No safe place: the moving story of Pastor Yang

Pastor Yang, his family and his church have to repeatedly flee bombs, bullets and persecution – in Myanmar, there is no safe place to call home.

The recent earthquakes in Myanmar made global headlines – but, for Christians in the country, it is yet another crisis to face. It comes on top of years of conflict and persecution that mean they are repeatedly displaced.

Pastor Yang* is one of many believers who face this relentless jeopardy. He and his young family in Myanmar have had to grab what they can and flee – not once, not twice, but many times. Most citizens face danger in Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, but the conflict is being used by those in power as an opportunity to increasingly target Christians and other minority groups.

Robbed at gunpoint

Pastor Yang recalls one of the attacks, by a radical group, that displaced much of his congregation. “Members of my church were blindfolded and forced to lie down as guns were pointed at them,” he says. “They were not allowed to speak. Their houses were searched for money and valuables. The radical groups took everything valuable.”

This wasn’t an isolated incident – the church members were assaulted in this way several times. Pastor Yang’s own home was targeted: “They took my motorbike and stole 150,000 kyats, which was our emergency fund.” That’s worth about £55, which is two months’ minimum wage in Myanmar. “As a result of these attacks, many church members chose to flee from the village.”

Relentless displacement

Pastor Yang and his family are never able to feel truly at home. They are always exhausted and scared, and the displacements are relentless. “We moved to another, safer place. We stayed there for a week. There also problems arose,” he says. “Then we fled to the village where my in-laws live. We stayed there for two months. We had lots of trouble there too – we moved again.”

As a new parent, Pastor Yang wants to see his wife and children feel safe and secure. The family have never experienced that. “The burden of moving from one place to another with very young children weighs heavily on me and my wife,” he says. “We have had to live amidst the sounds of gunfire and bomb explosions. All this deeply traumatises my wife. My children fear the loud noises. As a husband and a father, sometimes I feel helpless that I cannot make my own family feel safe.”

A complex climate

The threat doesn’t just come from these radical groups. The situation in Myanmar is very complex. Ever since the military coup in 2021, which deposed the government, widespread fighting continues in various parts of the country. The new military government and groups of militia remain violently opposed, and the conflict has displaced millions, with many killed and many more properties and livelihoods destroyed. As a result, Myanmar faces an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

All Burmese people are vulnerable, but Christians face a far greater threat in the Buddhist-majority country. Christianity is often portrayed as a ‘foreign’ religion, and believers experience opposition from all levels of society – and from both sides in this conflict.

“Even before the coup, we Christians had few privileges,” Pastor Yang explains. “We faced many hindrances when we tried to conduct worship services and church activities.” After the coup, this discrimination turned deadly, as military airstrikes often target churches and majority-Christian areas.

“The conditions of Christians and Buddhists are not the same,” he says. “Many Christians have been killed in many instances. If we look at the whole country, there are only a few cases of Buddhist villages and monasteries being destroyed. Churches were targets of [military] attacks. They intentionally destroyed tribal people’s and Christian properties.”

Even while living in displacement, believers continue to face discrimination. When aid is distributed, Christians are denied the much-needed food and other essentials that are given to displaced Buddhist people.

Guided along right paths

In the face of these extreme difficulties, Pastor Yang turns to the Bible and prayer as sources of resilience. “Our family prays together every night, asking God to give us the strength to go through this Red Sea in our lives,” he says. His wording is a reminder that, as far back as Moses, God’s people have often sought and found His favour during periods of anxious displacement.

Particular verses sustain Pastor Yang and his family. “Every night, we recite Psalm 23 before we go to bed,” he says, “and we spend much time reciting Proverbs 3:5-6.” In Psalm 23, David says words still deeply pertinent to the plight of Pastor Yang and millions of displaced Christians around the world: “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

Proverbs 3:5-6, meanwhile, declares: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

In both of these precious passages, Pastor Yang and his family see hope and wisdom. The paths they have to walk – or to run – are dangerous and uncertain. But they can see certainty in God’s guidance. “Living in the conflict area and going out for daily chores is stressful,” says Pastor Yang. “Every time we ride our motorbikes, we remember God’s promises in Scripture.”

He adds: “We remember God for small things, because we could be killed at any moment. I pray, ‘God, help me come back home safely so that I can see my wife and children.’”

Battered physically, mentally and spiritually

It’s clear that Pastor Yang feels a holy responsibility to serve other displaced Christians in his region, who are also facing increased risk of persecution and discrimination. He knows that it isn’t always possible, from his own resources.

“My church members are my family members. They are my spiritual children,” he says. “Being a father in the family and a pastor in the church, it is impossible to focus only on my family’s difficulties. I cannot ignore them.”

Pastor Yang adds: “Our church members also left their homes. I visit them on bicycle, as my motorbike was stolen. Our main problem is the lack of basic needs. Church members have no more jobs. No income. We are battered physically, mentally and spiritually.”

He sees their need for food and spiritual nourishment, as he visits displaced believers in far-flung places. “People who are down physically and mentally really thirst for the Word of God,” he says. “If we can have programmes to encourage them while they are in need, it will be a great benefit to them.”

Overjoyed to meet Open Doors partners

With your help, Open Doors local partners can help answer the fervent prayers of believers like Pastor Yang. He first met local partners after his family’s most recent displacement, when they were feeling particularly exhausted and defeated from repeated upheavals.

“I was overjoyed to meet the Open Doors partners. They are so passionate to serve persecuted believers like me,” says Pastor Yang. “I soon partnered with them in reaching out to the displaced believers.”

Pastor Yang was able to attend persecution survival training, and he can pass on what he learned. “I now facilitate workshops for church leaders and pastors because I know, like me, they need this time of fellowship for encouragement.”

Increasing faith

Your gifts and prayers can answer the physical and spiritual hunger of displaced Christians. “Despite our desperate financial situation, we try to help our church members and other fellow pastors as much as possible in this time of economic hardship,” says Pastor Yang. “In the past, I could not do so, and it made me extremely sad.”

With your support, Open Doors local partners will be able to provide much-needed food to the displaced believers Pastor Yang knows. “We distribute rice, cooking oil and onions to the most needy ones,” he says. “They cry out of joy. When we had much, we were not mindful of it – but when we have nothing, even one kyat [1/30th of a penny] means a lot.”

He adds: “If we don’t provide food to the Christians who are really displaced and in need, I cannot imagine what their lives would look like. The help is for physical needs, but it also helps their faith to increase.”

“This is because of you”

Pastor Yang is deeply thankful for any support and prayers you can offer to him and his community. “Your help is very meaningful to them and it brings us joy,” he says. “I praise God for people like you who fear and love God and are willing to help people.

“By the grace of God, we are able to conduct training among the needy people. To the most needy people, we are able to distribute some food and Bibles. This is because of you. Yes, it is because of your prayers and your support. Thank you very much.”

The need is far from over. Christians in Myanmar continue to face persecution and discrimination, as well as the terrible impact of conflict. They don’t know how long they will have to be displaced from their homes, or how many more times they will have to gather up their belongings and flee.

Your gifts and prayers can sustain displaced believers – not just in Myanmar, but across the world – showing they are not alone. Today, will you help their faith survive in the face of this ongoing ordeal?

*Name changed for security reasons