Myanmar Travel Report october 2011
A Brief Report on the Myanmar Campaign From 11 to 21 October 2011 TRIN took a team to the three-day long Gospel Music Festival at the National Stadium in Thuwanna, Yangon, Myanmar. The festival is the second festival since the Gospel Music Festival at the Myanmar Convention Centre in November 2010 last year. Every day, for three days, approximately 8,000 Burmese people from Yangon and surrounding areas got together to meet Jesus. Here is a brief report on this campaign. Our outreach in Yangon began with a special training session given by Daniel Renger for leaders of churches and congregations in the city. Those present were inspired and encouraged by the teaching they received. They also had great expectations and faith about what God was going to do both in their own lives as well as in the lives of people attending the Gospel Music Festival. The next day the Gospel Music Festival started! When we, the TRIN team, arrived in the stadium there was a choir of 500 people on the stage to lead those attending the festival in worshipping God. This choir consisted of young people from several different churches and denominations. Prior to the 2010 festival there was very little contact between churches, but since this historic get together there is now full cooperation between them. Burmese Christians are now working together concentrating on what they have in common rather than on their differences. The festival was opened by the Minister for National Race Affairs and the Minister of Social Affairs. The latter read a statement from the government saying that they give their whole hearted consent to this Festival taking place. This has never happened before. According to the Organising Committee, this was a breakthrough for the Christian faith in Myanmar. During the three-day festival Mattheus van der Steen and Philip Mantofa from Indonesia were the main speakers. On Sunday morning Jan Sjoerd Pasterkamp spoke. They all had a poignant message to deliver around the theme "Arise and Shine!" based on Isaiah 60. The people responded en masse to their calls to give their lives to Jesus, to receive liberation and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The hunger for God was tangible, the desire to meet Him and to be touched by Him was palpable. Afterwards many people testified that they had felt God's power touch their lives. On the last day Mattheus van der Steen spoke specifically to young people between the ages of 10 and 20 years old in order to encourage them to consecrate their lives completely to God. Approximately 900 young people responded to his message and came forward to dedicate themselves. When Mattheus van der Steen and Philip Mantofa started to pray for them, God's Holy Spirit came into the room like a rushing wind. The Spirit touched most of the young people and they fell to the floor. Many then started crying out to God for the salvation of their people and this made a great impression on us. The festival ended with a joyful celebration. Thousands of people, both young and old, sang and danced for their Saviour, Jesus Christ. The day after the Festival in Yangon ended, Philip Mantofa and his team returned to Indonesia and the TRIN team flew to the North of Myanmar. In the city of Kalaymyo we held a festival for the people from the area. Despite the heavy rain more than 1000 people attended. God was present and many were touched by His power. In addition to the festival we also visited several orphan houses and a Bible School. We were able to sing with the children, play, hand out gifts we had brought with us, and were allowed to pray for them. It was a moving time! On the last day we flew back to Yangon. Here we again visited Pastor Philip Thang's orphanage and the Bible school. The orphanage is sponsored by Project Held which is a part of TRIN. Some of the team members financially support children in this home so it was very special for them to meet the child they help look after. Looking back on this trip, we are very impressed with what God is doing in Myanmar. When we compared this trip to the one we did to Myanmar last year, there seems to be more openness and more freedom for Christians to express their faith. Where previously it was not possible for Christians to come together outside their church walls, during these three days more than 8000 people come together to worship God in a public building. There were representatives of the present Government as well as the nationwide television channel present. Christians in Myanmar joined their hands together and prayed for their nation! We are all extremely grateful that we, as TRIN, can be involved in this great work God is doing in Myanmar, and the credit is all His! Translated from the Dutch version Blog MYANMAR 2011: Part 1 Day 1 On Tuesday at 17:00 the Dutch team, joined by a young woman from Norway, met at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam to fly to Myanmar. For several members of the team, this was their third visit to Myanmar, whilst for others it was their first. A long journey lay before us, a journey which I can now look back on and say it went exceptionally well. Day 2 After a long flight we arrived in Myanmar. However, once we were through customs we discovered that part of the group's luggage had remaining in Frankfurt in Germany. Today (Thursday), 24 hours after our arrival, this luggage arrived safely here in Myanmar. We received a warm welcome from the Gospel Music Festival Organising Committee and rode in an open truck to our hotel. The heat engulfed us like a warm, damp blanket! The streets were filled with cars, the likes of which we had last on the roads of the Netherlands in the 1960's. Old buses crowded with people hurriedly drove through the streets. One has to cross a road looking continuously from left to right because cars do not stop for pedestrians, even when they are on a zebra