Myanmar Hope Christian Mission, Inc. • 308 South Oxford Road • Springfield, Illinois • 62704-1258

http://www.myanmarhope.org • info@myanmarhope.org • (217) 415-9187

Happy New Year 2010 We hope that you experienced a very blessed Christmas sea-

son, and we pray that the coming new year will bring you even

more blessings from our Father!

Some of you may be wondering what happened to the fourth

quarter edition of our newsletter. We missed it! We apologize,

and hope that this edition will get you caught up on all that has

been going on over the past few months. September through

December was a very busy time for all of us, and, as you will

read, December especially was quite emotionally draining.

In 2010 we embark on a new phase in our ministry—one that

we have been planning for, and expecting, since we formed

this organization in May of 2007. Yet, sometimes knowing in

advance about upcoming changes does not necessarily make

them any easier to deal with.

Farewell to the Khongsai Family Most of you know by now that the Khongsais returned to

Myanmar on December 9th. There were many hugs, prayers,

goodbyes, and tears as we visited with friends at the airport,

and then anxiously watched Palal, Kikim, and Solomon pass

through the security gate. Most of us were wondering when

we would see them again. Now that the time we had been

dreading was upon us, all we could do was pray and wait for

word of their safe arrival.

One of our concerns was whether or

not their luggage would arrive in-

tact, and whether they would be

able to keep what they brought with

them. Palal did his best to scatter

his theology books between their

checked bags and carry-ons. They

also carried dozens of DVDs—

including a complete set of ani-

mated Bible stories for children. In

addition, they carried lots of extra

clothing, and a few small gifts, for the children living in their

home in Yangon.

Another concern was

whether or not Palal would

actually make it through the

airport in Yangon without

being arrested, or at least

held for questioning.

We praise God that He heard

our prayers, and kept them

all safe during the trip. Their

flight from L.A. to Bangkok

was delayed by weather, so

they ended up arriving a day

later than scheduled. Initially

they could not locate their

luggage, but a day after they

arrived they were notified to

come to the airport to claim it.

Going through customs, one official made a comment about

the large number of DVDs. Palal humbly replied that they were

mostly children’s cartoons, and that seemed to satisfy him.

Other than that, nothing else was questioned, and they were

able to keep everything they had brought with them!

January 2010 Volume 4, Issue 1

In This Issue: Greetings ................................................................... 1

Farewell to the Khongsais ......................................... 1

A Message from Palal ................................................ 3

Schools of Missions ................................................... 4

National Missionary Convention ............................... 4

St. John’s Preschool ................................................... 5

West Side Says “Goodbye” ........................................ 5

Open House & Birthday ............................................. 6

Young People Have Done It Again!............................ 6

Recent Speaking Engagements ................................. 6

Support Programs Update ......................................... 7

Going through security

Solomon hugs “the tall boy”

(Troy Freeman)

Page 2 MYanmar HOPE Christian Mission, Inc.

Readjusting to Myanmar Life

Their first week back was difficult for all of them. Palal had

lived in America for nearly three years, and Kikim and Solomon

had been here for a year and a half. They had some trouble

getting used to life back in Myanmar.

For Palal and Solomon, the hardest

adjustment has been the intense

and oppressive heat of Yangon at

this time of year. Kikim’s troubles

included the innumerable mosqui-

toes and the terrible smells. For all

of them, the general lack of cleanli-

ness was very hard to adjust to.

Another difficulty was the large

number of visitors who came to see

them. After being used to the

American way, which is to plan ahead for visits, and to respect

the time of your hosts as much as possible, the Myanmar way

of visiting was hard to get used to, and brought on a lot of

stress.

In Myanmar, guests stop by anytime, day or night, and the

host is expected to drop everything and attend to the visitors.

It is unthinkable for a host to tell a guest that they are too

busy, or too tired, or too stressed for a visit. Palal, especially,

was used to spending lots of quiet time in his office, reading

and studying, and their new hectic schedule, combined with

large numbers of guests, has been very tiring for them.

