this has made everything feel a bit more hopeless in the country. The need for emergency funds, as well as funds for regular ministry is needed more than ever. You can give to support leaders like Pastor Thang and Pastor Pan today by visiting HarvestBridge.org/Give and selecting our Myanmar fund. The leaders are so grateful for your support.
Pastor Pan: “What I want to say is the Harvest Bridge ministry have saved many lives of the people and built up many lives of the people and encouraged and fed many of my people. They were greatly blessed. And I, my wife and I, personally would like to say thank you to the ministry. Because of all the things that have been channeled to Myanmar through us. So I thank God for that. I thank God for the ministry. I thank God for all the blessings we have been distributing to my people – those who were in need of great help. So I want to say thank you so much.”
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