crossing! Some buildings are in a state of disrepair and there are small market stalls dotted along the streets where people sell their wares to passers by in an effort to make a living. The first evening we ate at a restaurant called the Golden Duck. The food was delicious and our first dish of chicken and rice was similar to that which one would eat in a Chinese restaurant in the Netherlands. The hotel where we are staying is excellent. Our rooms have adequate air conditioners and are clean. A good night's sleep followed by a hearty breakfast all went a long way towards helping us handle the heat of the day ahead. Day 3 After breakfast we met together for the first time as a team. The President of the Organising Committee welcomed us and together we prayed for God's blessing on the days that lay ahead of us. We were then transported to the church where the pastors conference was to take place. We were dropped off in front of an apartment building and looked around to find the church we were going to spend the day in, but instead we climbed up the steps of the apartment building to the eighth floor. To our great surprise, the eight and ninth floor of the building had been converted into church premises which can accommodate several hundred people. As we entered the room there were many church leaders standing and worshipping God and the presence of God was tangible. It was very obvious that the Holy Spirit knows no cultural or language barriers! We had a wonderful day together and I, Daniel Renger, talked to the assembled leaders about the importance of leaders having a deep, intimate relationship with God and a life lived in freedom, free from fear and intimidation. I then spoke about the importance of knowing the Father heart of God so that we, as Christian leaders, can lead our congregations with a father's heart. The leaders present showed an enormous openness and hunger for God and were touched by God during the times of prayer and ministry that followed after every teaching. We left at the end of the conference to return to the hotel. In the meantime, Philip Mantofa had arrived from Indonesia with a team of 20 leaders. He and Mattheus are the main speakers at the Conference. Day 4 After meeting the team and spending time in prayer with them this morning, we were all taken in buses to the National Stadium. It is an impressive building and preparations were in full swing. This is what we came for! A unique festival in a nation that needs God! When we talked with members of the Organising Committee we heard that the expectations for the Festival are high. For the first time in their history, permission has been granted to hold a large Christian festival such as the one we are now holding and Christians from all denominations are feeling that they have the freedom to participate in it without fear of oppression. It is also the first time that a television station and newspapers have given positive coverage to what Christians are doing. Two high ranking government ministers will be present and, together, they will officially open the festival. In the bus on the way to the Conference we were accompanied by a guide who is Buddhist. The first thing he told us is that he is very happy that the Festival is taking place and that the Government has given permission for Christians to openly organise and hold this unique event. When we talked with leaders not on the Organising Committee we heard the same hope and expectation that those on the committee have. God is doing something in this nation. People feel the change and the openness. Today is the first day of the Gospel Music Festival and as the choir of 500 young people stood ready to praise the Lord, the stadium slowly started to fill up with people, young and old, and all longing to feel the presence of God. The worship started, and wow! These people really know how to worship God!! Enthusiastic and full of passion they sang one song after the other. The presence of God entered the stadium and the conference started. Arise and Shine! As a team we met the Minister of Race Affairs who was welcomed on to the podium with a standing ovation from the thousands of people present. He gave a speech in his own language that our team were not able to follow but, we understand from the translation, that he acknowledged that, for their nation, there was a unique event about to take place in the stadium. Mattheus then spoke very powerful on the theme of the Conference, and then did a call for all those wanting to be freed from the spirit of fear to come forward. Hundreds streamed to the front and fell on their knees. Their surrender to God, and their hunger to see Him move in their lives was obvious. That afternoon the second government minister present read a statement on behalf of the Government. He spoke openly about the government’s commitment to allowing freedom of religion. He then gave us the statement so that we could translate it. The Committee tells us that there will be 22 journalists present during the Festival and that it will be broadcast on national television. The atmosphere in the team is very good, there is an overwhelming desire to move with what the Holy Spirit wants to do in the days ahead of us. Outreaches to children's homes are on the program and we expect that God will use the team to bless people there to. During the afternoon programme hundreds of people danced, and worshipped God. The power of God was powerfully present, and when Mattheus gave an altar call a group of nearly 600 people rushed to the edge of the stage and knelt down to pray and accept Jesus as their personal Saviour. After the service we had a time of ministry and several people came up onto the podium saying they had been healed of deafness. Their healing was tested immediately and it did seem that they had indeed been healed and could hear well. We then came to the end of the first day of the Gospel Music