Myanmar… in videos and pictures…

I just finished my trip to Myanmar, Cambodia, and then Thailand.  Its good to be back home in Korea.  I’ve already written about Myanmar and Cambodia in previous posts, but now its time for the pictures and short video clips…

This is the Life Garden Children’s Home (orphanage) kids singing “There Is None Like You” in English (their second language… most Burmese can’t speak any English, but the few pastors I met could because they attended seminary in India, Philippines, or Singapore and had to learn in English there).  The home is in Myanmar, about an hour drive outside of Yangon (the long drive partly due to the poor road conditions).  This home is run by a pastor (who is playing the guitar) and his wife and one of their relatives.  They have 25 kids in the home, including three of their own.  They have no outside sponsors and no income, so they live off of the pastor’s income from his few Bible classes and off of small, random donations from churches and even Buddhists.  They are very poor and have gone up to a week without food because of their poverty.  God still provides their needs, but its tough.  The kids all get up at 5am to pray and they study the Bible in the morning and in the evening.  These kids are special; different from most orphans I’ve met.  There was a humility, peace, and spirit of obedience about them.  I gave them candy from Korea and they didn’t fight over it or try and take more, like most kids do.  Its a precious home, I just pray that God release greater provision to them so that they can grow and receive more kids… 

The kids I don’t think had seen a foreigner like me before and weren’t as focused during the first song.  The pastor encouraged the kids to just worship and here is a short clip of the kids singing “All in All.”  Most Burmese (Myanmar people) cannot speak English, but the pastor has done a good job of tutoring these kids.  Looking back, I wish I had asked them to sing a song in Burmese.  I imagine it would have been even more powerful.  Enjoy…

Last of the video clips… this is some footage of downtown Yangon (capital city of Myanmar).  I was taking a taxi to the airport.  The taxi driver had a little Buddha and some other little idol stuff in the beat up cab.  The door panel and part of the flooring had worn off, but I wasn’t able to film that.  You can see some of the architecture, neglect of buildings, and old cars in this clip…

Here is the view from outside my hotel window…

This is the front entrance to a huge Buddhist pagoda that I visited with one of the Myanmar pastors… literally thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of people were there because the day happened to be a special holiday

Farther inside the place here is the famous gold pagoda (the huge thing in the background) and in front are people praying to it.  In the middle of the picture you can see a group of people pouring holy water on a Buddha statue and praying to it.  Some of the people were crying as they were fervently praying to the statue.

Another picture inside the temple… this temple was ridiculously huge; my pictures only give you small glimpse

Here is Life Garden Children’s Home with their pastor in the back

Two of the boys… Burmese people like to put paint on their faces as both makeup and fashion…

The boys room, next to the living room… 15 boys sleep here… these bunks were just recently built

The girls and pastor family’s room which is the 2nd floor to the house

About 13 people sleep here

I also visited a children’s ministry in another small village, here are two of the little ones

Two girls reciting Scripture in Burmese

Kids singing

Most of the kids in the ministry… they are almost all from Buddhist families, but they get permission to attend this ministry because they are able to learn some English and its a safe after school program for them.  All the kids profess to be Christian despite their parents’ Buddhism, but I know their Christian faith is very young and needs to mature.  Cute kids.

Some of the food I ate… this is a noodle dish… a lot of the food in Myanmar has Chinese influence to it… they like soy sauce and saltier food

This is an “original” Burmese dish… small servings of pork, beef, and fish with rice, a small cup of soup, and some random vegetables (sprouts, cucumber, etc.)

The pastors treated me to a feast my last night… to the left is a whole barbequed chicken cut up and to the right is a Chinese stir fry dish (kung pao?).  I ate well. 

The two pastors from Myanmar who I stayed with.  This picture was taken in Thailand at a big missionary conference we attended.  Pastor Khaung Ze is on the left and Pastor Gabrial is on the right. 

God bless!

