A Life Restored Amid Sickness

  06.17.2010    SE Asia | Myanmar | Medical Relief | NAtive Missions | Healings
Native Missions - Asia
Aye San gives praises to teh Lord for her healing

Her father passed away when she was only 13 years old. She has no brothers, but she does have a younger married sister.  Her mother is constantly ill with stomach ailments and her grandfather is deaf. Her name is Aye San and at 26 years of age and she has been her family’s only means of financial support since she was 13.

Aye San currently earns an income of 1,200 Kyats ($1.27 USD) per day working as a part-time maid. She had dreams of pursuing other careers paths but as she said, “I cannot choose the type of work I would like to do. That’s because I am uneducated.When my father died I had to stop going to school so I could support my family.”

In due time Aye San started getting sick. Regardless of how she felt, Aye San had to work to provide for her family. Over time, things got worse. She began coughing up blood and her family began to urge her to go to the hospital. However, she resisted saying, “How can we afford for me to go to the hospital when my salary is only 1200 kyats a day?“ Eventually Aye San had to go the local hospital.

After taking a few tests she was given the news that she had Intestinal tuberculosis. She was encouraged to hear that the disease was curable by taking medication for six months.  However, she quickly became discouraged when she learned the cost for the medication. As far as Aye San was concerned, she was as good as dead. She simply could not afford the 20,000 kyats ($21.27 USD) per month for the medication when her monthly income was 24,000 kyats ($25.53 USD).

With nowhere else to go, he turned to her family’s gods and spirits for help. She prayed asking them to cure her illness. It seemed that her gods were not interested in helping her. Regardless of how often or how loudly she prayed, her prayers went unanswered. Aye San’s hope for a bright future had faded, being eclipsed by discouragement.  Little did she know that there was a GOD who did hear her cries in the middle of the night and that He was about to transform her life I ways she could never imagine.

One day, she was handed a Gospel tract. Aye San remembers reading about Jesus Christ, how he healed people everywhere, and never asked for money in return.  Seeing how her gods failed to heal her, she decided to turn to learn more about this so called “Jesus.” Aye San began to ask the missionary who gave her the tract questions about Jesus and she also asked him if he would pray on her behalf asking Jesus for healing. Within a few days she began to feel noticeably better and decided to give thanks to Jesus by coming to a Christian worship service. Since the first day of worship, Aye San has become addicted to learning more about Jesus Christ.

Within a couple of weeks, her family and fellow villagers learned of how she was “betraying her family’s traditions and religion” by praying and seeking a false "foreign god named Jesus". They soon confronted her and expressed their disapproval telling her, “you will die if you worship this foreign god. He does not exist and can do nothing for you! If you continue in worshiping and joining their religion, then know that you are not of our generation and we will not look back towards you.”

Aye San before at height of her illness.
After 3 months of medical treatment, Aye San is well on her way to recovery.

For Aye San, putting her faith totally in Jesus was not a choice she took lightly. Her family and relatives adhered strongly to their traditional religion and worship of their gods and goddesses. She knew the cost she would pay if she continued in her pursuit in making Jesus her Lord. Deciding to forsake the gods that failed her she pursued Jesus vigorously. As she recently told her congregation, “ I know Jesus can heal my sickness, I will be fine soon, I Believe Him as my saviour and He is the only God who can give us eternal life. So that I will hold him in my deepest heart till I go to heaven.”

As the poverty stricken church continued to pray for her health, Aye San came to a point in her life where she was willing to accept worshiping Jesus Christ joyfully even if Jesus would not heal her completely. She made a decision to live her remaining days in service of Jesus, no matter the cost. Then something glorious happened! A brother and sister whom she had never meet, seen or talked with learned of her condition. They were move by compassion to do something. They increased their monthly giving to Freedom From Chains so that Aye San would be able to purchase the medication she needed to live.

I remember the day I gave her an envelope with the money she needed for the medication. She was so overwhelmed by the love of her brethren that her body began to express its indescribable joy by shedding tears of pure joy.  Oh what a site to behold, the power of God’s love expressed thru the actions of His servants. Little did our brother and sister in America know, but that gift of life, the $20 USD they sent her would not only change the life of Aye San but it would also begin to transform the lives of her entire family.

Aye San’s family simply could not understand why anyone would sacrifice one month’s income for a complete stranger. Aye San’s family eyes were opened to the love that Christians had for each another. It was unlike anything else they had seen before. Aye San mother spoke saying, “I am encourage when I see the Christian people loving each other. My daughter has also changed in how she loves her family and others.”

Aye San's family still remains opposed to the Christian faith. However, we are extremely hopeful that they will one day follow in Aye San's footsteps and turn their lives to Jesus Christ, Amen!

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