This month in Myanmar, my team and I have had the blessing to partner with Henry Ling, a pastor, father, and the founder of Myanmar Bible College. He is an incredible man of God with the most inspiring testimony, too amazing not to share.
Henry grew up in a small, rural village in the mountains of Northern Myanmar. Like many remote villages in Myanmar, there are no roads going there so it takes three days to travel to by foot. When residents need to go to the nearest Township for medical care or basic resources not found on the land, they must leave at 6 AM and walk for 10 hours, stopping to set up camp for the night around 4 PM, and then do this again over the next two days. As you may guess, these people don’t leave often so many suffer due to the remote nature of their village.
When Henry was two years old, both of his parents passed away from an unknown illness. Because of this, he knows very little about his younger life including what year he was born in. He has asked neighbors in his hometown village but guesses ranged from 1971 to 1975, and no one knew for sure. To this day, Henry has no clear memories of his parents. He has also asked neighbors if anyone had any photos of his parents, but sadly no one did. The only thing they told Henry was that he is handsome just like his father was and he cherishes that sentiment deeply.
After his parents passing, Henry moved in with his uncle. He desired going to school to learn but instead he was responsible of taking care of his uncle’s seven children, one of which was a baby. Because of this, Henry was often sad and felt alone. He wasn’t like other kids his age and no one wanted to be his friend. One day, a local teacher noticed that Henry wasn’t attending school and asked him why. Henry explained his situation and the teacher offered that he could bring the child with him.
Henry loved learning with the other students, but he couldn’t afford any school supplies. One day, he asked a classmate if he could have their one-inch pencil that they were finished with. The boy replied that if Henry helped him dig holes all day, he would give him the pencil. So Henry did! Once he earned the pencil, it was too short to write with so he had to find some string and tie it to a bamboo stick to write with it ON HIS STONE TABLET. Yes, Henry took notes on a stone tablet. In the twentieth century! What’s even crazier is that Henry recalls the moment as “wonderful… it was my very first pencil.”
When Henry was a teenager, a Christian missionary came to his village and preached the message of John 3:16, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Henry had never heard of Jesus before and was amazed that someone could love him so incredibly much. After spending some time with the missionary and asking him questions, Henry accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. He says that hearing about Jesus gave him hope for the first time in his life and changed everything he thought about his future.
Henry expressed that most people who grow up in the rural villages of Myanmar don’t often get the opportunity to leave. And because of Henry’s childhood circumstances growing up an orphan, having to look after his uncle’s family, and not getting adequate schooling, no one thought he would ever leave. But against all odds, Henry graduated from high school in 1994. He wanted to attend a Bible College, but he had to work for three years in the Kachin State before he could afford it. After saving up enough money, Henry moved to Yangon, attended Bible College, and graduated in 2002. That same year, Henry married his wife Rubia and together they began their ministry and opened Fellowship Bible Church.
Over the past 15 years, Henry has continued leading his church and has also opened a preschool, began Myanmar Bible College, trained and sent out 10 church-planters across Myanmar, and opened 5 orphanage homes. In addition, he achieved his Master’s Degree in Theology in 2012. Currently, he homes 156 orphans, 40 of which live in the orphanage at his home alongside his 6 children. His vision is to raise up warriors for the Kingdom to spread the gospel throughout Myanmar.
Henry lives out the gospel to help other orphans experience the same hope and love he found in Christ Jesus. He exhibits the characteristics and actions of Jesus as he takes in the orphans, educates students to send out as missionaries and church-planters, and disciples people how to live out their lives for Christ. Henry’s story is such a testament to the hope and provision of Jesus Christ. God took Henry as an orphan lost in sadness and redeemed him to life through the power of God’s everlasting love. It inspires me to truly think about what it means to live out the gospel for Christ, and I hope it can for you too.
Please join me in prayer for the endurance of this ministry—for the support of the 156 orphans, the many church-planters around Myanmar, and the students at the Bible College. As the college expands, it hopes to purchase its own campus buildings, so please pray for the Lord’s provision in that. If you feel led to reach out to Henry for encouragement or to donate to his ministry, please email me and I can forward you his contact information.
Love,
Shannon, Brittney & the Top Knot Globe Trots
