Myanmar (MNN) — The military junta ruling Myanmar has sentenced the former civilian leader to another six years in prison. Aung San Suu Kyi had already been sentenced to 11 years on previous charges. She has been held in prison since a February 2021 coup.
Fighting between the military and rebel groups also makes travel difficult. Joe Handley with Asian Access says, “I have friends that when I’m talking with them, they have bombs go off within a block or so of their houses, causing their entire house to shake.”
Meanwhile, the country’s economy has crashed. Handley says, “They estimate that poverty is going to be doubling compared to just a few years ago. And 40 percent of the population is living below the national poverty line this year. All of this tests the resilience of the people. And that’s the challenge the church is facing today.”
Christians in Myanmar
Christians in Myanmar especially reach out to marginalized people groups within the society. As a result, many of these people have become believers.
Pray many people across Myanmar will discover the love of Jesus. Christians continue to share this message.
Handley receives regular communication from one partner who works to share the Gospel among minority groups. “I would say, on average, he is seeing at least five to 10 people come to Christ every time he’s sharing with me. Every three to seven days, I get a report from him telling me how he’s gone out to visit an under-resourced community.”
“He’s bringing them rice, supplies, water, or whatever they need.”
The header photo shows Aung San Suu Kyi in 2012. (Photo courtesy of Htoo Tay Zar, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
