Show Them Christ

My-an-mar. There’s something about that place that makes my heart start beating its Asian syllables like a drum. I hear the name and instantly sights and sounds fill my memory: color maneuvering its way in and out of alluring markets, sticky-hot shade, the lilting cadence of the language, dusty feet, crazy streets, bronze skin swept with Thanaka.Four years ago I doubt I even knew it was a place on the map. India? I could point it out. Thailand? Yes, I knew where that was. China? For sure! But what was that country sandwiched between them? And yet, it was to that unknown country God would send me a year later, unexpectedly and quite unprepared for what He had in store.So, color and spices and culture aside, what is this place? This once-Burma? Who lives there and what is their story? Burma has a long history of wild beauty and danger. It was once the kingdom of rich Eastern kings, sought after for trade with the developing western world. They were known for cruelty to outsiders, which caused a shroud of fear and mystery to cover the country for years. The people lived mainly in tribes and worshiped pagan animist gods or idols in Buddhist pagodas. This was the Burma that Adoniram Judson, missionary to Burma, stepped into in 1812. Judson worked tirelessly and finished the first translation of the Bible into Burmese. He died before he got to see the incredible impact of his influence through the ages.Many things have changed since Judson’s time, but a surprising amount remains untouched. The Judson version is still the only Burmese translation of the Bible available. Although there are pockets of strong Christian influence in the country, the vast majority of the population is still chained to spirit worship and Buddhism. Every morning the monks file through the streets begging for rice. Every day people who live in bamboo huts lay sacrifices of flowers and fruit before idols that reside in pagodas lathered in gold. Myanmar is still shrouded by fear and mystery, having been closed to the outside world since World War II and only recently opening its borders again. For 50 years the military dominated the country and changed its name from Burma to Myanmar out of a desire to form a new identity. Myanmar is still seeking a new identity. What does Myanmar look like today? It is a colorful landscape of tribal peoples, each with a language of its own, each operating as a distinct culture within a culture. It is farmland and rice patties as far as the eye can see. It is jungle. It is ancient heritage slowly being infiltrated and commercialized for tourism. It is kind, curious people with an eagerness to learn. And it is a place of struggle. Struggle for independence. Struggle against addictions. Struggle for identity.I am not going to Myanmar this year. It is breaking my heart. When I step off the plane into that far away land, I have a strange sensation of coming home. The people we work with there are some of the strongest Christian examples God has blessed me with the chance to know. If you have any inkling of a desire to go to this place, I implore you to do it. Teach the children. Show them how to find their identity in CHRIST. And while you are there, would you deliver some hugs for me? Atalie Bale is a former GE staff member and continues to serve by heading up our special media projects. She has traveled with GE to Ecuador and is a frequent flyer to Myanmar. We are excited to have her leading the Lumerit Unbound Ecuador team this spring. Anyone who knows Atalie is blessed by her infections joy and servants heart.