Festival and as the stadium emptied a tired but satisfied team of Dutch and Indonesian people got into the buses to go back to the hotel, have dinner, and then to enjoy a well-deserved good night's sleep … Thank you for your prayers, Until the next blog Daniel Renger Blog MYANMAR 2011: Part 2 Day 5 The theme of the conference is 'Arise and Shine' from Isaiah 60. Nations stand up because God's Light is shining on you! Today the hall filled up a lot quicker than it did yesterday. Thousands of people came to meet with God. Just before the start of the conference I spoke to one of the local leaders and asked him what this conference meant to him and whether it had met his expectations so far. He told me that this conference is extremely important as never before in their history have they been allowed to openly hold a meeting as big as this. He also found the presence of the two government ministers at the conference the previous day a wonderful sign of the new openness and freedom which is becoming more and more evident in this country. According to him, the number of people attending, and their eagerness to participate in what was happening, was beyond his expectations. I have heard from many leaders that the involvement of so many different denominations was very special. Everyone I spoke to has been deeply moved by what God has been doing during the festival. One of the surprising things about this country is that the electricity supply regularly takes a short break! Last night we were sitting together having supper in a Thai restaurant and, during the three times when the power went off, we found ourselves having an unexpected candle light supper! The same thing happening this morning. Mattheus was busy opening the morning's proceedings when the power went off and there was absolute silence in the stadium. What happened after that gave me goose bumps! Someone with an acoustic guitar, which was barely audible, and another person with a megaphone led the many thousands of people present in worship. Thousands sang the song 'Hallaluja' acapella and, with their hands in the air, the presence of God descended. I was almost sorry when the power came back on again and all the microphones were once again working, although the worship continued to be powerful. I was standing on the stage with Mattheus today when I heard Philip Mantofa give one of the most moving altar calls I have ever heard. This he did after giving an extremely clear message about the realities of heaven and hell. When someone gave the sign, hundreds of people ran forward to the foot of the stage and knelt there. I did a rough count of the rows of people kneeling in front of us and according to my calculation about 900 people came forward to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Together they were led through the sinners prayer and after that received a great round of applause. The fields are white with the harvest, and my prayer rose towards heaven, 'God have mercy on our country, and send revival. Let revival be a reality in the Netherlands so that thousands of people give their lives to you Lord'. Every life won for Jesus is a miracle. The people in the stadium so enthusiastically sang and worshipped God, and they are so hungry for Him! Philip then spoke to the new converts making it very clear that next Sunday they need to find themselves a church to attend and to get baptised in water as soon as possible. They were told that they would then truly be Biblically born again when this happens. Repentance, signs and wonders, knowing you are a child of God, being baptised in the Holy Spirit and by full immersion in water. This is the Kingdom of God that is making new inroads into a country where other gods vie for precedence. But in the end, there is only one Kingdom that overcomes, the Kingdom of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Mattheus then spoke forcefully about baptism and being filled with the Holy Spirit and at that moment, I looked at the faces of the hundreds of people who were standing in the front of the stage, all longing for a deep touch from God. People were crying and we could see that God was touching them. God was tangibly present. Everyone felt it as intense worship filled the stadium and the team moved amongst the hundreds of people laying hands on them and praying. Between these people there were certainly people that has just given their lives to Jesus and what could be better for them than to be filled with the Holy Spirit on the same day as they are saved. That afternoon was reserved for us to pray for the sick and for one and a half hours we walked up and down the lines that had formed praying for them. The people just kept on coming with problems like being blind, deaf, mute, having back pain, kidney problems, HIV, cancer, skin conditions, paralyses and many other illnesses. Sometimes I saw so much pain in people’s eyes and was especially touched by the grief I saw in the eyes of mothers who had come forward for prayer for their sick children Were there many healings? Due to the fast pace at which we had to pray this was difficult to determine. In the row where I was praying several people testified that they had been healed of deafness, and when we tested them they could indeed hear clearly. One man claimed to be able to see out of one eye that had been blind, and when we tested him by covering what had been his only good eye, he could really see how many fingers we were holding up in front of him. Was everyone healed? In the row where I was praying many were not, including a young woman who had eye problems and left crying because she had not been healed. Only heaven knows why God touches some and not others. While we prayed, I kept thinking of what is written in Matthew 4 where, during a healing campaign, Jesus healed everyone. I long to see this happen when we pray for the sick during our church services today. Illness