Cambodia

I was going to upload pics from the Seoul orphange olympics, but those are going to have to wait because xanga somehow lost a bunch that I had uploaded before leaving on my trip.  So instead, here is a short update on my travels.  I’ve been staying in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for a few days and will be flying to Bangkok tomorrow.  I’ve visited a bunch of orphanages all around the country.  I’ll update with pictures and information about the orphanages after I get back to Korea.  First, here is an update on the spiritual state of the country…

I visited Phnom Penh in the summer of 2004 during a study abroad trip.  Hard to believe its only been 4 years.  The country, particularly the city of Phnom Penh, has changed a lot.  Roads are paved.  Gas stations have state-of-the-art mini marts and bright lights.  I see a lot of decent cars on the road (not a ton, but still a lot more than before).  New buildings and restaurants are all over the place and two tall buildings (40stories+) are under construction.  This place has improved like crazy.  And people are open to the Gospel as well.  Churches are growing and outreach opportunities are being met with a lot of success, especially compared to the other Southeast Asian countries.  This country feels like Myanmar in reverse.  I believe this country is finally finding healing from the horrible killing fields/Pol Pot regime from back in the 70′s.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killing_Fields.  Most adults still have nightmares from that time, including the pastor I am living with who heads 7 orphanages.  Studies show that most of the country is still dealing with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), and for good reason.  The testimonies I hear from the people I’ve been meeting are all movie worthy.  Their stories are so sad and heavy, each too long to share in this update.  But the spirit of poverty and the spirit of fear are both lifting.  While child labor and sex trade are still happening, the foreign influence has been working on it.  I see signs everywhere with government phone numbers and warnings against both those things.  The spirit of idolatry in the country is still present (idols and Buddhist temples everywhere), but I sense cracks in Satan’s walls.  I’m excited for what the next decade has in store for this country.  The churches and orphanages are all growing, but money is a big need.  These orphanages are support run, but funds are still tight and there is always the need to expand.  The kids are precious, of course.  Here is the website of the ministry I have been traveling with… http://www.nho.org.kh/.  I can vouch for them, pictures to come.  So while Myanmar is a country that really needs strong prayer against idolatry and poverty before the Gospel can spread, Cambodia, whil still fighting idolatry, really needs prayer for more workers and more funding as God’s kingdom is already beginning to expand here.  Pray also for the workers here to be faithful, trained well, and effective.  Thanks!

God bless!

Myanmar

I’m writing this entry from a small internet cafe in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  I arrived here this evening after spending a few days in Yangon, Myanmar (both are their country’s capital cities).  Despite Slyvester Stallone’s warning to Christian missionaries in the last Rambo movie: “Burma (Myanmar) is a war zone, don’t go there,” I went ahead and took my chances.  I discovered that the people there are very friendly and that the government isn’t that oppressive towards religion.  Rather, the people, particularly those from the Burmese tribe (more than 12 different tribal people in Myanmar), the Buddhists, and the government dislike Western influence and so they try to keep that to a minimum.  I could see very clearly during my short stay that the people of Myanmar are under the grip of spirits of idolatry and poverty.  The people there cling to their Buddhist idols and even after receiving the Good News will return to their life of idolatry.  I was disappointed to visit a Children’s ministry in a Buddhist neighborhood where even in the hut that they hold children’s church there was a Buddhist idol next to a picture of Jesus.  Sad stuff.  In that small hut, half the size of my small apartment in my orphanage, live 20 people.  Some are stronger Christian then the others, and I think the weaker ones refuse to do away with their idols.  The people are also under the grips of a spirit of poverty that causes the people to be resistant to change and not believe they can do better (become educated, earn money, improve society, or even receive big answers to prayer from God).  I’ll post a short video clip of some of the buildings in Myanmar that were once beautiful but now are run down due to neglect.  Even the cars are all from the 1980′s.  The pastors I visited told me that in 1970 the city Yangon was the most advanced of the Southeast Asian cities.  I believe it.  It was beautiful, but now its run down.  The country needs Jesus bad, but because of the grip of the Enemy and also because of prejudices among the tribal peoples (most Christians in the country are from poorer tribes from the north), the Gospel is not moving.  I sensed in my spirit that the pastors in Myanmar shouldn’t be discouraged, but more than anything need to focus on prayer and wait for the power of the Holy Spirit to fall and break the grips the Enemy has on the nation.  I will post pictures and short video clips later after my trip, including of a small blessed orphanage I was able to visit where the kids and their director have no support and are truly living on faith.  You’ll be blessed by the video clip of the kids worshipping God. 