During their first week, they spent quite a bit of time cleaning

their living compound, trying to bring it closer to what they

were used to here in the States. For the most part, we Ameri-

cans take for granted clean bathrooms, underground sewage,

clean running water, and daily showers and baths. These are

not standards in

places like Myan-

mar, and returning

to a city of five

million, where the

majority of the

population knows

little of such

things, can be

quite a shock to

the senses.

On top of all of the cultural and physical adjustments, Kikim

has been suffering with poor health. Thankfully, her mother is

still living with them, and she has been a great help with all of

the children and the living arrangements.

Finding a School for Solomon

While living in America for one and a half years, Solomon’s

English skills went from basically non-existent to excellent. We

want him to continue speaking and learning English, so finding

a good English-speaking school is important. Palal and Kikim

have been looking for a good

school that is close enough to

home, but is also within our

budget.

One school that they looked at,

but decided against, had English-

speaking Burmese teachers. The

administrator and teachers were

initially skeptical that Solomon

could speak any English at all, so

they wanted to interview him.

During the interview, it became clear that Solomon spoke bet-

ter English than the teachers!

Plans for the New Year

One of the first items on the agenda for the new year is to

travel to the delta and the northwest to visit the churches and

villages that we have helped to support over the past three

years.

Palal will visit with the local pastors and elders and will report

on the health of the churches. He will also conduct leadership

training seminars in the northwest. During the trip, he will be-

gin the process of establishing the medical clinic in Bokkan by

purchasing the land and by beginning the necessary govern-

ment paperwork process.

Back in Yangon, they will begin the work of establishing a

boarding school, which will initially house thirty children.

These children will mainly come from poor villages in the

northwest where they cannot get a good education. The

school will begin operations in May, and the children will begin

attending classes in June, continuing through the following

April.

The children will be housed, fed, and clothed using funds from

Myanmar Hope Christian Mission. Their parents will provide

funds for transportation (if they are able to) from the north-

west to Yangon.

The children will attend morning devotions and go to the gov-

ernment school during the day for classes. In the afternoon,

evenings, and on Saturdays, the children will receive tutoring,

help with their homework, English training, more Bible classes,

and learn about personal hygiene, etc. The children will also

have assigned chores to do around the compound.

Building a shower

Palal meeting with guests in their home in Yangon

Page 3 Volume 4, Issue 1

Eventually we will have a facility where the children will not be

required to attend the government school at all; but it takes

quite a bit of time, money, and patience to establish this type

of private school and to obtain the required government per-

missions.

Between now and May, Palal, his family, and his team of vol-

unteers will be very busy. Here are some ways you can pray for

them over the next few months:

Pray for good health and physical safety for the whole family, but especially pray for Kikim to fully recover from her current health problems.

Pray for traveling safety for Palal and his team. Travel in Myanmar can be very dangerous, as well as physically ex-hausting.

Pray for the team to find just the right location for the boarding school, and that the local officials will agree to allow the school there.

Pray for the families of the children who will be enrolled in the school, and for the children themselves. Most, if not all, of these children will never have been out of their vil-lages, and will probably be very homesick initially.

Pray that the right people will be found to work in the school as mentors/teaching assistants.

Pray that Palal is able to delegate as much work as possi-ble, and that he doesn’t get burnt out trying to do too much himself.

Pray for the elders and pastors as they attend leadership training. Some of them will have to travel many days to reach the village where the training will be held.

Pray that the location for Bokkan Clinic will be able to be purchased, and the plans well laid for the construction to begin on the clinic as soon as possible.

Pray that funds will continue to come in to support the

work in Myanmar.

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support of

this ministry. Your faithfulness will most surely be rewarded!

A Message from Palal Dear Ministry partners:

I am so glad to give a short report from Myanmar. I

spent almost three years in America, but now we are

very excited to be back in our home country and minis-

try field. We entered Myanmar on December 12, 2009,

safely and smoothly. Our family and congregation wel-

comed us warmly.

Now that I am home, it is difficult to see the great differ-

ences between our two countries. In America, most peo-

ple can have whatever they need and want; but here

most people cannot even meet their basic needs such as

food, clothing, clean water, healthcare, etc.

