Evangelical Baptist Conference, an association of independent Baptist churches in Myanmar, networks with other Baptist associations through the International Partnership of Fundamental Baptist Ministries. Most of the 100 churches in the association are of the Chin tribe and speak Tedim. Chris Hindal, director of Regular Baptist International, visited one of the growing churches in Tamu, a border city of India.

Pastor Nang Za Thawn and his wife have three boys. Fourteen years ago, after much prayer, the couple decided to take in three orphans. Over the years, others have contacted the Thawns to take in orphaned children. The couple prioritizes the children as first those who have no father and mother, and second those who have no father. They are currently raising 38 orphans in their home, including one girl who was left at the family’s gate 10 months ago, when she was only 1 week old. Thawn and his wife adopted her and named her Naomi.

Chris remarks, “The home is clean, and the children are well dressed, taken care of, happy, and growing in the Lord.” Chris was present when the family members were having their evening praise and worship time. Chris joined them on a few of the English songs, like “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Satisfied.”

Some of the children are now teenagers. The boy who led the singing, named Coconi, is 22. He came to their home when he was about 11. Thawn led him to Christ, and he is now the principal of a Christian school and pastor of a small house church in a nearby village. The school, which meets June through February, has a student body of 260 during the regular school year and 140 for summer school.

While Chris was visiting one morning, four men showed up to meet with him. Two are of the Karin tribe—one married with three children, and the other single. Their vision is to reach the Karin in the area, focusing on the children, as the adults are not interested. The third was Coconi, Thawn’s son-in-the-faith. The fourth man just got married one month ago, and he and his wife are committed to missions. At the end of April, the Evangelical Baptist Conference will conduct a weeklong training conference for missionaries. Twenty-two are planning to attend. By the end of the week, they will be prayed with, counseled, and appointed to an unreached village. A village typically has no streets, no electricity, no telephones, no infrastructure. One must walk to get to a village. The villagers are virtually all Buddhists. There must be thousands of such places.