[“SHARE” APR – JUN 2018 ] JOIN HANDS JOIN HEARTS
Amongst the children ministries of CEDAR and its partners, post-war children ministry in Myanmar must be the most well-known one. You may ask, “Why do we still support this particular children ministry after two decades?” The answer is simple: Because it is worth it. We saw how God worked amazingly on these children, and we hope that they will become ambassadors for reconciliation.
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies.”(Luke 6:27a) This verse can well describe our Burmese partner, Full Moon. Some thought they are just a children’s home, taking care of children separated from families due to internal conflicts, but Full Moon’s core ministry is to repair relationships and heal wounds. The children’s home uses the Bible as their principle of teaching children. Apart from school work, children worship God and study the Bible every day, so that they would know God and experience His love during their childhood. If you have ever seen their pure cry in prayer and zealous joy in worship, you will realise God’s powerful love can heal every wounded heart.
Our partner understands that hatred could only leads one to live in fury and even causes recurrence of war, hampering a community and country’s development. Therefore, they
encourage the children to love their neighbours and enemies, hoping that these children, after being healed and redeemed by God, can forgive those perpetrators and give back to their communities once affected by wars when they grow up. Today, we witness many of our children have grown to be teachers, social workers, and healthcare workers. Some gave up their urban lives and started all over again in rural areas to serve their communities, including those who had participated in conflicts. With scarce resources, they loyally contribute what they have and love their enemies based on their faith in God. For those who chose to stay in cities, they taught their families to open their home for youths from mountain villages by taking care of them as part of the family, so that they can stay and study in the cities. This is a living testimony of loving their neighbours.
We are thankful for our Burmese partner who had sowed seeds of love and forgiveness in these children’s hearts, such that reconciliation can be spread to their communities through them. Their lives resemble the lyrics in a Cantonese praise song, “Ordinary People”（普通的人）, in a way of demonstrating “contributing all I have” and “sufficiency despite scarcity” through their lives. May different ethnicities in Myanmar experience reconciliation, for love can drive out hatred.