We have experienced some culture shock again. In

America, we had very nice, comfortable bathrooms and

bedrooms. We were able to rest very well. Even some-

thing as common as using the bathroom is a very differ-

ent experience here, and we must adjust to the Myan-

mar way again.

Transportation is also a great problem for us to get used

to again. In America, buses, cars, and trucks are very

good and safe. Recently we took a ride in a taxi, and

Solomon asked me, “Daddy, why don’t they have win-

dow glass and seatbelts in the taxi? Don’t we need to

buckle our seatbelts? Why did we have to buckle our

seatbelts in America, but not here?” I tried to explain to

him how expensive new cars are here. Most of the taxis

here are twenty to thirty years old.

When we take the bus, it is also very dangerous. There

are only a few seats on the buses [the owners remove

most of the seats to allow for more standing passen-

gers], but they are always taken by the time we get on!

The buses are always very crowded. There are some

handle straps on the ceiling, but they are too high for

Kikim and Solomon, so I hold Solomon in my right arm,

then I hold the pole or strap with my left hand, and

Kikim holds my left arm. Taking a bus can be very dan-

gerous.

Solomon also has language shock again. When he first

arrived in America, he was sad because he couldn’t

speak English like the other children. Now, he said,

“Daddy, I feel sorry because I can’t speak Burmese.”

Kikim and I encourage him not to feel sorry, because

many children in Myanmar are trying to learn English. I

told him, “They all want to speak English like you.” I al-

ways speak to him in English and read English books to

him before bed time.

A few weeks ago we went to the Township Administra-

tion office. Solomon and I were talking about life in

America, and comparing it to life in Myanmar. One of

the workers overheard us talking and stopped to listen

to our conversation. She was so amazed with Solomon’s

English. She said, “I have been learning English for many

years, but I have never heard conversational English like

this.”

Every night, we have a family meeting and prayer time.

Northwest School of Missions Hi-Plains School of Missions

In September, Chuck and Palal set out for Portland, Oregon, to

begin a month-long trek through Washington, Idaho, Montana,

Wyoming, Oregon, California, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Along the way they spoke to dozens of congregations and met

hundreds of wonderful, missions-minded people. They also got

to see and experience some of the most beautiful, awe-

inspiring landscapes that the Creator has given His children to

enjoy and cherish.

All of this was made possible through two organizations: The

Northwest School of Missions and the High-Plains School of

Missions.

What is a “school of missions?” It is an opportunity for local

congregations to meet with, and learn more about, a mission-

ary or mission organization, on a personal basis.

Every year, each School of Missions organization recruits a

small group of missionaries (four or five) to travel from church-

to-church, speaking and sharing their mission and work with

various congregations. The organization schedules the meet-

ings, arranges for lodging (usually with a family from the

church), and handles collecting and distributing any offerings

given. The offerings are distributed evenly between the travel-

ing missionaries.

Halfway through the trip, when we were in Helena, Montana,

Palal got on a plane and flew to Oklahoma City to begin the two

weeks of the High-Plains SOM. Two good friends and support-

ers from central Illinois graciously volunteered to meet him

there, and then drive him from church-to-church for the entire

two weeks. God bless them! Palal could not have attended the

Hi-Plains SOM without their help! Chuck then finished up the

final two weeks of the Northwest SOM on his own.

Altogether we visited nineteen churches in the Northwest SOM

and eleven churches in the High-Plains SOM.

Note: Palal also spoke to children at two different public

schools, Laverne Elementary School (about 125 children) and

Alva Middle School (7th and 8th grade children).

We are very thankful for the opportunities to meet and to share

our story with so many wonderful people. We hope that the

many new friendships established will continue and grow over

the years to come.

National Missionary Convention We attended our third Na-

tional Missionary Convention

in November. This year it was

held in Peoria, Illinois. This

was very convenient for us,

since Peoria is only about an

hour north of Springfield, and

we are very familiar with the

area.

The convention this year was presided over by our good friends

Rick and Nancy Jett of I.D.E.S. They did a wonderful job, and we

Page 4 MYanmar HOPE Christian Mission, Inc.

