Family refuses to support young Christian in Myanmar

Please pray for Ying,
a young woman who chose
her faith over her family.

A young Christian in Myanmar was forced to choose between faith and family recently when her relatives demanded that she recant her faith, reports VOM-USA.

On September 19, Ying, 21, was preparing to leave for classes at an underground seminary when her relatives locked her in the house. They threatened to disown her, beat her and withdraw support — including food — if she continued to attend seminary or church. In addition, they threatened to send her to a remote village with no known Christians if she did not recant her faith. Instead of giving in to their demands, Ying ran away from home and left her family behind.

Ying’s mother died when Ying was young, and her father left her with an aunt and two stepsisters. Although she grew up and lived in a Buddhist family, Ying became interested in Christianity. When she was 20 years old, she overheard an evangelist telling a neighbouring family about Christ. Ying approached the evangelist and asked him questions about Christianity. At 20 years old, she became a Christian.

Ying began to attend seminary immediately after her conversion. Since leaving her family last month, she has had no means of support. VOM-USA is now helping pay Ying’s seminary fees and living expenses. After she completes seminary, Ying hopes to serve as a missionary to people who have never heard about Christ.

Christians fear civilian casualties in Burma

Burmese Christian minorities suffer
greatly at the hands of the military.

Civilians in two ethnic minority states with large Christian populations fear their lives will be in danger as skirmishes between rebels and a Burmese junta bent on instilling Buddhist nationalism threaten to escalate into war.

“It is likely that the military junta will carry out a military offensive against ethnic armed groups now that the elections are over,” Nang Mya Naddy, ethnic program coordinator of the Democratic Voice of Burma radio program, told Compass Direct News.

Christians fear that full-scale civil war in Burma (also known as Myanmar) could result in either ethnic cleansing or total subjugation of minorities. Persecution of Christians in Burma is part of a wider campaign against ethnic minority tribes to create a uniform society in which the only accepted religion is Buddhism.

Pray for intervention that will bring justice. Pray also for repentance of those who use their power in wicked ways. Burma is a deeply fractured nation on a political, ecclesiological and especially ethnic level. Pray for seemingly impossible ethnic harmony, effective federalism and peace. There are many causes of division among Burmese Christians—ethnic, political, passivism/military activism and doctrinal. Pray for spiritual unity.

You can read the full report here.