by Heather Harrison
Despite extreme hardships and uncertainty in Myanmar, God has been faithful to Lifeword’s global partner, Rama, in his efforts to share Jesus Christ. Since staging a coup in 2021, the military in Myanmar has carried out a brutal nationwide crackdown. This has made sharing the gospel message difficult, and many believers have been killed. Most forms of communication are tapped and commandeered by the military, but Rama and his team are able to send and receive Lifeword programming to a playout center in Singapore to beam the programming back into Myanmar.
Even though they are not free to gather and worship, they are still meeting in small numbers, leading Bible studies in nearby villages, sharing gospel tracts and visiting people house-to-house. In the midst of such opposition, there are still many who are being baptized and discipled.
Rama continues to share the message of Christ through YouTube, Facebook and the radio. He has heard from several who, after listening to his messages, have repented of sin, idolatry and false beliefs. Rama has been faithful to the call to minister to these people in spite of such opposition, and God has also been faithful to His work and to show Rama some of the impact his efforts are having on the people. Allow us to share some of that fruit with you:
• One man from the Yangon Division called Rama and said he’s been caught in a cycle of drinking and disconnection from believers. He listened to their radio program, felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit and asked for prayers that he could change, telling Rama, “Your radio program is a blessing.”
• Another man from the North, who had been listening to the radio program for several years, came to the mission church for worship for months, declaring his faith in Jesus Christ and rejecting all other gods. He passed away shortly after his conversion. Rama praises God that this man’s eternity is forever changed.
• One man, clearly caught in sin, reached out to Rama after hearing his message on Facebook about the thief on the cross. “If I repent before I die like the man on the cross, will God forgive me?” he asked. They continued discussing forgiveness and how life is full of unexpected things.
• Another man who was also listening to Rama’s messages on Facebook came to faith in Christ and contacted Rama to thank him. They were even able to talk over the telephone.
• Two other men contacted Rama through Facebook asking how to be saved and came to know Christ as their Savior.
• One woman messaged Rama through Facebook saying that she had been doubting her salvation, but after hearing his message she gained assurance of her salvation and felt such peace.
This month, Rama reports that the military has been coming into their community to conduct “checks,” which means they can search and seize anything they want. This has forced Rama and his team to be especially careful, causing them to be unable to email or communicate with others, particularly with those in foreign countries. They came into Rama’s apartment, but thankfully they did not see his laptop.
As you can see, Rama and his team are living through unimaginable difficulty, but the message of Christ is still growing and changing lives. This is just some of the fruit of Rama’s partnership with the faithful God who called him. We are grateful for your partnership with Lifeword which enables missionaries like Rama to proclaim Jesus Christ to a broken world.