Kikim talks with guests at our booth

Solomon can tell most

of the things which I

have to discuss with

them. When I started

talking about the im-

portance of hand

washing, Solomon con-

tinued the talk: “OK,

wash your hands every

day! When you go to

school, wash your

hands! When you

come home from

school, wash your

hands! When you go to potty, wash your hands! Before

and after having meals, wash your hands!”

Our time in America was a great blessing for us and for

our people. We saw and learned many good things. One

of the blessings which we see as good in America is the

importance of relationships: between husband and wife,

between parents and children, etc. We all can communi-

cate with respect and without fear. This is a very good

thing to practice in our society.

We miss our family, friends, pets, and home in America;

but on the other hand, we are glad to be back on the

ministry field!

We are so thankful to all of the individuals, churches,

and groups who are praying for us and helping finan-

cially. May the Lord keep and strengthen all of us, and

unite us in His Kingdom ministry in America and here in

Myanmar.

In His Service,

Palal

(Continued from page 3)

Solomon demonstrates hand washing

all commented that we thought this year’s convention was the

best yet.

We met a lot of new friends, and reconnected with old friends.

On Friday afternoon, Chuck led a breakout session entitled

“Your Worldview and Your Mission,” which was very well at-

tended.

The next NMC will be held in Lexington, Kentucky, in Novem-

ber 2010. If you have never been to one, or it has been a long

time since you attended, we encourage you to make it to the

next one. It is an amazing, wonderful experience!

St. John’s Preschool Solomon attended pre-

school at St. John’s Lu-

theran Preschool for

three months this past

fall. It was a great experi-

ence for him. He really

enjoyed the school, made

a lot of friends, and

learned a lot. The teach-

ers were great, and they

said that they enjoyed

having him in their school.

Solomon has told us how much he misses school, and we hope

that Palal is able to find a school in Yangon where the teachers

love the children as much as they do here at St. John’s.

West Side Christian Church Says “Goodbye” in a Big Way

On the last Sunday in November, Cindy Lash and the staff and

volunteers of West Side Christian Church in Springfield, Illinois,

showed their love for Myanmar Hope Christian Mission by

sponsoring a combined Sunday school class and a catered,

donation-requested lunch for the entire church.

The combined

class, led by Mis-

sions Director Steve

Stewart, was very

well attended, with

nearly three hun-

dred present. Palal,

Kikim, and Solomon

all shared in the

presentation. Solo-

mon led by saying

the Pledge of Allegiance, which he had learned in preschool.

The people were amazed at how well he spoke it out, and re-

sponded with great applause.

Next, Kikim shared a short paragraph that she had written out

in advance, thanking the church and our American friends and

family for their love and care for her and her family during

their stay. Many of us shed tears of bittersweet joy as she

spoke from her heart.

Finally, Palal shared at length many things from his heart as

well—from the many blessings they had received here, to the

vast differences in the lifestyles of Myanmar and America, to

some of the challenges they will face upon their return. Many

great questions were asked by the people in attendance, and a

lot of folks who had never heard Palal’s story before were

quite moved.

They finished their presentation by singing their “signature”

song—”I Don’t Know About Tomorrow,” by Ira Stanphill.

[ If you have Internet access, you can watch a video of them singing

this at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c1Vehrh1Xw ]

At 11:00 the church provided a delicious catered lunch for

about four hundred people. The lunch was free, but donations

to Myanmar Hope were gladly accepted.

The church very graciously picked up the cost of the meals,

and gave 100% of all donations to our ministry. We were so

humbled and grateful! This large donation, coming at the end

of a financially difficult year, was a great blessing to us, and we

will be forever grateful.

The next Sunday, Eddie Lowen, Senior Minister of West Side,

brought the Khongsais up onto the platform near the end of

each of the three morning services, and led the congregation

in prayer for them. We are so thankful for Eddie’s care and

concern for the Khongsais which has been so evident these

past three years.

