Shan-Tai prayer month, day 30 In Shan Buddhist traditions the body of a deceased person is cremated and crowds of people attend the service, the size of the crowd is thought to indicate how good the person was in life. … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 28 Many Shan Christians attend churches that are not based upon Shan culture but rather the culture of the missionary(s) who planted the church. This leaves some Shan Christians feeling ambivalent about church and really wanting … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 27 A tattoo is a permanent mark on the skin of a person, but in Shan culture the practise of tattooing may be starting to fade. Traditionally Shan men have believed that tattoos protected them from … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 26 Many Shan people dream of the opportunities awaiting them over the border in Thailand. Unfortunately these dreams are very rarely fulfilled in any positive way, often the reality turns out to be more of a … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 25 “Is Christmas the American New Year?” Asks a Shan young woman when invited to a Christmas party. Many Shan have heard of Christmas but have no idea why it is celebrated and have never heard … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 24 Many Shan people live in areas that might as well be on the moon for the difficulty of getting the gospel to them. For villages that are beyond any roads, within a war zone, cut … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 23 A young man who is a Buddhist monk risks losing all by deciding to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. The hardest persecution to face can be that from one’s own family, the people you love most reject … Continue reading →

  Shan-Tai prayer month, day 22 As migrant workers in Thailand, Shan people often work so hard for such long hours that it is very difficult to interact with others and participate in community. As outsiders this leaves them very … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 21 In the West we enjoy a culture which has been transformed by the influence of Christianity over two thousand years. But Christianity is not the only influence to have shaped Western cultures and it would … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 20 I live in an island nation that is completely surrounded by oceans – we have no man-made borders, the coastline is our border. So the concept of crossing a border from one country into another … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 19 Buddhism is a religion of works – put very crudely, a Buddhist must do enough good to outweigh the wrong they have done and so be able to progress closer to nirvana. The good works … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 18 The entire nation of Burma is oppressed politically by the ruling military junta, in Shan state this is especially severe. Added to this human oppression is also spiritual oppression in forms seldom seen by those … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 17 Shan young people are often keen to learn English as it opens opportunities to study and work abroad. Some of these people have learned English from Christians and are drawing near to believing when they … Continue reading →

Shan-Tai prayer month, day 16 As Christians the source of our knowledge of God and comfort from Him is primarily the Bible. Throughout history translating the Bible into the local language of the common people has been a high priority … Continue reading →