Bryan left the country yesterday on 2 days notice and flew to Thailand with a team from our church in hopes of getting in to Burma to aid in relief work and help the survivors of the recent cyclone, Nargis, that has already claimed up to 100,000 lives.
The team landed sometime today in Thailand and got there
safely...unfortunately their luggage did not. However, they were
pretty brilliant and checked their luggage, but carried on the 2 water
filters they had flown to LA that purify over 3500 gallons of water a
day. They are hoping they will be able to use this to get clean water
to the survivors who are still without clean water or food.
Here's the update on getting into the country....
They are in an area where the government is issuing day passes into
Burma. The only catch is that they are only allowed to go in about 5
Kilometers, meaning they wont be able to get anywhere near where the
majority of the damage is. They are very excited to be able to at
least prayer walk on Burmese soil.
Another problem: other trucks and people that have gone in have had
everything they had with them confiscated. Also, the UN was allowed to
bring in tons of food today, but it is currently sitting in storage,
and the government is refusing to give it to the survivors. Please
pray that God would sustain the Burmese people until they are able to
receive food and clean water.
Please pray that God would soften the hearts of those in power, that
he would take the blinders off their eyes, and that He would convict
them of their evil hearts and fill them with compassion. Also pray
that the contact that these officials have with foreigners would be
with God fearing men and women, who, even when it seems impossible,
would treat them with respect and mercy, and be a picture of Christ to
them; ultimately glorifying God with their Christ-likeness and
witness, and hopefully gaining trust for the International community
that longs to help the Burmese in this time of need.
Pray that if they are allowed to get in with day passes, that the
government will see how much they want to help, and not confiscate the
filters. Their hope is that since they are only allowed 5 Kilometers
into the country, they will meet nationals (hopefully some believers
if there is any connection to the underground church) who they will be
able to train to use these filters, and take into the hardest hit
areas. Pray that God would lead them to honest, caring, Burmese men
and women of integrity who would follow through with helping their
people. Also, pray that if they are able to pass the filters on to
Believers, that this would strengthen their witness in a very dark
place.
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They are waiting to see what happens after Burma has it's election
today on some new policies, and they are hoping this will produce some
changes in the way they are handling foreign aid.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7393588.stm
The team will try to apply for visas first thing Monday morning and
see what happens, but for now, pray that God would give them wisdom
and discernment in their decisions and protect them, that he would
lead them to all the right people, that he would strengthen them in
their weaknesses as they may very soon encounter some very difficult
things to see. Pray He would make a way for them, and others into a
place where their immediate felt needs are great, but their Spiritual
needs are even greater.
Pray that what Satan intends for evil, God would use for good; with
the cyclone, the government, and the death and starvation and
diseases. Pray that just as the water and floods tore through the
country this last week, His Spirit would flood the country with an
even great force. Pray that this would serve as a turning point in
Burma's openness to the Gospel, and that in their brokenness and
grieving, they would recognize their great need for a Savior. Pray
that the Burmese see that their idols offer them nothing, that they
can't save them, that they offer no hope, but that there is One who is
greater and offers hope and comfort and eternal life.
Pray that God would raise up laborers (Romans 9:37 & 38) not only for
disaster relief work, but long term workers who would give their lives
to see the Burmese come to know Christ and find true life in Him.
Christ is worthy of the worship from these people and this could be an
amazing time to begin to plant seeds of the Gospel deep in their
broken hearts.
"Worthy are you to take the book and break it's seals; for You were
slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe, and
tongue and people and nation" Revelation 5:9
Thank God for HIS promises, that He is faithful to keep them;
"...I looked and there before me WAS a great multitude that no one
could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and
tongues..." Revelation 7:9
Praise God for His sovereignty and His hand in all of this, that He
would receive the glory and worship due His name.
Thank you for praying for Burma and the team, I'll keep you updated as
I hear more.
Democratic Voice of Burma http://www.dvb.no
History Makers http://www.historymakers.info/front_line_news.html
Pray that if they are allowed to get in with day passes, that the