All of us at Myanmar Hope Christian Mission say a very big

THANK YOU to the ministry staff, the support staff, the volun-

Page 5 Volume 4, Issue 1

Solomon in his classroom at St. John’s

“The Khongsai Family Singers”

teers, and the congregation of West Side Christian Church. You

have been so generous to us, in so many ways. You welcomed

Palal, Kikim, and Solomon into your homes; you have been

prayer warriors for us; you supported us with your time, tal-

ents, and treasure; you laughed with us at Solomon’s antics,

and you cried with us as we watched them return to an uncer-

tain future. We are truly humbled and we love you even more

because of what you have done. Thank you.

Open House & Birthday On Sunday evening, December 6th, we opened our home for

friends and family to come and say goodbye to the Khongsai

family. We also publicly celebrated Solomon’s 5th birthday.

(We had already celebrated it privately about three or four

times, I think—Solomon just loves blowing out candles!)

So many people have

such a love and re-

spect for Palal and

Kikim. There is no

guarantee if, or

when, they will see

each other again, so

many folks came by

the house, some

driving great dis-

tances to be there.

It was a time of laughing, crying, reminiscing, and asking ques-

tions about the future. The children had a blast running and

playing all through the house, and generally making lots of

noise. Sometimes we thought the upper floor was going to

come crashing down on us, but it was all such fun, what could

we say?

There were some very moving moments as well—like when

Andrew and Antonia presented to Palal and Kikim the money

they earned delivering papers—over five hundred dollars

raised for the purchase of a mithun cow for a poor family in

Myanmar.

We had asked that folks not bring presents for Solomon’s

birthday, but that they could donate toward his future educa-

tion if they wanted to. We received enough donations, and

faith promises, to almost completely cover his education fees

for the upcoming school year.

By the end of the evening we were totally exhausted, but full

of joy at the way so many came and shared their love with us.

Thank you to all who came by. Your presence was a blessing to

us all.

The Young People Have Done It Again!

It is always a joy to report when young people take it upon

themselves to do something tangible for Myanmar Hope! We

are encouraged by their love and compassion for the poor, and

we want them to know how much they are loved and admired

by all of us.

This summer, Cal, Drue, and Ethan Berry, of Hesperia, Michi-

gan, organized a car wash and collected donations for Myan-

mar Hope. Thanks, boys! Your donations are changing lives

even now!

Joseph Hughs, of Springfield, Illinois, held an auction to raise

funds for his upcoming racing season. He has been a great sup-

porter of Myanmar Hope from the very beginning of our minis-

try three years ago, and he continues to have a passion for

Palal and his people. This year he donated 10% of all the

money he raised in his auction to MyHope.

We mentioned Andrew and Antonia Snell in the previous story

about the open house. Andrew and Antonia are also long-time

supporters of Myanmar Hope. When Palal first arrived in

America, he spent a week at the Snell’s in Lincoln. Jeff and

Francine Snell graciously opened their home for several stu-

dents of the DMIN program attending class that week. Andrew

and Antonia fell in love with Palal, and since then have made

several donations to help the people of Myanmar.

We are so thankful for these dedicated and committed young

people—and to their parents, who have so faithfully instilled in

them a love for God and His people. We hope and pray that

many more young people will be encouraged to imitate these

great examples!

Recent Speaking Engagements In addition to all of the traveling Palal and Chuck did in the

Page 6 MYanmar HOPE Christian Mission, Inc.

Posing with friends at the Open House

Joseph Hughs introduces Palal at his auction

Page 7 Volume 4, Issue 1

Northwest and the Southwest, we managed to visit a couple of

churches that have been long-time friends and supporters.

On November 8th, our good friend Chauncey Lattimer, the

minister of Martinton and Darrow Churches of Christ, invited

us up to speak again. Palal poured out his heart to the congre-

gation at Martinton, and he and Chauncey sang a song to-

gether. Then we hurried over to Darrow Church of Christ,

where Palal shared with them for the first time. After the ser-

vice, members of both congregations invited us out for lunch,

and we shared a meal at a small town diner not too far from

Darrow.

On November 15th, Palal again shared with the congregation

of Witt Christian Church in Witt, Illinois. The people of Witt

C.C. have been a great blessing to us, and their love for Palal

and Kikim has been so evident over the past three years. After

church, our good friends, Dale and Sally Miller, had us all over

for lunch, where we shared a delicious meal, some great con-

versation, and not a few tears.