does not belong in the Kingdom of heaven and when we pray, God is the physician who performs the healing miracles. Nothing has changed. Other team members felt the same! People with various diseases came forward and we heard that many were touched by God. In my mind's eye I see Dutch people flooding into the churches in the Netherlands, people hungry for the one and only King of Kings, the most high God, the one who has no equal. The Church of Christ is a victorious, powerful church, full of God's power, full of Holiness, and full of glory! Afterwards, as we boarded the bus to return to the hotel we were given a real treat. The guide on the bus told us that the bus was going to take us on a tour of the central part of the city. It was an extremely impressive tour during which our tour guide told us various stories about the culture of the country and about the various attractions we drove past. He told us that the city we were in has approximately five million inhabitants. Of these, nearly one million are Buddhist monks and a further one million are soldiers. We drove past huge monasteries and one of the many gold temples. Everything on the building was gold, and the top of the temple was decorated with diamonds and other precious jewels. In this country there are diamond and gold mines as well as quarries where marble is mined, and much of the income generated by these mines goes towards building the many temples in the country. The guide also told us that during the early part of his life he had worked as a teacher at a primary school. When the gates of the school needed to be replaced he began to raise funds for the project from amongst the local inhabitants, but without results. A few weeks later a monk came to the same area to raise money to repair the steps in the monastery he belonged to. He told the inhabitants that by giving towards this cause they would guarantee themselves a better quality of life in the place they were going to after they died. The money for his project streamed in. After he had told us this we were better able to understand why, although the temples are lavishly decorated in precious metals and jewels, and the monasteries are well kept, most of the population lives in poverty. A second day comes to an end, and again there is a tired and satisfied team, thankful for what God has done, returning to the hotel for a well-earned rest. Daniel Renger Blog MYANMAR 2011: Part 3 Day 6 Today was the last day of the festival. Once again thousands of people came to meet with God, hungry and thirsty for His touch on their lives. I spoke to a youth leader who told me that He had had a vision regarding this festival. In the vision he saw that this festival was a sign from God that He was going to touch this nation. He also told me the same thing as I had heard from many other leaders and that is that this festival will lead to a greater unity amongst church leaders from different denominations which is something that has never happened before. I hear the word 'unity' a lot. It reminds me that it is written in Psalm 133 that God finds it 'good' when brothers work together. One thing I hear over and over again from leaders is their deep desire for God to touch their country with power, love and a mighty revival. Jan Sjoerd Pasterkamp preached a powerful message about what Jesus achieved by dying on the cross and afterwards six people came up onto the stage to testify about the healing they had received after being prayed for yesterday. One man told us that for the last 12 years he had been deaf in both ears but after being prayed for yesterday, his hearing had been completely restored. Another woman told how she had had pain in her stomach and eyes, but after receiving prayer she was healed. Another testified that the pain she had experienced in her knee for many years was now gone. Yet another told us that she had had no tears and that she could not cry and had to use eye drops every day. She then started to cry tears of joy as she told us that she had been healed. The following lady told us how she had suffered with severe pain in her legs and knees and as she danced across the stage in joy she told us she had been healed. The last person to come up on to the stage to testify told us that she had had a heart attack and this had left her with very little energy. She told us that after she had been prayed for yesterday her energy had returned. As one testimony followed another we were once again reminded that our God is a God who never changes and who is still doing miracles today. Through this He is glorified and, with grateful hearts, we thanked God for those who have been healed During lunch, the director of an organisation concerned with inter religious affairs was interviewed. This not-for-profit organisation is trying to promote good relations between the leaders of different religions in this country. He himself is Muslim. When I asked him about what he thought about this festival he reacted enthusiastically saying that what he saw happening was unique. Never before had such a large religious gathering been allowed in this country and he saw this as a great breakthrough in this nation for God. I suspect that he does not know about Jesus Christ but he gave a very positive report about the festival. He complimented the organisers on the way they had organised the event and on their ability to get not only to get top Burmese singers and musicians to take part, but also people from overseas who preached about Jesus. When I asked what he thought about the government giving permission to hold such an event he was excited and said he hoped it would lead to many more events like the festival happening in his land. Whilst I am writing this several Christian artists have just passed me. There are many young people who stand as close to the stage as possible so that they can see these artists from close up, and some were