How Will They Hear? Hkawng Dau’s Story
Across the world, the mandate of the Great Commission is thundering forth in places we have never heard of. Men and women are living out the gospel under trials we in the West cannot imagine. Their courage inspires us, though we may never meet them on this earth. This is the story of Myanmar.
On the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, a man rides his motorcycle taxi through bumpy roads.
The air is dusty, the land sparse and undeveloped. In place of greenery are marks of poverty: broken houses made from corrugated tin, holes in the ground, hills of rubbish.
This is Pastor Hkawng Dau’s mission field.
A God Who Remembers
When we look at the world with our physical eyes, we see the harsh reality of Satan’s kingdom: brutality and violence, death and decay, widows and orphans. But when we take on the mind of Christ, we see the world as He does.
We see the gospel going forth, new life forming, hearts being transformed.
We see our God at work.
And He has not forgotten His children.
In Myanmar, men and women like Hkawng Dau are proof of this promise as they carry the gospel where it is desperately needed.
Hkawng Dau, who is from Kachin State, was once addicted to drugs. Though he grew up in a Kachin Baptist church where his parents served regularly, he remained enslaved.
“I couldn't let go of this drug addiction, but I was scared to die,” he said.
“God has sustained me in every difficult situation, and I am sure, if I ever face problems, He will take control. The fact that I was in Yangon able to serve in the ministry even at my poorest point is because God still carried me through.”
One night, he overdosed and passed out. When he woke, his nose and hands were slick with blood. Terrified, he went to his mother and asked for help. He wanted to go to a Christian rehabilitation camp.
It was at such a camp that Hkawng Dau clearly heard the gospel—that there is a Savior, Jesus, who loves sinners. After receiving this salvation, his life was slowly transformed, and a new desire began to grow in his heart: to be trained for ministry.
Hkawng Dau moved to Myanmar’s capital city, Yangon, to study at a local seminary, where he met his now-wife. But his growth was stymied by weak, prosperity gospel theology. He and his wife began serving at an orphanage, but the lack of fellowship and their insufficient biblical knowledge proved frustrating.
“I realized that having a deeper understanding is really important and beneficial, not just for others but more importantly for self as well,” he said.
The answer to Hkawng Dau’s struggles came through another pastor in Yangon, who invited him to visit the Expository Preaching and Teaching Academy (EPTA).
Hkawng Dau quickly realized something was different about the way EPTA explained the Bible.
“Before joining EPTA, we were sharing testimonies and preaching however we saw fit. We'd extract and refer to some Bible verses to say what we want. But after joining EPTA, the first thing I realized was that the things we're doing were so wrong. The second thing I realized is that we need to prepare and study.”
At EPTA, Scripture became the bedrock of Hkawng Dau's conviction and faith. He would need this strength for the hardships of his future ministry.
If No One Preaches, How Will They Hear?
After completing his studies at EPTA, Hkawng Dau bought a piece of property on the outskirts of Yangon, where he built a small church. Like many pastors in Myanmar, Hkawng Dau is bivocational and can often be seen transporting people on his motorcycle taxi—his means of supporting his family, who also live on the church property.
These hardships have not distracted him from his compassion for the vulnerable and homeless, and his commitment to making the love of Christ known.
“My current goal is to share the gospel to the least of the least and the poor in any way possible,” he said.
Hkawng Dau’s willingness to do so anywhere—on the streets, at the market, in the neighborhood—comes with threats of opposition, arrest, and even imprisonment.
“Especially when I share the gospel, there are people who come at me and shout, ‘Don’t preach!’ and try to shut us down. But I am expecting that anyway.”
“God has sustained me in every difficult situation, and I am sure, if I ever face problems, He will take control. The fact that I was in Yangon able to serve in the ministry even at my poorest point is because God still carried me through.”
What compels Hkawng Dau and other pastors in Myanmar to persevere? Romans 10:14-15 is clear.
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent?”
“That’s why I preach,” Hkawng Dau said.
The need of lost souls demands obedience to the Great Commission, for the message of the gospel is their greatest hope.
The story of Myanmar is a window into the brokenness of our world. But it is also a brilliant magnification of God’s faithfulness. Through the testimony of our students and pastors around the world, we hear God's heart for the lost, calling all to repentance. We see His hand moving through the obedience of these gospel workers, using earthen vessels as instruments of His grace. And we can trust our Lord's sovereignty over the harvest—raising men and women to follow wherever He leads.
“How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news” (Isa. 52:7).
All quotes translated from the original Burmese.