In the last episode, Tam Ki and his church had gained trust from their people when all witnessed the power of the Living God. In this episode, we shall continue to follow Tam Ki’s journey as he experienced incredible provisions from the Almighty God against all odds.

From the time the Lord revealed himself, Tam Ki’s desire was to share the Good News with all those he met. As the number of believers grew to five families, they got together to construct their first church building with bamboo. But the Bamboo Church soon became too small to accommodate the growing congregation and building a new church was soon their favourite topic of discussion. This time, they wanted to build a wooden church. But they had no money to fund such an ambitious project. Nevertheless, believers committed their plans to the Lord in prayer, realizing that only God could bring them to fruition. They collected wood and prepared building materials bit by bit.

In the summer of 1982, believers were ready to begin. They cut down trees and dug the foundation. The biggest hurdle was the lack of expertise in building with wood, and they did not want to engage non-believers to work on this important task. So they prayed. The Lord sent five Christian carpenters from Mindat. And although they started the work with no money to pay, the Lord provided what they needed. With donations from believers far and near, they finally completed the Wooden Church, measuring 60 feet by 25 feet, that same summer.

As Tam Ki became more accustomed to venturing into the nearby villages to share the Good News, he realised that a loudspeaker was a powerful tool for open-air evangelistic rallies. To many people living in remote villages located deep in the mountains of Southern Chin State, the loudspeaker was a completely foreign invention. It certainly drew the crowds. Curious onlookers gathered around just to hear the loudspeaker. The seeds of the Good News were sown into the hearts of many.

Soon Tam Ki was determined to buy his own loudspeaker. He worked as a coolie, carrying luggage, while his wife raised livestock and sold them in the market. They scrimped and saved for about a year and finally, they were able to buy a loudspeaker for 500 kyats.

Before venturing out on any evangelistic trip to the neighboring villages, Tam Ki would pack his loudspeaker into a basket. The loudspeaker comprising a wet cell battery, an amplifier and a horn – all weighing a good 22 pounds. Tam Ki would walk among villages, sharing the Good News with the loudspeaker until the battery was completely used up. In fact, the battery would not last a full week before recharging was needed. The nearest place to recharge it was Mindat, a walk of 36 miles through the steep mountainous slopes. When he had enough money, Tam Ki would hire a porter to carry the loudspeaker. If short of funds, he would carry the entire load himself.

One day in 1981, in preparation for an evangelistic trip, Tam Ki planned to walk to Mindat to charge both batteries. As he had no money to pay a porter, his eldest daughter Ki Ti cheerfully offered to carry the batteries for him.

Tam Ki’s wife handed over her favourite longyi, a traditional wrap-round long skirt, to Ki Ti, as an extra change of clothing. Realizing that was her mother’s favourite outfit, Ki Ti folded it neatly and placed the longyi at the bottom of her basket before putting the batteries securely on top.

They set out lightheartedly, trekking the slopes of the hilly jungles, admiring the vastness and pure beauty of the Lord’s creation. Each time Tam Ki walked through these jungles, he was reminded of his calling to win his people over to the Lord.

After travelling for some time, his daughter reached into basket for the longyi and, to her horror, found it was burnt by the leaking battery acid. Ki Ti was filled with a dreadful foreboding. She prayed that her mother would not be angry with her for ruining her favourite outfit.  Tam Ki comforted her, “Don’t worry. The Lord will take care of the matter.”  When they finally returned home after a difficult journey, Tam Ki explained the situation to his wife. Thang Shwe was furious with him and held him responsible for the damaged longyi. It was a gift from a dear friend. As this was the only new outfit she possessed, she treasured it very much, the more so as they hardly ever received any gifts or help from their relatives. She would not listen to Tam Ki and refused to cook him a meal. She called the children into the hut and shut the door of the living quarters behind them, not allowing him to enter.

Defeated, Tam Ki sat by the fire in the outside kitchen area. Overwhelmed with sadness, he really wondered if he had made the correct decision to serve the Lord. There was no sleep for him that night. A couple of hours before dawn, he was still struggling in prayer. Then the Lord called him to take the empty oil container and go at once to Mindat. Without delay, Tam Ki started the journey, taking with him a relative who happened to be lodging at his home.

Having to walk through the magnificent jungles again, Tam Ki soon put his sorrow behind him, at least for the time being. He was reminded that nothing was impossible for the God who had created the vast stretches of the mountainous jungles. He committed the longyi problem to the Lord.

They arrived in Mindat in the late afternoon. As they entered the town, a woman called out to Tam Ki. He turned around and recognized her as one of his converts. Without waiting for a response, she thrusted an envelope at him, saying she had been saving money for him for some time.

Tam Ki thanked her profusely as she went on her way. A substantial sum of 300 kyats was the first love gift he received after eight years of faithfully serving the Lord. Tam Ki was quite overwhelmed by her generosity, and even more so by the Lord’s providence. He went to the store to buy the most beautiful imported longyi for 50 kyats, and other gifts for the family.

