Saturday, 16th of January was a joyous day for our pastoral staffing family and for the Karen and Chin communities, as Nan Myat Kaw, who has been pastoring these communities, was commissioned.
Nan was born in Myanmar during a difficult time in the country’s history, making the story of how she got from there, to here today, all the more marvelous. She believes God chose her from her mother’s womb and all those who know her would agree that we can see God’s hand guiding her life.
Myanmar is a Buddhist country, and yet Nan was placed in the one Christian primary school in the country. Her third-grade teacher was a Christian missionary teacher. She taught Nan Christian songs that encouraged her spiritual heart. She also studied with her uncle who was a Baptist pastor.
By the fourth grade she could read the Karen Bible, and remembers reading about creation and the Sabbath. Despite asking her uncle about it however, her questions were not answered. So she prayed, asking God to teach her about the Sabbath.
God answered her prayer by leading her to Mervin, a young Adventist school Headmaster. God even changed her mother’s heart and she allowed Nan to be baptized in 1969.
Nan worked as a high school teacher and with the government for the next 18 years and was involved in building roads for the local villages. Eventually she was called to serve as a teacher at an Adventist high school, where she worked for six years. During all this time Nan continued to study and learn. She graduated with a BA in Geography, then a Masters in Education, as well as many other certificates of learning.
God led Nan and Mervin to serve as global mission pioneers for Burmese people in Thailand and a Karen Burmese church was the result of her service there. Nan worked at the UN Regional office in Bangkok for five years and worked as a Bible teacher. She developed a prison ministry and brought 98 people into the kingdom. Praise God for His mercies!
In 2004 Nan and Mervin came to Australia ready to win souls. They both worked at schools helping the students from Myanmar. They volunteered in ministry and God brought an abundant blessing. Then Nan and Mervin worshiped at Werribee and Nan lead the 43rd Victorian Karen Language school.
Nan and Mervin worked together to lead the Karen church they were a part of which allowed Nan the time to keep training and study ministry.
“Nan, we acknowledge today that God has led in your life and you are always willing to follow that calling, and more specifically he has called you to serve Him in ministry. We want to acknowledge that following God’s calling isn’t always easy. There may be differing cultural expectations, challenges in life that distract, and the temptation can be to step away. But through your ministry it is clear to all who know you that the Holy Spirit has called you to minister, and who are we to go against the Spirit’s calling.” Justin Bone.
