1. Burma: 4,700 Buddhist monks accept Christ
 For many years Christian Aid has been helping ministries in Burma and has witnessed many wonderful reports from missionaries laboring in this troubled land. But the latest startling report tells of 4,700 Buddhist monks who accepted Christ as their Savior. This miracle came about amid a backdrop of more than a decade of political cruelty toward certain Burmese ethnic minorities. Over the years, 3,000 villages in eastern Burma have been destroyed and the people were either killed or driven into remote mountainous areas. Some were able to escape to neighboring countries, although they were not particularly welcomed there.
Of the total population of 57 million people, 51 million are Buddhists - and one percent of this population are monks. There is a monastery in most villages. Children are often educated in monasteries, so even if they do not actually become monks themselves, they have been thoroughly indoctrinated with Buddhist beliefs and practices. The monks have always had a quite strong influence in Burmese politics and government. They led the way in independence from Britain in 1948. In August of last year, the government doubled the price of fuel and food when it was already priced at exorbitant rates. It came as a surprise to the rest of the world then, when Buddhist monks led peaceful demonstrations against the government protesting rising costs, as well as repression.
It was in the midst of this darkness that Buddhist monks and nuns began inviting Christian missionaries to come and share the gospel in the privacy of their monasteries. Despite the dangers involved, missionaries went to several monasteries, and visited each one several times. The majority of these monks are from the dominant Bama people, normally very resistant to the gospel. One of the ministries supported by Christian Aid sent this report: Over the past three years "...4,700 Buddhist monks were led to Christ through our ministry. It appears that the Holy Spirit had urged these monks and nuns to call our evangelists to come and share the gospel of hope and love. After several intense discussions, close to 80% of the monks present in each of the monasteries visited accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Baptisms are being done discreetly - no more than three at a time for the sake of the safety of the converts as well as our workers."
Source: Christian Aid
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This week's promise: God's Word is powerful
Fill yourself with the Word
How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your Word and following its rules.
Psalm 119:9 NLT
Let the Bible fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.
Henrietta Mears
A drunk meets a cop
Dawson Troter, founder of the Navigators, was student body president, basketball team captain, and class valedictorian when he was in high school. But then life fizzled out. He gambled, drank to excess, and caroused. He was staggering through the streets one night when a policeman stopped him, took his car keys, and asked, "Son, do you like this kind of life?" "Sir, I hate it," replied Trotman. Instead of arresting him for drunkenness, the policeman urged Dawson to change his life.
That encounter was a turning point. Dawson attended a church gathering were he was challenged to memorize ten Bible verses stressing salvation. Trotman memorized the verses, then memorized another ten the next week. Several weeks later, as he pondered the meaning of what he had learned, he quietly prayed, "Oh God, whatever it means to receive Jesus, I want to do it right now."
Trotman never got away from the power of the Word. As his knowledge of the Bible grew, he realized that a combination of prayer, worship, service, and the study of Scripture produced spiritual growth.
Harold J. Sala in Heroes
David used every technique he knew to ensure that he'd do things God's way. He programmed God's Word into himself so that he could retrieve it at crucial points along the way. He recited God's Word aloud, reinforcing his learning. He studied and reflected on God's Word. All this transformed his character and kept him on the right path.
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