A Friend in Need
Len Len’s Ministry in the North of Myanmar
The civil war has been devastating for Len Len and changed everything about everyday life for him. In April 2022, Len Len moved to Kalay, in the North of Myanmar, and started a music ministry. He used this ministry not only to teach students music, but also to disciple and develop them for service in the church. (To read more about this ministry see Spearhead 2022 Issue 2)
But now many people in the regions around Kalay are fleeing violence and Len Len has taken in refugees, sheltering 22 people in his home. Going out to the shops is perilous, supplies are unreliable, and police have taken Len Len in for interrogation. However, even under immense pressure and personal trauma he continues to use every opportunity to tell the gospel including during a recent mission trip where he counselled over 80 people.
LEN LEN
Life in Myanmar is very challenging. There are lots of shootings, we hear explosions, bombings, a lot of people have died and at times we have had no food. Whenever we go somewhere, we go out with fear as we face guarded checkpoints every day and can only sigh when we get back home. But even there they can come and check the house. They look at our phones, photos, communication, and social media. Psalm 121 is more alive for me, “The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.”
The word of God is more alive in my personal life than ever before. There are lots of verses that speak to me every day. James 1:2-3 said, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of faith produces patience.” We are facing lots of trials, and all the challenges and difficult situations encourage us to remember how great is our God in every circumstance and we can have contentment because of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though we cannot run the music ministry well, I still believe that God has a purpose and plan for us. God’s plan is the best. We have to fully trust in Him that He will fulfill what He has prepared for us.
SINCE THE MILITARY SEIZED POWER ON 1 FEBRUARY 2021*
* Source: news.un.org
3.3 million+ displaced
5,350 civilians killed
30 years of ministry
1000 children received Jesus as their Saviour
50 past students in full time ministry
100 university graduates
Niang Naing
When I was a child there were many children from my neighbourhood who could not afford to go to school, and they could not even read or write. My parents always struggled to pay school fees for us. From that time on, my siblings and I dreamed of supporting those in need of schooling.
I got to know the Lord and received Jesus Christ as my Saviour through my brother Lian, who brought our family to God. When Lian started the Children’s Ministry in 1998, I was a nurse in the government service. God had touched my heart and I deeply wanted to serve Him. I quit my job and studied a Master of Divinity with my brother Kot for three years and then we started helping the ministry run by Lian. Kot and I were blessed that we had the opportunity to go to Australia to learn more about God. I was in Australia for three years and then returned to Myanmar. Since then, I have continued to serve the Lord. I am so happy to be a part of the hostel in Yangon.
About 1000 children have come to know the Lord and received Him as their Saviour over the past 30 years. There are 50 past students who are serving the Lord full time in their mission fields.
NIANG NAING
100 university students have graduated from the hostel. The Lord has blessed us to extend two more ministries, the Living Water Farming Ministry in the nearby city led by Kot and the Keystone Music and Education Centre in Kalay, 800km north, led by Len Len.
Over the years of serving the Lord, we lost three boys and a girl who were teenagers, but God helped us to overcome our sorrows and keep going. Our country is at war, it is not safe, we live in fear, but we are still serving the Lord in all circumstances. God has been so good to us, and He is helping us to be strong in this hardship. We will never give up till we die.
We are able to serve the Lord because those who love God from Australia have continuously prayed for us and supported us financially. Because of you, this Ministry is still going. I thank God for you, and we are so grateful to you all. I always admire you for your love for God and His people. I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I always remember you in my prayers. May God bless you all.
A Little Background
After studying with GLO in 1995, Zam Than Lian returned to Yangon in Myanmar, and opened a Hostel for young students, giving them a home and developing them as disciples. Others trained with GLO and returned to serve in the hostel; Kot, Naing, Khai Khai, Hazel, and Len Len all came between 2000 and 2015. Now, nearly 30 years on and hundreds of students later. The hostel has 30 students, cared for by Kot, his wife Dim San, Naing, Nu Nu, Hazel, Cing Cing, and Lun.
Kot oversees a farm that supports the ministry with produce. On it they are raising cows, pigs, and chickens and are also growing rice.
The team lead daily devotions, run a weekly English Bible Study, a youth service, prayer meeting, and Sunday Church Service.
One of the students, now at Bible College leads devotion for boys, while Naing leads the girl’s devotion. Dim San goes to the market for the Hostel every day and Nu Nu and Hazel take turns running the English study. Cing Cing, Hazel, and Naing take Sunday School classes. Kot transports the students to and from school each day. Lun focuses on prayer. Naing says, “our time and [daily routine] is fixed every day.”
The team is now facing many trials. Myanmar has been in a civil war since a coup in 2021. Government military deploys brutal violence to crush dissent but resistance from rebel forces is growing. The economy is in crisis, and public services have collapsed. The people fear for their children as the government has introduced forced conscription of young men and women into the army, compelling them to fight their own people. Other natural disasters add to the strain with flooding causing major problems.
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, around 2.9 million people were displaced in Myanmar at the end of 2023.
Can you help A Friend in Need?
GLO is working with disciple-makers in Myanmar, Central Asia, India, Indonesia & Northeast Asia.
There are many needs and opportunities to show Christ’s love with financial support.
Can you help us help a friend in need?