the Missions Banner

Presbyterian Missionary Union

& Venture Guild International

1650 Love Road, Grand Island, New York 14072 u Phone: 716-775-0442 u Fax : 716-775-3405
Email: [email protected] u Web: www.presbyterianmissions.org

MARCH 2007, #216 u “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples!” Psalm 96:3

Reflections from the Golden Land News to Know

It’s always a thrill to watch God I had with our church family on this trip
work, sometimes slowly and almost im- This made it possible for me to preach in Pine Itinerary Changes
perceptibly– and sometimes the pace is all our ministries that a foreigner is allowed Just a few changes since
staggering. The fledgling BP mission in to visit. There was also time with local last month’s issue!
Burma (Myanmar) is definitely of the leadership, dealing with issues that were of • March 19-31, La Paz
latter ilk. What we had hoped to be one concern to them. The Lord also allowed me Bolivia.
church plant, which over the years would to baptize the children of one of our work- • April 9-16, Clearwater
reach out, is already four. This along ers (Pa Zar) and some of the first believers Christian College Mis-
with the preschool, orphanage, and evan- among the Intha. The children in our or- sion Conference and
gelistic outreaches is incredibly well or- phanage and preschool were a delight to services at Florida
visit. (When we Presbytery churches.
speak of orphans
• April 20-23, New York
in Myanmar, it City, NY Gospel Mis-
has a different sion. Preaching and
meaning than it introducing the work
sometimes does of PMU and the BPC
here in the states. to an independent Re-
The parents of formed work.
these orphans
may be alive, Zephyrhills BPC Closed
they may even For a variety of reasons,
on occasion visit the Zephyrhills, FL, church
and contribute to plant has decided to close,
their welfare. in agreement with the Flor-
However, life in ida Presbytery. The Team
Myanmar is so Timothy outreach planned
difficult, that it is for there has been can-
ganized by Pastor Kima (a member of often impossible for a family to feed all celled. We are sorry to see
the Great Lakes Presbytery) and those their children. One woman, whose husband this development, but trust
who have come along side of him in this left her had no earthly way to earn enough the Lord to continue to
ministry. National believers are taking to feed her children. The orphanage minis- build His church in many
the gospel where no foreigner can go and try not only saves lives, but also is being other places in the US and
the Lord is using their ministry. used of God to bring a soul saving message around the world. Pray for
to children and their families.) And it was Rev. Brinegar as he and his
The leadership (full time workers family seek the Lord’s will
and potential officers) from all these encouraging to have the time to work with
for their future ministry in
works converged on Yangon for the the local leadership to plan for expansion,
the coming months.
Myanmar Conference on Reformed The- growth and the training of a future genera-
ology. Building on the groundwork laid tion of leadership for what we earnestly
Baldwin Ordination
by Dr. Pine, the conference focused on hope will be the Bible Presbyterian Church Photos of Rev. Mark Bald-
Presbyterian Church Government and of Myanmar. In fact, WRS has agreed to win’s February 9th ordina-
discipline. Basic principles of disciple- partner with us for that very purpose tion at Grace BPC in Cin-
ship and church life have not been taught As the congregations sing Christ for cinnati, Ohio, are now
in Myanmar, and this material was re- Myanmar, I can’t help but thank God for available on his web site,
ceived eagerly by students and visiting the opportunity to work with such a joyful, baldwin.gracebpc.org.
pastors who saw its practical value. committed body of believers, whose faith Mark leaves for Cambodia
There was also time to devote a day to the Lord is blessing on March 12! Please keep
teaching principles of conflict resolution. him in prayer as he goes to
Min gala ba. (“Greetings,” or that needy land to lead
I was thankful for the extended time “blessings to you”) – Dr. Kevin Backus souls to Jesus.