These next few days I’ll be visiting different orphanages throughout Cambodia.  Next Monday I’ll be flying to Bangkok for a conference until the 24th when I return to Korea.  It amazes me how God blesses me with opportunities like this.  I’m learning and God is continuing to grow the vision He has given me.  So far my health has been good amidst all the travel; that is a big praise.  Tomorrow I leave at 6:30am to visit orphanages 5 hours outside the city.  Should be interesting.  God bless!

Basketball pics!  As I wrote about in my last entry, Seoul recently had their annual children’s homes 3 on 3 basketball tournament.  I coached my boys and we won the first game but then lost the second.  You can read about it in the previous entry.  Enjoy the pics!

Giving my kids a pep talk before their game while kids from other homes warm up

The customary bow and handshake before the game

Jump ball… jump Dae Chul, jump!

Action shot… my kids are in the yellow…

Another action shot

Watching from the sideline with Sang Hoon and Do Hyun

Tense action… as seen by dorm father Dong Min

Encouraging Eun Ho at halftime

Trying to coach the kids using my limited Korean and a lot of hand motions… I think they understood about 40%

Dae Chul at the free throw line… he made this

Another action shot

Group shot at the end… left to the right: Dae Chul, Dong Min dorm father, Myung Mook, me, Sang Hoon, Eun Ho, and Do Hyun

Another pic of the boys… my friend Roy is in this picture, he volunteers at another home and came out to both support my kids and also his kids who were playing in other tournaments (girls kickball and girls basketball)… Roy took all the above pictures for me… thanks Roy!  Oh, and in this pic you can see the real height of my boys.  Yes, we had a height disadvantage, but its all good, we at least had a speed advantage.  =)

Bonus pics… here is Hae Hyun with a gift from a prayer supporter… her hair is finally starting to grow back out after her long bout with liver cancer.  We hope she will return to school by the end of October

Soo Jin with a gift from a prayer supporter

God bless!

3 on 3 Basketball…

All the past month I have been coaching some of our boys at basketball and preparing them for the Seoul Orphanage 3 on 3 tournament which was held last Friday.  In the history of my home none of their basketball teams have ever won a single game.  Of the boys interested in playing, only one kid was taller than 5’3.  That is no misprint.  The kids here are almost all short for their age.  Its pretty shocking when you see them with kids from their school.  I’ve heard about how a lack of good love can stunt your growth and I’m sad to see this at my home.  Despite the height issue and their total lack of confidence, I drilled them nightly from 9:30pm to 11pm, sometimes later.  First thing was the lay up.  None of them could make it.  Next came the basics of passing, shooting, rebounding, and setting screens.  Despite all the practices, the only things they really got down were the lay-ups and rebounding.  They just need more practice.  And confidence.

When we arrived at the tournament my boys took one look at the other taller boys there and their eyes got big and they said, “We can’t win.  Lets just go home.”  This is how it is with most things with my kids.  Quick to give up.  I kept encouraging them though and they went into the first game prepared to lose, but at least willing to give it a shot.  They played timidly early on, but thankfully the other team was also lacking in confidence and wasn’t as good, so we gradually built a lead.  We won the game 32-24.  =)  First win ever for my home!  I think the boys were surprised when it ended and I could tell, although they were tired, they were happy. 