even filming them. I do not understand what they are singing about but it is obvious that the quality of their work, the music and their voices are outstanding. Yesterday we were interviewed by people from the national television station. The person doing the interviewing is Buddhist. When I asked him how he felt about the festival he replied that he had never seen so many Christians gathered together and had been deeply moved by the love he felt between them. The Buddhist tour guide on the bus was also happy that the Christians could hold a large event like this. It is great to see that both Muslims as well as Buddhists are enthusiastic about what is happening here. Before Philip Mantofa began to speak he showed a short video filmed at one of his campaigns which was attended by thousands of people. In the video one woman that came on to the stage testified that she had had a stroke two years prior to this meeting and since then had been unable to speak. However, after receiving prayer at the meeting, she had been healed. She then read, loudly, Isaiah 53:1-6 where it is written that through the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross we are healed. A young woman of 31 then came onto the stage and said that at a very young age she had contracted a disease after which she was no longer able to walk. Since then she had had to crawl around on her hands and knees if she wanted to get from one place to the other. Now, through the miracle working power of God she was walking. The last man to come onto the stage to testify was carrying a mattress saying that when he had arrived at the meeting he could not walk and had had to lie on the mattress. Now, after being touched and healed by God, he was walking and carrying his mattress! God is the healer, and, as Jesus said 2000 years ago, 'Pick up your bed and walk', we were seeing exactly the same thing happening in these days, right before our eyes. Seeing miracles happen is so powerful! They show God's power and build faith up in those seeing and hearing about them. They provide a way for God's power to be revealed. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this sort of thing became normal in the Netherlands and that signs and wonders became a normal part of every church service? Miracles that glorify God and that give people hope and life show that God works in power on this earth, and that includes the Netherlands. The apostle Paul made it clear that God's Kingdom is not a Kingdom built on words, but on power. His wonder working power. God's presence was obvious and the people's enthusiasm has been great. Through our translators we have heard that the organisers of this event are looking forward to another such festival next year. We hear that the local churches will sponsor this event themselves. What has been started here will continue. After preaching about the person of the Holy Spirit, Philip Mantofa asked those in the congregation to stand. We joined hands and started singing 'Holy Spirit you are welcome in this place'. As thousands of people joined in singing this song it felt as if a powerful electric charge suddenly entered the auditorium. On the stage we watched how the singers swayed from left to right under the power of the Holy Spirit. When Mattheus did a call for all young people between the ages of ten and twenty to come forward, hundreds streamed to the front. Once again I counted the rows and again there were about 900 people standing in front of the stage. The look on their faces and their hunger for the presence of God was obvious. It then seemed like a gust of wind entered the auditorium and row after row the people fell to the ground under the power of the Holy Spirit. A deep sense of awe and reverence descended and once again we felt the presence of God in our midst. After awhile the young people got up off the floor. The chairs were moved to the side of the auditorium and they started dancing. The day came to a close, the celebration was over. God is great. The church has been built up and strengthened. All glory to God! Tomorrow (Monday) we leave Yangon and proceed by plane to northern Myanmar for a conference and outreaches. There may be no internet, and if this is the case, it will take a few days before I am able to blog again. Daniel Renger Blog MYANMAR 2011: Part 4 After the end of the festival yesterday we went for dinner at a restaurant the twentieth floor of a large and modern-looking office block. On the wall there is a plaque with the names of all companies who have their offices in the building. AS we sat at out tables waiting to be served we looked out over the city which was illuminated by lights far as the eye can see. Prominent and elevated high above the average building the gold tops of the Buddhist temples rose into the sky. A symbol of another religion. Although they direct the points of their temples towards heaven, the core of this religion does not point its devotees towards a living God who loves the world and its people so much that he sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay for their sins and by so doing, reconciling them to him. When I asked the chairman of the Gospel Music Festival what he expected now that the festival was over he answered with a big smile on his face saying he expected that the church of Jesus Christ will grow in Myanmar and that there would be more unity between different denominations on the future. He is extremely grateful for the permission the government has given him to organise more of these types of festivals and conferences. He said he can also look back with a grateful heart at the powerful manner in which God revealed Himself during the festival. Day 7 There was one last night to be spent at the hotel and at 9.15 am the next morning we gathered in the hotel lobby to check out and then make our way to north west Myanmar. No one on the team had even been there before and