I am a soldier on the front lines of the military. I never know when I might die, whether it will be today or tomorrow. Because of that, I have always relied on my Buddhist beliefs as reassurance for my future, but I was never truly satisfied with the explanations of my faith. After awhile, I decided to consider myself an atheist rather than a Buddhist. The only thing I trusted was my gun and military skills. I told myself there was no God and I would die a soldier.

One day, during a military operation, I arrived at a Karen village with a group of other soldiers. We camped inside the village church. When I realized it was not a Buddhist temple, I was instantly curious about the people and their Christian beliefs. But I couldn’t find out more because everyone in the village had disappeared when we arrived. 

However, one old man was forced to cook for us during our stay, so one evening during my night watch I quietly approached the man and asked him about his religious beliefs.  He looked at me with fear and did not respond. Though I understood his reaction, I was determined to find out, so I asked again more gently. That’s when the old man told me he believed in the living God and His Son, Jesus Christ.  After his brief explanation, he quickly departed. But his one simple statement about the living God had captured my heart!  I was very excited and wanted to learn more about this God and His Son, Jesus.

During the next few days in the village, I rarely saw the old man, but the day before we left I had another chance to approach him. This time I asked him if he had any Christian books or material. The man quickly said ‘no’ and explained if he got caught giving me such things his life would be in danger. But I persisted and told him I only wanted it for myself.

At that moment, without delay, the old man ran into the room where he had been cooking and came back with a gospel tract and handed it to me. It explained how God saved all sinners with His love. When I first read it, I really couldn’t understand it, but it still felt good to hear about God and His Son. Since then, I have tried to understand the connection between God and Christ. When I arrived back at our main camp, I asked around to see if any others might know something about Christianity, but with no success. From then on, I considered myself a new person, although I still didn’t know what that meant.  

As a soldier, there are few activities suitable to be involved in, so I listen to the radio as much as I can. One day, unexpectedly, I tuned into an FEBC broadcast. I heard a message about God’s love and how Jesus, the Son of God, saved us from our sins on the cross. The broadcaster went on to explain that whoever believes in Him will be saved and forgiven and receive eternal life. After I heard those words, at that very moment, I was shaking and my eyes were full of tears. I was so happy I couldn’t stand still. Like a crazy person, I shouted that I found what I was looking for! I thanked God for the message through FEBC because it was exactly what I had been seeking.

This letter is my very first declaration of becoming a Christian. You are the first ones I have shared this with. I would really appreciate your help in understanding more about God, as well as how I should live my life, how to pray, and how to worship. Please tell me what books I should read and how I should practice my new-found faith in Christ. I am eager to know more.  I do my best to pray to the Lord, but I honestly don’t know if I am doing it correctly. But thanks to FEBC, I have come to know the Lord through your broadcasts. I hope to hear back from you to learn more about growing spiritually.

Yarhu (23 years old)
Somewhere on the Front Line

Note: FEBC Myanmar responded to his letter by answering all his questions and sending him a Burmese pocket Bible. This is a brief summary of Yarhu’s original 9 page letter.

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