Zin in her watery home village

Gospel Boat

An unusual mission field you’re helping to flood with the Good News

Dear Family,

In slow, rhythmic motions Zin gently sweeps her paddle, propelling her long boat across the calm waters. An immense lake stretches before her for miles. Squinting against the sun, she looks ahead to a small cluster of huts rising out of the water on stilts near the middle of the lake. While a tourist might think the village quaint, she knows it’s also a fortress of deep spiritual darkness.

She’s had lots of time to think of the danger that might lay ahead—and lots of time to pray. She knows some might consider the arrival of a follower of Christ as a hostile act. Calming her mind, Zin continues paddling ever closer towards her destination….

Zin is a Heaven’s Family-supported national missionary inside Myanmar (Burma). This nation has been engaged in civil war against separatist tribes for 60 years and counting. Many have been left scarred, both physically and emotionally. All live without the hope that’s found in relationship with the One who came to liberate them.

At left, a man fishing on the lake Zin calls home (look closely and you’ll see he’s using his leg to paddle so both hands are free to fish!); at right, “Main Street” in one of 154 such villages on the lake

The spiritual harvest right now is immense, but it takes a special class of faith-walking risk-takers to break through the strongholds that shackle these hardened hearts and minds. Zin is one of those determined missionaries. Each day she pushes her boat out onto the deceptively serene waters and into the maze of the lake’s 154 villages that are all built on stilts. These lake people are fiercely Buddhist, so Zin risks much to bring the gospel to them.

Before our national missionary team began their work, there were no known believers in this vast labyrinth of stilt villages. All that changed a few years ago when a team arrived at Zin’s home and told her about Jesus. She became one of the first converts from the lake region. Shortly thereafter, Zin enrolled in a Heaven’s Family-supported Bible school in a city an hour’s drive away, where she joined other missionary students. The school shapes young disciples in the midst of frequent persecution, sending them back out into their home regions to reach others with the transforming power of the gospel.

Upon graduation Zin received the gift of her very own boat, provided through donors just like you, so she could reach other villages on the lake with the Good News. Her dad, who had been the lead village elder, came to Christ, along with many in her family.

I recently had the privilege of visiting this passionate disciple, share a meal with her family, and hear of their love for Jesus. It was one of the highlights of my trip as I saw the powerful results of your missionary sponsorship. But I also discovered a pressing need. The boat Zin received was an inexpensive plastic model. During her frequent travels over the last few years, the hot sun and humidity have severely damaged the boat. I would absolutely love to provide this fearless young missionary with a new, long-lasting teak boat (teak wood is one of Myanmar’s exports, and much less expensive here than in the US and Europe). The upgraded model would last for decades. If you’re interested in helping, check out this pressing need opportunity here.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your support of national missionaries like Zin through the National Missionary Ministry. Because of you, they are raising up whole new generations of young people from the lake district through her powerful “floating hope” ministry.

Grateful,

David Promise
Director of Ministry Partnerships, National Missionary Ministry