we had no idea what to expect. The air plane that took us to the north west was propeller driven and seated 46 passengers. The flight went well and after an hour and 20 minutes we landed safely at Mandalay airport. When we left the aircraft in order to stretch our legs we walked to the the main airport building. It is a huge aircraft hanger and there were no other aircraft in sight but ours. The airport was ringed by green fields. After the arrival of several more passengers we boarded the plane and flew to our destination. We flew over several small villages and saw seven temple complexes and 2 temples. In the distance we could see a line of mountains. After a pleasant flight we landed in Kalaymyo. Our suitcases were loaded on top of a bus. The bus was, in fact, a small lorry with two long benches mounted in the back for passengers to sit on. The view we had of the streets we passed along was one of many scooters and motor driven rickshaws, called tuk tuks, which each seat four people. We drove down a long asphalt road lined with what seemed to be very badly maintained houses. Small stalls where people sold their goods to passing pedestrians lined the road. The side streets were mostly gravel roads. After a bumpy ride which took about 15 minutes we arrived at our hotel. It was simple yet clean, with adequate but simply furnished rooms. The showers only delivered cold water but we did not find that serious and looked forward to spending the next two nights there. Tomorrow there would be yet another day of the Gospel Music Festival where Mattheus, Jan Sjoerd Pasterkamp and myself would take turns in preaching. In the afternoon the rest of the team would go on outreach. After a wonderful meal we went to bed. A generator under my hotel window ran the whole night and I was very grateful I had brought ear plugs with me. Daniel Renger Blog Myanmar 2011: Part 5 Day 8 At 6am my alarm clock went off and the noise of the generator under my window was now being drowned out by a cockerel who seemed to me to be taking his job far to seriously! Further down the road I heard a man singing. Both stopped when the rain started pouring down and I watched from my window as the gravel road outside slowly turned into a pool of mud. After a cold shower, a healthy breakfast, and a time of prayer with the team we left the hotel and made our way to the church where the meeting was to be held. The church was full when we arrived and we received a warm welcome from the crowd. I asked some of them how many Christians they thought lived in the town. They estimated that the figure was around 50%. This confirmed what others had told me about this being a Christian part of the country. The church was nicely maintained and after a short opening speech four older men appeared on stage and sang a few soul rendering songs in deep bass tones. This was followed by a band, a choir and a dance group. It was a powerful, enthusiastic time of praise which was filled with fire! I felt right at home and the presence of God filled the church. God was praised and once again I realised that even though people may not understand each other, the Holy Spirit rises above boundaries caused by different cultures and languages. Jan Sjoerd spoke about setting the power of God free by speaking in tongues. It was powerful teaching interspersed with clear examples of how to speak in tongues. A call for all those wanting to speak in tongues was done and many streamed to the front of the church. After a time of prayer we saw and heard how people were talking in new tongues. God answers a prayer said in faith! Paul spoke about this in Galatians 3:2 when he asked 'Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?' It is preaching with faith that reveals the Spirit of God, something we had just seen happen before our very eyes. During a sumptuous lunch of stir fried noodles and a fried egg I sat next to the pastor of the church where we were having the meeting. He told me a little about his congregation that he has been leading for 26 years. He is also the chairman of one of the large Christian organisations in the country. The building we were using seats 1000 and was started after someone received a vision from God. They started building the church in 1993 and it was officially opened in 2004. They built when there was money to buy the necessary materials, and prayed in faith for God to provide what they needed to finish the church. He told how he had once received a letter from the government telling him to remove the cross on top of the building within three days. They started a prayer chain amongst the congregation and prayed for three days. Since then they have heard nothing further about removing the cross. What really impressed me about his story was how they did as God told them to, and when they were in need they turned to God in prayer. I asked him what he normally used the space for where we were sitting and having lunch. He told me it was the place where he and 65 permanent church workers met together every morning for a time of devotions. The ministry undertaken by this congregation includes a children's home, a primary school and a training school. They have also started several small churches in the community. About 700 people attend church every Sunday and the pastor told me his church is one of the biggest in the area. The praise in the church was not unlike that which we experience in a charismatic church in the Netherlands. This afternoon I spoke about the law of faith and the importance of learning to live in harmony with it. During ministry time a few dozen people came forward and, once again, we saw how God touches people. After a short pause Mattheus preached an inspirational sermon and this included a time for ministry and praying for healing. Afterwards he asked who had been healed and several hands were raised. Whilst Mattheus, Jan Sjoerd and I stayed on in the church