Chapter Five

Conclusion on Shan Missions and Churches

(1861 – 2001) 140 years

It is not easy to make a conclusion on Shan mission. During 140 years of hard work only 92 Churches planted with 10,792 baptized members in all Shan States.

Eastern Shan State

Mission to the Shan in Eastern Shan State is the most successful mission compared to Northern and Southern Shan States. The number of Churches and baptized members increased dramatically between 1988 and the year 2001. There are 8,500 baptized members in 70 Shan Churches with 87 full-time ministers, and 21 have graduated from the Seminary and Bible school in 100 years. Shan Churches in the East were able to form the Eastern Shan State Shan Baptist Convention on January 19, 1997. KanNaLone Shan Baptist Church, with its membership of more than 1,900, is the largest and strongest Shan Church in the whole Shan States. Most of the leaders from Eastern Shan Baptist Churches are open-minded and willing to learn and change for the betterment. Even though they are Baptist, they are willing to work with other denominations, Evangelical and Pentecostal groups. They use what they have, and they put into practice what they think is good for their Churches and missions. They have a clear vision and good ministry planning. They are dedicated to their work. They are active and alive. They have achieved their goal. I remember late Sai Stephen said to me in 1997, “I will take responsibility for planting 100 Churches in our Eastern Shan State. Ask ShweLi Valley Shan Baptist Mission to plant another 100 Churches in the North so that the goal of our 21st Century Shan Mission Project will be achieved in the year 2001.” Sai Stephen has gone to be with the Lord on July 12, 2000. He had finished the task in the Eastern Shan State before he went to be with the Lord. The number of Churches in Eastern Shan State grows, including other racial groups.

I have a hope that Shan Churches in Eastern Shan can be the big source and major force for the future Shan Missions if the leaderships are better equipped with proper and good training.

Southern Shan State

How can we conclude the missions among the Shan in Southern Shan State? 30 believers baptized in 1912 in MuongNai after 10 years of missions. Today not more than one hundred Shan believers in MuongNai Church. But it is not the Shan-speaking Church but the Burmese. Only three Shan-speaking Churches exist with two hundred members in 111 years of mission among the Shan in Southern Shan State. Most of the members of these three Churches are originally not from Southern Shan State, but they are either migrants from Northern Shan State or Eastern Shan State. The pastors of these three Shan Churches are also not from Southern Shan State. One is from the Eastern Shan State, and two are from Northern Shan State. There are some Shan believers in PangLong, MuongNai, LoiLem, MuongPon, KoLum, and other places, but they do not have a leader, preacher, or pastor to lead them into forming a Church and having regular worship services in their language. Shan Churches in the South cannot form an association. They are neither associated with the Shan Baptist Association in the Eastern nor Northern Shan State. There is a Bible School in Taunggyi, but it is not the Shan Bible School. It is the Burmese Bible School using the Burmese language.

Northern Shan State

In the beginning of Baptist missions among the Shan in Shan States, ShweLi Valley Shan Baptist Association was said to be strongest and most promising mission field in 1900s. The number of Churches in 1945 was 4 and the number of baptized members in 1954 was 666. After 108 years, from 1893 to 2001, the number of Churches under ShweLi Valley Shan Baptist Association increased to 17 and the baptized membership to 1,359. Out of 17 Churches, only 13 are Shan-speaking Churches. It is growing very slowly. Total 43 people graduated from Bible Schools in 99 years but less than half of them served in the ministry. We hope that the ShweLi Shan Baptist Association will be revived when the leaderships have received proper training and inspiration.

Summery

Is the Baptist Mission among the Shan successful and satisfactory? The answer is “Yes” and “No”. Yes, because the American Missionaries had successfully brought the good news to our people, established mission fields all over Shan States and planted Churches. During the time of missionaries’ effort, it was “very successful.” No, because the successors, local leaders, pastors, evangelists and missionaries failed to keep up the success implemented by our predecessors.

I give thanks to God for His love, mercy, and salvation to our Shan people.
I give thanks to God for sending wonderful American missionaries to our people and our land more than one hundred years ago.
I give thanks to all missionaries who dedicated their life, suffered, and died for the sake of the gospel, well-being, and salvation of our people.
I give thanks to our forefathers who served the Lord faithfully, teaching us the truth, leading us to Christ, and giving us good examples.
I give thanks to faithful leaders, pastors, evangelists, missionaries and servants of the Lord who are serving the Lord today in Churches and missions faithfully and righteously.

