Relief Works

Thank you very much for your helping hands from the anonymous generous donors. I praise God for sending committed persons to help people in Myanmar. For the relief works in partnership with you, I always informed responsible persons in your office when I made any activities. The reports in the past were in pieces at different times. This report is a combination of our trips to the affected victims of Last November in Sittwe District, Rakhine State.

I attach the field reports along with this letter. Financial report is prepared in a separate sheet for convenience in reference to financial matters in succession.

Thank you once again. May God bless you!

Trip for Rakhine Compassionate Aid in Rakhine State Place : Mrauh Oo Township, Sittwe District, Rakhine State Date : 23-24 November 2017

Team Members:

1. Rev Cin Sian Pau (Leader)
2. Rev. Soe Myint Oo (MRCC Pastor, North Dagon, Yangon)
3. Pastor Aye Ko Lay (Evangelist, Okkan)
4. Mr. Aung Naing Oo (Tour Guide)

At first our aim was to go to Mawngtaw and Bu-thi-taung. In Sittwe Disrict. But, the fight between Myanmar Army and Rakhine Army at Naphan village near Bu-thi-taung on the evening of 18 November 2017 made our visit there impossible. Therefore, we changed our journey plan before we reached Sittwe, and went to refugee camps along the Byaing-chaung stream in Pongna Island.

Trip to Mrauh Oo

The touring team left Yangon at 0900 hours on Thursday 23 Novmber 2017 by Moe-kaungkin highway bus. And we arrived to Mrauh Oo town at 0900 hours the next day 24 November 2017. We made contact with one of the church planters Mr. Man Sa, and handed over to him the relief aids and then we continued our journey towards Byaing-chaung village in Pongna islan

Mrauh Oo to Pauh-taw-pyin Village

We left Mrauh Oo town at 1100 hours on Friday 24 November 2017 and arrived a water gate of Pauh-taw pyin at 1400 hours. Rev.Cin Sian Pau & Relief aid team reaching the beach of Pauh Taw Pyin ,PongNaChun township

From there we took a motor boat and arrived Byaing chuang village on Pongna island. There we purchased some rice, oil and blankets, stationeries. And sweet drinks. We arrived Byaing-chaung village safely at 1800 hours that day, Villagers from the village drew river water for us to wash our hands and feet.

Byaing-chaung Village

We met the village leaders of Byaing-chaung village :

Village headman, school teachers. And some other elders of the village. We learned from them how to distribute our relief works. Then we spent a short moment to worship God. We sat there until mid-night.

The next day was Saturday 25 November 2017. We visited first the village Middle School. After making a short speech in front of the village leaders and school children & school teachers , we distributed our relief materials. The items we distributed were:

To School Children: stationeries such as exercise books, pencils, ball-point pens, and Sweet drinks.

To villagers

The village headman called the names of family heads and we gav them rice bags, bottles of cooking oil , and neutral food bags. This place was not reached by any relief team before, neither NGO teams nor INGO teams.. Leaders of the village were much thankful to our relief team. Other villagers asked us to come again next time.

Trip to Upper Tin-pong-tan Village

We left Byaing-chuang village at 1200 hours on Saturday 25 November 2017 by river boat and arrived Upper Tin-pong-tan village after two hours at 1400 hours. We took rest for a while, playing in the river waters. That was before dinner.

By the guidance of one church planter Mr. Kyaw Thein, we met with village leaders and the village school headmaster, after dinner. On that night God gave us good chance to sing gospel songs and share words on evangelism. After that meeting, some villagers stayed back and we had a good chance again to discuss about the difference of Buddhist faith and Christian faith. One evangelist among us, Saya Aye Ko Lay, could explain clearly about the different faiths between Buddhism and Christianity because he was formerly a Buddhist monk but later accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.

We saw that many people in this village were quite interested in hearing Christian preaching. We hope that some of them may like to join the Christian community there if we can visit them again.

Trip to Nat-tha-zwwi Refugee Camp

On Sunday 26 November 2017, we continued our tour to Nat-tha-zwi refugee camp by seeing which we were deeply touched. All of them lived in bamboo shelters, the children did not have proper clothings , no foods around.

After meeting with the leaders at that camp, we gave away stationeries for school children. Besides these, we distributed by family wise, rice and cooking oil as much as we could afford. We did not see in their shelters any bed, bed-sheet, or pillows.

While distributing the small relief aids, we inquired them about the situation of Bu-thi-taung, we were informed that it was not safe for us to go there that day. Therefore, we invited our co-workers (church planters) there to meet us at Sittwe on that same evening. Then we made our return journey towards Sittwe.

We left Upper Tin-pong-tan village at 1200 hours on Sunday 26 November 2017 by river ship. We arrived Sittwe after seven hours, at 1900 hours that evening. We stayed at the residence of one church planter Jonathan.

Meeting with Workers from MawngTaw and Bu-thi-taung

On Sunday evening 26 November 2016 at Sittwe, we met with our co-workers from MawngTaw Bu-thi-taung and handed over to them the small relief materials we brought for MawngTaw and Bu-thi-taung town. They could distributed relief aids to the victims in their areas on 6 December 2017.

Departure for Yangon

By the grace of God we could complete our tour to some of the refugee camps in Rakhine State. We give our thanks to those who arranged this kind of social work and those who contributed the basic needs of those refugees in small camps.

God blessed the prayers said for us. We send our heart-felt thanks to those who prayed for us and those who sent their wishes to us and to the refugees in Rakhine State. May God bless all to be able to continue to show their love and concern for those in difficulty at different places and situations! May God also blessed our Ministry and labour among the refugees that they may know and understand the Love of God to all kinds of people.

In the Lord’s vineyard,
Cin Sian Pau, Rev.