Illegal

I was told just before speaking in front of a house church that foreigners are definitely not allowed to preach in Burma. "A big no no," my friend said with a smile. I smiled back; what a great motivator to say what needs said. I got up and spoke, pausing after every sentence so the translator could catch them up.

What do you say to a gathering like that? I wanted to have them leave feeling some new courage, to know that outside their country the church knows about them. I wanted to remind them that God exists and, despite the darkness around them, he is good. I wanted to help them tighten their grip on what is true because we know how the story ends. (And keep all that simple.)

Thats alot of goals to try and meet. God knows to what effect it was conveyed. Maybe they just saw a white face where they had never seen one and somehow knew that the outside world was involved with them. That is enough of a reason.

I got one of the best backward compliments I've ever gotten. The house pastor told me that a Buddhist "elder" had heard it, and afterwards went up to the pastor and said, "You need to be more patient. I understand now that you need to be more like Jesus." Ha.

We went out to the countryside and to another house church where we took communion. There was one little girl, about 8 or 9, who sang along with an adult. She had the most extraordinary voice I've ever heard from a child. Completely natural. Afterwards I think they thought I was important because I was white. I enjoyed changing their mind by sitting on the wood floor with the kids and making faces and weired noises with them. No thing breaks down barriers like a giggling toddler.