Namhu is just a small village in the Shan State in eastern Myanmar, but it is a very unique and strategic place for the mission work because four different tribes of Myanmar live together there. The tribes represented are Shan, Bahma, Pa Oh and Chin. They all are Buddhists in religion, but in real practice they are animists who worship spirits and demons.

The mission work there was started by Chin people who retired from the army and remained there after their service, without returning to their respective places. Until recently no one had converted from Buddhism nor had any proper church planting work been done there.

Missionary Soe Lwin, having the burning desire to spread the gospel there, started planting a church in 2006. After five years of his tireless efforts, God blessed, and Soe Lwin had two pure Buddhist family converts and formed the BP mission there. Right now the mission is made of five families (25 members including the children). Moreover, God used our brother Soe Lwin to lead the Namhu village and the neighboring villages to a deeper interest in Christ and His blessed gospel.

Our desire and great expectation has been to see the whole village come to Christ in the near future, but the Lord has unexpectedly taken our brother Soe Lwin away from us. The event makes our hearts wonder, and, in fact, grieve deeply. We do not know why, but we do believe that the Lord has a better plan  for us and His work there. God’s servants may come and go, but the Lord’s work must go on forever.

Please pray for the mission work in Namhu that God will raise up another leader to preach His Word in that place and shepherd the flock there. Please also remember missionary Soe Lwin’s wife, Thangte, and his daughter, Phoebe (eight months old). — Rev. Khawl Ro Kim