A letter from Dan and Carol Chou Adams in South Korea
Spring 2009
Dear Friends,
Dan Adams (third from left, second row) with five alumni from Hanil University and driver in Myanmar, formerly Burma.
On December 23 we arrived at Incheon International Airport by limousine bus from Jeonju. The weather was freezing and the runways were snow-covered as plows struggled to clear the way for the arrival and departure of morning flights. Some seven hours later we landed in the tropical heat at Yangon International Airport in Myanmar to begin a one-month visit lecturing in theological colleges. We entered the new terminal building, cleared immigration and customs and then were filled with joy to see five alumni of the Asia Pacific Graduate School of Theological Studies of Hanil University waiting to meet us. All had been our students, had received their Th.M. degrees and are now engaged in Christian work in their homeland. We would like you to meet these five outstanding Christian leaders.
The Rev. Dr. Aung Myint Thang is the president of Yangon Graduate School of Theology, which has close ties with the Pusan Jin Presbyterian Church in Korea. It is an ecumenical school that trains tribal students for ministry. We are both visiting international professors at this theological college, and we each taught two intensive courses to 25 students representing nine languages and ethnic groups and six different denominations. Married to alumna Hnem Iang, the couple has a team ministry of theological education, mission work in rural areas and working with a local house church.
The Rev. Dr. Tun Lin Oo is the president of the Asho Chin Baptist Theological College and an associate pastor of a local church in Yangon. He recently returned to Myanmar after receiving his Ph.D. in theology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Because the campus of the theological college is in an isolated and restricted area, he is currently raising funds to complete the construction of a new campus in a larger city located along major transportation routes. His wife, Cherry, recently completed her theological degree in Myanmar and is now active in church work with women.
Pastor Mang Hre serves a church in Yangon. Recently married, he has just become a new father. During our visit his wife was suffering from a serious case of typhoid, which is quite common in Myanmar. Previously he served in Falam in the Chin Hills. He is affiliated with the Falam Baptist Convention.
The Rev. Van Kung is a member of the faculty of Lorrain Theological College, which is affiliated with the Mara Evangelical Church, a Reformed denomination founded by English missionaries. Following his study at Hanil University he wrote a book entitled Dawchhau Theology, which is the first theological book in English written by a member of the Mara tribe. Currently he is working on a D.Min. through Wesley Theological Seminary with classes being held in Korea and in Washington, D.C.
The Rev. Sa E Hmo, a member of the faculty of Lorrain Theological College, comes from a remote area in Maraland, which is three days by bus from Yangon plus four more days walking from the Chin Hills. The area is so remote that the village’s only telephone is connected through India rather than Myanmar. His wife is an accomplished weaver of fabrics in traditional tribal designs. Currently he serves as the academic dean at Lorrain Theological College.
Following the completion of their study at Hanil University each of these alumni has returned to Myanmar to serve under the most difficult economic and political conditions. It has been most gratifying to know that our graduates are determined to return home to their churches and theological colleges. The Korean church and its theological schools such as Hanil are playing an important role in global mission through providing opportunities for graduate theological education for Asian church leaders.
Through your support of our work in Korea, you have had a significant part in the preparation of Aung Myint Thang, Tun Lin Oo, Mang Hre, Van Kung and Sa E Hmo. Rejoice with us as we give thanks to God for their ministries of faithful service. May God grant you grace and blessing as you serve our Lord wherever God has called you.
Faithfully in mission,
Carol Chou Adams / Daniel J. Adams
The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 120