Sadly, the next team up for us in the tournament was the best team by far, completely stacked.  I could tell this team practices year round, while our boys were just beginners.  Our boys went into this game with a little more confidence, but their lack of practice compared to the other team showed and we quickly fell far behind.  Then something clicked in our one tall boy (whom the other boys refer to as, “Our Ace”) and he began driving to the hoop and doing the lay-ups that I had taught him to do over and over.  So despite the other team being vastly better, we were getting points on the board.  I could tell the kids had a newfound confidence.  That was my hope all along.  These kids always think they’re going to lose so they will play that way.  But towards the end of that 2nd game, I saw my kids really trying and believing in themselves.  We still lost, but I was proud of them. 

I’m hoping to start a basketball “club” here at my home and have practices once a week.  Hopefully we’ll build on this year and get to the finals next year.  God bless!

Orphanage Soccer Tournament!

My boys won it all last year for the first time in my orphanage’s history.  This year, after losing our top 5 players to graduation and injury, we were a bit “green” (lots of junior high kids and even a couple elementary boys playing).  Our boys were well practiced though and confident, so we won the first game against a team of all high school boys.  We lost our second match though to a bigger and stronger team, thus dropping out of the tournament.  I enjoyed cheering on the boys and spending time with them between games.  Enjoy the pics…

Pastor Chae praying for the boys before they left in the morning…

The boys warming up… the tournament was held at the same place we held our orphanage ministry soccer tournament… makes me wonder if it was because of our camp that the organizers chose these fields…

Our coach trying to fire up the kids

The boys doing the customary shaking of hands with the opposing team before the game

Our boys then huddled up and some of the older boys tried to fire them up

Dae Chul throwing it in

Jong Hyun

Eun Ho making a pass that would lead to a one timer goal (pass and immediate shot from the receiver)

Celebration

The bench players =)

With Soo Hwan and his girlfriend… Soo Hwan graduated and moved out last year, but he came to cheer on the boys

The boys eating “choco pies” as their nutritional snack in between matches

Sang Hoon goofing around with Eun Ho

Now Go Hyun (another former boy) goofing around with Eun Ho

Some of the older boys laid out, waiting for the next match

During the second match, Sung Hyun took a penalty kick and he hit one of the opposing players right in the rear end… if you look closely (sorry so hard to see), you can see the ball about to leave a big bruise on the guy’s buttocks… the ball is above the boy crouched down on the left…

A team shot afterwards… a couple dorm mothers came as well

God bless!

Angels Singing…

Go ahead and hit play on the music box just above (Jason Upton – Fly).  The track is a live recording from one of Jason Upton’s concerts.  Here is Jason Upton’s explanation of what happened that night…

“There is no explanation for the last song, Fly, except that during the “do you see what I see” portion you will hear a soaring voice over the top of the other voices (begins gradually around 5:45). At first we thought it was an ambient microphone picking up an overtone. During mixing all of the channels were searched and we found that this ‘boys choir’ type voice was not on any of the other microphones, but was bleeding through my own microphone (which would make it impossible for it to be an overtone because it was not present on any of the other microphones).

If you listen carefully you will hear it again later in this section; it’s not quite as clear because, unfortunately, my voice is prominent on that microphone.

Interestingly, a boy came up to me that night and told me that he saw an angel standing about fifteen feet behind me.and another one behind our drummer. At the time I doubted that; but after hearing the ‘voice’ alone during the mixing process with no other instruments around it, I do not doubt it anymore. It was very humbling and convicting for me to realize that I had not believed the boy.

I sometimes wrestle with why I so often disbelieve the supernatural (why would I first think it was something natural like an overtone, instead of believing it was an angel). The Bible tells us that we should not be surprised by angelic visitations; but I must admit, I was surprised!”

Another testimony of the song can be found here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JAMKh4pSF4

The lyrics to the song can be found here:  http://www.ourfaithwalk.org/fly2.html.

God bless!