In the last episode, we learnt that Tam Ki had started to lead spirit worshippers to Christ but faced great challenges from the other spirit worshippers in the village. In this episode, let’s continue to witness the power of the Living God in delivering Tam Ki and the believers from their predicaments.

Tam Ki and his group built their first church in 1977; the construction of this Bamboo Church, a simple shed, started on Christmas Day and finished on New Year’s Day, and its very existence in the village was not without a great deal of opposition. One morning, a spirit worshipper, Boi Gei Ghung, had smeared his own excrement on the furniture in their Bamboo Church. He had tried to sabotage the building of the church. One night, he pulled out the wooden poles which the believers had planted into the ground on the site. He would also often falsely accuse believers of stealing wood from him.

Opposition on a personal level continued, too. Once, a distant relative tried to test Tam Ki’s faith. He persuaded his nephew Mana Düih to let Tam Ki farm his land. But this plot, with its western-edge ending in a cliff, was widely believed to be cursed by the spirits. Whenever others worked on it, the head of the family always died. Since this was the only land that Tam Ki could get at that time, they had no choice but to brave it out, trusting that the Lord would protect them from the spirits.

“The Almighty God has given us this land as our inheritance! Those who don’t belong here must depart!” With this declaration, Tam Ki and a handful of believers initiated the ground breaking for cultivating this haunted land. It was October 1982. That very night, Tam Ki’s wife had a dream. She saw an evil man reprimanding her for chasing him out of this land. Then, his walked over the cliff.

The soil in this land was fertile since it had been left uncultivated for so long. The Lord was good to them. The ground gave abundant harvests for the two years that they worked in it.

At the foot of the plot also belonged to Mana Düih. Running along the edge of this land was a good-sized stream. Tam Ki rented an acre of this land and started a little experiment. Paddy rice requires a flooded field. Tam Ki thought that it would be worthwhile trying this novel way of planting rice since there was a continuous supply of fresh water from the stream. Tam Ki and his wife worked hard to change the condition of the land. Finally, their paddy field was ready for planting rice.

When the local authorities saw what Tam Ki had done, they commended his little experiment as a model example for others to follow. He was even receiving financial support from the local authorities to expand his little project. Within two years of working on the land which had been deemed as taboo by the villagers, the harvest was so plentiful that Tam Ki was able to purchase the entire 10 acres of wasteland by the stream. The plot he had converted to paddy fields proved to be a great success. To this day, the rice from this land is being used to feed the Machung pastor’s entire household. As Tam Ki reflected on those years of persecution, the verses of Psalm 23:1-2 came to his mind.

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.”

During the summer of 1982, while the believers were working to upgrade the Bamboo Church to a Wooden Church, three children from the congregation came to Tam Ki and asked him to pray for their sick and dying elderly mother. That evening, a handful of believers stayed overnight at the mother’s hut, praying for her recovery.

Just before daybreak the old woman was awake, and Tam Ki shared the Gospel with her. Listening to every word, she feebly nodded and said she wanted to receive the Lord Jesus.

As Tam Ki prayed with her, she dozed off. When she woke up a few hours later, she gathered her family and instructed them that she was a believer and to bury her in accordance with the requirements of the Christian faith. She said two angels were coming to take her to Heaven at nine o’clock. And, true to her prediction, at nine o’clock that morning she slipped into eternity.

Tam Ki was leading the funeral service when the deceased woman’s brother suddenly burst in through the main door. Waving a gun, the furious man strode towards Tam Ki, roaring and demanded that his sister’s funeral be conducted in accordance with the traditional custom of spirit worship.

The man aimed his gun at Tam Ki and pulled the trigger. Tam Ki heard himself commanding, “In Jesus Name. Don’t explode!” The gun clicked twice, and nothing came out of the barrel. Those around the man were scrambling to push him out of the building. The man aimed his gun skyward and pulled the trigger a third time. The gun exploded, frightening a few birds. He was ashamed of his failed attempts and he walked away in exasperation. Tam Ki was so grateful to the Lord for this, which was one of the countless interventions when Lord protected him and the believers.

From the time of conversion, Tam Ki’s heart was constantly burdened with the spiritual condition of the villagers. By night, he would quietly venture into the stillness, moving from one hut to another in the village, praying for each nonbelieving family inside. This became his routine prayer exercise for a number of years.

Soon Tam Ki became a familiar face, helping the sick and needy. He would also often assist the elderly to mend their huts. Through the sharing of God’s love, many accepted the Lord and became members of the Bamboo Church.

Htung Ngai, a staunch spirit worshipper, was one of those who opposed the Christian faith. He would try to disrupt gatherings, following believers as they moved from hut to hut. And, Htung Ngai’s wife, Gei Yawng, suffered three miscarriages, three stillbirths, and two children died very young. The couple lost eight children over 10 years.