We look forward to returning to these, and other, congrega-

tions, who have faithfully prayed for us and supported us over

the past few years. We don’t know when, or even how, this

will happen, but we trust God to make a way.

Support Programs Update The American economy was in bad shape in 2009, and our

ministry, along with nearly all others that we know of, experi-

enced a drop in donations income during that time.

We know that many Americans are out of work, and many

businesses have had to cut back and lay people off. If you or

your family has suffered in any way due to the current eco-

nomic distress, we are sorry, and we pray that God will see you

through, and that things will get better for you very soon.

As the economy

picks back up, and

things start to turn

around, we pray that

you will remember

the suffering people

of Myanmar, and

will share some of

God’s blessings with

His people on the

other side of the

globe.

The needs are always great, and there never seem to be

enough funds to do what is needed to ease the suffering of our

brothers and sisters in Christ in Myanmar. But even a small

donation of a few dollars can make a huge difference in the life

of someone living on .63 cents a day—the average per-capita

income in Myanmar!

Would you, your family, small group, or Sunday

school class sponsor a poor family?

There are still a great many Christian families and individuals in

Myanmar that are in need of help. The people are not lazy—

they work very hard (when they can find work) but their re-

ward is pennies a day. Is it right for Christians in one part of

this world to live in wealth and abundance, while Christians

elsewhere are suffering from malnutrition, disease, and pov-

erty?

If you are ready to be a part of changing this situation for the

better, call us at (217) 415-9187 or visit our website at http://

MyanmarHope.org. Even a small amount of help can vastly

improve the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ! Just

$1.00 a day is all it takes to help provide a family with life-

saving rice, medicines, clothing, and other necessities. $60.00

per month will help provide a pastor’s family with food and

necessities, and will also allow him to spend time doing the

work of ministry.

Chauncey and family pose with Palal and Kikim

The Khongsais with Sally and Dale Miller

Poverty is the “normal life” in Myanmar

Myanmar Hope Christian Mission, Inc. 308 South Oxford Road Springfield, Illinois 62704-1258

Page 8 MYanmar HOPE Christian Mission, Inc.

January 2010 Volume 4, Issue 1

Bringing the eternal hope of Jesus Christ to the people of Myanmar in a holistic manner by addressing their spiritual, physical, emotional and educational needs

Web: www.myanmarhope.org Email: info@myanmarhope.org Phone : 217-415-9187

Myanmar Hope Christian Mission, Inc. is a federally recognized, not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Illinois. All donations made to this organization are 100% tax deductible according to the Internal Revenue Service Code, Section 501(c)(3).

Federal Tax Identification: 26-0324244. NGO License Number: BU-1679.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP There are many things that you can do to help our brothers and sisters in Myanmar. Here are some ways:

Pray for them! (free)

Purchase one or more Kuki Bibles ($5.00 each)

Purchase one or more Kuki hymnals ($4.00 each) or song-books ($2.00 each)

Purchase a bicycle ($80.00)

Purchase a mattress (single: $50.00; family: $100.00)

Purchase a short wave radio ($35.00)

Purchase a pig ($150.00) or a piglet ($40.00)

Purchase a mithun cow ($500.00)

Fund the construction of a new well ($500.00)

We are also in need of funds to build, supply, and support our

medical clinic and our boarding school. A donation of any

amount toward these projects would be greatly appreciated!

As a reminder, all donations to this ministry are fully tax de-

ductible. One hundred percent of your donations go directly

toward ministry expenses—we do not pay salaries, maintain

an office, etc., and all work done in America is on a volunteer

basis.

For those who are interested in this sort of thing, we do use an

outside accounting firm to prepare and process our federal

taxes, and we are currently in the process of securing a third-

party accounting firm to audit our books on an on-going basis.

As our organization continues to grow, we plan to apply for

membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Account-

ability (ECFA). Currently we are not receiving enough annual

donations (at least $100,000.00 per year is required for mem-

bership.)

Place

Stamp

Here

Place address label here

Sunday school children learning good personal hygiene