Pray for Burma!

The following story is from the BBC:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is set to hold a second meeting with Burma’s top military leaders.

Mr Ban has asked to meet jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and says he is awaiting a reply while he remains in the country.

In his first meeting with General Than Shwe, Mr Ban asked for the release of all Burma’s political prisoners.

Ms Suu Kyi’s trial on charges of breaking the terms of her house arrest was postponed again on Friday.

A BBC correspondent says these delays suggest Burma’s military rulers may be having second thoughts about the trial.

Two-hour meeting

Mr Ban’s two-hour meeting with Gen Than Shwe took place in the remote administrative capital Nay Pyi Taw on Friday.

A LIFE IN DETENTION 1988: Junta comes to power after crushing pro-democracy uprising 1989: Martial law declared; opposition NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi put under house arrest 1990: NLD wins elections; result rejected by the ruling junta 1995: Suu Kyi freed from house arrest; movements restricted Sept 2000: Under house arrest for trying to defy travel curbs May 2002: Released unconditionally May 2003: Detained after clash between NLD and junta forces Sep 2003: Home after surgery, under effective house arrest UN chief’s big gamble Why is junta afraid of Suu Kyi?

“I told him [Gen Than Shwe] that I wanted to meet her [Aung San Suu Kyi], but he told me that she is on trial,” Mr Ban later told reporters.

“I told him that this is my proposal, and this is important, and I am waiting for their reply.”

Mr Ban said he had been assured that elections planned for 2010 would be “held in a fair, free and transparent manner”.

The UN chief’s second meeting with the Burmese leader is scheduled for Saturday morning and later he is due to make a speech outlining his vision for Burma.

If Mr Ban is allowed to meet Ms Suu Kyi, he would be the first UN secretary general to do so.

Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, has spent much of the past two decades in prison or under house arrest.

She was transferred from house arrest to prison in May after an American man swam to her lakeside house. She faces up to five years in jail if convicted.

Next year’s elections are part of the military government’s “roadmap to democracy,” but critics say they will be a sham designed to strengthen the generals’ four-decade grip on power.

Opposition activists say Ms Suu Kyi’s trial is designed to keep her out of the way until after the elections.

Happy Birthday

Please pray today for Aung San Suu Kyi,  today is her 64th birthday and her 14th under arrest in Myanmar.  She is a solemn reminder that not all progressive, democratic movements succeed…

Update on “the Lady”…

I thought you might like an update on the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi.  The trial has been delayed, but experts say the decision is already made and a guilty verdict will be handed down.

However, defense lawyers requested and received permission to include additional witness(es) on the June 26th resumption of proceedings. Article here.

The military-led governement is expressing its displeasure over the worlds negative response by cracking down on Suu Kyi’s political party – many arrests and harrassments.  Article here

Also the military is flexing its muscle in the ongoing battle with Kayin rebels in an attempt to make the country ’safe’.  More here

In the midst of all of these struggles the church is attempting to speak peace and hope in the lives of people.  Pray for the church planters that we have equipped and encouraged – that they will be bold in the face of opposition, and that they will use this opportunity (the government’s distraction to thwart democracy) to do all they can to boldly reach people for Christ.

Growing leaders…giving hope,
David

Today’s Quote

“If you give God the right to yourself, he will make a holy experiment out of you. God’s experiment’s always succeed.”
Oswald Chambers

The Lady by the Lake…

The trial of 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi (pronounced Awng-Sawn-Sue-Chee) is coming to a close. The Burmese government has done everything in its power to attempt to continue the arrest of this pro-democracy leader. She has been in prison or under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years.

The military-led dictatorship has intimidated witnesses, and stripped lawyers who are working on this case of their law liscense.

The military government fears this woman–her influence, her presence, and her leadership.  They are so afraid of her that it is illegal to say her name aloud in public – so the Burmese simply refer to her as “the Lady”.

Pray that God’s grace would be evident in the life of “the Lady”, and that justice would prevail. Pray for our friends and the church in Burma -  times are very difficult right now.

You can read a current full story on this situation by clicking HERE.

Growing leaders…giving hope,

David Robbins
The Aquila Project

Incendiary Quote of the Day…

“A tiny group of believers who have the Gospel keep mumbling it over and over to themselves.  Meanwhile, millions who have never heard it once fall into the flames of eternal hell without ever hearing the salvation story.”

- K.P. Yohannon, Gospel for Asia

Thank you, President Obama…

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Obama called Tuesday for the immediate and unconditional release of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is on trial for subversion.

Aung San Suu Kyi was first detained in 1989 after mass protests against the military government.

Obama said the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s detention is “arbitrary” and “unjustified” in accordance with the findings of a United Nations group looking into the matter.

“I strongly condemn her house arrest and detention, which have also been condemned around the world,” Obama said in a statement.

“Aung San Suu Kyi’s continued detention, isolation and show trial, based on spurious charges, cast serious doubt on the Burmese regime’s willingness to be a responsible member of the international community,” he said. “This is an important opportunity for the government in Burma to demonstrate that it respects its own laws and its own people.”

Pray for “The Lady” in Burma

Please continue to pray for the ongoing situation in Burma (Myanmar).  Aung San Sui Kyi is on trial (again) and it looks like the government is set on keeping her in prison/house arrest for the rest of her life.  It is actually illegal to mention her name in public in Burma, so the people have resorted to calling her “The Lady”, so if you can’t pronounce her name simply pray for the Lady…

Here is the latest on the trial which is going on in Burma right now…  http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/26/myanmar.suu.kyi.trial/index.html

As you are praying for the trial also be sure and lift up our work in Burma.  We are working hard to raise the funds for a trip to Burma this summer….

J

Incendiary Quote of the Day

We Christians too often substitute prayer for playing the game.  Prayer is good; but when used as a substitute for obedience,  it is nothing but a blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Phariasaism…to your knees man!  and to your Bible!  decide at once!  don’t hedge! time flies!  Cease your insults to God, quit consulting flesh and blood.  Stop your lame, lying and cowardly excuses…Enlist!

C.T. Studd (missionary to China and Africa)

Staff Retreat Report…

I just want to thank you for praying for our recent Aquila staff retreat. We truly sensed the power of the Holy Spirit in our time together.

Bottom line:  Leaders in SE Asia are hungry for training, and we are committed to do anything and everything to bring a training solution to them – no “if, and’s or but’s”.

We began with a time of sharing what we believed the Lord was speaking into each of our lives as we individually prepared for the retreat. Amazingly, the message each of us was receiving from the Word and in prayer was almost identical.

We engaged with God during a time of personal and corporate repentance – asking God to forgive us for those times we failed to wait upon Him to direct, instead relying on our faulty human wisdom.

The rest of the meeting was incredible as well. I hope to be able to share some of those specifics in the coming weeks and months, as we continue to expectantly wait on God to open doors.

We are incredibly grateful for your partnership. Leaders in SE Asia are grateful for your investment in their lives.

Thanks for taking this journey with us!

David and our Aquila Team