One day when Tam Ki returned from an evangelistic trip, a church leader came and told him that Gei Yawng was in labour and had difficulty delivering the baby. Htung Ngai’s father had asked for Tam Ki.

Tam Ki hurried to Htung Ngai’s hut with some of the believers. A sombre crowd had already gathered. Htung Ngai’s father pleaded Tam Ki to help his daughter-in-law. He would not hold any of Christians responsible even if she died.

Gei Yawng lay unconscious on the grass mat. There had been some complications during delivery and the child had died in the womb. The family had carried her to the nearest clinic, but they were not able to help. They had also consulted the astrologer, and he said that they could try asking the Christians for help if all else failed.

Men do not get involved in the delivery of babies by custom. However, these were exceptional circumstances and the family sought Tam Ki’s help as a last resort. The believers gathered around the dying woman as Tam Ki led in prayer, “Almighty God, nothing is impossible for you. Have mercy on this woman. Help us to remove the dead child.”

Then they sprang into action to save Gei Yawng’s life. Htung Ngai and Tam Ki, working together, carefully removed the dead child through the birth canal. After the child and the placenta were removed, they repeatedly inserted boiled bandage strips into the womb to clean it. This all took quite a number of hours and the stench was overwhelming.

The next morning, though very weak, Gei Yawng was able to talk a little and take some food. Before long, Htung Ngai’s entire family made their appearance at church. Htung Ngai tearfully begged the believers for their forgiveness for his years of persecution. They gladly forgave him and warmly accepted his family into the church. Gradually, the entire family surrendered their lives to the Lord.

A year later, Gei Yawng was alone in her hut. Suddenly, she saw herself in a praying position. Two beautiful young men dressed in white appeared before her carrying a baby. One of them said, “Father said to name this child ‘Yohan’”. They gave the child to Gei Yawng and disappeared. Gei Yawng found herself alone. She recalled a message concerning visions she had heard preached at church. Following the teaching she remembered, she prayed for confirmation and as she did so, the vision was repeated. This time, she felt great joy and peace in her heart, believing that the Lord knew her desire to have a child.

True to her vision, Gei Yawng gave birth to a healthy baby boy in June 1990. Gei Yawng duly named him Yohan. She boldly gave testimony in front of believers that she would give birth again. She gave birth to a second boy, named Daniel, in 1993! Later the family moved to Mindat, where Htung Ngai served as a steward in the local church while Gei Yawng was an active member of the prayer and fasting group.

One of the first men to follow the Lord was Tam Ki’s former classmate, Cho Kee Thang.

During the summer of 1975, Cho Kee Thang was at a relative’s home meeting his fiancée. Feeling exhausted, he excused himself to rest. When his relatives tried to awaken him later, they were shocked to discover him motionless. Fearing that he might bring misfortune on them, they carried him back to his own home.

Cho Kee Thang’s father, Pa Maung Kee, was speechless when he saw his son’s lifeless body that looked as if he had suffered a fit. Cho Kee Thang’s sister went to look for Tam Ki. Shocked, Tam Ki called Kee Mana and they hurried to Cho Kee Thang’s home. Village elders arrived and began to discuss the traditional funeral rites with the grieving family. Some of the grieving relatives pointed at them saying Cho Kee Thang was dead because of their strange beliefs. However, Pa Maung Kee defended his son’s choice. He reasoned his son was an educated man. He had full confidence in his son’s choice. Sensing the growing conflict between the spirit worshipping relatives and Pa Maung Kee, Tam Ki stood his ground, claiming that Cho Kee Thang was a believer in the Lord and must be given a funeral in accordance with Christian faith.

The crowd laughed and mocked that Cho Kee Thang was dead because of Christian beliefs and God was powerless. Unsure how to pray in the face of this desperate situation, Kee Mana and Tam Ki poured their hearts out to God and begged for His mercy to bring their dear brother back to life. Many people had gathered because of the commotion, and most of them were shaking their heads. Exasperated, the family gave them an ultimatum. If Cho Kee Thang was not brought back to life by daybreak, they would take away the body. Just before dawn, the hut became strangely warm. Without warning, it shook uncontrollably. A loud sound was heard. Immediately Tam Ki felt as if a heavy burden was lifted from him. Breath came into Cho Kee Thang’s body and he opened his eyes. God had indeed answered their prayers!

Everyone was amazed! Some believed and surrendered their lives to the Lord. Cho Kee Thang later went into full time ministry and served as a pastor in the Mindat church.

By the grace of God, 10 families gave their lives to the Lord and were born again. By 1988, they had 25 families of believers. No fewer than six other occasions did God raise someone from the dead during Tam Ki’s ministry. The power of the Almighty God who raised Jesus from the grave 2,000 years ago is still the same today.

What would be awaiting Tam Ki in his ministry after having experienced God’s power firsthand? Next Thursday we shall continue to follow his journey to witness amazing provisions from the Almighty God. Stay tune and goodbye !

[Song: When You Believe]