preaching, the rest of the team went out and visited two orphanages. Two members of the team shared what had happened on these outreaches. The first report... We are very touched by the orphan children who we have met in this city. Each and every one of them are precious. We noticed from the looks in their eyes that many were filled with grief, and looked so sad. They sang a song about loosing their parents but having a Heavenly Father that cared for them. As we listened there were many tears shed, both by the children and the team members. We were able to tell them that God has a place in his heart for each one of them and as we prayed for them afterwards a slight glimmer of hope entered each child's eyes. We then distributed hugs, notebooks, pens, balloons etc. I was particularly pleased to see how happy they were with the simple things we gave them. We hugged the older children and they were very happy. We showed them how a balloon works and there was a lot of laughter and fun. We all enjoyed our special and encouraging time with them.. The second report... I was in the second group of people from TRIN who went out into the community. We went to visit a couple who have 14 children. Two are their biological children and some of the others are orphaned. A few had one parent who was still alive but they had been abandoned when they did not 'fit' in with the family of the remaining parent's new spouse. People here live by growing fruit and vegetables and keeping a pig and cow in their gardens here. They are currently experiencing severe problems in producing enough food to eat due to the recent heavy rains. The family we visited get community support as well as help from the students at the Bible School across the road. Here 14 young people spend 3 years being trained to go into the mission field . We were warmly received by the children and, after a brief introduction by the father/pastor, the children sung a song for us. We then introduced ourselves and sang a few songs. The children found this very entertaining! After we prayed for the children we went to the orphanage on the other side of the road where we had a cup of tea, handed out gifts and played a game with the children. We then felt we wanted to go to the nearby Bible School to pray for the students there. We were warmly welcomed at the Bible school and after we had prayed for them it was time to leave. After the conference and times of outreach ended we all had an adventurous ride back to our hotel, in a tuk tuk, over muddy, gravel roads. The most lasting impression I have from this visit is the simple manner in which people live here and their great reliance on and trust in God. To see a married couple so willing to take in and disciple others whilst they themselves have so little was, to me, extremely admirable. After dinner, we returned to the church before the praise started. The auditorium slowly filled and half an hour before the program was due to start every seat was taken, which meant that despite the incessant rain, one thousand people had come to the church. Mattheus spoke very powerfully about living a life of faith and challenged the people present to keep their eyes on Jesus through every situation in their lives. When it was time for ministry, Mattheus once again, just as he had done in Yangon, invited people between the ages of 10 and 20 to come forward for a special time of prayer. The young people streamed to the front of the church. There is was a deep longing for God and the Holy Spirit was tangibly present. The young people knelt and it was impressive to see how they were touched by the Holy Spirit. Quite a few cried, others had their heads bowed in expressions of awe and reverence before God. They are a young generation which we are praying will be filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit. The evening ended with a time of worship during which we thanked God for what He had done that day in the midst of this people. With thankful hearts we returned to the hotel. Daniel Renger Blog Myanmar 2011: Part 6 The team member from Norway has given me this report on the days proceedings from her point of view : After a long night's rest we awoke to a rainy day. After a delicious breakfast of toast, fried eggs and coffee, we were divided into three groups to go and visit orphanages and a missions training school. As we made our way to our first appointment in tuk tuks, we passed people smiling and waving to us. We passed market stalls along the road side selling fresh fruit or freshly baked bread. The delicious smell of the bread filled the air. Suddenly the tuk tuk stopped, we had arrived. Before we could get out of the tuk tuks the children had run to greet us, laughing and calling out their warm welcome. As we got out of the tuk tuks they ushered us into a turquoise blue class room. The children appeared to be between 4 and 15 years old and the oldest took their places on a wooden bench whilst the youngest sat on the floor on coloured grass mats. 'Do you see the trees moving outside?' Mattheus asked them. 'Do' they cried which in the local language means 'Yes!'. Mattheus continued by telling them about the Holy Spirit that moved like the wind was moving through the trees outside. He asked them if they wanted the Holy Spirit to move in them and they all reacted enthusiastically. We laid our hands on the children and as we began to pray the children started shouting out to Jesus. We were all deeply touched by this. They obviously knew quite clearly how to pray. After awhile they began to receive what God had revealed to them and one by one they came under the power of the Holy Spirit and fell to the floor. It was wonderful to see them reacting to the Holy Spirit in this way. It was then time to hand out gifts and we unpacked soft toys of various shapes and sizes from our bags. 