As we are serving God and building His Kingdom, let us not focus on persons and perishable material things but on Him alone and the eternal reward. Let us learn from the past missionaries, pastors, evangelists, their strengths and weaknesses, their successes and failures, and apply them to our present ministries and prepare for a better future. No one is perfect. However, Jesus said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
Paul said, “We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end, I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.” (1 Corinthians 1:28-29)
All the servants of the Lord must dedicate their lives as Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20-21)

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE SHAN MISSIONS

1. The Anointing of The Holy Spirit, Receiving and Possessing The Power Of The Holy Spirit in Witnessing among The Shan
   Acts 1:4-5 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
   Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.”
   Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
   Acts 2:38-41 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words, he warned them and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
   Eph 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Let us be anointed by the Holy Spirit so that we can be the witness of Jesus Christ to the Shan.
Let us receive the power of the Holy Spirit and be His effective witnesses.
Let us not rely on our knowledge, education, intelligence, and wealth in evangelizing the Shan.
Let us not rely on the power and authority of human society or government.
Let us rely on His calling, appointment, authorization, and power.
Let us be well prepared for the battle with the spirit of darkness.
Let us make sure that we’ve got enough spiritual preparation, spiritual training and strong spiritual weapons before going into the spiritual battlefield.
Let us take the full armor of God and go.
Let us not go before being fully equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual warfare is everywhere in the Shan States.

All the servants of God serving among the Shan must be filled with
the Holy Spirit and His Power

2. Going, Preaching, Teaching, Baptizing, Discipling, and Serving
   Mat 10:5-8 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions, “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, and drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
   Mat 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
   2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
   Luke 9:1-2 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
   Luke 9:6 So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
   Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Let us not wait for the people to come to us to listen to the gospel.
Let us go to the people and tell them the good news.
Let us not just make fun of or tell jokes.
Let us be serious in preaching the real truth of the word.
Let us give baptism of repentance to the believers into spiritual regeneration.
Let us teach and disciple the converts with the spiritual truth, the words, and the Bible.
Let us serve, not to be served.

All the servants of God must go out and serve

3. Serve With Power In The Name Of Jesus
   1 Corinthians 2:4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
   Romans 15:18-19 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
   Ephesians 6:11-13 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Let us preach, discuss, debate, and argue not with our own intellectual knowledge but with the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit.
Let us use miracles, signs and wonders in the name of Jesus as our most powerful evangelistic weapon in the Shan.

All the servants of God serving among the Shan must serve with the Power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ

4. Serve Faithfully And Honestly
   1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
   Matthew 25:21 His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
   Revelation 2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Let us not serving for our own interest and gain but for His glory and Kingdom.
Let us not doing for ourselves but for Him alone.
Let us be faithful to Him financially, materially, morally and spiritually.
Let us be accountable to Him.

All the servants of God must be faithful and honest in words in action from the heart

5. Serve Till The End
   Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
   James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
   Revelation 2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
   2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Let us not give up.
Let us not resign.
Let us not quit.
Let us serve till the last breath.

All the servants of God must serve till the end

Words of Thanks

This book is “The Historical Truth About Shan Missions.” The information, papers, pictures, and documents are authentic. Some are from personal experience and interviews. The articles and writings are nothing personal. To protect the credibility and dignity of the person concerned, the identity of the person is not revealed. I hope this book will help us understand the mission’s work among the Shan so that we can make necessary changes in mission strategy, which will be effective, suitable, and beneficial for the Shan missions.
I want to thank Neel Roberts, American Missionary to the Shan, for giving me copies of all the reports and letters from the Library Archives, American Baptist Missionary Union, USA.

Missions base on Vision,

Vision comes from the Lord,

God’s work done by the Power,

The Power from the Holy Sprit.

