RCMI 2018 E-newsletter No.04E
The journey of the Lahu
The Lahu is an ethnic group in Yunnan, mainly distributed in southern Yunnan provinces such as Lancang, Menglian, Shuangjiang, Zhenhai and Ximen. It is in subtropical mountain area and is dominated by agriculture.
The Lahu speaks their own language, Sino-Tibetan language and Tibeto-Burman language. Because of the close relationship with Han and Dai people, the Lahu can also speak Chinese and Tai. In the past, the Lahu people did not have written words. In the early 20th century, Western missionaries used Latin alphabet to create words for the Lahu which were used in some areas. In 1957, government reformed these words and created a new Lahu language. The word ‘Lahu’ is a vocabulary in their language. ‘La’ means tiger while ‘Hu’ means roasting meat. Thus, Lahu people are also known as ‘the tribe of hunting tigers’ while another meaning of ‘Lahu’ is happiness. The Lahu divides themselves into a number of subgroups, such as the Lahu Na (Black Lahu), Lahu Nyi (Red Lahu), Lahu Hpu (White Lahu), etc. Footprints of missionaries On the northwest hill of the Nuofu Township Government of Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, there is a Christian church. Nuofu Church is the headquarter of the churches in Lancang, Shuangjiang, Cangyuan, Gengma, etc. This was built by a pastor of American Baptist Convention, William Marcus Young, who preached from Myanmar to Lancang province. He first rented an isolated hill in Nuofu, and later built a church in there and gradually expanded to various places.
According to an incomplete statistic, Christians established more than 100 churches and schools in Lahu region between 1921 and 1936. This nurtured over 300 evangelists and the number of believers reached 20,000. After 1949, thousands of believers fled to Myanmar (since only one day was needed to travel from Lancang to Myanmar). Some people returned to Lancang from 1950 to 1955. The Chinese government kept putting lots of pressure on the believers and there was no religious freedom. So, they went back and forth between Myanmar and Lancang. It is said that all older people who lived in Lancang had been to Myanmar.
At present, there are about 50,000 Lahu Christians. Also, there are about 30,000 Christians and 24 churches in Lancang only. In some areas, almost everyone in the same regions are believers and those places have become Christian districts. Other religions have shrunk because of the prevalence of Christianity. The difficulties faced by the Lahu Churches are no different from those of other churches. There are many people who believe in Christ but only few people who are shepherding. Many Lahu evangelists have not received theological training. They only rely on the Three-Self Church or some short-term volunteer training courses that nurture some brothers and sisters.
A Lahu girl - NaMo
A Lahu girl comes from the Nuofu Township of Pu'er City in Yunnan Province. It was the grace of God that she entered a University with good results. She is also the only university graduate in the town.Her major is the language and literature of ethnic minorities, especially in Lahu language.
When I first came to Kunming, a flourishing city, I was curious about everything. University life isn’t easy, there are bitterness and happiness. Time flies, after four years of hard work, I am now going to graduate soon… Her dream: Lahu is a language that is about to disappear, in order to preserve the culture and language, she chose Lahu as a major. More importantly, she hopes to learn this language and bring back gospel to her ethnic group. Her mother is a devout Christian who often prays for her study. She hopes to be able to serve full-time in a church with her family, becoming co-workers and serve God. She commits herself to the Lord and believes that God will guide her. That she can find a right job and becomes God’s servant to rescue souls. She is willing to put her dreams in the hands of God and let his will be fulfilled. Her gratitude: Thank God, in my four years in college, I need to borrow money because my family is poor. However, I met people from RCMI and they helped me with my school fee, so that I can finish my studies. Thank you for brothers and sisters who have been willing to give donation. I am sorry that I can't say thank you in person! Thank you very much for your selfless dedication and that I can finish my studies. I want to wish you all the best. I hope that there will be a revival in your ministry, so that you can help more and more people. Also, thank you for your help with my school life. Pray for you that you can do many more things to bless China under God’s guidance. I love you and see you in the camp in August!
Intercession needs: 1.Since February of this year, China's new religious regulations have been implemented. Some house churches have been ordered to stop gathering or to have gathering with no more than 30 people. Some of the meeting points have been monitored, and the past freedom in immigration border is also restricted! The Bible and related textbooks are completely removed from the Internet, and public sale is forbidden. The policy of religious freedom is getting more strict. Please pray for the Chinese churches. 2.July and August are the time of gospel harvest of children and young people, many churches in the Mainland will have evangelical camps. May God bless these young people and let them have a smooth process in joining a church and being shepherd. 3.Pastor Balcombe has recently suffered from pain in his right foot. After doctor's diagnosis, he needs to take a rest for a month. If he does not get better, he needs to have a knee surgery. He is now serving in Kenya and South Africa. May the Lord relieve his pain and adjust his lifestyle properly.
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