[3136] Taiwanese Christians to take the gospel to Myanmar in short-term mission

3136 Edition

April 2-8, 2012

Church Ministry News

Taiwanese Christians to take the gospel to Myanmar in short-term mission

Reported by Chen Wei-chien

Written by Lydia Ma

Taiwan Frontier Association is currently getting ready for a third round of short-term mission to Myanmar. The association held an information and sharing session on Myanmar short-term missions at Jhongsiao Road Presbyterian Church in Taichung on March 31, 2012 to encourage Christians in Taiwan to reach out to people in Myanmar and share the gospel with them.

The session was chaired by the association’s general-secretary, Pastor Lai Yi-sui, and those who went to Myanmar in last year’s short-term mission shared about their experiences. Many of them were moved to tears as they reminisced about this trip.

This is not the first time that a session like this has been held at Jhongsiao Road Church. A similar session was held previously on the theme of “backpacking missionaries” in collaboration with Taiwan Theological College and Seminary (TTCS), a partner organization of the Taiwan Frontier Association (TFA).

Most members of TFA are TTCS students or faculty members who have a burden for domestic and overseas missions, said Lai, adding that it’s been 3 years since they began reaching out to people in Myanmar. The goal for this year’s mission trip to Myanmar is to assemble a team of 40 volunteers.

Conditions in Myanmar remain precarious despite some improvement over the past year. Lai reported that he was pressured by Myanmar authorities last year when he tried to organize an event. “For the time being, we can only organize events promoting Chinese culture and hopefully share the gospel through such events,” said Lai. He also thanked a few Taiwanese businessmen for their support, which played an important role in the smooth completion of last year’s events.

Lai added that, in the past, the overall impression among Christians is that short-missions are much like important assignments that should be left in the hands of professionals. ”But we want to invite anyone who feels led to participate to go on missions trips. Mackay once said that everyone is a missionary,” he said.

In preparation for the upcoming mission trip to Myanmar, Taiwan Frontier Association will sponsor 3 training sessions to prepare participants. These sessions include seminars on local culture, itinerary analysis, and nurturing team spirit. “We hope that our brothers and sisters in Christ will learn about God’s perspectives of his kingdom on this short-term mission trip. We hope that they will be able to reach out to more people, such as Aung San Suu Kyi, and become more aware of social issues,” Lai said. But he also added that the greatest reward of this trip for everyone will be experiencing God first-hand.

That being said, “most Christians in Taiwan have grown used to their predictable pattern of church life. Going abroad on a short-term mission can reignite their passion and prompt them to think about what they can do to bless others. Meanwhile, Christians in Myanmar can benefit from this outpouring of love and support. At the end of the day, short-term missions are good for both sending and receiving churches.”

Many people who went to last year’s mission trip still remember the hardships faced by ministers in Myanmar. One of them commented that after returning from Myanmar, he felt that Taiwan was a prosperous country that had been very blessed because there are no language barriers among Taiwanese and, compared to Myanmar, it is relatively easy to share the gospel in Taiwan.

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