Myamar:Cyclone Damages Evangelical Bible Seminary

May 15, 2008

From: Michael Chongluai
          Yangon, Myanmar  

Dear Brother Bruce,

Hello and warmest greetings to you from Myanmar. I am truly thanking God for the saving grace and protection power that kept us safe during the time of the great cyclone in Myanmar, May 2-4. We are being kept safely in the hallow of his hand. I deeply appreciate your love and concern and most prayers. Now at last I can use my computer this night. This is the first ever letter I write after the event.

In the mid night of May 2, Friday, we got a big cyclone and this continued till the next whole day. Our family stayed inside the house. All of us at EBS are physically safe. On Sunday May 4, I could reach to EBS site. We spent the whole day with prayer and praising God, and at the afternoon, we began to clear the destructions left by the cyclone. The destruction of EBS property included:

1. Two general storage houses were totally destroyed

2. Windows of the main building were crushed and destroyed.

3. Some 120 pieces of corrugated iron sheets with the roofs were torn out and has blown away from our men's dormitory.

4. Our kitchen dining hall roof has torn out and one side of the wall fell down.

5. Several larger trees at the campus fell down.

Therefore, since from May 4, afternoon we began to clear the debris and cut trees and rebuild the school by both six faculty members and 12 students. We are working till today. Most of the time I stayed at EBS site and slept there.

The total damage and lost we encountered at this time is about US$6,000.

Last Sunday, one local pastor came to EBS site in order to see me so that he can convey our welfare to you through his contact person from OMS in the USA. Thank you for your deep concern. This is a great encouragement for me and our family and all of us at EBS.

The destruction in Yangon is more than I read from the news. The whole people and whole community are suffering. As a Christian, I feel that it is God's calling in combination with his warning to the people of Myanmar.

The telephone line at my house was reconnected on May 14, Wednesday. There is no electric power. I repaired a small generator for emergency use and it is working for me this evening. So, in this way, God is living with us and working with us. Praise Him that I can write you now and communicate with you now.

Thank you so much for your most prayer support of our needs and requests. Please do not stop. Do hold on and keeping on to ask God on our behalf. The US government's relief has arrived Myanmar, and it is printed in a larger picture with a greater explanation with thanks. I read this from the local news.

At home we buy water since May 3. Every body is the same. Please encourage more people from the US to pray for Myanmar more diligently and more effectively.

Please greet Dee and your board members.

May God richly bless you and use you mightily for the building and extension of his Kingdom in Myanmar. Amen.

Yours sincerely in the great Commission of our Master,

Michael Chongluai
President
Evangelical Bible Seminary
Yangon, Myanmar.