Mission News: Present Day Paul

Paul, a Burmese student, a Buddhist monk, was, like his Bible namesake, very hostile to Christ. His devotion to Buddha led him to tattoo most of his body with symbols to give him power over evil spirits. He tried intense meditation and drunkenness, neither of which brought the inner peace he searched for.

When his mother became a Christian, Paul was outraged and accused her of betraying her Burmese heritage. When methods to dissuade her failed, he refused to speak to her for two years. Not finding the peace he sought, Paul began to read the Bible just to prove it wrong. He read about Jesus Christ, a man of integrity and self-control, two character traits he valued but had failed to achieve. "I came to realize that Jesus was the true God. Everything He promised came true."

When Paul shared his decision to be a follower of Jesus with his wife, she replied, "I've put up with so much from you. Christianity is the last straw. I'm leaving." Paul prayed all night that she would stay and give him a chance in his new life. In the morning, she relented.

Later she said, "After one month, I decided I had to believe in a God who was so powerful that He could change my husband this much!" He had become kind and patient and had given up drinking and unhealthy relationships.

Currently Paul is an evangelist, going from door to door in his Buddhist neighborhood and offering Bible studies for inquirers. In his first 18 months as a believer, he has led 130 people to Christ and he and his wife are discipling them.

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:18-20