That evening, Tam Ki could hardly sleep, taking out the longyi to admire it. He thought this should put a smile back to his wife’s face. He could not wait to see her delighted expression. At 3am, they set out to return home. When they reached Machung in the afternoon, Tam Ki gathered the family. He presented the cooking oil to his wife and the snacks to the children, who danced happily around him.

Still, his sullen wife would not talk to him as she put the oil container away. Suddenly, Tam Ki pulled out the item which was hidden in the basket. The sight of the brand new longyi lit up his wife’s face in an instant. She broke into a wide smile, astonished that he could find the money. When she heard the story of the Lord’s goodness, Thang Shwe began to praise the Lord with him. Through events like this, Thang Shwe began to appreciate the unconditional love and goodness of the Lord, even before she had personally experienced a transformed life.

With an increasing number of evangelistic trips further away from home, recharging each time became troublesome and time consuming. The believers began to ask the Lord to provide a portable generator in His own good time.

A fund raising campaign was soon initiated by some of the believers. Their small congregation eagerly looked forward to the luxury of having a generator to light the next Christmas services. Many saved sacrificially while others sold jewellery and livestock to

raise 1,000 kyats for a generator. Tam Ki’s family managed to raise the 200 kyats needed to cover travelling expenses to Yangon, where he was to shop for the longed-for piece of equipment. In November 1985, the money was raised, and he set off.

And what a journey it was! Firstly, there was the usual 36 miles of trekking by foot to Mindat. From Mindat, Tam Ki took a three-day ride in a goods lorry to Pakokku. Every few miles, passengers had to get down to push the vehicle up the steeper slopes. He then took a ride on another goods lorry to Kyunchaung and then by ferry to Nyaung U. The next day, he took a three-day bus ride to Yangon. The total trip to the Yangon took seven full days of intensive travelling, covering over 630 miles.

It was not just the length of the journey that was challenging. When stopping over at Pakokku, Tam Ki was completely dumbfounded to hear that the government had announced that 100, 75, 35 and 25 kyat notes were obsolete. For convenience, he had changed all the money into notes of 75 kyats. Everything he was carrying was totally worthless! Tam Ki was in a real dilemma. He had no means to travel onwards, let alone buy a generator. A kind passenger gave some money to him with which he managed to buy a bus ticket for the last leg of the journey to Yangon. Since Tam Ki had announced that they were going to have a generator for next month’s Christmas services, he was not going home without one. Many believers had sold prized possessions and livestock to fund this purchase.

With a heavy heart, Tam Ki cried out, “Almighty God, how can I face everyone if I return empty-handed?” As committed he the whole situation to the Lord, his heart was resolute.

The bus trip to Yangon from Pakokku took three days and nights. Tam Ki had no money for meals and survived only on water. By God’s grace, he was able to lodge with a Christian believer when he arrived at Yangon. There, Tam Ki visited his mentor, the Rev Tin Maung Tun who took pity on Tam Ki and offered money to purchase a good generator. Tam Ki was so grateful to him and to the Lord.

Tam Ki was advised to get the best generator by travelling another 200 miles to a town near the Thai border. Love offerings from invitations to preach in some of the city churches gave him enough to cover travelling expenses.

It was another two-day bus ride followed by a ferry ride to Maylamyine. While on a boat nearing the destination, the Lord suddenly spoke to Tam Ki to preach the Good News. He stood on the wharf and preached the Good News to the bustling crowd. A well-built bespectacled man was drawn to his preaching and invited Tam Ki to come to his home for food and rest. The man seemed sincere. Exhausted from the journey, Tam Ki gratefully accepted his kind offer.

Tam Ki followed him to his jeep, in which were seated several green uniformed soldiers. This man was a certain Major Khup Chin Pau. When they arrived at the major’s home he revealed that he was also a Christian. The major helped Tam Ki get a good deal on a generator; and even took him to a Baptist church to preach.

“The Lord had indeed heard my prayers. I was learning that my Heavenly Father never failed to provide me a way out, even in the most difficult of situations. My faith in Him grew by leaps and bounds.”

It was increasingly difficult for Tam Ki to get around the country preaching the Good News without some kind of qualification. He enrolled himself on a three-month discipleship training programme, run by the Mayangon Brethren Church at Yangon in 1984, 11 years after his conversion.

One Sunday morning at church, he told the story of how God raised him from the dead. Later, a few believers came forward and warmly welcomed him into their fellowship. Tam Ki could really see the zeal and love for God in these people.

Tam Ki managed to go through challenges in life with amazing provisions from the Lord and continued to equip himself. What else would he encounter in his faithful service to the Lord. Do listen to our next episode on the following Thursday. Stay tune and good bye!

[Song: God will make a way – Don Moen]