Mission Network News - Myanmar

Myanmar (MNN) — Earlier this month, Myanmar’s ruling military junta lost a key base in the city of Lashio in Shan State to rebel forces. The rebel alliance is largely made up of ethnic and religious minorities standing against the State Administration Council, which has used brutal tactics against civilians since seizing power in 2021. 

A man we’ll call Peter serves with A3 in Myanmar. “They’re losing a lot of men, and they’re losing a lot of land too, and mostly in Christian areas.” 

Peter says churches in the war zones are getting hit hard but non-believers are seeing Christ’s love contradict the propaganda they’ve heard about Christians.

Protest in Myanmar against Military Coup 14-Feb-2021. (Wikimedia Commons)

“The juntas, their teachings are like, ‘They will just kill you straight away. These Christians are ruthless, they’re barbarians,'” Peter says. “But when these non-believers want to fight back, they run into the jungles, [and] it was a whole different story how these Christians welcomed them with open arms, giving them food, support, help.” 

The future is unsure, but Peter says gospel ministry is spreading for now. Churches give shelter and medical care to refugees. Pray for them.  

“We want to end this war fast, like really fast. We need support internationally, we need support for ammunitions,” Peter says. “We didn’t ask for this war — the junta bought this war to us.”

He prays every day for the airstrikes from the military junta to stop. 

“If it’s ground forces, we can fight. We win a lot of battles, and we can still take on artilleries. But the planes, the air assaults, those are very bad,” Peter says. 

“When [the military is] retreating or they’re losing, the planes don’t come to us (the rebel forces). Mostly they just go into villages or cities and bomb hospitals, bomb kindergartens, bomb schools. So then our [forces] would retreat, help the people — and on the way they will ambush us again. That’s the tactics that they were using.”

Pray for strong faith among Christians fighting in the rebel forces.

“I have friends who lost their faith because dealing with this war, [the] things that we had to do, the things that we’ve seen. It’s, it’s just ugly,” Peter says. “Some of them start questioning, ‘Where is God? Why is He letting this happen?’”

Click here to learn more about A3’s mission to equip indigenous leaders around the globe.

Photo of Lashio City in Myanmar courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Myanmar (MNN) — Did you know there are 37.6 million refugees worldwide? That’s two million more than last year, and the numbers continue to rise with global unrest.

Today is World Refugee Day, and Brian Dennett at AMG International shares how they’re ministering God’s love to refugees from Myanmar.

Since Myanmar’s coup three years ago, AMG has been working just over the border in Thailand attending to thousands of displaced Burmese.

People from the IDP community inside Myanmar. (Photo by Billy Weeks)

Dennett says, “There are hundreds of people by the week crossing the border, and it just continues to grow by day. Thailand has around a 1,500-mile border with Myanmar.

“Now with the government actually forcing people – even including young children – to join the army and fight against the resistance, it’s caused even more people to flee.”

Many Burmese kids show up in the refugee camps unaccompanied. “These are kids that are alone; they come, of course, very frightened having suffered a lot of trauma,” Dennett says.

“We have set up housing dormitories. We’re trying right now to build several more dormitories and a formal school, and just come around them and surround them with support and love.”

Yet, praise God for faithful Burmese Christians following Him even in refugee camps.

“It’s been such a joy to watch what’s coming out of that refugee situation,” says Dennett. “We have videos and photos of that community.

“They’re worshiping together, reading God’s Word, praising God together – really despite all that they’ve suffered.”

Mue is one of many children that has been given the opportunity to go to school at the Light Asean Hostel. (Photo, caption courtesy of AMG International)

You can learn more about AMG’s ministry to refugees here.

Pray for Christian refugees from Myanmar and around the world to be spiritually encouraged in the midst of persecution and hardship. Ask God to use the faithful example of these believers to lead others to Christ.

Header photo courtesy of AMG International.

Myanmar (MNN) — April was a tough month for believers in Myanmar.

Officials released more than 3,300 people from prison, including a Baptist pastor, in mid-April to mark the Buddhist New Year. On the night he was released, police re-arrested the pastor, his wife, and a Christian colleague.

It is not an isolated incident. “This re-arresting of innocent people, like this pastor and other Christian leaders, has been a practice they’ve been doing ever since the coup,” AMG International’s Brian Dennett says.

“The intent is to cause fear and insecurity among the church congregations and local citizens.”

Junta leaders believe the Christians have power and influence over their villages and congregations. Four days after the Buddhist New Year arrests, Myanmar’s army attacked a Christian-majority village.

