The Council of Hope PRC (Grand Rapids) would like to express our appreciation to all our sister churches for your financial support and prayers for the saints in Myanmar. During our monthly video calls with Rev. Titus, he expresses the churches appreciation for the support from the PRCA. In this update, we provide information on the current unrest involving the nationwide military coup, the impact of Covid 19 sweeping through the country, and some news about Rev. Titus’ health and work.

You may recall from our June report that the military took over in Myanmar. The coup of last February has been nothing short of brutal. The military is killing citizens that stand in protest against the coup and continues to seek out those who are joining together to resist the military. This military takeover and the corresponding revolt of the people has brought the economy to the brink of collapse. 

This conflict has been most active during the nighttime hours, as both sides seek to carry out their evil work under the cover of darkness. The sounds of gunfire and explosions can be heard in and around the home of Rev. Titus causing much stress and many long, sleep-deprived nights. On one occasion, Rev. Titus had an extremely tense situation involving a member of his church who had a serious health issue. In response, Rev. Titus jumped into his vehicle and headed for the hospital. Along the way members of the military-run police force pulled him over, shoved a gun in his face, and asked the reason for driving his vehicle out on public streets. Apparently his sick passenger who needed medical attention was enough for the police to allow them to carry on to the hospital. In God’s providence, Covid 19 and the long summer rainy season has significantly slowed the military actions around the country.

Most of us here in the states have become accustomed to Covid and have adapted to the new normal that came along with the virus. In Myanmar however, the virus had not been much of a problem until August. Since then there has been a rapid spread of the virus which seems to have come from their neighboring country of India. Now it has spread to the city of Yangon near where Rev. Titus lives. Without many hospitals open and the lack of health care workers, the country has been unable to adequately tend to the sick. This has resulted in many deaths in the country, especially in the Chin state located in the western part of Myanmar. Rev. Titus reports no covid cases in his congregation and that they have been able to gather for worship on Sundays.

This past year God has sent many trials upon the saints in Myanmar. In addition to the military coup and concerns with Covid 19, Rev. Titus now has some serious health issues. He has been diagnosed with Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome. This disease affects the electrical system of the heart, causing him to have shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, and lightheadedness. In October he had a pacemaker put in and since then has been slowly progressing back to health.  During this time, Rev. Titus has been unable to preach, and the surgery has greatly limited his involvement in the life of his congregation.

These health issues have also slowed the progress of his translation of KJV into Burmese. Rev. Titus is spending a large amount of time working on his KJV translation of the Old Testament. With the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs complete in the past year, Rev Titus has translated from the middle of I Kings to Ezekiel 18. News has been spreading around the country to many Christian and evangelical groups who are very much interested in this Bible translation. While God in his infinite wisdom has slowed the progress of Rev. Titus’s work due to his ongoing heart concerns, we pray that God will restore his health, so that he can once again continue to press towards the mark of completing a full KJV of the Bible into Burmese.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when the good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”