This blog is about a month late in posting, but it’s taken me that long to figure out exactly what I wanted to say. Myanmar has been my favorite place so far on the race. Before this month, it had been difficult for me to pick a favorite country. I’ve loved different things about each country- the landscapes, the hosts, the cultures, the food- but there had yet to be a country that I fully preferred above all the rest. Then God decided to send us to Myanmar.
My team was placed at Myanmar Mission College with two other teams. The purpose of this college is to teach students (around ages 16-24) about the Bible and how to be missionaries. Their vision is to equip their students to spread the Gospel throughout the villages of Myanmar and wherever else God may call them in the future.
Our ministry at the college consisted of teaching English to the students by using the Bible. We had one person from each team work together to come up with a curriculum and let each team use that as a foundation for how to teach lessons daily. We also had to lead worship and preach at every morning and evening session (twice a day, five days a week).
We taught our classes in a building that is also used for church services, worship, meals, and any large group functions. We lived in one of the houses that usually houses male students; they moved to different places that month to make space for us. A few of the boys even slept in the water shed where we pulled our water from. We used squatty pottys and had bucket showers with tarps for walls, cleaning ourselves with water that was stored in a cement trough. The heat and humidity resulted in an excessive amount of sweat dripping constantly from our bodies, starting from the minute we woke up to the minute we went to sleep. We cooked outside in a pavilion with minimal materials- we learned how to make French toast and pancakes in a wok. It rained so much daily that the campus was always flooded and produced new generations of frogs each day, creating a never ending chorus at night. It was considered a successful night if the power stayed on the entire time, powering the single fans that were in each room.
We didn’t teach with fancy equipment and resources, but used a single whiteboard, our Bibles, our creativity, and our imaginations. The students didn’t have laptops and desks, but had notebooks and benches. Despite all of these things that other people could consider “complaints”, I wouldn’t change a single thing about this campus. Our host has visited America 16 times and apologized to us on behalf of the conditions, but honestly, everything was perfect.
My team bonded so much throughout this month. We looked forward to our daily shower dates in the shower trough, enjoyed being creative with our limited meal options, and completely fell in love with the students. With as much fun as we had together, my favorite part of the month was the relationships we built with the students and with our hosts.
The students at this college have a genuine desire to know the Lord. The Holy Spirit is evident when you look into their eyes. One of the students in particular would spend his break times memorizing scripture. Their eagerness to have a relationship with Christ became palpable in the air throughout our month there. The land itself was claimed in the name of Jesus, and I knew that I was walking on spirit filled holy ground.
It’s difficult to accurately explain what this school means to me, how much I grew to love the students and our hosts. It’s also difficult to paint an accurate picture of what the month truly looked like. Even as I write this, I realize that these words aren’t enough to describe the feelings of joy that I constantly felt just by being on this campus surrounded by the students. This is the first place on the race that genuinely felt like home to me, and it’s something that God has been generous enough to give to me to carry for the last few months on the field.
