by Khin (Myanmar)

I was born into and grew up with a mixed religious and cultural background. My father is a Mizo, one of the Chin sub-tribes in Myanmar. He converted to Christianity from animism when he was a teenager. My mother is a Burmese Buddhist. Later, she accepted Jesus Christ as her saviour. Then, my mother, my younger brother, and I were baptised when I was twelve years old. We belong to the Methodist Church in Upper Myanmar.

     By the grace of God, I had a born-again experience, which was a spiritual awakening in my life. Since then, I have actively participated in Methodist youth activities. I became a preacher when I was nineteen years old. I heard God’s calling to serve full-time. I became a ministerial candidate and joined ministerial training for three years at Theological Training Institution (now Myanmar Theological College), Mandalay, in 1985. I have served as a minister since 1988, and I was ordained in 1990. I am married, and we are blessed with three sons.

     I have different ministry experiences in the church, such as Circuit Superintendent, Synod Secretary, District Chairman, Lecturer, Academic Dean, and Principal. Presently, I serve as the Principal of the Tahan Institute of Theology (TIT). I am actively involved in Interfaith dialogue, especially under the Mission Department programme of the Myanmar Council of Churches. I have also contributed numerous articles and several books in Mizo, Burmese, and English.

     Apart from teaching in theological schools, I have served as a minister among the Mizo people in rural areas. It is sad to say that the military took power on February 1, 2021, and triggered a wave of resistance across the country. During this time of revolution, we are facing many problems in different ways. People are economically poor and need education to develop their lives. I have organised lay theological education, especially for the Mizo-Christian young people.

     I have heard about Asia Gateway Training (AGT) through the Association for Theological Education in Myanmar (ATEM). In this training, I have learned and benefited from new insights from:

• Interfaith dialogue and cross-cultural apologetics
• Integral mission
• Culture and theology
• Contextualization
• Missional hermeneutics of the Old and New Testaments
• Visitation to Hindu temples (Sri Balathandayut Hapani Temple, Seremban), Taoist temples (Blossom Chinese Temple), and Elshadai Education Centre
• Class lectures and discussions from participants

     All this helps me develop my theological thinking and approach. I have collected resources from the library of Seminari Theoloji Malaysia during this training.

I thank God for giving me a chance to participate in Asia Gateway Training 2023. I would also like to say thank you to AGT, ATEM, and TIT for their financial support.