Presbyterian Missionary Union is a non-profit missions agency associated with the Bible Presbyterian Church. Our purpose is to
advance the cause of missions that are biblically based and practiced and to stand against any compromise of the saving gospel of
Jesus Christ. PMU is directed by a Council of Christian leaders who volunteer their time to guide the ministry. To learn more about
missions opportunities through PMU, or about the BPC, please contact us. The Missions Banner is published ten times a year for
interested individuals and churches. It seeks to promote the clear stand of the BPC by providing a biblical perspective on issues,
fads, and theories in missions and church development. Editor: Len Pine. Publisher: James S. Blizzard
Spring Festival Opportunities Miriam at the School
During Spring Festival, we have taken the opportunity to have some short
seminars on subjects such as “how to study the Bible.” Many people have jobs
that don’t allow them to go home during this time, and they had a few days off
and not much to do. We very much enjoyed this time, and hope it was a blessing
to the ladies who came. This week we begin regular studies again—suspended
during the holiday for those who DID go home—and so from Wednesday after-
noon till Sunday afternoon I’ll be quite busy.
Please remember these different ladies: two are older and have been Family
for some time. Please remember them that they will be encouraged and be able
to encourage others. Some are younger ladies who have been Family for varying
lengths of time, but none over two years or so. Please remember them as they study together with us, for their own
friendships with each other (it is difficult here to find believing friends at times), for the peculiar difficulties they face in
family pressure to marry quickly, regardless of a man’s faith or lack of it, and job pressures. The young working adult in
this city now makes a good wage and lives solidly in a “middle class” environment. But that comes at a price, as the av-
erage work day even for the middle class runs till 6:00, begins at 8:00 am and does not include an average 1.5 hour one
way commute. The work week is usually six days a week, and sometimes seven. The third group is several younger un-
believing ladies whom we are trying to reach.
Schools begin again on Monday, March 5, and I would appreciate your thoughts as I begin again teaching the adults in
the educational program of which I am a part , preparing them to go to the West for their post graduate education. Once
again, the vast majority of the students come from places and minority groups normally unreached, and I hope in the Fa-
ther’s will that this will be a good opportunity to reach them. — MF

The Australia-Myanmar Connection: Paauwes Head Up Ministry Team

All praise and thanks be to God for a safe and blessed missions trip
to Myanmar, February 19-26. Deacon Jimmy Orchard and his wife Flor-
ence, of BPC of Western Australia, went with us. We had a great time
with the Christians of BPC in Yangon, Myanmar. Pastor Khawl Ro
Kima, his wife Mawite, and son Andrew Nathan, welcomed us at Yangon
Airport. Thus began a most interesting week in “The Golden Land”,
known for its many golden Buddhist temples and pagodas.
The purpose of our going to Yangon was to conduct leadership train-
ing for the Christians in the church. For four days, February 20-23, the
four of us were involved in teaching, with Pastor Kim and Mawite inter-
preting into Mizo (the language of one of the tribes in Myanmar). The
classes were held in a rented room in a health club. Ed taught the Beati-
tudes, and Christians as salt and light, Matthew 5:1-16. Jimmy taught four lessons in Basic Bible Knowledge: False
Teachings in the Church, The Holy Spirit, Baptism, and The Importance of Knowing God’s Word.
Florence taught public health, personal hygiene and safety. Lehia taught
Music Theory and keyboard. There were about 30 students who listened attentively
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a lunch break in between. Florence and Lehia also
taught the children in the church kindergarten on Creation, and The Birth, Death,
and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There were about twenty
children, ages 3-5, who were very eager and responsive to the Gospel. Both ladies
also taught a Sunday School class, which is an outreach to unsaved children.
On the Lord’s Day, there were about forty-five people in attendance. Dea-
con Jimmy gave a word of testimony on being faithful to God. Ed preached from
John 14:1-6 on “Heaven—a Prepared Place for a Prepared People.” After the
church service we had a time of fellowship with the Christians. They expressed
their thanks to God for His blessings and leading the four of us to visit them. We
thank Him for the privilege of serving the Lord together with them.
We thank God for the love and support from the Christians of BPCWA for the missions work in Myanmar. They
have given generously for God’s work in this needy field. The children in the Junior Youth Fellowship gave gift bags
containing useful items to the children’s ministry of BPC in Myanmar. How encouraging it is to know that a connection
has been made with this group of Bible -believing Christians in the land of Myanmar!
Here in Perth we have been busy preparing for the starting of classes at Evangel Bible Institute, now in its third aca-
demic year. Subjects offered this semester are New Testament Survey, Cri-
sis Counseling, and Greek. We are looking forward to BPCWA’s Second
Bible Conference, April 10-14, and to the coming of Dr. and Mrs. Gary
Cohen. Dr. Cohen will speak on Revelation, which will be held in Bussel-
ton, about three hours south of Perth. The church theme for 2007 is
“Occupy Till Jesus Comes.” Please pray for God’s richest blessings and
guidance for these two important ministries.
We are indeed grateful for your faithful prayers and support for God’s
work in Perth. We praise and thank the Lord for His love and care for each
one in our church and in our family. We pray that all glory and honor be
given to Him. We pray for His richest blessings and safe keeping upon you.
— Ed & Lehia Paauwe