“[At] two o’clock in the morning, they dropped the bombs, injuring many [and killing] a Sunday school teacher from an AMG church and a child. That teacher’s mother was also injured; [she] lost her leg in the bombing,” Dennett says.

“This is the second time they’ve targeted this village since January. They want to show people they have power over your life and that only when the population submits and obeys the government will there be hope for them.”

The Light ASEAN Hostel focuses on meeting the deepest spiritual and physical needs by providing aid, relief, shelter, and educational support for displaced children from Myanmar.
(Photo, caption courtesy of AMG International)

Pray for AMG International as it provides help and hope in the name of Christ. “Every time we reach out, we are looking to share our hope in Jesus,” Dennett says.

“The hope is not in any government, particularly not this military junta, and we also meet their very deep physical needs.”

You can financially support AMG’s work here. AMG and its church partners are supporting a refugee community from Myanmar in Thailand.

“We have built homes and a school and are attending to people’s medical needs [through] a clinic. It’s a bustling, busy community,” Dennett says.

“One thing we’ve had a particular concern for is all the unaccompanied children and youth. These are kids who have been separated from their families and are living alone in this refugee community,” he continues.

“We are trying to expand and build more housing for these kids and a school. We already have one school there, and we need another desperately.”

Header image depicts tanks associated with the Myanmar military. (Wikimedia Commons)

Myanmar (MNN) – Myanmar declares martial law in five new cities, bringing the total to 61 cities nationwide since 2021.

Brian Dennett with AMG International says, “As much as 60 percent of the country has been recaptured by resistance groups so the military really is desperate.”

Analysts say the military junta imposes martial law in areas under rebel control, signaling the new battle zones it hopes to re-conquer. “We’ve been praying for an end to everything, and it just seems to keep getting worse,” Dennett says.

“Since the start of the coup, thousands have been killed, as many as three million have been displaced, and today, the fighting rages on.”

Meanwhile, a mandatory draft imposed in late February has millions of young people on the move. “What’s happened in the last several days is like a mass exodus,” Dennett says.

“Young people are trying desperately to escape the country, [queuing in] long lines in immigration trying to get visas legally, and then others are just crossing the borders anywhere they can to get out.”

After the 2021 coup, AMG partners started a hostel for unaccompanied children who cross the border into a neighboring country.

(Photo courtesy of AMG International)

“Many of these children are alone; some of them are orphans of the conflict; they have needed food, clothing, education, and a lot of love,” Dennett says.

Now, the hostel is out of room. Expansion plans are underway, but AMG needs your help to reach its goal.

Every contribution, whether large or small, makes a significant difference in creating a secure, safe, and nurturing environment for these children. A gift of $50 could provide essential items such as bedding and hygiene items. A gift of $150 could provide furnishings for the rooms.

Help AMG International expand its Light ASEAN Hostel here.

Pray AMG can reach more vulnerable kids with the hope of Christ. “Everything we do is done with an eye on sharing Jesus, so the Gospel is being clearly presented to all of these kids,” Dennett says.

Header and story images courtesy of AMG International.

Myanmar (MNN) — Wars in Ukraine and Gaza hold the world’s attention, leaving Myanmar’s junta free to do as it pleases.

A military fighter jet recently bombed Kanan, a village held by opposition forces near the border with India. “One of our courageous national missionaries reported that an A5 military fighter jet dropped four 250-pound bombs on Kanan village,” AMG International’s Brian Dennett says.

“The attack happened on Sunday morning during the church service, so those attending were killed or injured right within their building.”

According to local media, at least 17 civilians died in the attack, including nine children – and nearly two dozen people were injured.

“As of yesterday, [our partners reported] 11 of our brothers and sisters dead, including several children,” Dennett says.

People identify victims who lay shrouded in blankets at a building in Kanan village.
(Photo courtesy of AMG International)

Myanmar’s army took control of the country in a 2021 coup. When three ethnic minority militias allied on October 27, 2023, the junta began increasing air strikes on villages like Kanan.

Survivors of the latest attack fear another bombing, and they’re asking the Lord to intervene.

“They all fled to neighboring villages because what was left is just a mess, and there are few places they can go,” Dennett says.

“They are resting on their faith in Jesus, the only hope any of us have. But that’s so real for them every day as they face the loss of loved ones.”

You can help these Christian brothers and sisters survive until they return home. Send help here through AMG International.

“We already responded by delivering aid and resources directly to the scene, caring for those families,” Dennett says, but “our staff in the area need prayer, and we also could use more resources to help.”

Header and story images courtesy of AMG International.

Myanmar (MNN) — A nationwide resistance movement poses the biggest threat to Myanmar’s regime since the junta seized power in a 2021 coup.

