Barefoot Doctors' Stories

Esther, Yangon

Esther travelled to a Burmese Buddhist home to treat a sick woman.  After treating her, the woman wanted to give Esther money, but Esther explained that the medicine was donated by Christians with love. The woman was so touched by this love and by her healing that she accepted the Lord. Another five Buddhist neighbors also turned to the Lord because of her testimony! Esther and a nurse were asked to help another lady who had been suffering for twenty years with pain from childbirth. Esther comforted her by telling her that Jesus can give her victory over all her difficulties. The nurse and Esther cleaned and sutured her womb. She was healed by God’s power! Later, she also gave her life to Jesus.

Another family was Buddhist. A monk in their family was weak and malnourished. Esther was asked to help the monk. She treated him and he recovered his strength. The family tried to give money to Esther but she explained that the medicine was donated by Christians with love. This was a great witness to the monk. Esther was invited to the monastery to treat five more weak and malnourished Buddhist monks. She gave them chicken soup and multivitamins and shared the gospel with them.

Pray that God will continue to open this door to the Buddhist monks.

At first, Esther was disappointed with her ministry that she couldn’t witness effectively to Buddhists. For three days she fasted and prayed. She asked God for power in sharing the gospel. Soon afterwards a neighbor brought over the mail with an invitation to visit and pray for a Buddhist family. So, Esther visited and prayed for them. This was amazing! After that, the whole family became Christians. Then, another family also became Christians. God gave her power and showed her how to share the gospel effectively. Prayer is so powerful! There are now 20 believers. They are ready to start a church in that area. This is in a completely Buddhist community.

Esther also has a kindergarten for 80 poor Buddhist children. Not only does she teach the children school subjects, but also Bible and Christian songs. She is loved and respected by the whole community.  Now that Esther has received medical knowledge and medicine from the Barefoot Doctor school, she is also able to treat the sick children in the kindergarten. The parents are very happy about this and Esther has many opportunities to witness to the Buddhist families in her area.

Pray for Esther’s effective witness in this Buddhist community and for her medical ministry. Pray for God’s power, protection, and blessings on Esther everywhere she goes!

Tunkyi, Mro Tribe, Arakan State

Tunkyi is working as an evangelist in a strongly Buddhist area where it is very difficult to preach the gospel.  Previously, evangelists in his area had set bad examples. These evangelists produced “rice Christians” (dependent only on donations) and not on spiritual transformation. The people began distrusting Christian evangelists. Because of this, Tunkyi evangelized by showing love and concern, treating the sick, and helping the people, rather than preaching. The people needed to know Tunkyi personally and trust him before he could share the gospel.  Tunkyi met with the Mru tribal leaders and shared both medical knowledge and medicine as well. When the wife of the Mru leader became ill,  he had the opportunity to treat her. When this leader tried to pay for the medicine, Tunkyi refused to accept any payment saying it was donated by Christians with love. The leader was amazed and began promoting Tunkyi, urging the people to go to him when they are sick.

One day a very poor village woman was very sick with arthritis, numbness, and then became unconscious. The villagers didn’t know how to help her and called Tunkyi to come and treat the woman. He prayed first and then treated her. After that, she recovered and the people were amazed. 

Another day, Tunkyi saw three small children by themselves. Their mother, a widow, was out in the jungle working hard to find vegetables that she could sell to support the family. One child was two years old but looked only two months old. The child couldn’t even walk. Tunkyi examined the child and noticed he was malnourished. He treated the child with multivitamins and arranged funds for the family. He told the widow to stay at home with the child and to use the donation for rice and eggs to feed the child. After ten days, the child recovered and was able to walk for the first time! The woman was very happy and welcomed him warmly, thanking him every time he visited. “If he didn’t treat my daughter, she would have died,” she testified to everyone.

Now, he has the trust and respect of the people, and he can preach the gospel to them. Five villages have asked him to come, preach the gospel, and treat the sick. 

Pray for these Buddhist villages.  Tunkyi is visiting them as soon as he returns home.

Myit

Myit is a Lahu evangelist to six spirit villages in Shan State and also the pastor of Yagon village church. One school teacher invited him to his spirit village called Boyeh village. When he arrived, the headman’s wife was struggling with arthritis and had a difficult time moving around. Myit prayed to God first and treated the lady. Then, they worshipped together in the headman’s house. Even though they were all spirit worshippers, they asked him to pray and preach. 

Before this time, the school teacher testified, no one was allowed to preach and teach in this village, especially not in the headman’s house! This was the first time ever! The villagers gave him pumpkin, two chickens, chili peppers, and green vegetables, and they invited him back to preach the gospel again. 

Myit has been invited to four very poor spirit-worshipping villages to preach the gospel and treat the sick. Also two Christian villages need encouragement and medical care as well.

Pray for Myit's medical work and preaching the gospel to be effective and powerfully used by God.

Seng, Nong Mong village, Putao

Seng saw a woman with stomach troubles and healed her. Then he joined with other Barefoot Doctors, and they went to different villages together. One man had his thumb cut open, which was cleaned and sutured. Many villagers had ear infections with putrid smells that were cleaned with infections treated. Many other villages invited the evangelists to come and treat their sick.

Before treating the people, Seng prays for them and everyone is thankful for the thoughtfulness. One boy whose sister died a year before had an infection in his eye, so they carefully treated him. This child had only old dirty clothes and no shoes.

One old lady came to Seng's home with pain in her mouth. She had gone to the hospital before but they couldn’t help her. Seng gave her penicillin and Vitamin C and in three days she was healed. She came back with a small bag of hot peppers as a gift for healing her. She exclaimed, “Why is it that I went to many doctors and none of them could cure my mouth sores? But you did it!” Seng witnessed to her of God’s power working through the medicine donated by Christians from the west.

Seng's testimony: "I thank you for the opportunity to study not only medicine but also the Bible. Before, I didn’t really understand the Bible. Now, I do so much more!  I can witness and share with non-Christians now. The Bible teaching was very interesting and not boring at all."

Pray for Seng as she treats the sick and for safe and effective visits to many villages, sharing the gospel and healing the people.

Timothy

Timothy’s testimony: "We would like to say thank you so much for the opportunity to serve like this as Barefoot Doctors. This medical ministry is such a good ministry as I used medicine to share the Gospel. In Nanmon village, I started to treat two TB patients (Lahu women)—they are non-Christians. I really hope that I will get opportunity to share about God to the whole family when I treat them between six months. "