What You Value...You Evaluate

What You Value...You Evaluate

If you think a task or goal is important then you evaluate it to determine if the objective has been reached. Ten months ago Don taught Strategic Planning to Pa Kep, the leader of the FMC in Myanmar. Four months later we returned to Myanmar to support Pa Kep as he taught and led the Board of Administration and other invited leaders in the development of Myanmar’s first Strategic Plan. It was amazing to see the student become the teacher within such a short time and so effectively lead his team in developing five strategic initiatives. Each initiative had its own set of goals, timeline, targets, costs, and identified who was responsible to see the task through to completion.

Over the course of several months Pa Kep and Don had regular conversations via Messenger. They collaborated reviewing progress to date and any possible roadblocks. Why? They both felt that when you value something you measure and assess it.

After a one-hour flight from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Yangon, Myanmar, then a 2- hour flight to Kalaymyo, Myanmar, ending with a 12-hour van ride over what could best be described at times like driving over a dry riverbed (pic to left) we finally arrived in Hakha, Myanmar. Oh did we mention that at times we had to pass over sections of road that looked less than the width of our van (pic to right)? On two occasions we even had to remove rocks and boulders to be able to pass. Large sections of the road were
under construction. The drive was only 120 miles. We figured the driver averaged 10 miles per hour. We finally arrived to be a part of Myanmar’s FMC Provisional Annual Conference held over the next three days.

Don gave the open-ing address as the confer-ence (pic to right) got under-way with the theme, “Stand Strong Together”. The following day he taught two sessions on leadership after the ordination service. The highlights for us while in Hakha were the ordination of three elders (pic to the left and above), times of worship, the restoration of two pastors, and the annual report given by superintendent PaKep.

Why, you might wonder would a report be a highlight? It’s because we witnessed how all the hours, days, weeks, and previous 8 months invested in building capacity in leaders in Myanmar resulted in Strategic Plan details being communicated to the conference. It was incredibly rewarding to see Pa Kep spell out to the conference yesterday the goals of each strategic initiative. He challenged participants with details on what it was going to take to accomplish the plan. It is a God-sized task - greater than their limited human resources, requiring their complete dependence upon the Lord.

Thank you for your support and partnership with us in the period January 2016 through 2017. You helped make our ministries possible as well as contributing greatly to the future of the church in Myanmar. We invite you to please join us in praying for the twenty-three churches in Myanmar. They have a clearly articulated vision for the future with ways to measure their success in their Strategic Plan. One of the most exciting initiatives in the plan is to plant five churches each year doubling the number of churches in the conference over the next five years. Please pray for the leaders as they continue to act on the plan, courageously standing strong together, leading into the future the Lord has for his church.

Grateful for your prayers and past support,

Don and Kathy
Your Missionaries to Asia