Category: Latest Updates

It is Thursday morning here. Yesterday we finished the seminars. I believe it was all a source of instruction, encouragement, and inspiration to all in attendance. I am glad that I replied to the initial email inquiry from Pastor Andrew over a year ago. He found the MTI website by searching for ways to train pastors and leaders. I hope that I can return someday.

Today, Pastor Andrew and his wife Marilyn will take us around to some of the areas in and around Mandalay. It is a beautiful day and I am looking forward to exploring a bit.

I have included 2 photos. One shows 2 of the young women who are students at the Bible School. You will notice a kind of cosmetic on their faces. It is called Thanaka. It is a cosmetic paste made from the ground bark of certain trees here in Myanmar. The women and girls use it for smoother skin, healthy skin, sun protection, and as a facial design. I would say that the majority of the Burmese women I have seen are wearing it.

The other photo is of the students ready to leave at the end of the day yesterday.

Thanks again for the prayers. Please continue to pray for health and safety!

David

 

Monday and Tuesday have been full days of teaching and spending time with the leaders and students. They are such an eager, energetic group! It has been a delight to teach them. Tomorrow, Wednesday, will conclude the conference. Pastor Andrew has been tireless in doing virtually all the translating each day. He is the kind of translator that I like working with, in that he incorporates the voice inflections, gestures, and movements seamlessly.

i am looking forward to tomorrow’s sessions but I am also kind of sad that the time has flown by so quickly. My prayer is that what we’ve taught will make a difference in their lives and prepare them all for future Christian service.

We have been able to see a bit of Mandalay as well. Pastor Andrew and his wife Marilyn took us yesterday to a famous wooden bridge. There were hundreds of people there and it was a rich experience, but difficult to put into words. I have included a photo of it. If you look closely, you can see many people walking on it. Then this evening Ed and I walked for over an hour looking for a particular restaurant where we could have dinner. There is a fort surrounded by a moat and wall, 2 miles square that we walked by and I’ve included a pic of that as well. Tomorrow I will include more pics of the students.

Having a great time and thanking you for the prayers.

David

This morning we were picked up at the hotel at 9:30 for the 10 AM worship service at Pastor Andrew’s church, about 10 minutes from the hotel. It is held on the 4th floor of a building, sharing the 4th floor with 2 other churches, a dance studio, and a casino! The church quickly filled up, most of the attendees young people. There was a time of worship, including 2 Christmas carols, followed by a responsive reading of scripture. Then the children came in and sang two songs for the church. They were totally adorable! I then was invited up to bring the morning’s sermon. Pastor Andrew did an excellent job of translating! After the message, there was a time of taking communion, which they do each first Sunday of the month. The entire service took about 2 hours.

Then, lunch was served and a second service began at 1 PM. This time, Pastor Ed preached. He had to compete with a LOUD worship band at the church that was meeting on the other side of the wall! The service was shorter than the earlier one and everyone left at about 2:30.

It is a really energetic church, with a great emphasis on evangelism and training leaders. In fact, the week following our leadership seminarrs, they will have a 5-day outreach to Bhuddists. I was impressed with the involvement of so many college students during the course of the service.

I loved being there today and am looking forward to the seminars, beginning tomorrow. This evening, Ed and I walked around the streets of this busy city, finding a restaurant where we enjoyed a nice dinner. I am thankful to be here.

i have included a couple of photos from this morning.

Keep praying!

David