'Which do you like the best?' one of the team members asked. The youngest children had gathered around the toys and each took their favourite. The broad smiles on their faces showed their great pleasure. Before we knew what was happening it was time to leave. They hugged us and we returned to the waiting tuk tuks. The children ran after the tuk tuks waving and shouting greetings to us as we left. Once back in the hotel we met the other two outreach groups and shared our experiences. Day 9 This was the first day where I was personally able to visit a children's home. Like all the other team members, I was taken to the home in a tuk tuk and upon arrival the children ran to greet us. When we entered I saw that it was a very simple building. The children mounted a small stage and we sat on wooden benches lined up against the wall. The children had obviously been rehearsing and we were treated to them singing songs and acting out short stories. There were a total of 14 children living in the home, and two of them were the biological children of the married couple running the home. The children varied in age from between 3 and 17 years old. Whilst they were performing I looked into the children's eyes. One of the older girls had tears in her eyes as she sang one of the songs. The translator told us the song was about God who was the father to all orphan children. Some of the children looked quite serious whilst singing this whilst the eyes of others just shone with joy. As I studied their eyes I wondered what had happened to them and what they had been through. How do they feel about being an orphan? God's heart goes out to widows and orphans. Whilst looking at them I noticed that a new compassion had entered my heart. I had heard about these sorts of children but this was the first time I had been so close to them. One of the children, the 3 year old daughter of the couple running the home, had been sick for 5 days and was running a high temperature. We gathered together and laid hands on her and after a few minutes she seemed to be a lot better. Her father laid his hand on her forehead and proclaimed that the fever was gone. She no longer had an elevated temperature. We played with the children for awhile before once again getting back into the tuk tuk's to make the journey back to out hotel. My heart had been deeply touched by my visit to these children. I had been overwhelmed by God's powerful presence during the big meetings but this meeting in the children's home had been just as important, especially when I saw one small boy skipping amongst the balloons dancing and beaming with pleasure. For me, this was truly an unforgettable experience. After a really delicious lunch we proceeded to the airport. We could look back on two very special days during which God had touched many people. Daniel Renger Blog Myanmar 2011: Part 7 After a comfortable flight we arrived back in Yangon and made our way to the hotel we had first stayed at. We had our last meal together and spent our last night in Myanmar before catching the flight home to the Netherlands. Day 10 On this, our last day, we wanted to visit the WIN Myanmar Mission orphanage and Bible School which pastor Philip Thang has set up. The orphanage is financially supported by Operation Held which is a part of TRIN. One of the team members recently started sponsoring one of the children and he was very excited to meet her. Once again I saw how much children longed to be loved. They long for God but also long to have a normal childhood. They want to sing together, play together and do something crazy together. Every child is so unique and precious. When we left the children, Pastor Philip took us to the Bible School where all the students sit on wooden benches listening intently to the Word of God. Philip showed us the bedrooms, kitchen and office. Behind the school were two houses with sides made of grass mats which were rolled up. A woman sat here washing clothes in a bucket of water. I'm sure the area of my children's bedroom is larger than her entire house. As we drove back to the hotel I realized that, despite the sometimes visible poverty, there are people with a deep faith in God who prepared to devote their lives, and to give everything they have to help younger people have a brighter future. I have a deep admiration for pastor Philip Thang, who is full of faith and who loves and serves God despite often very difficult circumstances. Day 11 I am now writing this blog whilst sitting in a Boeing 747 air plane on my way to Frankfurt airport. My watch says it is 02.15 am. I can look back on a truly unforgettable trip and have travelled with a wonderful team and a really outstanding tour guide. There was an overwhelmingly powerful revelation of God's love, touch and miracle working power. There has been so much which has impressed me. I am overwhelmed with feelings. I am looking forward to getting home but will always remember the children in that bare room, with hands held high praising God and singing Hallelujah. I will also never forget the sound of thousands of people raising their voices to heaven in deep praise and worship, the 900 youth who sank to the floor under the power of the Holy Spirit, or the hundreds of people who ran forward to give their lives to the Lord. I will never forget the long rows of sick people we prayed for. Some were healed, some were not. I will never forget the words spoken during conversations and interviews, the testimonies of Muslim, Buddhist and Christians who tell how amazing it is that the Government of this country has given permission, and will continue giving permission, to those wanting to organise meetings, both small and big. These meetings are so important because they offer hope to a world that can only change by the saving and miracle working power of the God who really is the only one that all credit for the success of this great trip can go to. Daniel Renger Translated from the Dutch version with permission