Who then is Adoniram, and who is MTM, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? Adoniram Judson planted, MTM watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. I Corinthians 3:5-7 (paraphrased). It was inspiring to get to our hotel in Myitkyina and find a Bible lying beside the bed with the inscription, ‘Translated by A. Judson.”
The Full Myanmar Ministry Team. Twila Weaver (IGo student), Julie Meyers – holding Isaac’s baby (IGo student), David Yoder (IGo student), John Yoder (IGo student) & Orlando King (IGo dean of students). Barb & Val Yoder, Raymond Burkholder
The church is very alive in Myanmar and there is significant mission work being done by indigenous Christians, but one brother lamented that nearly all the teaching is about how to become a Christian and the salvation message. As important as that foundation is, he went on to lament, “We have almost no teaching on how to live as a Christian.” This was the concern of Pastor Isaac when he invited MTM to northern Myanmar for a five-day conference for church leaders on “Advancing the Kingdom.” The burden of his heart was to give Biblical teaching on how to build the kingdom through evangelizing the lost and through raising godly children.
Brother Raymond and I found the three hundred plus attendees to be very attentive. They diligently took notes to record what they were learning and committed themselves to practicing what they heard. When the invitation was given for them to publicly affirm their commitment to allow God to change their life style, only a few remained in their seat as the group spontaneously came forward for prayer.
The wife of one leader related that they had not heard teaching of this nature in thirty years. She is committed to taking her notes and making booklets for her husband to use in teaching these principles throughout the churches over which he has oversight. What a joy to see the enthusiasm with which these leaders received the teaching and their vision to spread it throughout Myanmar.
We also enjoyed the rich fellowship of a team of IGo students who accompanied us to Myitkyina and ministered at a Bible college nearby. The impact of the IGo students on the native students was affirmed by the tears in the eyes of the Burmese young people when we had to leave. May the beauty of God’s holiness be seen in us!
Val & Barb Yoder Dressed In Traditional Lisu Garments
Editors Note; Val and Barb wrote the above article. Val serves as director of IGo Ministries here in Chang Mai, Thailand. A very special thank you to both Val & Barb for their labor of love for the Lord through the MTM ministry in Myanmar.
