MYANMAR (BURMA)

Pastor Luke, a Kachin Tribal Pastor ,   was on his way home , after setting up a Prayer Retreat when  he was followed  on his motorcycle by 2 harassing drivers , one pushing him off the road , each having two passengers on their motorcycles forcing  him off  These six teenagers approached Pastor Luke in a threatening manner knocked him down and began to beat him with a club when he said 

" I don't have any money I am a Pastor" , and  wielding a  machete,  they chopped three fingers of his right hand off and stole his motorcycle leaving him stranded in excruciating pain. Pastor Luke then stumbled  to a house  nearby and was taken to a hospital. 

That happened in March and when we were with him  this past month he shared with us the story of his forgiveness of these young men as they were caught and how he is buying bibles for each of the perpetrators and shares the love of God with them.  

This is one of the most remarkable testimonies of forgiveness.

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This legendary , near Centurion , at 96  used her cell phone in the seminar  as her Bible,  to follow the references. Her passion for Christian Service   remained  in focus  after receiving Christ at 14 years old .  Her dreams of marrying a Pastor were soon realised.   

Together  they had 11 children ,  and 10  have  followed her into late life. 

Her husband  at  37 years died during the War  recalling sadly his death some  60  years ago, she ruminated the trauma of that time.   As  she spoke  with remarkable clarity , "Alone , I  could not keep all my  little ones  safe  it was during the War and we lived in the Mekong Delta.  only God could keep all the children accounted for at that  difficult  time.  But God did , and they all lived. 

There is a Revival  in the church because she has been so consistently enthusiastic about the things of God, having founded the church and many people are attending.  When she was 80 she went to Malaysia as a missionary to the Vietnamese working there. . A young Vietnamese man became a Christian and she discipled him and when he returned to Vietnam, she put him through Bible school.  He is the pastor of the church today.

  I was also introduced to a beautiful young lady at our seminar at who went blind at 40.  With an interpreter we shared our hearts and faith and  candidly our .hopes, like the best of friends.  We cried together when we said good bye.