Foreign and other nationals who served as Missionaries to the Shan
(in alphabetical order except Bixby and Cushing)

Rev. Moses Homan Bixby from 1860 to1866 when he returned to United States.
Rev. Josiah Nelson Cushing from 1866 to 1892 when he became head of Baptist College in Rangoon.
Rev. & Mrs. Ba Te
Rev. & Mrs. Chim Sein
Rev. & Mrs. E.B. Roach
Rev. & Mrs. E.D Kelley
Rev. & Mrs. E.E. Sowards
Rev. & Mrs. Henry Heptonstall
Rev. & Mrs. J.A. Freiday
Rev. & Mrs. J.E. Case
Rev. & Mrs. John Po
Rev. & Mrs. Mix
Rev. & Mrs. Nathan Brown
Rev. & Mrs. Paul Lewis
Rev. & Mrs. Po Sein
Rev. & Mrs. Raymond Bakes Buker
Rev. & Mrs. Rose
Rev. & Mrs. Thra Aung Din
Rev. & Mrs. Vincent Yong
Rev. & Mrs. W.M. Yong
Rev. & Mrs. W.W. Cochrane
Rev. & Mrs. Willie
Rev. & Mrs. Yaw Su
Mr. Bartholomew
Ms. A.R. Gage
Ms. Antisdel
Ms. C.E. Henderson
Ms. Clark
Ms. Elizabeth Lawrence
Ms. Elva Jenkins
Ms. Fay
Ms. Kingsley
Ms. M. Cromton
Ms. M. E. Rockwood
Ms. Margaret B. Smith
Ms. Marston
Ms. Payne
Ms. Peggy Smith
Ms. Ruth Christopherson
Ms. Slater
Ms. Thompson

Foreign and other national who served as Medical Missionaries to the Shan
(in alphabetical order)

Dr. Ah Pon
Dr. Ai Lun, Albert
Dr. Albert Haley Henderson
Dr. Aung Thaik
Dr. Brown
Dr. Buker
Dr. C. A. Kirkpatrick
Dr. G. T. Leeds
Dr. Gordon Seagrave
Dr. Grace Russell Seagrave
Dr. Hanson
Dr. Howard Clinton Gibbens
Dr. Keith R. Dahlberg
Dr. Lao Htin Po
Dr. M. B. Kirkpatrick
Dr. Mason
Dr. Max. D. Miles
Dr. Naomi Gordon
Dr. Ohn Shwe
Dr. Richard Buker
Dr. Robert Harper
Dr. Robin Krasu
Dr. San Hlaing
Dr. W.C. Griggs
Dr. Walter Rittenhouse

Mission Stations for the Shan
(in alphabetical order)

BhaMo
HsiPaw
KengTung
MuongNai
NamKham
Toungoo

R.I.P

Rev. Moses Homan Bixby
March 20, 1901 in Providence, United States.

Rev. Josiah Nelson Cushing
May 17, 1905, in the United States.

Mrs. Laura A. Bixby, wife of Rev. Bixby
March 24, 1901, Providence, United States, only four days after the death of her husband.

Mrs. Roberts
Aug. 16, 1880 in Rangoon, Burma.

Mr. W.C. Lambert
May 23, 1895 murdered by a thief, early morning in HsiPaw.

Mr. Mix
1881, Liverpool, England, on his way to America.

Rev. Dr. M. B. Kirkpatrick, M. D.,
February 10, 1915, HsiPaw, Burma.

Dr. Robert Harper
1926, after serving 22 years, in United States.

Dr. Richard Buker
1994 in United States.

Dr. Grace Russell Seagrave
August 17, 1951, NamKham, Northern Shan State, Burma.

Dr. Ohn Shwe
Killed by a drunken man in 1936 while he was trying to protect the man’s wife from further assault.

Mrs. Huldah Mix
1933 in TaungGyi, Southern Shan State, Burma, after serving 16 years.

Ms. Rockwood
1882 in Toungoo, Burma.

Dr. Gordan Stifler Seagrave
March 28, 1965 after serving 43 years in NamKham, Northern Shan State, Burma.

Rev. Htun Pyu
November 20, 1958 after serving 56 years, NamKham, Northern Shan State, Burma.

Mrs. Roberts
August 16, 1880, Rangoon, Burma.
Dr. L. T. Ah Pon
1943, died during Japanese occupation.

Dr. Ai Lun
January 18, 1978 in LaShio, Northern Shan State, Burma.

Rev. Kham Maung
February 9, 1976, MuSe, Northern Shan State, Burma.

