Home Away From Home
Exodus, Exile and Emigrant were parts of the Israelites’ story.
Myanmar, formerly Burma, is predominantly a Buddhist country governed by the military regime for the past five decades and composed of more than 135 ethnic groups. Christianity is evitable and ethnic conflict is unquenchable.
The Myanmar people came to the US mainly through refugee resettlement programs and immigration looking for a better life. Republic of Congo, Iraq and Myanmar are the top 3 refugee groups coming to Illinois in the past decade. There are more or less five thousand Myanmar immigrants in the Chicago area.
While I was studying at Chicago Theological Seminary in 2011, I prayed two things to know God’s will for my future: first, to secure my status; and second, but not the least, to connect with an AG church. Making a long story short, God granted my prayers as I began a new journey of planting a church in the West suburban area in the fall of 2015 with a handful people.
Our congregation is composed of various faith traditions, practices, and cultures. Learning American system and culture is like eating spicy food for the first time, or first time driving on the highway for us. We have a Buddhist man, who has a Christian wife, coming to our service regularly, an animist who still exercises supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe, and other faith backgrounds. We constantly pray for breakthrough and revival every week, and look for an opportunity to serve better in the community.
One day, our animist friend was severely attacked by the devil in his dream. He said, “He was at the point of death beaten by wild animals and blood are everywhere in his body.” We prayed for deliverance and healing from that moment. He is now out of fear and coming to the church regularly and began to serve in the media ministry. We are looking for our first ever water baptism, which is never easy and a major shift for some beliefs, and declaring a new life through Jesus over the stronghold of old life. Praise God for a little transformation in the community.
Moreover, we’re grateful to Pastor Sloan Parker and Lombard Assembly Church for renting their facilities, Pastor Ron Heitman for his wisdom and guidance, IDCAG for their selfless care, friends and co-workers who continuously pray for us. We’re not ALONE, we’re at HOME!