First, Rice; Then, Discipleship
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20
Water buffalo stand shin-deep in muddy waters steadily ploughing the rice paddies. Driven by farmers in the field, these tamed beasts work hard to produce the country’s staple diet and chief export. Poverty is rife in this country in Asia*, and the need is so great that it’s pushed it into a human rights emergency.
To add insult to injury, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year recently submerged banana and sugar plantations, plunging the country further into a food crisis. Poverty is one of the significant hurdles to sharing the Gospel in this country and no one knows this better than Maung*, a church planter and Haggai leader in a large city there.
When Maung attended the Haggai Leader Experience five years ago, he had already been immersed in successful ministry for many years. But at the HLE, he realized two things: 1.) His family was not spiritually equipped to do ministry alongside each other, and ministry often came first, and 2.) Although he had cultural access, he’d been missing the tools for effective witness.
When Maung returned home, he set goals to change these. First, he focused on his family’s spiritual health. Today, small groups and churches headquarter in his home and his family serves the needy together. Once his family’s health was established, Maung set God-sized goals to start meeting the desperate needs around him while sharing the restoration of the Gospel, since he says “many people cannot give their time to listen to the Gospel as they work every day for daily food.”
Knowing the importance of holistic witness, Maung has joined with other Haggai leaders and Christians on the ground to distribute rice and other essential resources to those in need. Because people see Maung’s leadership first in love and care, they are drawn to the Love that drives him, the hope of Jesus.
“By God’s grace, we have brought 100+ people to our local church and are now teaching and equipping them to become true disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. People are coming to the love of God when they see how much we love them and care for them.”
There are many challenges in ministry, but a significant obstacle to sharing the Gospel in Maung’s community is religious misunderstanding as most of the population is Buddhist. “There is a lot of mistrust when it comes to Christianity,” Maung says, “but God is working in and with us for His glory. We approach those of other religions by [first] helping them with their needs. We love them and want them to know the love and salvation of Jesus Christ.”
And the people in Maung’s sphere of influence are responding to this genuine love — many are choosing Christ and being baptized each month. In just a few years, more than 400 have received discipleship training as pastors and church leaders, committed to multiplying their impact across their beloved country.
Maung’s decision to press on through obstacles, fighting for spiritual health and restoration for his people, is scaling. His country is gaining hope as the Kingdom of Heaven comes in, yet they need prayer amidst the shadow of the food crisis. Please pray for Maung, his family, and those in need around them.
Written by Carolyn Grant
*Name changed and country name hidden for security.
First, Rice; Then, Discipleship
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20
Water buffalo stand shin-deep in muddy waters steadily ploughing the rice paddies. Driven by farmers in the field, these tamed beasts work hard to produce the country’s staple diet and chief export. Poverty is rife in this country in Asia*, and the need is so great that it’s pushed it into a human rights emergency.
To add insult to injury, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year recently submerged banana and sugar plantations, plunging the country further into a food crisis. Poverty is one of the significant hurdles to sharing the Gospel in this country and no one knows this better than Maung*, a church planter and Haggai leader in a large city there.
When Maung attended the Haggai Leader Experience five years ago, he had already been immersed in successful ministry for many years. But at the HLE, he realized two things: 1.) His family was not spiritually equipped to do ministry alongside each other, and ministry often came first, and 2.) Although he had cultural access, he’d been missing the tools for effective witness.
When Maung returned home, he set goals to change these. First, he focused on his family’s spiritual health. Today, small groups and churches headquarter in his home and his family serves the needy together. Once his family’s health was established, Maung set God-sized goals to start meeting the desperate needs around him while sharing the restoration of the Gospel, since he says “many people cannot give their time to listen to the Gospel as they work every day for daily food.”
Knowing the importance of holistic witness, Maung has joined with other Haggai leaders and Christians on the ground to distribute rice and other essential resources to those in need. Because people see Maung’s leadership first in love and care, they are drawn to the Love that drives him, the hope of Jesus.
“By God’s grace, we have brought 100+ people to our local church and are now teaching and equipping them to become true disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. People are coming to the love of God when they see how much we love them and care for them.”
There are many challenges in ministry, but a significant obstacle to sharing the Gospel in Maung’s community is religious misunderstanding as most of the population is Buddhist. “There is a lot of mistrust when it comes to Christianity,” Maung says, “but God is working in and with us for His glory. We approach those of other religions by [first] helping them with their needs. We love them and want them to know the love and salvation of Jesus Christ.”
And the people in Maung’s sphere of influence are responding to this genuine love — many are choosing Christ and being baptized each month. In just a few years, more than 400 have received discipleship training as pastors and church leaders, committed to multiplying their impact across their beloved country.
Maung’s decision to press on through obstacles, fighting for spiritual health and restoration for his people, is scaling. His country is gaining hope as the Kingdom of Heaven comes in, yet they need prayer amidst the shadow of the food crisis. Please pray for Maung, his family, and those in need around them.
Written by Carolyn Grant
*Name changed and country name hidden for security.
First, Rice; Then, Discipleship
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Luke 6:20
Water buffalo stand shin-deep in muddy waters steadily ploughing the rice paddies. Driven by farmers in the field, these tamed beasts work hard to produce the country’s staple diet and chief export. Poverty is rife in this country in Asia*, and the need is so great that it’s pushed it into a human rights emergency.
To add insult to injury, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year recently submerged banana and sugar plantations, plunging the country further into a food crisis. Poverty is one of the significant hurdles to sharing the Gospel in this country and no one knows this better than Maung*, a church planter and Haggai leader in a large city there.
When Maung attended the Haggai Leader Experience five years ago, he had already been immersed in successful ministry for many years. But at the HLE, he realized two things: 1.) His family was not spiritually equipped to do ministry alongside each other, and ministry often came first, and 2.) Although he had cultural access, he’d been missing the tools for effective witness.
When Maung returned home, he set goals to change these. First, he focused on his family’s spiritual health. Today, small groups and churches headquarter in his home and his family serves the needy together. Once his family’s health was established, Maung set God-sized goals to start meeting the desperate needs around him while sharing the restoration of the Gospel, since he says “many people cannot give their time to listen to the Gospel as they work every day for daily food.”
Knowing the importance of holistic witness, Maung has joined with other Haggai leaders and Christians on the ground to distribute rice and other essential resources to those in need. Because people see Maung’s leadership first in love and care, they are drawn to the Love that drives him, the hope of Jesus.
“By God’s grace, we have brought 100+ people to our local church and are now teaching and equipping them to become true disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. People are coming to the love of God when they see how much we love them and care for them.”
There are many challenges in ministry, but a significant obstacle to sharing the Gospel in Maung’s community is religious misunderstanding as most of the population is Buddhist. “There is a lot of mistrust when it comes to Christianity,” Maung says, “but God is working in and with us for His glory. We approach those of other religions by [first] helping them with their needs. We love them and want them to know the love and salvation of Jesus Christ.”
And the people in Maung’s sphere of influence are responding to this genuine love — many are choosing Christ and being baptized each month. In just a few years, more than 400 have received discipleship training as pastors and church leaders, committed to multiplying their impact across their beloved country.
Maung’s decision to press on through obstacles, fighting for spiritual health and restoration for his people, is scaling. His country is gaining hope as the Kingdom of Heaven comes in, yet they need prayer amidst the shadow of the food crisis. Please pray for Maung, his family, and those in need around them.
Written by Carolyn Grant
*Name changed and country name hidden for security.