Rev. Ai Pan
October 30, 1980, NamKham, Northern Shan State, Burma.

Saya Sam Pwa
1942, NamKham, Northern Shan State, Burma.

Rev. Tha Dun
November 26, 1926, NamKham, Northern Shan State, Burma.

Rev. Hmoon
August 30, 1980, SeLan, Northern Shan State, Burma.

Rev. Sai Stephen
July 12, 2000, KengTung, Eastern Shan State, Burma.

Sources and References

References and Sources

American Baptist Missionary Union Magazines and Annual Reports 1860-1954
American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society Annual Reports 1860-1954
Butwell, Richard,
U Nu of Burma. Publisher: Stanford University Pr; Revised edition, November 1969.
Cochrane, W.W.
The Shan, Superintendent Government Printing, Rangoon, Burma, 1915.
Committee of Shan Baptist History, 1985 (in Burmese).
History of Shan Baptist Mission, Shan Bible Centenary, NamKham.
Dhida Saray, Ph.D.
Becoming Tai: The Historical Basis of the Thai Nation, Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University. 2001
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2005
Tai. Canton, The People, Tattooing.
Holt S. Hallett,
A Thousand Miles on an Elephant in the Shan States, White Lotus Co. Ltd 2000.
http://thaistudies.rsu.ac.th/hum113/project2/ahom_history.htm.
http://www.almanach.be/search/s/Shan.html.
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=BLT.
http://www.infomekong.com/p_group_Shan_1.htm.
http://www.myanmar.com/today/Shan.
http://www.Shandworld.com.
http://www.sil.org/ethnologue/families/Daic.html.
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/nationality/dai/.
http://www.tribaltextiles.info/Galleries/Black_Thai.htm.
Jean M. Perrin
The Tai (Thai) and their destiny, 1959
Joachim Schliesinger,
Tai Groups of Thailand Volume I, Introduction and Overview, White Lotus Co, Ltd 2001.
Joachim Schliesinger,
Tai Groups of Thailand, Volume II, Profile of the Existing Groups, White Lotus Co. Ltd, 2001.
Koe Sean (in Shan)
History of Tai and Tai Country, Mok Ko Soi Leng Printing Press, Yangon, 1996.
Leslie Milne,
Shans at home, Burma’s Shan States in the Early 1900s, White Lotus Co; Ltd, 2001.
Ma Yin,
China’s Minority Nationalities, .Foreign Languages Press, Beijing. 1994.
Melford E. Spiro,
Buddhism and society: A Great Tradition and its Burmese Vicissitudes, New York: Harper and Row, 1972
Mok Ko Soi Leng Printing Press
Teacher’s hand book in Shan language, Yangon, 1997.
MuSe Shan Church Committee December 24, 1993.
Biography of Rev. Kham Maung
MuSe Shan Church Committee, 1993, December 24.
History of MuSe Shan Church.
Myanmar Baptist Convention, Records of Annual General Meeting, 1985-2000
Myanmar Government Information 1996
Robert H. Taylor,
The State in Burma, University of Hawaii Pr, April 1988
Samuel R. Clark,
The Chung-chia or Shan Tribes, Cheng Wen Publishing Company, Taipei 1970.
Shan Magazine Vol. 2, 1997 (Shan language), Yangon.
Shan State literary committee,
Puen Tai Ho Te (in Shan) 1997
Shan State Magazine, 2000,
The Shan Settlement in Myanmar by Kwan Hseng.
Teeraparb Lohitkun,
Tai in Southeast Asia, 1995
Thek Ka To Ne Win, 1995 (in Burmese).
In remembrance of General Aung San
U Sai Aung Tun,
Ancient Tai (in Burmese) 1975
Zheng Xiaoyun, Yu Tao, 1995.
Women bathed in Holy Water, The Dais
Personal Interview and Research, 1988-2003

Chapter One – Baptist Missions to the Shan People of Burma (Myanmar) (1861-2001)
Chapter Two – Challenges in Twenty-first Century
Chapter Three – 21st Century Shan Mission Project (21st CSMP)
Chapter Four – Analysis on Shan Missions and Churches
Chapter Five – Conclusion on Shan Missions and Churches
Chapter Six – Asian reports
Appendixes