Three Chinese warships arrived in a Myanmar port yesterday amid rising security concerns. Battles unfold daily, and nearly 200 civilians have been killed since the end of October.

“The military has been bombing and attacking villages. [In] one where we work, there were six adults and three children killed in recent attacks,” AMG International’s Brian Dennett says.

Every visit brings encouragement to those who need it most.
(Photo courtesy of AMG International)

Consecutive military governments have waged war against armed ethnic groups for decades, destroying villages and uprooting more than two million people. The current rebellion started on October 27, displacing 335,000 people in one month.

“This year alone, we’ve provided thousands with food and other urgent needs. But there’s so much more to be done,” Dennett says.

“Pastors in our network have been crying out for help with health supplies, food, and other relief items that we’ve been trying desperately to provide.”

AMG partners with churches throughout Myanmar to provide help for today and hope for tomorrow. Support AMG’s work in Myanmar here.

“Everything we do at AMG revolves around the Gospel. So, as we serve, we are sharing the hope that we have in Jesus.”

Some church members rely on AMG’s food aid to make it through the week. Pray for believers in Myanmar as they navigate political instability and uncertainty.

“Several families worked in foreign factories that closed due to the military regime and their control over everything,” Dennett says.

“We heard that 80 percent of these foreign factories closed, the employees [were] all laid off; they are now without work.”

Header image depicts Myanmar army tanks. (Wikimedia Commons)

Myanmar (MNN) — Myanmar’s junta government faces its biggest challenge since taking power in a 2021 coup.

“In late October, three defense groups came together, formed an alliance, and they intend to stretch this military government beyond capacity,” AMG International’s Brian Dennett says.

“They’re calling it the Three Brotherhood Alliance.”

Over a hundred army soldiers accepted payment from the Three Brotherhood Alliance to lay down their arms yesterday. It’s the largest surrender since widespread conflict began two years ago, giving the alliance traction across northern Myanmar.

“They’ve been able to capture several key towns [and] military posts” in the past two weeks, Dennett says.

“It’s the greatest test this government has had, giving a lot of hope that maybe they (the government) could be defeated.”

Armed ethnic groups have been fighting Myanmar’s central government for greater autonomy for decades, displacing more than a million people.

AMG’s national missionaries have provided 237 families with relief packets!
(Photo, caption courtesy of AMG International)

“The people of Myanmar have suffered so much, and the level of anger and frustration at the continued horrors the military has inflicted on its citizens is just unbelievable,” Dennett says.

Relentless violence and desperation open doors for the Gospel. AMG International works alongside local Christians to deliver help and hope in the name of Jesus. More about that here.

“Both pastors and our church network in Myanmar, and our extensive team in Thailand, [have] been working to provide food, health care, relief items, [meeting] urgent needs ever since this coup began in 2021,” Dennett says.

Header image depicts armoured personnel carrier used by Myanmar army. (Wikimedia Commons)

Myanmar (MNN) — Myanmar exists on the constant edge of conflict. Violence is commonplace, as is the fallout that stems from bloodshed. Distrust, lack of resources, and legitimate fears that violence could break out at any moment are all daily realities for the people of Myanmar.

Helen Williams of World Missionary Press recounts the stories and reports of some of her contacts in Myanmar: “We have a ministry that’s an orphanage that is supported by one of our staff members. They’ve been sending reports of the violence and what’s going on.”

Williams says this violence can lead to lack of food, lack of safety, and even continual bombings. Some areas are still littered with landmines that act as lethal reminders of past conflicts.

But the other thing that permeates these areas, especially those racked by constant violence, is the presence of God. Even in the midst of conflict, Williams says her partners are still printing hundreds of thousands of Scripture booklets that they can distribute to victims of violence. The result is a nation that finds courage in God rather than in aggression or fear.

Because these printers and partners are local, they’re able to translate Scripture into many unique languages that World Missionary Press might not be able to reach. One man in particular has been working in Myanmar for over 25 years. In that time, he has established intentional and secure distribution networks that provide Scripture booklets where they’re most needed. And all of these years later, tha network is still growing – so much so that the man’s son has stepped in to help.

You can support the work of Christians in Myanmar and suppliers like World Missionary Press, either financially or through prayer.

“We need to pray for the safety of the believers because they are faithful to continue the work; not just for their safety, but that their work would show God’s hand,” Williams says. “The scriptures are full of those situations where God showed Himself and He does it for His Name’s sake.

“These people, particularly our coordinator, they have been so faithful and so consistent for so many years. Now, they need help, but they also need strong leadership to come alongside them.”

Header photo courtesy of Unsplash.