Defying Chaos

The fledgling student movement was flourishing across four cities. While it wasn’t easy in this Buddhist-majority country, students were managing to engage in regular Bible study groups, community action, and outreach camps.

And then?

The lethal 2020 pandemic was followed by a devastating military takeover that remains in force today.

Five years on, students continue to be at risk – conscripted without warning or kidnapped for blackmail or trafficking. Today, official meetings on campus are forbidden. Today, limited ministry plans are frequently thwarted. Nanda*, general secretary of the movement admits:

“Sometimes we’re very discouraged because we don’t really know what to do. But we feel that we are not alone, that people around the world are standing with us in prayer.

Defying Chaos among Today’s Students

Some students still attend classes, despite the risk and depleted teaching staff. Nanda supports them by visiting campus for “a chat”. Although he’s often ID-checked and firmly questioned, he’s allowed in to visit “friends” for a juice or coffee in the canteen.

Some days, he may have as many as 15 around the table. They discuss life and faith, and he responds to their questions. He might manage to use a printout of some Bible verses to guide the conversation.

At the weekend, he opens his home so that some of these students can worship and study the Bible together.

Similarly, Nanda has not given up on camps. It’s tough – he’d planned one for 40 students but due to last-minute security concerns, he had to change its location and condense it into a day-retreat. Nevertheless, around 25 students attended.

“It was very encouraging. Some were from a Buddhist background. And many from a Christian background had only ever read the Bible as a duty. They all said they’d never had a chance to study Scripture like we did.”

Defying Chaos for Tomorrow’s Students

Nanda also recently spoke at a church youth camp, where one young man’s encounter with Christ ended his drug abuse. His parents were so grateful that they invited Nanda to run a week-long “camp” for their son – in their home! Nanda used the opportunity to include another boy who’d stopped going to school.

“Many young people feel like their future is gone. Some turn to drugs while others stay isolated at home. It’s a great thing that God is working in their lives.”

After the education system collapsed and the military imposed a Buddhist-centric curriculum, Nanda and his wife began teaching their children at home. Others joined, and today more than 70 children attend what’s become a private school with a Bible-based curriculum.

Authorities demanded, then denied, the school’s registration. Thankfully, the regional body accepted an appeal that showed students’ academic improvement. But that paperwork has now been stuck for months at the Ministry of Education.

Nonetheless, whether in school or at university, the team trust a higher authority:

“We’re so thankful for your prayers and hope that God may enable us to make closed doors open again.”

Pray

Thank God for the faithfulness of this student movement through the pain, trauma, and uncertainties of the last six years. Pray for students engaging with Scripture for the first time – that they will find life in Jesus and grow in his joy and peace.

Pray for the safety and wellbeing of those in the movement and for a peaceful and just resolution to the country’s political crisis.

Pray for the future of the school. Registration is not the only hurdle – many parents cannot afford even the low tuition fees, while import costs and customs rules limit access to materials.

*Name changed to protect identity.