Hello friends! In the previous episode, Tam Ki had moved to Mindat for new missions from God. He had started a bible school in his own home and was determined to build a church with brick and had set out for evangelistic trips to raise funds.

After each trip, Tam Ki would turn all that he had saved over to Pastor Cho Kee Thang, who oversaw the buying of building materials. The project proceeded in fits and starts, as the donations came in. Whenever Tam Ki was away, he was greatly strengthened to know that the believers in Mindat were gathering regularly at his home to pray for his safe travels and God’s blessing on the ministry. Tam Ki was so grateful for their support. So the work on the church progressed.

Although at one stage, an engineer drafted a design for the church, Tam Ki had to reject it as it did not match the vision the Lord had given to him. Tam Ki decided to direct the building work himself. The blueprint was impressed deeply on his mind. He saw it as a huge two-storey building with a steeple on top of a zinc roof. Below the steeple was a glass window in the shape of a cross and with a wooden frame. The stately rectangular building was handsomely symmetrical on both sides of the cross. Sitting on the flat ground cut into the hill slope, this glorious building presided over views of vast stretches of green mountainous terrain. Although the Lord did not tell Tam Ki the dimensions of the building, he instinctively understood them. He could even see the interior structures of the building in his mind’s eye. When they started building, they did not even have a sketch. Tam Ki simply told Pastor Cho Kee Thang the dimensions – 80 by 40 by 18 feet – and they marked out the ground. The group hired no architects or engineers. The Lord Himself was the Master Builder. Tam Ki would provide directions to Pastor Cho Kee Thang from the vision the Lord gave Tam Ki, and the pastor would faithfully follow Tam Ki’s instructions as he worked with a team of carpenters and labourers.

Tam Ki’s group did many things by themselves to cut costs and there were times when the hard work made them ill. Pastor Cho Kee Thang’s wife, Kee Li, suffered three miscarriages – one child was lost while she was carrying a big pot of water to mix cement; the second miscarriage happened while she was carrying stones; and a third miscarriage happened while she was carrying soil to build the pulpit area. The Lord remembered her sacrificial love. Today, Pastor Cho Kee Thang and Kee Li are blessed with five children. Their eldest son, Stephen, is the Principal of Hallelujah Bible College.

One day, Tam Ki’s wife felt a piercing pain in her lower abdomen as she was lifting a basketful of bricks. The pain persisted for days, though it did subside a little. Not wanting to make a fuss, Thang Shwe bore the pain for about a year before seeing a doctor. An X-ray showed that a stone the size of a tamarind seed was located outside the right kidney. The surgeon, astonished at the location of what he had found, removed it without charge.

The rising cost of building materials over the years hindered progress. Though the original estimate was 1.4 million kyats, the final sum was a staggering 3.6 million kyats. Since the Lord had charged Tam Ki with the vision of building a huge church beyond their imagination, many believers held him personally responsible for funding it.

“This responsibility often overwhelmed me, but the Lord encouraged me, as did the donations from strangers who read my testimony booklet.” And sometimes funds came in unusual ways. During an evangelistic trip to Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay, Tam Ki met a godly couple, U Maung Oo and Daw Yawn. They expressed their longing to support the ministry, but were struggling to make ends meet operating a rabbit farm. However, they gave him 10 rabbits, specially bred for their fur, and taught Tam Ki how to breed them and harvest the fur. Tam Ki carried the rabbits all the way back to Mindat to his wife and – as rabbits do – they multiplied rapidly. For every pound of fur, Tam Ki and his wife were able to rake in 30,000 kyats. For the next three years, the rabbit business was able to feed their growing family, which meant Tam Ki could turn in all love gifts to fund the church building.

When it came to the time to pay off the final amount of 80,000 kyats owing on the building, Tam Ki’s wife was torn between surrendering the profits from her rabbit business to the project and her longing to buy a pick-up for Tam Ki to use on mission trips. One day, after much prayer and fasting, a tearful Thang Shwe told him, “Please, take the money to pay off the debt.” It wasn’t until 2014, when a reader of this book donated a second-hand four-wheeler did Tam Ki finally owned a car, after 41 years of faithful ministry!

Finally, the church building was completed in June 1995, seven years after Tam Ki’s vision from the Lord. During the simple dedication ceremony, around 100 believers stood awestruck in their huge, concrete building. The years of hardship had not been in vain. Their ambitious project had been the talk of the town, giving rise to a great deal of mockery. Nonetheless, it was the Lord’s house and it was finished. By 2010, with the Lord’s favour, the Blessing Assembly of God Church had grown steadily to more than 60 families. The Lord had used this church as a centre for church planting. Tam Ki and his co-workers had since founded more than 60 churches in neighbouring towns and villages. God had honoured our persistence and faithfulness. Whenever we set our hearts to do God’s will, we must do it wholeheartedly, not seeking man’s approval.

