21st Century Shan Mission Project (21st CSMP)
In the year 1986, I had not heard anyone talking about 21st-century mission planning. It seems still far away. But one day, when I was reading the words and praying in a small room at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong for my three-year-old daughter, who was seriously ill and lying on a hospital bed, God revealed to me “21st Century Shan Mission Project” on September 14, 1986.
What does it mean?
What does God want me to do?
How can I do it?
After much prayer, I feel that God has graciously given me full responsibility to reach out and preach the gospel to millions of Shan people in Burma who are my own people who have not heard about Jesus. They all need Jesus. Trusting in God I started working out a plan for this project without knowing much about the mission. I praise God for His guidance and provision. This vision is the beginning of “Great Commission to the Shan.”
The Vision
Goals for 21st CSMP
By the year 2001, I want to achieve
Goal One: 201 Shan Evangelists trained for the harvest
Goal Two: 201 Shan Churches planted among the Shan
Goal Three: 21,000 Shan believers saved
Only about 6,000 Shan have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior in 124 years. How can I get 21,000 Shan believers within 14 years? Impossible? Wishful thinking? Daydreaming? Discouraged by Satan but encouraged by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you”
Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
I have decided TO GO, TO DO, TO LIVE by FAITH.
“Trainings” for Shan believers will be conducted and producing more evangelists and sending them out for “Evangelism” and “Planting Churches” among the Shan.
Vision in action
The first step is to put vision into action. I went back to Burma in December 1986 from Hong Kong, for the first time in seven years after leaving the country, and had a meeting with Shan Churches’ leaders from Eastern Shan State, Northern Shan State, and Southern Shan State from 12 to 13 December in Rangoon at Daw Mya Nu’s home. I sponsored all 13 leaders for their expenses in traveling and meals with Kyat 14,777.
In attendances were; Dr. Sai Htwe Maung, Sai Hsai (Eastern Shan State), Daw Mya Nu (Yangon), Rev. Sai Shwe Htun (Northern Shan State), Rev. Sai Nyunt Tha (Northern Shan State), Rev. Sai Tip (Eastern Shan State), Rev. Sai Aung Htun Shwe (Northern Shan State), Sai Myint Lay (Eastern Shan State), Sai Thein Aung Kham (Northern Shan State), Sai Htun Khaing (Southern Shan State), Kyaw Hla (Northern Shan State), Kyaw Win (Northern Shan State), Daw Shwe Sein (Northern Shan State), David Hsam (Eastern Shan State).
Meeting Shan Churches’ Leaders
Decisions made as follows;
- Sai Htun Khaing will organize Shan Baptist Fellowship in TaungGyi.
Sai Htwe Maung will support him 100 Kyat monthly for his traveling expenses for one year. - Sai Stephen will evangelize the lepers in MuongPya, WanKum village, E.S.S.
Sai Htwe Maung will support him 100 Kyat monthly for one year. - Sai Htwe Maung has donated 2 sleeping bags, 1 camera, 1 slide projector, 2 master keys, and Kyat 15,000 toward Shan Baptist mission works.
- Sai Htwe Maung has donated Kyat 46,158 toward the Shan Baptist Ministry.
- Sai Htwe Maung has helped getting financial support from Asian Outreach International total 64,363 Kyat for the Shan Mission in supporting Shan Bible Students.
- Sai Htwe Maung and Asian Outreach International have sponsored 18 Shan students to study in Theological Seminaries and one student in University for four years.
- Sai Htwe Maung put forward his vision, 21st Century Shan Mission Project for future Shan Mission.
In order to work out this project the following committee was formed.
General Director; Dr. Sai Htwe Maung
Co-coordinator; Sai Hsai
Hon. Treasure; Daw Mya Nu
Members; Rev. Sai Tip, Rev. Shwe Htun, Sai Htun Khaing, Sai Myint Lay, U Kyaw Hla, Rev. Sai Stephan, Sai Thein Aung Kham, Rev. Sai Nyunt Tha.
Support From the Burma Baptist Convention
We need help in organizing training for the Shan. Not many Shan Christian leaders are well-equipped and qualified to be trainers. I thought the BBC could offer help in our effort to train our Shan leaders, helping us do evangelism and Church Planting among the Shan. Therefore, I sent a letter to the General Secretary of the Burma Baptist Convention on June 16, 1987, asking them to help by sending some teachers and trainers from the BBC and also to give some support. However BBC refused to give any help by giving the reason that this 21st CSMP did not come from any Baptist Convention, which was under their recognition. According to the BBC’s policy, they would not give any support to any ministry if it did not come from the Baptist Convention.
Letter from Rev. Zau Yaw, General Secretary, Burma Baptist Convention
July 8, 1987 (translated from Burmese)
Dr. Sai Htwe Maung,
I have received your letter concerning 21st Century Shan Mission Project. I have heard that you have held a meeting with Shan Churches’ leaders regarding Shan Missions when you come to Rangoon. As BBC we only have opportunity of discussing with you about Macao Mission but we don’t have opportunity of talking about 21st Century Shan Mission Project.
When you write to the BBC about our help, we have to think about our policy. In our BBC, we have 13 racial and regional conventions. Among these conventions, Southern Shan State Home Mission, Northern Shan State Baptist Convention, Eastern Shan State Baptist Convention, and ShweLi Valley Shan Baptist Mission are responsible for doing mission work in their area (In Shan States). They also have a joint mission to work with the BBC. For example, a joint mission among Ahka people in Eastern Shan State, Southern mission work with ZBC. We have to think about which convention is going to take responsibility for the 21st Century Shan Mission Project. There is no “Shan Convention” in Shan State. In all the mentioned conventions in Shan States, they are all multiracial conventions, not pure Shan Churches.
We can only consider ShweLi as a pure Shan Church group. That is why it will be good if you form the “Evangelism and Mission Committee” under the ShweLi Valley Shan Baptist Mission. However, when doing mission work (among the Shan in other regions), you still need to negotiate with other regional or racial conventions (which control the region). On the other hand, for us to consider it (about help), it has to come to us from a convention. The 21st Century Shan Mission Committee should write to us officially under a convention; otherwise, we cannot consider it.
In His Service,
Signed/ Rev. M. Zau Yaw,
General Secretary, Burma Baptist Convention.
It is very much regrettable because Shan Churches do not have a convention to represent them. ShweLi Valley Shan Baptist Mission represents only a few Shan, Palong, and Chinese Churches in ShweLi Valley. It cannot own this project for the whole Shan Churches and the Shan people all over the Shan States. It is also regrettable that we cannot go and do any mission work among our people in our own Shan States without their regional convention’s permission under BBC policy. In other words, we cannot go and save our people in our own home. Whatever it is, I am determined to go ahead and do it in His name with His power, under His grace.