When Tam Ki and his wife took 57 Bible school students into their two-storey home, they never imagined that this extended family life would continue for up to four months of the year for the next 12 years. During the first three years, the first storey was used as the school; in the evening, the same space became the students’ dormitory. After that, they were able to extend the house by another storey. Tam Ki’s wife, with her usual efficiency, managed the domestic affairs. She took charge of the kitchen and the twice-daily meals, and looked after any who were sick. Living in such cramped conditions with Tam Ki’s family, the students learned discipline and selfless sharing. All 57 became pastors and church planters; some eventually became his co-workers, setting up mission centres in remote areas of the country.

From the time Tam Ki and his co-workers started on the church building project, they prayed about an adjacent plot of public land, with thoughts of constructing a separate building for the Bible school. When the church building was complete and, having fasted and prayed, 30 believers went with Tam Ki to the site.

Taking a handful of soil, Tam Ki prayed, “Almighty God, if it is Your will, please bless us with this land for Hallelujah Bible Training Centre.” Two years later, much to everyone’s dismay, someone else acquired the land and construction began. They were devastated.

But one day, out of the blue, the new owner invited Tam Ki and some believers over to his new place. After some exchange of greetings, the new owner said, “Saya Tam Ki, I know you wanted this land for your ministry.” Handing over an envelope, he continued, “Take this legal document, which transfers the land to your ownership. I have decided to move my business to a better location.” Tam Ki and his co-workers were speechless, not daring to believe what they had heard. In fact, the owner had acquired additional land, extending the plot, and the whole area was given to them. The Lord’s ways are indeed perfect. As Ephesians 3:20, 21 says, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

The Hallelujah Bible Training Centre, a two-storey brick and wooden building, was finally completed in July 2002. The origins of the Bible school were humble. They started back in 1989 with one-month discipleship courses. At that time, Tam Ki and his co-workers had no teaching qualifications. Instructed by the Lord, they took the bold step of enrolling students. The grand name of their centre amused many people. But gradually and as the Lord led, they were able to engage qualified teachers to conduct a three-year diploma in theology by 1996. By 2004, they had incorporated a bachelor’s degree in ministry into the curriculum. By 2007, they were offering a bachelor’s degree in theology. Today, it is fully accredited as a Bible College by the General Council of AOG in Myanmar.

To date, the school has produced over 220 pastors, missionaries and church planters who have gone out to serve in various parts of Myanmar. Some have gone on to serve in overseas ministries. No one could have predicted that a humble training centre started in Tam Ki’s own home would one day turn into an institution training so many mighty men and women for the mission field. In God’s kingdom, no effort for spreading the Good News is too insignificant to be blessed by Him.

Whenever Tam Ki conducted an evangelistic rally at a place he had not preached at before, he would normally gather together co-workers to pray and fast for at least one week before. They specifically prayed that God would break down spiritual strongholds and deliver the people from the clutches of evil spirits, opening their eyes, ears and hearts so that they were able to receive salvation. When believers arrived at the village they would conduct a prayer walk round the perimeter.

 “The Lord Jesus can break all bondage from evil spirits. At His mighty name, all evil spirits will flee. Those who surrender their lives to the Lord will no longer live in fear of the spirits but will surely receive protection from the invincible and almighty God!” This was Tam Ki’s message at an evangelistic rally at Chauk Yo in 1987.

Unknown to Tam Ki, the High priest of the village was so curious about the open-air meetings that he attended some of the meetings. After returning from one particular Gospel rally, the high priest was kept awake by an evil spirit weeping and moaning in his hut all night, saying, “No one will feed me anymore. Who will offer me sacrifices? Now I can no longer live in the High priest’s home!”

The wailing was so loud that even the neighbours heard it. The following morning, the villagers came and excitedly told Tam Ki that God was doing mighty acts in driving evil spirits out of Chauk Yo. Within the week, the High priest surrendered his life to the Lord and with this, the entire village soon did the same. Tam Ki had baptised most of them. Hallelujah!

The Lord had blessed Tam Ki and his co-workers for their faithful ministry in bringing the light of salvation to many and expanding His kingdom on earth. What would they face as they continue journey with the Lord, surrendering themselves unconditionally to His will. Do listen to our new episode on the following Thursday. Stay tune and good Bye!

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Song: In His Time – by Maranatha! Music